I’ve come across coffee spritzer recipes on Pinterest, and they intrigue me. And I’ve had plenty of coffee drinks including cocktails, but none of them involved seltzer or lemon. Cardamom, sure, and it is a nice accompaniment to coffee. I’m not so sure about the other two if I’m being completely honest. But there’s only one way to know for sure if they work together or not, and that’s to give this Citrus Cardamom Coffee Spritzer a try. Here’ we go!
I actually had all of this cocktail’s ingredients on hand, so no shopping required! I did have to make the cardamom simple syrup a few days ahead of time so it had time to steep. It was a simple process using sugar, water, and green cardamom pods that took 20 minutes plus time to cool. And for those not inclined to make their own, cardamom simple syrup can be purchased ready-made.
I also made the coffee in advance so it had time to chill. Of course, you could also use ready-made cold brew coffee if you prefer (my grocery store stocks it in the dairy section, near the milk of course).
Coffee, cardamom, lemon, sugar, and seltzer
The Process
With the cardamom simple syrup and the coffee made in advance, the hard work was done. When I was ready to make my Citrus Cardamom Coffee Spritzer, all I had to do was add ice and the ingredients to a tall glass. I had my mocktail made in 3 minutes. Then it was time for the most important part: the taste test (I gave my coffee spritzer a quick stir first).
I’m not a picky eater, and there are so many foods out there that I enjoy. This week I’m getting a real package deal with this Curried Roasted Eggplant with Smoked Cardamom and Coconut Milk recipe. It has tons of vegetables, herbs, and spices that I love, like, and am learning to like (I’m looking at you, tomatoes). But what really has me all atwitter is the chance to use smoked black cardamom pods again. I first tried it in Egg and Potato Curry (Anday Aloo Ka Salan), but I haven’t gotten the opportunity to use it since. Black cardamom has a unique smokey taste, and I’m looking forward to finding out what it’s like in this curried eggplant recipe.
A flavorsome vegetable curry.
Recipe Author: Alanna at The Bojon Gourmet Get the recipe
The Ingredients
Finding the ingredients for this curry would normally be fairly easy, but I’m writing this at the beginning of March, 2020. The coronavirus pandemic made finding fresh vegetables a challenge at my usual grocery stores. They had eggplant and yogurt, but little else. Fortunately, I ventured out to a small local chain called Broward Meat and Fish, and they were well-stocked. I felt so relieved and grateful to find them!
I’m guessing the most difficult items to find would normally be the dried spices. If your local store doesn’t carry them, you can always order them online. Amazon is my go-to for most everything, and they have a big selection:
Eggplant, tomatoes, mint, onion, basmati rice, coconut milk, ginger, garlic, coriander sees, black peppercorns, dried chile de arbol, black cardamom, green cardamom, turmeric, ghee, cilantro, and plain yogurt
The Process
This curried roasted eggplant recipe has a lot of ingredients, and it looks complicated. If I’m completely honest, it was a good deal of work. However, the instructions were clear and easy to follow, and I had my curry and rice ready in the time specified–1 hour and 5 minutes.
The only thing I had difficulty with was roasting the eggplant. I had two sheet pans of cubed eggplant to roast, and splitting 3 tablespoons of olive oil between the two didn’t seem like enough. I used that amount for each pan and made sure to toss it well.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to keep it from sticking even on nonstick sheet pans, and I pretty much demolished those neat little cubes when I tried to turn them in the middle of baking. I ended up with some cubes and some mush, but it didn’t ruin the curry.
Looking back, it might have been because I peeled the eggplant. I just re-visited the author’s site and say she didn’t peel hers. Next time I’ll try spraying the baking sheets with olive oil before adding the eggplant to see if that helps.
While the eggplant was in the oven, I got out a 5-quart Dutch oven to start the curry. While the onion and spices cooked, I finished prepping the rest of the ingredients. Chopping vegetables, opening the can of coconut milk, and grinding the rest of the spices in a coffee grinder I reserve for spices.
Once the curry was assembled and simmering, it was onto the rice. My 2.5-quart saucepan was the perfect size (it was a lot of rice!). With both the rice and curry cooking, I had time to prep the mint leaves and cilantro, put the yogurt into a small dish, and even wash some dishes. Honestly, a somewhat intimidating recipe with a lot of ingredients and steps turned out not to be so hard.
