No one is born a great cook, one learns by doing.” – Julia Child
The reason I love this recipe so much is because it’s dirt cheap to make. As a matter of fact, half of the ingredients came out of the dirt in my back yard. The stars of the show are as follows:
- Pork
- Zucchini
- Potatoes
- Swiss Chard
I love cooking with pork because it breaks up the monotony of chicken, and doesn’t cost as much as beef. I bought roughly 2lbs. of boneless pork ribs (BOGO), and it cost me $3.82. Potatoes are $2.99 for a 5 lb. bag, and the chard and zucchini are free from the garden. You do the math… Dirt cheap, right?!
Pork Boneless Loin Country Style Ribs ^^ a very underrated item at the grocery store!
Baby swiss chard from the garden ^^
Belle picked a GIANT zucchini for us (she’s trying not to touch grasshoppers)!!
My little helper – I just love her so much! ❤
***This post doesn’t include a recipe for mashed potatoes. I made the potatoes first, and set them aside with a cover on top. Right before we ate, I threw in a handful of shredded cheddar cheese, and 2 tablespoons of chopped chives to give the potatoes an extra kick.***
Getting started on the MEAT —– I browned the ribs in olive oil (S&P) on medium-high heat until they had a little char, then I threw them in a covered oven safe dish, and baked them for about 45 minutes at 350*F.
Low and slow is the name of the game here. I DID NOT practice my own rule since I was time crunching. Technically I should have cooked the ribs under cover for 2 1/2-3 hours at 300*F. “Oh well” 🙂
The pan I used to char the pork is the same pan I used to make my “Sticky Chard” .. and I didn’t wash it after the pork either. I wanted the leftover olive oil/seasoning for my sauce.
Sticky Chard is something I made up last summer. Wilt the chard over medium heat, and start making a reduction. I use a dash of olive oil, gobbs of honey, minced garlic, water, salt and pepper. Once I have it down to a reduction, or a “sticky” state, I add about a tablespoon of Dijon mustard to finish it off. Then I slather it on the pork ribs right before I serve them. It’s a merry of sweet, salty, and savory. It compliments the meat so well!!
At this point the cooking is coming to an end. The potatoes and sticky chard are done, and the ribs are finishing up in the oven. It only takes a few minutes to make the zucchini (it really is that fast). This was simple sauteed zucchini. I chopped it up, threw it in a pan on medium heat with some olive oil, seasoned with S&P and cooked until it started to become translucent. About 5 minutes before completion, I added a teaspoon of minced garlic. That’s it for the zucchini! 🙂 I pulled the ribs out of the oven, and then I plated the dinner:
There you have it ladies and gents! Enjoy 🙂
If you want the actual recipe, send me a message and I’ll draft it up. 🙂 ta-ta!
A post-credit note: The leftover chard went to these two hams:
Farm to Table to Soul 