A Good Date Meal

By Jess Ziman
A new video for Video Friday

A few months ago, a friend of mine told me a story of a near disastrous first date she went on. The whole date sounded dreamy – a dashing man had invited her to his home to cook her a romantic candlelit meal for two. She was all smiles and ready to be swept away by his gesture.

However, her face quickly fell when she found out what the meal was: boiled vegetables (from a frozen packet) and quinoa. His humdrum fare frankly muffled any mojo that may have been between them that night.

This got me thinking about what really constitutes a good date meal. I came to the conclusion that it’s about the perfect balance between the romantic – extravagant, aphrodisiacal, unique – and the practical. A meal that you can make in between getting ready and prematurely glugging wine to sooth your nerves.

This pork recipe manages to hit both of those notes as cooking anything with red wine automatically seems impressive and it takes less than half an hour to rustle together. Just don’t bust out the Michael Bublé and you will be golden.

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Pork Chops with Red Wine Sauce and Winter Greens
Serves 2

2 thin-cut pork chops
Salt and freshly cracked pepper
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup thinly sliced shallots
1 tablespoon roughly chopped fresh rosemary
3/4 cup full-bodied red wine
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3/4 cup lower-sodium vegetable or meat broth
2 teaspoons honey
4 cups packed shredded chard leaves (ribs removed)

1. Sprinkle salt and cracked pepper over pork chops. Over medium-high heat, melt butter and olive oil in a saucepan. When it is almost smoking hot, carefully add the chops. Let them cook for a few minutes until brown and then flip them over. Finish cooking the chops on the second side; transfer to a plate and wrap in foil to keep warm.
2. With the remaining oil still in the hot pan, briefly sauté the shallots and rosemary. When the shallots are soft, deglaze the pan by adding the wine and scraping pan with a wooden spoon to release the browned bits and meat residue.
3. Add mustard, broth and honey to the sauce and bring to a high simmer. Let the sauce boil down and thicken, about 8 to10 minutes.
4. While the sauce is reducing, cook the greens in boiling salted water until just tender, about 2 minutes. Be careful not to overcook as the greens really do wilt down quickly. When they are cooked, drain and season greens with salt and pepper; keep covered until ready to be use.
5. Once the sauce is reduced, taste to correct seasoning, adding extra salt and pepper as needed. Now add the chops back into the sauce to lightly coat and reheat them, tossing in the sauce for 1 minute.
6. To serve, pile the greens high on two plates, dividing equally, and top each with a pork chop. Drizzle the remaining red wine sauce over the top.

Recipe by Jess Ziman

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