Curious Herb Pork Chops

Menu

09.21.20 – 09.24.20

Curious Herb Pork Chops

succulent pork chops brined with Curious Herb and wood-fire grilled

*plant-based option: eggplant

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Harvest Succotash

bright and tangy mix of crisp harvest vegetables with corn, peppers, onion, butternut squash, & apples sautéed with herbs & honey

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Summer Squash

steamed green & yellow summer squashes, green beans, fennel & garlic with a dash of fresh lemon

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Garlic Bread

hearty multi-grain bread,

sliced & spread with garlic butter, and grilled over a wood-fire

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Next Week’s Meal:

Jeonju-style beef bibimbap inspired by Sara Dansie-Jones’ reconnection with her Korean homeland

*plant-based option: eggplant

Curious Story

Brining is an ancient cooking tradition that has been used on every corner of the earth. It is a simple process that infuses meats, vegetables, and cheeses with herbs and seasonings while pumping its molecular structure with moisture. It preserves and enhances raw produce and meats with no need for heat or refrigeration. A classic brine is simply one part salt to ten parts water–about as salty as the Great Salt Lake.

Even though brining is the difference between moist and dry meats, and serves as the basis of pickling vegetables, science has only recently tried to describe how brining actually works. Two theories persist, but food scientists continue to debate why the “brining effect” works so well to keep produce moist: Does the increased salinity of the brine fluid cause the cell to absorb water from the brine via osmosis? Or does the salt introduced into the cell denature its proteins causing them to coagulate and form a matrix that traps water molecules and holds them during cooking?

Whatever the reason might be, brining is a key technique master chefs use to turn dry meats into juicy treasures and raw vegetables into crisp and tasty preserves. Thank goodness for ancient techniques that find their way to the food we place on our tables!

Plating Notes:

Enjoy the succotash as a garnish on the pork chops or eggplant, and serve the squashes as a side along with the grilled bread.

From our table to yours…

Eat well, be well!