Chinatown/Noir Pork Chops & Cali-Cauliflower

Ever since I saw this entry on the Design*Sponge blog, I've wanted to see Chinatown (1974). Jack Nicholas is one of my favorites, and I loved the idea of a dinner inspired by the neo-noir film style. Roman Polanski did a wonderfully artistic job directing and Faye Dunaway is stunning. She made me want to give ruby red lips a try this spring!

Of course, we had to start with a snack and beverage... And I managed to find pretzel sticks noir, Snyder's Pumpernickel and Onion Pretzel Twists. My new favorite pretzel! The unbeatable rye and onion flavor is even better with a dollop of veggie cream cheese. I plan to keep these in my pantry at all times, though this might be a real challenge. We sipped Pinot Noir which was also a key player in our entrée.

After searching through all kinds of recipes with Pinot Noir sauce (check out these for salmon, filet mignon, and duck), I landed on these pork chops. Now that we've seen the movie, roasted fish (served with the head) would have been an apropos main dish as well. Pork hasn't made an appearance on a movie night menu in a long time and the chops were gentle on my wallet. They turned out really tasty to boot!

Neo-Noir Porkchops with Cranberries

INGREDIENTS

4 (1 1/2" thick) boneless pork loin chops

salt and pepper

3 TB extra virgin olive oil

2 leeks, split lengthwise and sliced in 1/2" half moons

1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries

1 cup Pinot Noir

1 cup chicken stock

2 TB butter

DIRECTIONS

Preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. Season chops with salt and pepper. Add 2 TB extra virgin olive oil to the hot skillet and add the chops. Cook 3 to 4 minutes on each side and remove chops to a plate (they should be nicely browned). While the chops cook, wash the chopped leeks vigorously under running water in a colander. Shake to dry.

To skillet, add another tablespoon of olive oil and the leeks. Cook until leeks are tender, about 5 minutes. Add cranberries and Pinot Noir to the pan. Scrap up the browned bits in the pan and stir in chicken stock. Bring to a boil, add the chops back to the pan and reduce heat to simmer. Finish cooking chops through, 10 minutes.

When chops are done, remove to serving plates. Raise heat to bring sauce back to a bubble and add 2 TB butter to the sauce to give it gloss and weight. Turn off heat. Pour sauce over chops and enjoy!

I had a head of cauliflower in the fridge, so I decided to roast it as our accompaniment to the pork. Serendipity played a role here--I happened to choose a recipe that used orange zest, not knowing until we were into the movie that there's a scene in an orange grove! This was an excellent way to serve roasted cauliflower, very fresh and fruity and appropriate for a film set in Los Angeles.

Cali-Cauliflower

INGREDIENTS

1 head cauliflower, cut into uniform size florets

1 TB extra virgin olive oil

kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

2 TB green onion, finely chopped

zest of 1 medium orange

juice of 1/2 lemon

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place cauliflower florets in a large bowl and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a baking sheet (spread out into a single layer) and roast 30 minutes, turning every 10 minutes or so.

When cauliflower is tender and browned, remove from oven and place back in large bowl. Add green onion, parsley, orange zest and lemon juice and toss to coat.

Notes:

- The Beef Bourguignon from this previous post would work just as well paired here

- An alternate beverage accompaniment would have been Tom Collins cocktails with lime, not lemon

- The "Albacore Club" plays a role in the film, so any recipes with albacore tuna would be fitting

- Not for the faint of heart (or stomach), anyone adventurous enough to try it could do a "sliced snout" which would embody one of the most memorable moments from the film!