February 3rd, 2010 by Dawn Becker

I just got back from St. Jamestown Steak & Chops on Parliament Street north of Carlton Avenue. I went in for a free-range chicken and ended up with two gigantic brown bags full of goodies. Surprised? Surely not. This place is a haven of tasty with their deli counter and eat-in section on one side and butcher shop with gorgeous cuts of meat and daily fish selection flanked by superior looking vegetables in the shop beside. I haven’t eaten from the deli but I know that the products are cooked with the same meat, fish and produce that’s sold in the store. And I really liked how the butcher, Mark came out from the back to introduce himself and chat with me about his products.

I was on my way out the door when I saw some freshly cleaned slabs of local rainbow trout that I could not resist. The clerk, Jean, did not remember exactly where in Ontario they came from, but she could guarantee they came in today. There was no convincing needed as the fish had a perfect sheen with not a hint of any odour. I thought an appetizer of rainbow trout on a bed of mixed salad with sunflower sprouts would be a nice start to dinner. I bought a small piece that cost under $3 and immediately went home to cook it. St. Jamestown Steak & Chops is rare in that you’re getting both quality and value. Rowe Farms in my neighbourhood is great for organic and free range meats but they are no match for these prices.

As soon as the groceries were unpacked, I clicked on the gas and hunted for the right pan. I chose a medium size non-stick Cuisinart GreenGourmet pan – their ad says that these pans use an “exclusive nonstick cooking surface that is free of petroleum; that means no PTFE or PFOA present”. I’ve been meaning to write about these frying pans because it seems to have good wear and tear. Plus, I like that the ceramica surface hasn’t peeled off like an old teflon pan in the two years that I’ve had them.

I seasoned the trout filet with sea salt and olive oil. Down in the pan skin-side first and then flip to cook the other side. That’s it. Turn off the heat and set aside. This was a thin filet so it took barely 2 minutes per side. While the fish was resting, I took some washed salad mix and a handful of nutty sunflower sprouts and placed them on a salad plate. Then a drizzle of spicy extra virgin olive oil on the salad. My current favourite is from Terroni, a traditional southern Italian restaurant chain that sells a number of their own labelled grocery items. And topped it all with a spritz of lemon. Divinely fresh.

For the main course, I bought three fat bone-in antibiotic-free pork chops, again reasonably priced at just under $10 for the three. They looked like they were from happy pigs, ah but I was so excited about cooking them that I forgot to ask. I marinated them for an hour in Maggi liquid seasoning, a staple in Chinese homes and an international favourite used to add depth to sauces, soups and stir fries. It’s a bit of a cheat as it contains MSG but I’m happy to have a time-saver here and there as I like having a break from making all my own marinades from scratch.

Pork chops in my cast iron frying pan below. Looking at it now, they seem crowded but the pan was very hot and I placed the thickest pork chop in first to sear before the remaining chops went in.

And here it is plated with a simple accompaniment of a baked potato and steamed broccoli as the flavour of the marinade is in every bite of the pork chop. In this case, it’s all about the quality of the meat that made this pork chop such a superstar. What a delicious night a little bit of inspiration can make. I am going to make sure that St. Jamestown Steak & Chops is a regular stop, especially when I need a nudge in the kitchen.

Rainbow Trout Filet on Mixed Salad

1 rainbow trout filet

2 portions mixed salad

1 portion sunflower sprouts (as many as you like)

sea salt

extra virgin olive oil

2 lemon wedges

Lightly coat the pan with oil and cook the trout on medium high heat starting with the skin side down for about 2 minutes or until browned. Flip the trout filet and cook til just done, around another 2 minutes. Set pan aside. Prepare the salad on the plate topping with a handful of sunflower sprouts. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil over greens, to taste. Season with a sprinkling of sea salt and a squeeze of lemon. Place half of the trout filet on top of each salad plate and squeeze lemon over the fish. Enjoy.

Pan-Fried Maggi Pork Chops

2 bone-in pork chops

3 Tbsp Maggi liquid seasoning

1 tsp oil

Marinate the pork chop in Maggi liquid seasoning for an hour, turning the chops over half way through to marinate both sides. Remove the pork chops from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature before cooking. Heat a cast iron frying pan on high heat. The pan needs to be hot enough to sear the meat. Once the pan is hot, add the oil and the pork chops. Be careful to watch the sizzle from the Maggi liquid seasoning. Pork chops do not need to be cooked to oblivion – about 2 to 3 minutes a side should do it depending on thickness. The trick is to let them rest in the cast iron frying pan for a minute after cooking. The cast iron pan releases heat slowly so it will stay warm and this way the juices remain inside the pork chops. Add your favourite accompaniments such as a baked potato or steamed broccoli.

Note: If you decide to cook more than a couple of pork chops at a time, make sure that the pan is very hot and that the chops have enough space in the pan so that they sear properly instead of being steamed.