A refreshing cocktail is a necessity for a hot summer day. I think cucumber is practically made for this purpose. Well, that and salads, which are also excellent for the summertime. But I digress–this is all about how cucumber cocktails. Specifically, this Cucumber Mint Martini recipe I recently found on my Pinterest beverage recipe board. I don’t think I’ve ever tried mint with cucumber, so I’m really curious how well they pair. My theory is they taste great together, but there’s only one way to find out…
This refreshing cucumber mint martini is also very delicious and simple to make.
Recipe Author: Elaine Benoit at Dishes Delish Get the recipe
The Ingredients
Let’s start with the all-important cucumbers. The recipe doesn’t specify the type, but I found tiny seedless cucumbers that seemed perfect. I imagine you can also use a regular seedless cucumber or a conventional seeded cucumber too. There will be leftovers either way, so plan accordingly if you don’t want them to go to waste.
The rest of the ingredients were rather ordinary and easy to find. A couple of limes and a package of mint from the grocery store. And, of course, a bottle of vodka from the liquor store. I make my own simple syrup (recipe below), but you can also buy it at most liquor stores.
Vodka, cucumbers, limes, simple syrup, and mint
The Process
Making my Cucumber Mint Martini took 5 minutes, exactly as listed on the recipe. The process was very straightforward and went according to the instructions for the most part.
I got started by muddling the cucumber and mint with the lime juice and simple syrup (I used 1 ounce–1/2 wasn’t quite enough for my taste). The author says she muddled for about 3 minutes without obliterating the cucumber and mint, so I tried to do the same. Then it was into a cocktail shaker with the vodka and some ice to blend and chill.
Despite being very gently with the muddler, I found the cucumber and mint were indeed obliterated when I went to scoop them out and add a few pieces to the cocktail as instructed. Fortunately, I had plenty of leftover cucumber and mint leaves, so I added some extras to the martini glass as a garnish.
Simple Syrup
The Hungry Pinner
A quick and easy-to-make staple of any well-stocked bar. This recipe yields approximately 12 ounces of simple syrup.
I’m always looking for healthy recipes, and I’ve started to incorporate more salads into my diet. And I mean the green kind, not pasta, potato, or indulgent dessert salads. I’ve never been a big (green) salad person because I don’t find them to be filling. However, I’m finding they can be when a lean protein is added. Then it’s more like an all-in-one meal instead of cooking meat with a side dish. That sure makes menu planning and grocery shopping easier! And that brings me to this week’s recipe: Steak and Feta Salad. Lots of greens, fresh herbs, marinated feta cheese, and thinly sliced beef to top it off. It sounds spectacular! And I’m doing something I never thought I would–craving a salad.
Marinated feta makes this salad something special. Flavorful flank steak has a lot more going for it than just protein. It’s also high in selenium, zinc, and niacin.
Most of the ingredients I needed for this recipe weren’t too difficult to find with the exception of the flank steak and baby spinach. I tried three different grocery stores and ended up with a 1.54-pound tri-tip steak. It’s close in taste, texture, and thickness to a flank steak. It’s also a half-pound more than the recipe calls for. I’m going to cook up the whole thing and use 3/4 of it for this recipe. The leftovers will become sandwiches.
By the way, other substitutes for flank steak are hangar steak and skirt steak. They’re similar in texture and taste but much thinner. Cooking time would need to be adjusted down for these cuts since they cook faster.
Baby spinach wasn’t available either, so I bought a bunch of regular spinach (Adult spinach? Mature spinach?). Baby spinach would have been preferable since it’s pre-washed, doesn’t need to be stemmed, and has a milder flavor. But stemming the spinach only took a few extra minutes, and I’m sure the stronger flavor will be fine considering the rest of this salad’s ingredients.
Tri-tip steak (substituted for flank steak), feta cheese, spinach, cucumber, lemons, salt, pepper, mint, basil, oregano, and extra virgin olive oil
The Process
Putting this salad together wasn’t too difficult, but I did have to make a couple of changes since I substituted ingredients. That added an extra 10 minutes to the prep time, and the entire process took me 40 minutes.
I started by marinating the feta cheese, then I cooked the steak while it was marinating. Once the steak was cooking, I got to work prepping and assembling the salad.
The first change I made was cooking the steak a little longer and in a larger pan. The cut I bought was 1.54 pounds, and the recipe calls for 1 pound. I cooked for 4 minutes per side instead of 3 and in a 12-inch cast-iron pan instead of a 10-inch pan. The steak was still quite rare at the thickest part, but I was perfectly happy with it cooked that way.
