random ingredients ftw!
Jul. 2nd, 2009 12:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sabineFor the last couple of weeks, I've been trying my best to use up anything that's been kept in the pantry, fridge, or freezer. I don't particularly like moving food between houses, so anything I could use up in advance is important. This has led to some strange concoctions.
For example, last night's dinner was pork chops, corn on the cob, and fruit salad. I was short on time, so I decided to do the meat on the stove instead of the charcoal grill. Looking for something to make it a little more tasty than just plain meat, I pulled out a jar of cinnamon-cranberry chutney that'd been on the shelf since I impulse purchased it at Target a while ago.
Most of the jar went into the pan. I added a couple tablespoons of butter, balsamic vinegar, and worcestershire sauce. When the meat was done and the corn had just a couple minutes to go, I pulled out the meat and set to making a pan sauce with a tablespoon or two of cornstarch in cold water and what was left in the pan. A generous sprinkling of garlic powder and a couple minutes to thicken and it looked like gravy!
It turned out to be extremely tasty! The leftovers even reheated well for lunch today. I know I'll never be able to pull off the exact same thing again, but it was an experiment well worth doing.
For example, last night's dinner was pork chops, corn on the cob, and fruit salad. I was short on time, so I decided to do the meat on the stove instead of the charcoal grill. Looking for something to make it a little more tasty than just plain meat, I pulled out a jar of cinnamon-cranberry chutney that'd been on the shelf since I impulse purchased it at Target a while ago.
Most of the jar went into the pan. I added a couple tablespoons of butter, balsamic vinegar, and worcestershire sauce. When the meat was done and the corn had just a couple minutes to go, I pulled out the meat and set to making a pan sauce with a tablespoon or two of cornstarch in cold water and what was left in the pan. A generous sprinkling of garlic powder and a couple minutes to thicken and it looked like gravy!
It turned out to be extremely tasty! The leftovers even reheated well for lunch today. I know I'll never be able to pull off the exact same thing again, but it was an experiment well worth doing.
