Pork Chops, Peaches, and a Grill

I can't tell you how many times I've opened up a cookbook and as I leafed through it said, "Pass.......(page flip).......pass.......(page flip).........weird......(page flip).......pass." I don't imagine I'm the only one that has performed this routine, either.

While I hate his new show, Mario Batali can write one helluva a cookbook. One recipe I found to be a little on the weird side for me was Pork Chops with Peaches out of the The Babbo Cookbook. In the past I had made Berkshire Pork Chops with a recipe from, Cleveland's own, Andrew Carmellini. One of the key components of Carmellini's recipe was to brine the chops. Since I had been doing this with the Thanksgiving turkeys for the past few years, I figured I'd give it a try on pork chops. For me brining was the difference between Mom's "bone dry, Shake 'N Bake, bible page thin, ultra lean, mass produced" pork chops and the "juicy, I don't know what this is on the outside but it kicks ass, will it cook all the way through it's so thick, I'm not eating all that fat (oh yes you will), butchered by the guy who knows where the pigs came from" pork chop. So after trying Carmellini's recipe I was now on a quest to see if I could find an even better brine.

It's true, there is more than one way to skin a cat. While I don't have a desire to find one way to skin a cat, I am interested in finding different ways to brine meat. Carmellini's recipe called for a brine of about 6 hours, Batali's is twice that (minimum). What's right? Who knows, I think they're both great. Although I haven't tried to do it, I'd have to believe that brining would at the very least help those lean, thin, grocery store pork chops taste better.

I think the type of pork and it's thickness make all the difference in the world. I've made Berkshire chops that were thick as hell and I swear I'll never go back unless I can't afford them. They are much more expensive. But I think they grill better because the fat is allowed to cook longer due to the thickness off the chops. The thinner they are the less margin of error you're going to have for overcooking them. The ones pictured here are on the thinner side. Admittedly they were cooked a little more than I like. As anything, I've found that when I make a recipe a third time, it's usually money. This was my second time. The culprit in this case was the thickness of the chops.

The part of this whole equation that makes this recipe a show stopper is the grill. I prefer to cook on a small Weber grill; fueled by lump charcoal. I like the fact that it burns clean and hot and doesn't start off with any chemicals. A chimney starter, some paper, and a match and you're ready to rock and roll. The other nice thing, I like, is that you can easily extinguish them with the cover and re-use the leftover pieces of charcoal. Like anything, they are little more expensive (and don't last as long), but I like them more.

So where's the recipe? Here we go:

Grilled Pork Chops with Peaches and Balsamic Vinegar

From Mario Batali's The Babbo Cookbook

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 - 8 ounce double cut Pork Chops (we used single cut from the Farmer's market)
1/2 c Kosher Salt, plus more to taste
1/4 c Sugar, plus more to taste
4 fresh Peaches, halved and pitted
1/4 c extra virgin Olive Oil
Fresh Ground Black Pepper
Best quality Balsamic Vinegar (we used a 12 yr old balsamic vinegar from DiBruno Bros in Philly) for drizzling

Directions:

1. Place the chops in a nonreactive casserole. In a deep bowl, combine salt, sugar and about 2 cups of water and mix well. Pour the mixture over the chops and let them brine in the refrigerator for 12 hours or overnight.

2. Prepare a grill or broiler

3. Brush each pork chop and peach section with some of the olive oil, season both meat and fruit well with salt and pepper, and set the peaches aside. Place the pork chops on the hottest side of the grill and cook for 5 minutes on one side, then turn and grill for another 5 minutes on the other side.

4. While the second side cooks, place the peach halves on the grill and cook until lightly charred and juicy.

5. Place a mound of broccoli rabe on each plate and top with one pork chop. Garnish with the peach halves, drizzle both pork and peaches with the balsamic vinegar and serve immediately.

We also paired this dish with Batali's Broccoli Rabe with Garlic (you can see it peeking out from under the chop). For whatever reason, this side dish isn't a big item you'll see in Cleveland, but it's all over restaurant menus back in Philly. It's a wonderful alternative to broccoli or spinach. We found that both our local Heinen's and Whole Foods carried it (I think I've seen it at Fresh Market from time to time as well). You may need to ask someone in produce to help you find it, just make sure they don't accidentally give you Broccolini, which is not the same thing as broccoli rabe.

Broccoli Rabe with roasted garlic

From Mario Batali's The Babbo Cookbook

Serves 4 as a side dish (I think it's more like 2)

1 head of Garlic
2 tbsp plus 1/4 cup of extra virgin Olive Oil
Kosher Salt and freshly Ground Pepper
3 salt packed Anchovy Fillets, rinsed and drained
Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Remove the first few papery layers form the garlic. Drizzle the garlic with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and wrap tightly in aluminum foil. Roast until the garlic is very soft, about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and, once cool enough to handle, separate the cloves and squeeze half of them from their skins into a small bowl. Set aside the remaining unpeeled cloves. Add the anchovy fillets to the squeezed garlic and gently mash together. Set aside.

3. Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons of salt. Set up an ice bath nearby. Blanch the broccoli rabe in the boiling water for 3 minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon and immediately refresh in the ice bath. Once cooled, drain and squeeze dry in a clean kitchen towel. Roughly chop the broccoli rabe and set aside.