The other change I made was tearing the spinach leaves. The mature spinach leaves were quite large. I tore them into pieces so they were bite-sized.
Even with those changes, the entire process went quite smoothly. I ended up with a lovely salad that my husband and I both loved.
Do you know what? I’m still in the mood for lemon, even after that amazing Pappardelle al Limone I just made. Lemon is so versatile that I had trouble narrowing down which recipe to try. I was thinking a dessert would be nice, then I started thinking I should try a beverage. I’ve had my eye on this Sgroppino al Limone recipe for ages, and I’m finally going to give it a try. It actually checks both the dessert box and the beverage box, so it’s perfect for this week!
Sgroppino al Limone, also called a Frothy Lemon Sorbetto cocktail, is a delicious and refreshing summer drink from Venice, Italy.
I had some shopping to do for this recipe, but nothing too major. I had soda water and vodka on hand (always), so that left me to pick up the prosecco and lemon sorbet. Both were available at my local grocery store, with the sorbet around $6 and the prosecco $18.99 for a 3-pack of the small bottles. This recipe doesn’t call for a lot of prosecco, so I didn’t want to waste a whole bottle and have it go to waste. These minis were a great solution to that problem!
Lemon, prosecco, lemon sorbet, and vodka
The Process
First up was softening the sorbet. I did that by moving it to the refrigerator for 30 minutes before I planned to make the Sgroppino al Limone. I put the glasses into the freezer at the same time.
Mixing up the Sgroppino al Limone was as easy as the directions made it sound. Simply add the sorbet, prosecco, and vodka to a mixing bowl and whisk to mix. Then pour into the chilled glasses, top with lemon zest, and serve. I had mine done in just 6 minutes.
The ingredients did begin to separate after a few minutes, but it wasn’t all that noticeable in the martini chillers I used. Plus filling the bottoms with crushed ice helped keep the Sgroppino al Limone cold while I sipped it. Oh, and in case you’re wondering, the drinks weren’t very thick. I had no trouble sipping them without a straw.
I know I’ve probably said this before, but I love a big dish of pasta! It’s usually a quick meal, and it’s one of my favorite comfort foods. A big plus is it’s good with almost anything: shrimp, tomatoes, mushrooms, and on and on. Lemon is definitely at the top of my list, though, and I’m down for a lemony pasta dish 24/7. That’s why this Pappardelle al Limone {Creamy Lemon Pasta} recipe was absolutely irresistible to me. Tons of noodles in a creamy lemon-parmesan sauce, and it’s ready in just 20 minutes. This is so my type of dinner!
Pappardelle al Limone is an easy and QUICK creamy lemon pasta recipe you’ll make again and again: Wide pasta noodles in a no-cook lemon Parmesan cream sauce.
This recipe only had a few ingredients, and the majority were easy to find. In fact, I had everything except the pappardelle pasta on hand. Lemons, parmesan, cream–everything!
The one item I didn’t have turned out to be hard to find locally. I ended up ordering an 8.8-ounce package of De Cecco Pasta from Amazon for just over $5. Next time I might substitute another type of pasta like linguine or egg noodles if I still can’t find pappardelle locally.
Gather all of your ingredients and tools in advance because this recipe cooks up fast! The pappardelle pasta I bought only took six minutes to cook once the water was boiling. Fortunately, the sauce doesn’t need to be cooked, so I had it ready just before the pasta was done.
The first thing I did was put the pot of water on to boil. I used a 4.5-quart pot, and it barely held all the pasta. Next time I’ll definitely use a larger pot (a 6-quart pot would be a better choice).
I got started on the sauce while the water was heating. That involved some zesting, measuring, and mixing, but nothing difficult at all. I added the pasta to the water in the middle of preparing the sauce, and the sauce was ready to go before the pasta finished.
Then it was just a matter of draining the pasta, adding it to the sauce, and tossing it to coat. Afterward, I let the sauced pasta sit for five minutes to thicken up. The entire process took 21 minutes.
Since I started this week off with a blueberry recipe, I thought I’d make them my theme. That and I had some leftover blueberries. Anyway, this Blueberry, Feta and Honey-Caramelized Onion Naan Pizza recipe caught my eye. Now I normally go into a recipe expecting it to taste good (don’t we all?), but I’m not too sure about this one. It has a mix of ingredients I never expected to use together in one dish like blueberries and feta cheese. But I do like all of the ingredients, so I’m going to trust in the recipe and find out if this is a Pinterest success or a Pinterest fail. Wish me luck!
