It started with a gift of peach salsa. Something I’ve not eaten before. The daughter in law brought the gift from Schulenberg, Texas near Austin. The ingredient list goes something like this: peaches, onions, tomatoes, jalapeño peppers, bell peppers, vinegar, brown sugar, cane sugar, garlic, salt & spices and has only 20 calories per serving. It has a slightly sweet flavor of peaches and the mildly hot taste of peppers that complimented the thick cut pork chops and our favorite winter vegetables. The web site on the jar is www.omaschoice.com I get no compensation for sharing this information, but feel obligated to let my readers know where you can buy some if you want. If you are a canner, I think this would be easy enough to create at home too.
To start the meal pre-heat the oven to 350 F and prep the vegetables.
Green Bean Bundles
Bring a pot 2/3 full of water to a rolling boil. Set a large bowl of ice water on the counter.
Drop 6-8 fresh whole green beans per person into the boiling water and blanch for 3 or 4 minutes. Remove the green beans when they are bright green and place them in an ice water bath to stop the cooking process. Move the green beans to a shallow bowl and toss with a couple tablespoons Zesty Italian dressing. Use one piece of raw bacon to wrap around each bundle of 6-8 green beans. Place them with the bacon seam side down on an oiled cookie sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper. The bacon takes 20 minutes to fully cook and the beans will be crisp tender too.Baked Winter Vegetables
My choice of winter vegetables for the two of us are one sweet potato, one parsnip, and three 1/2” slices off the neck of a butternut squash and sometimes a carrot or white potato. I first learned to like parsnips after seeing the Barefoot Contesa make them on a TV show. They have a slightly tangy flavor and really nice aroma. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the skins of each. Cut them into bite size pieces and place in a single layer on a oiled cookie sheet. Olive oil is my preference, but you can use what you have. Rub a light coating of oil on the vegetables. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake in the oven at 350 F for 20 minutes.
The thick cut pork chops are easy to make. Sprinkle the chops with salt and pepper. I use my favorite kitchen tool…a hot cast iron skillet… with about a Tablespoon of oil to brown the chops on medium high heat. When they are crispy brown on the outside, move them to the oven and finish cooking with the vegetables. Spoon on some of the peach salsa before serving. It was a delicious combination that will require me to search out a peach salsa recipe after this jar is gone, or maybe order another one!
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