4. In a 12 to 14 inch saute pan, heat the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil over high heat and stir in the garlic and anchovy mixture. Cook over high heat and stir in the garlic and anchovy mixture. Cook over high heat for 2 minutes, then add the broccoli rabe, remaining cloves of roasted garlic, and red pepper flakes. Saute over high heat until the broccoli rabe starts to brown at the edges. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

A Memorable Evening at Babbo

It all started about a month ago when my wife put her little fingers to work speed dialing her way through the morning. By 10:30am she hit pay dirt in the form of a table for four at 8:30. Washington Square here we come! I was never a huge Mario Batali fan until I started cooking out of his Molto Italiano cookbook. I don't think I've ever had a stinker come out of that book. So what was this whole Babbo thing going to be? I had heard about the music, the lack of waiting room, the very crowded bar. Quite frankly, I was mentally prepared to be disappointed.

My boss and his wife, Regina and I got there at a little before 8:30pm. We waited at the bar for our table. There really was not that much room to wait, but we managed to split up, my boss and I in one corner, the wives over by the hostess' station. After about a half an hour we are seated. I can tell my boss was worked up because he didn't like the loud music or the fact that they were a little late seating us. This is one of the reasons I don't like going to special places with other people. I feel the more participants you include in the party the higher the likelihood is that someone is going to not like something and complain throughout the evening.

Here’s my take on the music. I like it. How often do you get to have a fine dining experience and hear Joy Division playing in the distance? It doesn’t happen. It truly is a unique experience. I will say this, I don’t like the level of the music being so high that I can’t hear the person next to me – and that’s what it was like downstairs. Upstairs the music wasn’t as loud. It was something I’ve never experienced before, but that was good.

We were treated to a Sfromatto, a mousse of sorts made of peas, as a treat based on our extended wait. Our table was upstairs, under a fantastic sky light - it really felt separate from the downstairs action, albeit still on the loud side. The appetizers consisted of Babbo Salumi with “Cipolle Modenese” and Babbo Olives , Armandino’s Salumi – Hot Sopressata and Culatello I was amazed by the numerous types on my plate which the Service Director rattled off with ease. It really was a lot to remember. Of the two, I would say Armandino’s was my favorite. There was something on there that really had a lot of kick to it.

Entrees (The first three are in the Babbo cookbook).

Pumpkin“Lune” with Sage and Amaretti – I think what’s nice about this dish is that the lune themselves don’t feel as quite as heavy as one might typically think of ravioli. They were topped with freshly grated amarreti, I'd never seen that before.

Grilled Guinea Hen – this is what I ordered. What can I say other than that it was just a really well seasoned preparation. To top the whole thing off, they drizzled a twelve year old balsamic vinegar over the top of the bird. The saltiness of the Guinea Hen combined with the sweetness of balsamic vinegar made this choice a success.

Pappardelle Bolognese- My boss ordered this one. I’ve actually made this from the cookbook and I can say that it is a really good recipe, and easy too. However, with all of the different items on the menu – why get something so basic? I didn’t understand that one. Especially when he kept saying that the best he ever had was from Rao’s Cookbook before he even ordered it. I’ve often found when people believe that they’ve had the best ------- ever that they’re always disappointed with their meal. Get something else so that the rest of us don’t have to hear about the best ever. He could have stayed at home and been happier.

Black Spaghetti with Rock Shrimp, Spicy Salami Calabrese and Green Chiles – His wife ordered this. I think I can say that I was torn between this and the Guinea Hen. This was very good. Dyed with octopus ink, this spaghetti has a very unique appearance. What I really liked was the spice of the mixture on top of the spaghetti. I didn’t so much notice the shrimp as much as I did the fine textured crispiness of the Spicy Salami Calabrese and Green Chiles. This, unfortunately, isn’t in the cookbook. I would highly recommend trying this delicious dish.

Desserts

Pistachio and Chocolate Semifreddo – Regina ordered this and loved it. As a matter of fact, I think it was her favorite out of everything she had.

Assortment of Gelati and Sorbetti – There was really only one reason I got this one - Olive Oil Gelato. Yeah, that’s right. It was made out of olive oil. The idea itself is very creative and from what I understand wildly popular. You can find it at his other restaurants, as well. It really tasted good. You don’t really taste the olive oil in it until it has already slid down the back of your throat. There’s a nutty whiff of olive oil that pass through your nose and across the back of your tongue. Is it going to pass up chocolate any time soon? No, but it is a creative idea I’ve never seen anywhere else before.

So what was the overall impression of the Babbo experience? First off, I have to say it was a very memorable experience, (for the right reasons). I can say that the service was probably the best I’ve had since my visit to Alan Wong’s in Oahu. The wait staff whirled around like ghosts. Where ten seconds ago there were no plates with food, they would descend upon all four of us with the grace of a gentle wind. As quickly as they appeared, they would vanish; leaving behind beautiful plates of food. It was an absolute treat.

I think it’s pretty clear that Mario Battali and Joe Bastianich have poured over every detail of this restaurant. Like a classic automobile, every detail has been attended to. Though the eventual owner of that car might not like the shape of the steering wheel or the texture of the leather on the seats, it’s an expression of the designer and his tastes. I think that’s what we have here. A restaurant that is a direct expression of what the owners would like their favorite restaurant to be. We could only be so lucky to have more places that paid as much attention to detail as Babbo does.