A little bit of sweet and a whole lot of savory — this Blueberry, Feta and Honey-Caramelized Onion Naan Pizza is irresistible (and goes well with a glass of wine!). Enjoy it for lunch or as an appetizer! This recipe will surely surprise your tastebuds!
Recipe Author: Liren Baker at Kitchen Confidante Get the recipe
The Ingredients
I had two ingredients for this recipe on hand: olive oil and salt. That left me with a little bit of shopping to do, but it was no big deal. There isn’t a tone of ingredients, and their prices ranged from $2 to $6.
I found everything I needed at my local grocery store–no special trips or online orders needed. I do love convenience! Speaking of convenience, I bought crumbled feta cheese. It’s usually available in smaller quantities than feta by the block, so none goes to waste.
Naan bread, arugula, red onion, ricotta cheese, feta cheese, blueberries, salt, red pepper flakes, olive oil, and honey
The Process
This blueberry naan pizza was quick and easy to make. The instructions walked me through everything I needed to do with no WTH moments. In fact, it was easy enough that I can see trying it for breakfast, and I’m a zombie in the mornings!
Cooking the onions was the most work, and they were very easy. Half a medium red onion was all I needed, and I fried them for 5 minutes in my 10-inch skillet. While they cooked up, I prepped the baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper. Then I mixed the cheeses and spread them on the naan.
Topping the cheese layer with the onions and blueberries just took a few seconds, then it was into the oven for 10 minutes. The blueberries plumped up but didn’t burst, and the cheese melted a bit. I didn’t realize it until I ate it, but the naan crisped up nicely–it wasn’t chewy or soggy.
Today is Blueberry Cheesecake Day, and I felt the need to celebrate! I did consider going all-out and making a blueberry cheesecake, but then I happened upon these Blueberry Cheesecake Cookie Cups. They promise all the yumminess of blueberry cheesecake without as much work. I liked the sound of that! And, let’s face it, they’re pretty cute. Now all I need to do is find that muffin pan…
These Blueberry Cheesecake Cookie Cups make the perfect use of those fresh summer berries!
I expected the ingredients list to be pretty long since this recipe has “cheesecake” in the title, but I was pleasantly surprised. There aren’t too many ingredients in this recipe, they’re all pretty basic, and none were terribly expensive.
I had several items in my pantry–mostly the non-perishable ingredients. That left me to purchase the blueberries and dairy items, with the blueberries being the most expensive item at $6 for one pint (about 2 cups).
Blueberries, flour, cream cheese, egg, butter, sugar, heavy cream, vanilla extract, and baking soda
The Process
Making these Blueberry Cheesecake Cookie Cups was a two-part process: the cookie cups and the filling. The recipe lists the total time at 2 hours 40 minutes, but mine took slightly longer. Here’s how my time was spent:
51 minutes to prep and bake (time to cool cookie cups not included)
4 minutes to fill and garnish
2 hours to chill
2 hours 55 minutes total
The Cookie Cups
Prepping the cookie cups was a straightforward process, and my stand mixer came in handy. I had the batter mixed up in no time at all.
Even though I didn’t break out the time for the cookie cups from the total prep and baking time, I have a feeling they were the reason it took me longer than the time listed on the recipe. I had trouble in two spots, with one for sure being my fault.
The first delay was in scooping the batter into the muffin pan. I don’t have a large cookie scoop, so I used a measuring spoon. That worked, but I had to scoop three times per cup.
The second delay came when I tried using a spice jar to make the cookie cups. You can see my first attempt in the middle, below. The batter stuck to the jar, and the cup wasn’t much of a cup. In fact, that picture is after I “fixed” it. It was much worse on my first try!
The cup to the left of it was my second attempt. I sprayed the jar with cooking spray before trying to press it into the cookie. It turned out better, but there was still a lot of sticking.
Using a jar to make the cookie cups
What worked? I poured some flour into a ramekin, sprayed the jar with oil, and dipped it into the flour. Then I tapped off the excess and used the floured jar to create the cups. It worked! I had to dip the jar into the flour and tap off the excess for each cup (no need to re-spray it after the first time), though, and I’m sure that slowed me down.
The Filling
I rinsed off my stand mixer’s bowl and beaters while the cookie cups were baking. Then I got started on the filling while they were cooling. This part was very easy to do, and I didn’t have any hiccups. I even had enough time to snip off some fresh thyme leaves to add a little green to the garnish.
