Lemon Dinner, two Ways

My lovely friend Lei brought gifties for the rest of us to brunch at Brown Sugar Kitchen on Sunday…jams and marmalades. Marmalade always makes me think of my mom and her funny love of collecting things. When I was in 5th grade, I got into reading the Paddington Bear books, and my mom read them, too, so we could talk about them. I don’t know if you know Paddington, but he ADORES marmalade, and is always getting sticky with it. So my mom started buying different marmalades, lemon and orange and lime and whatever other flavors there were. Then she started buying tea pots, so we could have tea with our marmalades. Different shapes and colors and styles, to go with different kinds of tea. All of this in spite of how neither of us really liked marmalade or tea. Gah. I miss her. I never was fond of marmalade until Ted and I went on our honeymoon, and in our Paris bed and breakfast, the breakfast was either croissants or baguettes, along with jam and marmalade, and they had an amazing orange marmalade. Mmmm. Anyway, from the lovely options Lei offered, I chose a gorgeous Meyer lemon Marmalade. Then the next day I started thinking about how I’m not a big toast and jam kind of person, so what could I make with the marmalade that would do it justice? I was also thinking about how I had a couple of pork chops in the freezer. So I Googled ‘pork meyer lemon marmalade recipe’, and I found this one.

So I decided to modify the recipe for pork chops. I skipped the brining, and watched the time. Result? Gorgeous, delicious pork chop with a sweet and tangy glaze that’s a combination of caramelized shallots and lemon, with a hint of rosemary. Really, really good. Sometimes I have trouble differentiating between ‘caramelized’ and ‘burned’, so at first I left the shallots in the pan. Then I got a taste, and went back for some and topped the rest of my pork chop with it. Truly yummy. Give this one a try.

Brined Pork Loin with Meyer Lemon Marmalade

Ingredients

• 1/3-tsp. kosher salt
• 1/3-cup brown sugar
• 8 cups water
• 1 Tbs. whole peppercorns
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 (3-4 lb.) pork loin, cleaned and tied with butcher’s twine if necessary
• 3/4-cup shallots, sliced
• 2 Tbs. plus 1/2-cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbs. fresh rosemary
• Gray salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2-cup Napastyle Meyer Lemon Marmalade

Directions

In a large pot or bowl, combine salt, sugar, water, peppercorns and bay leaves. Submerge pork loin in mixture and let brine for about 4 hours. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Remove pork loin from brine and dry well. Season well with Gray salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the bottom of a heavy, stove top and oven-safe casserole dish over medium-high heat. Brown pork well and place in preheated oven to cook about halfway, about 35 minutes. Meanwhile, heat 1/4-cup olive oil in a medium saute pan over high heat. Add shallots and cook until they begin to caramelize, about 8 minutes. Turn heat to medium and season with salt and pepper. Add rosemary and let cook until golden brown (about 10 minutes more). Add marmalade and stir to combine. Remove from heat and set aside.

After 35 minutes, remove pork from oven and spoon half the shallot mixture over the top and sides of the pork. Place back in the oven and continue to roast until a meat thermometer (inserted into the center of the pork) reads 165 degrees F (about 30 minutes more). Remove and let rest 15 minutes before carving. Serve with reserved shallot mixture on the side.

Coincidentally, Ted’s cousin posted a link to a recipe on Facebook that she called a ‘go to’ recipe. She uses the chicken for dinner on its own, in a panini, in soup, or in a salad. I say coincidentally, because it is a lemon-rosemary chicken recipe. Sounds like it would be a very similar dinner to the marmalade one, but it was completely different. Perhaps because of the sugar and the onions involved with the marmalade meal. This dinner was light and really delicious. I’m keeping both of these. I wasn’t sure what to serve the chicken with, since I wanted to have mashed potatoes with the pork. So I made quinoa, which I’ve only had once before (I know, crazy, right? I’m 45, I live in California, and I’ve only had quinoa once, at Jeff and Leah’s house). I found this herbed quinoa recipe on Giada’s page, which was made with lemon. Lemon lemon lemon. I pink puffy heart lemon. And it seemed like a good match for the lemon rosemary chicken. So here it is, the lemon rosemary grilled chicken, and the herbed quinoa. I apologize for the anemic look of my grilled chicken. Don’t know what’s wrong with my gas grill, but it has plenty of gas in it, but it wouldn’t heat up higher than maybe 250 degrees. Which made for an anemic LOOKING chicken, but it came out very juicy and delicious. YUM.

Lemon-Rosemary Chicken
Ingredients:

• 4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons, fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon, fresh rosemary, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

Place chicken breasts in a shallow glass dish or resealable plastic bag. Combine rosemary, garlic, black pepper, olive oil, and salt in a small bowl. Pour mixture onto chicken, cover or seal, and place in refrigerator for 15-20 minutes. Preheat grill for medium-high heat. Place chicken breast on a lightly oiled grill rack and allow to cook for 7 minutes per side. When chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear, remove from heat and serve.

This is really good and yummy. And with the quinoa, it’s a really good combination.

Herbed Quinoa
Ingredients

• 2 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 cups quinoa

Dressing:

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

For the quinoa: In a medium saucepan, add the chicken stock, lemon juice and quinoa. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pan and cook until all the liquid is absorbed, about 12 to 15 minutes.

For the dressing: In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, basil, parsley, thyme, and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Pour the dressing over the quinoa and toss until all the ingredients are coated. Transfer the quinoa to a bowl. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and serve.

LEMON LEMON LEMON! Enjoy!