Pork Cutlets and Braised Purple Cabbage

Extended Shelf Life for: Red Cabbage, Onion, Bread

If you know the man at all, you are well aware that he is a good eater, bless his soul, because if he wasn't, I don't know what I would do. He eats a wide variety of vegetables and although he claims that the "Only thing better than meat and potatoes is meat and meat," the truth is, we eat a lot of veggie-heavy meals and even a lot of vegetarian meals, so really, his life doesn't center around meat.

This meal is not vegetarian, and it's actually kind of close to a meat and potatoes meal, but my man was so extremely satisfied by this meal that I am extremely confident that it would go over well in many homes...I think...it is still cabbage...which can be unappetizing to some.

Braised Purple Cabbage ~ Ingredients/Directions:

Quarter, core and thinly shred 1 head of Purple Cabbage. Soak in a large bowl of water.

Meanwhile, heat 2 Tbsp. Butter in a heavy skillet or cast iron kettle (my personal choice). Once melted and fragrant, add and saute until golden 1/4 cup finely chopped Onion.

Remove cabbage from water and add to pan along with 1 thinly sliced Apple, 1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar, 2 Tbsp. Honey or Sugar, and a shake of Salt.

Cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally for 1 - 1 1/2 hours adding hot water as needed - at the end you want moist, but not soaked cabbage. It will be sweet and tangy and perfectly accompanied by a drizzle of yogurt and topped with pork cutlets as described below!

Pork Cutlets ~ Ingredients/Directions:

Thinly slice as many pork chops as you need to satisfy whoever will be at your table.

Heat 2-3 Tbsp. of Vegetable oil in a heavy skillet or cast iron skillet (again, my choice).

Dip each pork cutlet into a shallow bowl of flour, followed by a bowl of 2 beaten eggs and finally a bowl of bread crumbs (I made my own by saving the heels of bread, drying them in the oven and running them through our juicer on the mincing nozzle, a food processor would work as well).

Fry in the skillet for 2-3 minutes on each side, drain on a layer or two of paper towels, enjoy on a bed of braised cabbage!

Chinese Tomato and Egg with Fried Kohlrabi

Extended Shelf Life for: Tomatoes and Kholrabi

Chinese Style Tomato and Egg dish, much like the Eggplant and Potato Dish, this dish was inspired by our experience at a delicious Proper Chinese Restaurant in South Korea. Unfortunately, the main idea of the night was to have something to eat and I didn't do much research on how to season these eggs and the tomatoes - so mine, in ultimate simplicity, were sauteed onion and garlic followed by tomatoes and finally scrambled eggs, served on top of rice and alongside the upcoming kohlrabi home-fries. But, if you're looking for a more inspiring and flavorful Egg and Tomato dish, this recipe has all the makings of exactly what I was craving and what I so happily discovered in Daejeon, South Korea.

To accompany the eggs and to use up a large kohlrabi that had been gifted to me via my neighbor, I did a little Google exploration and opted for another NYT recipe, this time, rather than preserved red onions, I went for Kohlrabi Home-fries. 

Ingredients/Directions:

Peel and cut 1 1/2 - 2 pounds of Kohlrabi into thick sticks. Heat 2-4 Tbsp. of Oil over medium heat in a heavy skillet or cast iron pan. Meanwhile, combine 1 Tbsp. of Flour with Salt to taste and toss the Kohlrabi sticks in the mixture. Add kohlrabi to the skillet of rippling oil and cook on both sides for a few minutes until crispy. Drain on a paper towel and serve plain or with your favorite yogurt dipping sauce (if you're in need of a good yogurt sauce, check out this recipe!)

Chinese Style Eggplant and Potatoes

Extended Shelf Life: Eggplant, Potato, Bell Pepper, Onion, Jalapeno

While living in South Korea we discovered two things: a) Every nation has a different take on Chinese food and b) Authentic Chinese food, when discovered, is absolutely, friggin' fantastic! While living in Daejeon, we discovered a fantastic little Chinese restaurant which our British friend described as being 'Proper". Within minutes of having our plates set before us we realized that 'Proper Chinese' was the best Chinese. 

So, when a wealth of eggplants landed in my sink, I was quick to remember a tasty eggplant and potato dish and went to searching for a recipe which would bless our taste buds and remind us of a meal, and people, we dearly loved.

Ingredients/Directions:

Original Recipe and inspiration from MiJoRecipes

Heat oil (enough to nearly cover potatoes and eggplants when being fried, you'll definitely need to be adding more throughout the process) over medium heat. When oil is ready (sizzles when sprinkled with water) deep fry the potato until golden and crispy. Next, fry the eggplant until beautifully browned. In a wok, heat 1 Tbsp. Oil, saute the bell pepper and 1 diced Jalapeno until tender. Add the previously fried potatoes and eggplant. In a small dish, mix together 1 1/2 Tbsp. Soy Sauce, 1/2 Tbsp. Sugar, and 2 cloves minced Garlic. Pour over vegetables and heat through until aromatic. Serve over rice and bust out the chopsticks!

For more on Eggplants and other recipe inspiration check out my more detailed and interactive Squidoo Lens: The Art of Salvaging {Eggplant}