Grilled Herbed Pork Chops With Polenta and Mushrooms

Well, after the tuna night, I had a lot of leftover fresh thyme and rosemary, along with some "Used Meat" pork chops in the freezer, a ton of assorted dried mushrooms (and 1 pound of fresh oyster mushrooms from the funky Asiana market....which by the way didn't have star anise. Weird). When I stumbled across the recent pomegranate rice recipe, it was in a Food Network magazine in a small booklet titled "50 Great Grains". Said booklet has a lot of treasures, including a recipe for slow cooker polenta that is decadently rich with Parmesan and Mascarpone cheeses, seasoned with rosemary and bay leaves, and topped with sauteed mushrooms and Gorgonzola. YES!!!!

I didn't go the slow cooker route because polenta is so easy to make on the stove top and doesn't need 2 hours to cook like the slow cooker version. The pork marinade was inspired in part by Suzanne Goin's Deviled Chicken Thighs, which marinate in a mix of onions, bay leaf, crushed red pepper and dry vermouth. My marinade contained thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, dried oregano, garlic, olive oil and vermouth.

We had a marvelous burst of rain late Friday afternoon, along with a bit of thunder, so why not grill????

Mangia!

Grilled Herbed Pork Chops With Polenta and Mushrooms

Polenta adapted from Food Network

For the polenta and mushrooms:

4 cups water, plus more as needed

2 1/2 cups milk, plus more as needed

1 1/2 cups polenta

1 sprig rosemary

2 bay leaves

2 teaspoons salt

1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano

½ cup mascarpone cheese

2 tablespoons butter

1 pound fresh oyster mushrooms, roughly chopped

1 cup mixed dried mushrooms, or your choice of variety

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup dry sherry

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1/4 cup Gorgonzola crumbles

Directions

In a large saucepan, bring the water and milk to a boil. Add 2 teaspoons of salt to the water and whisk in the polenta. Whisk constantly for 3 to 4 minutes to prevent lumps. Add rosemary and bay leaves. Simmer for 45 minutes, partially covered and stirring every 10 minutes, until the polenta is thick, smooth, and creamy. Add the mascarpone and Parmesan cheeses and butter. Check for seasoning and adjust consistency by adding milk or water to the polenta. Polenta may be made up to 20 minutes ahead of time and kept covered until ready to serve.

While polenta is cooking, soak dried mushrooms in two cups of very hot water for about 20 to 25 minutes to soften. Drain and chop. Heat olive oil in saute pan over medium high heat. Saute the two mushrooms about 7 minutes. Add sherry and turn up heat, sauteing until sherry is reduced. Stir in parsley. Serve over the polenta topped with Gorgonzola.

For the pork chops:

4 pork chops, bone in, about 1/2 to 3/4 thick each

3 tablespoons chopped thyme leaves
2 tablespoons finely chopped rosemary
2 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 bay leaves, crumbled
1/4 cup each olive oil and dry Vermouth

Toss all ingredients together except pork. Coat the pork chops in the mixture and let marinade for a few hours. Prepare a charcoal fire and grill over medium high heat for about 4 to 5 minutes a side for 1/2 inch thick chops and about 1 to 2 minutes longer for 3/4 inch cuts. Don;t overcook or they will be tough. It's perfectly fine to leave pork a bit on the pink side.