Pork Chops & Mango Salsa

Welcome to the second instalment of “The Ironing Chef”. Last month I shared what I did with ham and pineapple. I made Ham & Pineapple Skewers with a Tangy Rice Salad and for dessert, I made a Pineapple & Sour Cream Parfait. I just want to share with you that you really can’t get stuck making something for dinner with just a few pantry items. It’s all about substitution and using what you have. This month, I had some pork chops and a couple mangoes. You could substitute the pork for chicken or fish and the mango with any other fruit. Pork goes so well with apples (as we all know) and peaches, plums, cherries, you name it. Use up what you have before running to the shops. So here’s what I made this month.

For our main dish, I cooked Pork Chops with a Mango Salsa, Mashed Potatoes and Beans. It just so happened that I had a couple potatoes and the last of some fresh green beans but you could use any vegetables. The salsa was made up from a bit of capsicum (red pepper), red onion and some fresh coriander.

There was nothing fancy done to the pork chops. Just seasoned with salt and pepper and a little olive oil rubbed into them then fried in a non stick pan.

To peel a mango is really easy, or this is how I do it.

1.  Cut off the ‘cheeks’ from either side of the large seed.

2.  Using a spoon, scoop out the flesh from the ‘cheeks’.

3.  Use flesh as required and cut off usable flesh from around the seed.

4.  It’s the chef’s privilege to suck any remaining flesh from the seed.

For the salsa, dice mango flesh.

 

Mix in diced red onion, capsicum and fresh coriander leaves.

 

No need to add anything else. The flavours go really well with the pork. As I mentioned earlier, this salsa is perfect with fish or chicken and if you don’t have mango, pineapple or another fruit would work just as well. If you’re missing fresh herbs and other vegies, a tinned or frozen pea/corn mix would work. Just have a good look around in your pantry or freezer because you never know what might be lurking. The only extras I used for this recipe were the vegetables. A touch of salt and pepper to whatever you’re cooking can be just the right amount of seasoning without having to worry about fresh herbs etc.

Come back during the week when I share the recipe for this Mango & Greek Yoghurt dessert with a very poor attempt at piped chocolate letters and hearts.

 

 

Chimichurri Chicken & Roast Vegetable Salsa

If there’s one cuisine I’ve being dying to try, for ages, and that’s South American food. Not the usual Tex Mex, Mexican tacos, enchiladas and burrito kind. Authentic South American food from Brazil, Peru and Argentina, for example. I’ve seen quite a few cooking shows on food from that particular region and I’m just in love with what I’ve seen.

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I was at my local Lenard’s chicken store last week and I picked up a couple of their Chimichurri chicken breast steaks. The chicken breast fillet has been coated in chimichurri herbs and spices. A delicious blend of basil, thyme, parsley and oregano with the smokey taste of paprika and a hint of chilli heat. I swore I could taste a slight citrus taste on the chicken which just added to the flavour.

I was wondering what to serve it with and I was thinking salsa but felt like something hot and had eggplant and cauliflower that needed using up. I chopped them up, added a couple cloves of garlic, unpeeled, and whacked it in the oven for about 15 minutes.

While that was roasting, I fried a chopped onion in a little olive oil, added a can of diced tomatoes and let it simmer. I added a few herbs and when the vegetables were cooked, I added them, including the roasted garlic which I just squeezed out (I love garlic this way).

A quick fry of the breast fillet in the pan while the flavours

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develop in the salsa and dinner’s done. (I put a lid over the chicken while it was frying just to speed up the cooking process and not let it get dried out.

Slice and serve on top of the roast vegetable salsa. A really delicious, tasty meal. I’d love to try this chimichurri chicken breast in a tortilla wrap or whole in a burger. Can’t wait to get back to Lenard’s for more.

Chimichurri Chicken & Roast Vegetable Salsa


1 Lenard’s Chimichurri Chicken Breast Steak
spray of oil for frying

Roast Vegetable Salsa:

• any vegetables (I used eggplant and cauliflower)
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 small onion, diced
• olive oil 
• 1 tsp dried coriander
• 1 tsp dried cumin
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• fresh coriander (or coriander in a tube)
• 1 tin diced tomatoes
• salt & pepper

1. In a roasting pan, put chopped vegetables and garlic and sprinkle with a little olive oil and salt and pepper. Roast in a 170 deg C oven for approx 15 mins.
2. Fry diced onion in a little olive oil until soft. Add spices and stir until aromatic.
3. Add tinned tomatoes and simmer until sauce has thickened.
4. As soon as vegetables are roasted, add to the tomato sauce and leave until chicken breast has cooked. (Remember to squeeze roasted garlic into sauce.)
5. Fry chicken breast in a pan sprayed with oil until cooked. Slice and serve on top of roast vegetable salsa.

Disclaimer:  I was given a gift voucher to spend on any products I liked at Lenard’s Chicken. All photos, thoughts and opinions are my own.