The Great Rachel Ray Experiment - Recipe 289

As previously noted, I received a Rachel Ray cookbook for Christmas, "365: No Repeats". I started to cook my way through this book beginning with recipe 289; sage and balsamic pork chops with creamy pumpkin polenta.

Yum-O? Yuck-O? I'd say somewhere in between. Just Eh.

I did not follow the recipe to the letter and instead of the pumpkin polenta chose to roast acorn squash in an effort to save a few calories.

When roasting the squash, instead of my usual loads of nutmeg, I chopped the remainder of my sage and sprinkled it over the squash which was already coated with olive oil cooking spray, salt, pepper and garlic powder. The additional crunch of the herby sage made the acorn squash the best part of the meal.

I get where Rach and her garbage bowl were going with this recipe. The sugar from the balsamic caramelizes the pork chop and helps the herb rub adhere to the meat. It is a pretty basic combination of flavors but in this case, the parsley overpowered the sage. If I were to make this again, I'd reverse the amounts of sage and parsley listed below and would probably omit the parsley altogether if it wasn't handy.

I do have to give Rachel some credit, since I am pretty certain her pumpkin polenta recipe would have been pretty good so I am giving her a break and including it in the recipe below. I am also including the annoying Rachel-isms in the recipe so you can roll you eyes along with me! Delish!

3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, EVOO (seriously!)

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar, enough to just coat the pork chops; eyeball it (more like roll eyeball here)

5 fresh sage leaves; chopped (I'd double this)

1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, a handful, chopped (I'd do half the amount listed or omit completely)

1 lg garlic clove chopped

salt and freshly ground pepper

4 1 1/2 inch thick boneless center-cut pork chops

2 1/2 cups chicken stock or broth

1 cup milk

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

freshly grated or ground nutmeg, about 1/8 tsp

3/4 cup quick-cooking polenta

1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus some for garnish

2 tbsp unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 375.

Preheat a large, oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat with 2 tbsp of the EVOO, twice around the pan (yes it's still annoying). In a shallow dish, combine the balsamic, sage, parsley, garlic, the remaining 1 tbsp of EVOO, salt and pepper. Coat the pork chops and then place them in the skillet and sear the meat on both sides to caramelize, about 2 minutes on each side. Transfer the skillet to the oven to finish off, about 8 minutes, or until the meat is firm to the touch but not tough.

While the chops are cooking, in a sauce pot combine the chicken stock, milk and pumpkin and season with the nutmeg, salt and pepper. Place over high heat and bring up to a simmer. Whisk in the polenta and stir until it begins to mass together. Add the grated cheese and butter, stirring to combine.