Two great dinners

Sunday- Tortilla Soup

2.5 pounds tomatoes-cut in half
1 large onion-finely diced
minced garlic to taste-recipe said 3 cloves I am more inclined to 5 or 7
2 poblano peppers-cleaned
1 golden bell pepper-cleaned
1 pound ground chicken
chicken or vegetable stock
salt and pepper
tortilla chips
Avocado
One lime

1. Put the tomatoes and the peepers on a baking sheet and broil on high until slightly blackened.
Remove, turn and blacken the other side.. 5-8 minutes per side..watch closely.

2. While the tomatoes and peppers are roasting heat some olive oil in a dutch oven to barely smoking. Cook the ground chicken or turkey until done through, breaking it up as it cooks. Salt and black pepper to taste. Put into a bowl and set aside.

3. Let the peppers and tomatoes cool, pull the skins, (run under cool water if necessary) and crush roughly, add to the chicken or turkey.

4. Cook the onions, carrots and garlic over medium heat until soft.
5. Add the tomatoes, chicken and peppers to the pan and cover with chicken broth.
6. Simmer over low heat for 30 to 50 minutes and check seasoning
7. Serve with diced avocado and chips.


Monday- Seared Boneless Pork Chops with Kale and Baked Potatoes
2 Boneless pork chops
1 bunch of Kale
1 Yellow onion sliced
3-5 cloves garlic smashed and diced
Red Flake pepper
Granulated garlic
Dry mustard
Sweet sherry
Sugar
Kosher salt
2 baking potatoes

1. Create a brine
4 cups water
1/4 cup soy sauce
4 tablespoons of kosher salt
1/4 cup sweet sherry
1 tablespoon sugar
one tablespoon dry mustard
2 tablespoons of granulated garlic

Mix in a plastic container until everything dissolves, add the pork chops, cover and refrigerate for two hours (or cheat and poke holes in all sides of the chops and refrigerate for one hour)

Clean and pierce the potatoes with a fork, rub with oil and kosher salt and bake in a 375 degree oven for roughly one hour.

Clean the kale
Saute the garlic, onion and red flake pepper until it is soft and fragrant, add the kale and saute until wilted. When ready to serve, toss with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

To cook the pork:
Heat a cast iron skillet over medium high heat until water sizzles on contact. Add the pork to the pan and sear 4-5 minutes on all sides until a nice crust forms. Finish in a 400 degree oven until a meat thermometer reads 140..rest before serving.