March 10, 2021 Lunch - Lax, bagel, and cream cheese. Dinner - Sautéed Pork Chop with Roasted Brussels Sprouts, onion, pinon nuts, and grated Pecorino-Romano cheese

 March 10, 2021 Lunch - Lax, bagel, and cream cheese. Dinner - Sautéed Pork Chop with Roasted Brussels Sprouts, onion, pinon nuts, and grated Pecorino-Romano cheese

I went to the bathroom five times during last night to eliminate the bad burrito I ate for dinner, so my stomach was not in the mood for anything exotic today, lest I suffer a repeat. 

 So I chose foods I knew my gut liked.

I fixed oatmeal for breakfast with raisins, blueberries, milk, and brown sugar.  The effect was therapeutic.

Then at 1:00 I fell back on my favorite culturally historic dish to sustain me until dinner, lax on toasted bagel with cream cheese.  By the afternoon I felt better but wanted to eat a dinner that would not upset my stomach and gut enzymes.

I thawed two pork chops and then drove to the bank to make a deposit.  

When I returned home at 4:30 I walked 1/2 mile without difficulty.

 I fetched a bag of Brussels Sprouts and a bottle of 2016 Benton Lane Rose of Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley from the fridge in the garage.

I chilled the wine and grabbed a yellow onion and a ceramic baking dish. I poured a thin layer of olive oil in the bottom of the baking dish and cut the onion in half and cut each half into three rows and cut each row into four equal sections.

Then I cut the end off each Brussels sprout and cut each in half or quarters depending upon its size and filled the baking dish.

At this point Suzette arrived and I handed her the baking dish and she turned on the oven to 375 degrees, added salt and olive oil, tossed the vegetables, covered the dish with aluminum foil and placed the baking dish into the oven.

Suzette asked me if I wanted a starch such as rice and I answered, “No, the simpler the better tonight”.

At Suzette”s request I grated about 1 cup of Pecorino-Romano cheese.

After about 15 minutes the oven heat was reduced to around 340 degrees and in 1/2 hour Suzette removed the aluminum foil, sprinkled a generous handful of pinon nuts and the cup of grated cheese, tossed the mixture again and put it back in the oven for another 20 minutes uncovered.  

Then Suzette fetched a jar of apricot and brandy preserves and sautéed the thick pork chops in a large skillet.  After Suzette flipped the chops in a few minutes she brushed the tops of the chops with the preserves to glaze them.  

I poured glasses of wine and after a few more minutes when the pinon nuts, vegetables, and cheese were toasted and the chops had browned on the outside Suzette plated our dinner and I poured glasses of the rose wine.

Suzette spooned the vegetables into a mound and lay the chop on the mound.  She then added a pad of butter and a T. of cognac to the skillet and deglazed the pan drippings to make a light sauce and spooned some sauce over each chop.  The chops were perfectly cooked, crisp and crisp on the edges and soft and lightly pinkish white in their centers.  

We had a quite dinner of comfort food as we watched the news.

The big news today was the passage of the $1.9 trillion Covid relief bill by Congress.  Hopefully, if combined with the massive vaccination of all Americans, it will help the country and economy return to normal.

As I write this blog at 2:00 in the morning, the stock futures have all turned up significantly, which indicates investors think the U.S. is poised for economic acceleration as trillions of dollars will soon flow into consumers’ hands and they will be able to go out and spend because they have been vaccinated or invest in the stock market.

After dinner we poured cognacs ate a few chocolate covered almonds.  Later I made a cup of Earl Grey tea and ate two chocolate chip cookies.

Thank God that my stomach seems to have returned to normal after eating  bland foods today.

Bon Appetit