The cooled cookie cups were still kind of soft (especially the two I messed up), but they were firm enough to fill. Piping the filling and garnishing were very fast and easy at four minutes, then it was into the refrigerator to chill for two hours.
The Bees Knees was one of the first gin cocktails I ever tried. Its origins are in Prohibition, and it is having another moment 100 years later. The classic version is made with gin, lemons, and honey. This Meyer Lemon and Thyme Bees Knees version is very similar but using Meyer lemons promises to make a less tart version. I’m not sure if switching the traditional lemon peel garnish with a thyme sprig will have any impact, but I’m game to find out.
This post was originally published on May 21. 2020. The text and photos were updated on August 9, 2021. The review and rating have not been changed.
This cocktail is perfect anytime, seriously. Light, refreshing and super tasty. Enjoy!
Recipe Author: Teri + Jenny at Spoon Fork Bacon Get the recipe
The Ingredients
As I mentioned above, this Meyer Lemon and Thyme Bees Knees is a take on a classic gin cocktail. I chose my usual brand of gin, Hendrick’s since I had a bottle on hand. That left me to shop for the citrus and fresh thyme.
Meyer lemons are a hybrid of lemons and mandarin oranges. In the U.S., they are in season from November through May, but you may be able to find imported Meyer lemons year-round. I usually find them for sale by the bag as opposed to individually. A one-pound bag is around $5 in my area.
Gin, thyme, honey, and Meyer lemons
The Process
This Meyer Lemon and Thyme Bees Knees cocktail was pretty easy to make, and I had it poured and garnished in 7 minutes. I juiced the Meyer lemons, mixed the honey syrup, added everything but the thyme to a cocktail shaker, and shook for a minute. Two Meyer lemons gave me the exact amount of juice I needed, and I had plenty leftover for garnishing.
I did have trouble with the thyme, but I think that was my fault. I tried the method listed of pinching the thyme in my fingers and running them along the stem, but I kept removing the leaves. In a moment of desperation, I decided to smash the thyme with a meat mallet instead. It worked and kept the leaves intact.
I did get picky with the lemon garnish, and that slowed things down a bit. I just had to remove the seeds from the lemon slices, and that probably added at least a minute to the total time.
Also, I used ice out of trays, and popping out each cube was slower than just reaching onto my freezer for a handful of ice. But I think I ended up with lovely cocktails, so I’m okay with it.
I don’t’ know what it is about the summer, but it always puts me into the mood for anything lemony. I start buying lemons by the bag when the weather gets warm so I can include them in as many recipes as possible, whether it’s the main course, side dish, dessert, or beverage. Today it will be a main in the form of Avgolemono Soup (aka Greek Lemon Chicken Soup). This soup promises to be light, bright, and a little creamy thanks to the combination of chicken, lemon, and arborio rice. I’m looking forward to it!
A light and bright Greek style lemon chicken soup with rice that is thickened with eggs.
The list of ingredients for avgolemono is pretty short. I opted to go the traditional route and skipped the white miso paste. It’s not something I normally keep around, and I was afraid most of it would go to waste.
The ingredients were standard fare, and I found all of them easily at my local grocery store. The one that piqued my interest was the arborio rice.
A quick search and I found out arborio rice is a starchy short-grained from Italy. The high starch content gives it a creamy consistency when cooked, and it’s most famously used for risotto. I’ve never prepared it, but I have eaten my share (mental note: idea for a blog post), and it’s delicious! I’m sure it will give this soup a beautiful consistency.
This soup was quick and easy to make, but I had to start by making the cooked chicken. To do that, I brought a saucepan of water to a rolling boil and dropped in a whole chicken breast. I boiled it for 20 minutes, removed it, shredded it once it was cooled, and popped into the refrigerator until I was ready to use it. That gave me a little over 2 cups of chicken, but I used it all in the avgolemono.
So making this recipe went pretty smoothly until I realized I used a pan that was too small. I began with the 2.5-quart saucepan I used to boil the chicken breast, but I realized it was too small when I added the chicken broth and nearly filled the pan. I had to switch to my 4.5-quart pan in the middle of cooking.
