Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Carla's Kitchen Capers: Pork Chops with Hot Cherry Vinegar Peppers and Pot...

Carla's Kitchen Capers: Pork Chops with Hot Cherry Vinegar Peppers and Pot...: I love pork chops, hubbs hates them, so he was out tonight and I took advantage of the situation. I also like spicy and he doesn't so this...

Pork Chops with Hot Cherry Vinegar Peppers and Potatoes

I love pork chops, hubbs hates them, so he was out tonight and I took advantage of the situation. I also like spicy and he doesn't so this was the outcome. I have always wanted to try this recipe and I don't know why I waited so long, it's quick and easy and full of flavor!!
I used:
2 thick pork chops bone in
1 potato thinly sliced
1/2 white onion thinly slice
8 hot cherry pepper in vinegar
1/4 cup vinegar juice from the pepper jar
1 clove of garlic thinly sliced
1/4 cup oil
2 tablespoons flour
rosemary, parsley, salt and pepper to taste
Heat oil in a large skillet, season the chops with salt and pepper and dredge in flour. Brown on both sides and remove from the skillet, next add the potatoes and onions until you get some nice color and the potatoes are cooked through. Now add the cherry peppers and garlic, cook for a few minute and add the pepper vinegar and reduce. Now at this point you can add water to make a sauce if you like, the put the chops back in and add the parsley and rosemary and keep warm for 15 minutes so the flavors marry. Enjoy!!!
*serve with a nice glass of wine and crusty Italian bread to soak up the sauce
**add less or more cherry peppers depending on how spicy you like it

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Carla's Kitchen Capers: Shrimp Fra Diavolo

Carla's Kitchen Capers: Shrimp Fra Diavolo: I was feeling a little devilish tonight because its our 18th wedding anniversary this weekend so I decided to make something spicy. This i...

Shrimp Fra Diavolo

I was feeling a little devilish tonight because its our 18th wedding anniversary this weekend so I decided to make something spicy. This is so easy to make at home with very few ingredients. If you ordered this in a restaurant you would probably pay around $16-$18 a dish, but you can make it at home for about $7.50 a dish feeding 4 people.
1 lb shrimp
1 24oz can of whole tomatoes 
5-6 cloves of garlic smashed and peeled
1/4 red wine
1/4 cup chopped parsley
hot pepper flakes to taste
cayenne, salt and pepper to taste
1 lb linguine
some pasta water



First season the shrimp with salt, pepper and cayenne pepper, add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a skillet and get a good sear on the shrimp, remove from the pan and set aside. Now add the garlic just a minute or two (don't let it get brown or it will turn bitter), add the wine and deglaze the pan. Next add the tomatoes, I just squeezed them up a bit with my hands, and re season with salt, pepper and add the hot pepper flakes. Now its time to turn the pasta water on to boil and cook the sauce for about 1/2 hour. When the pasta is almost done add the shrimp back to the sauce with 1/2 the parsley. When the pasta is done toss all together and add some pasta water if needed. 
*garlic bread and a salad would be an easy and budget friendly dinner for friend
**and of course a good bottle of wine or 2,3,4....
***happy endings ;)