James features seasonal American dishes, and the owners grow a lot of the food they use in their restaurant on their farm in Connecticut. James, in Brownstone Brooklyn, is located just two short blocks away from the new Barclays Center arena.
Check out the restaurant online, atwww.jamesrestaurantny.com.
Berkshire Pork Chop with Smoked Apples, Spaghetti Squash and Cippolini Onions Recipe by Bryan Calvert, chef/co-owner of James
Ingredients
Pork Chop
(2) 12oz. Berkshire or Heritage Breed pork chops
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil for marinade
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil for cooking
2 cloves of garlic smashed
Sprig of sage
Sprig of thyme
Salt and pepper
Squash
1 spaghetti squash, split lengthwise, seeds removed
1 Tbsp. Chinese five spice
¼ cup of white wine
¼ cup of water
1 Tbsp. of butter
1 Tbsp. of honey
Sprig of thyme
Salt and pepper
Onions
4 cippolini onions, peeled and split in half across the equator
1 Tsp. vegetable oil
1 Tbsp. butter
¼ cup water
Sprig of thyme
Dash of white wine
1 Tbsp. chopped chives
Zest of ½ lemon
Salt and pepper
Apple
1 Gala or Fuji apple, peeled, cored and diced into ¼ inch cubes
1 Tsp. ground coriander seed
1 Tsp. finely chopped shallots
1 Tsp. smoked paprika
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tsp. finely chopped chives
Touch of honey, if desired
Zest of ½ lemon
Salt and pepper
Steps 1. Dry the pork and marinate it covered in a non-reactive dish with garlic, thyme, sage and oil overnight or for at least a few hours. One hour before serving, preheat oven to 325.
2. Take the cleaned squash and season with Chinese five spice and salt and pepper on the flesh side of the halves. Drizzle the honey evenly on the flesh side of the halves.
3. In a non-reactive baking pan, place the squash flesh side down, add thyme, water, butter and white wine. Cover with aluminum foil. Roast/steam for approximately 45 minutes, or until the strands of squash are soft enough to remove with a fork while staying intact (it should look like strands of spaghetti). If necessary, add a bit more water during the cooking time to keep the squash moist. Clean the flesh of the squash from the skin using a fork, trying to keep the strands as whole as possible. Reserve, and add any liquid from the pan to the cleaned squash.
4. While the squash is roasting, season the peeled, halved onions with salt and pepper. In a small sauté pan, lightly sear the onions in vegetable oil on their flat side. Add wine, butter, thyme and water. Cook on low heat for approximately 20 minutes until tender, adding more liquid as needed. Finish with lemon zest and chives. Hold warm.
5. In a heated sauté pan, toast ground coriander and smoked paprika for 10 seconds over medium heat. Add olive oil and shallots and cook until the shallots are tender. Add the apples and cook for 2 minutes. Finish with chives, honey, lemon zest and salt and pepper. Hold warm.
6. To finish, remove the herbs and garlic from the pork and reserve. Season the pork chop with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat a large sauté pan. Add oil and sear the pork chops until golden brown on both sides. Add the garlic and the herbs to the pan, baste and finish in the oven for about 8 minutes, or until desired doneness is reached.
Serve the pork chop on a bed of squash and onions, topped with smoked apple. Enjoy!
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