The pan switch happened as I was bringing the broth to boil, so I’m sure it slowed me down by a few minutes. Otherwise, it wasn’t a big deal, and I quickly got back on track. Finishing the soup went according to the instructions, although I skipped adding the miso paste (Step 5). Here’s how my time was spent:
Grilling out in the summertime is pretty much mandatory around here. I got that handled this week with the Vietnamese Grilled Lemongrass Pork Chops I just made, but now I need a cool, refreshing beverage to go with them. Being in the south, I’m big on sweet iced tea, and I’ve found a Vietnamese version to go with those pork chops. This Vietnamese Lime Iced Tea (Tra Chanh Hanoi) is made with green tea and limes and sweetened with honey. It’s not the sweet tea I’m used to, but I’m betting it’s delicious. Let’s find out!
Vietnamese Lime Iced Tea (Tra Chanh Hanoi) is a refreshing drink that is well-loved by young people in Hanoi, Vietnam. You need just a handful of ingredients to make this popular Vietnamese drink.
Recipe Author: Sophie at Delightful Plate Get the recipe
The Ingredients
This lime iced tea recipe might have a lot of flavors, but it doesn’t have a lot of ingredients. Two of those are water and ice, something everyone has in their refrigerator and freezer, so that leaves three items to shop for. Well, just one for me. I had honey and green tea in my pantry, so all I needed were a few limes.
Green tea, water, ice, limes, and honey
The Process
This is iced tea, and it’s not difficult to make. The important thing here is to properly brew the green tea. It’s picky and can turn bitter very quickly–I’ve learned this the hard way. Unlike black tea, you only need to brew green tea for 1-3 minutes. I like mine brewed for 3 minutes, and that’s what I chose for this recipe.
The other key to brewing a tasty green tea is the water. Don’t boil it! I like to microwave the water for 1 minute per cup. It gets steaming hot without boiling and results in a better cuppa. You might need to adjust that depending on how powerful your microwave is.
Once I had the tea sorted out, I got to juicing the limes. It took me 2 1/2 to get enough juice for this recipe, leaving me enough for a garnish.
Finally, I popped the honey-sweetened green tea into the refrigerator to cool. The recipe doesn’t specify that, but I like my tea as cold as possible so it doesn’t melt the ice cubes.
This recipe was so quick! Here’s how my time was spent:
It’s definitely a Florida summer, and it’s time to grill! Last week’s Grilled Flank Steak Tacos were going to be the first time I grilled this season, but that didn’t go according to plan. But this week the grill has been fixed, cleaned, and is ready to go. That delicious flank steak would have been even better on the grill (everything is), but I think I’ve found the next best thing in thick, juicy pork chops. This recipe for Vietnamese Grilled Lemongrass Pork Chops sounds like it will be phenomenal. I’m hoping for something like what I get at my favorite Vietnamese restaurant. Those are high hopes, but I’m going for it!
There weren’t a lot of ingredients in this recipe, but I did have to visit two grocery stores to find everything. I can only find lemongrass stalks at Whole Foods, so I bought most of my ingredients there.
BTW, if you can’t find whole lemongrass stalks locally, you can find them online or substitute lemongrass paste or dried lemongrass. I’ve used a paste that comes in a tube in the past (I forget the brand), and it is just as good as fresh.
I did make a special trip to Publix for the pork chops, though. They have 1-inch thick bone-in center-cut pork chops that I had in mind the moment I read this recipe. I’m the only one in the house who eats pork chops, so I only bought two. The package was just under $7.
Pork chops, sugar, olive oil, fish sauce, soy sauce, garlic, shallot, and lemongrass
The Process
Most of the work for this recipe was in making the marinade, but it wasn’t difficult at all. I was hoping I could just throw all the ingredients into my mini-prep, but it didn’t quite work out that way. It was necessary to mince the garlic and shallot in order to measure it. I also had to peel off the tough outer leaves of the lemongrass stalk and chop it a bit.
Once I had that done, it was barely any work. I just pulsed the marinade ingredients in my mini-prep then added everything to a ziplock bag to marinate overnight. At the same time, I made up half a batch of nuoc cham sauce. I knew I would want it for dipping when I ate the pork chops.
The next day I got ready to grill and noticed something a little confusing in the recipe. At that step, the instructions are repeated. It looked like an editing mistake by the author, and it was easy to figure out the proper time and temperature.
It took a while to heat the grill to 550℉, but the result was worth it. I ended up with beautifully seared pork chops complete with grill marks. Here’s how my time was spent on this recipe:
10 minutes to prep
20 minutes to preheat the grill
7 minutes to cook
37 minutes total (not including 24 hours to marinate)
It’s worth noting that even though the pork chops I used were quite thick, they didn’t take the full 8 minutes to fully cook. I’m glad I used my meat thermometer so they didn’t overcook and dry out!
