Pork Chops for Vintage Menu Madness

 

 

Here I am again with another Vintage Menu Madness Meal.  I do so hope you enjoy me sharing these Vintage Recipes as much as I enjoy preparing them.

I have always been interested in Vintage Cookbooks, recipes and cookery.  I find the cooking of the past fascinating along with the history of food.  I do follow a lot of Vintage Channels on YouTube which I really enjoy watching.

It was my thought that you might also enjoy these older recipes.  That perhaps they might remind you of your mother's or grandmother's cooking. Perhaps of a happy childhood.  I  know they do me.

Truth be told however, I don't get a lot of feedback on these posts.  I am starting to rethink things a bit. I had thought that perhaps you might find them as interesting as I do, but I don't really think that they do.

These posts are a lot of work to put together, but if you are not really interested in them, it may be that I shouldn't continue with them. I think this one may be my last one cooking a whole menu.  I will still cook a Vintage Recipe from time to time, but as far as a whole menu goes, unless I am convinced otherwise, this will be the last one.

At any rate this is the last one for December.

I struggle so much with the lighting at this time of year. My little place is very dark at the best of times. Most of my food photos are taken by the front window on a small tv tray.   I may have to invest in a good source of light in the new year.  I have always tried to use natural light whenever possible.

I take the photos of the whole menu, with the dishes on their individual serving plates on my Dining Room Table. That is the only place I can get the whole thing in. Not ideal.

This week's menu was from a mix of places.  The Pork Chops came from my Big Blue Binder.  The Corn & Potato Scallop is something my mother used to make for us.  The applesauce is my own and the dessert came from the Better Homes & Gardens New Cookbook (1953).

The Menu for this week is for a hearty pork chop supper with potatoes, a vegetable, pickles, homemade applesauce and a scrumptious date and nut pudding for dessert. Here is the menu in it's entirety. 

CRUMB BAKED PORK CHOPS
HOMEMADE APPLE SAUCE
CORN SCALLOPED POTATOES
FRENCH STYLE GREEN BEANS
SWEET MIXED PICKLES
DATE  PUDDING 

(with whipped cream)

 

I feel like I have to apologize for the way these chops look. They look quite orange, but that is just the lighting in my Dining Room on a cold December day. I hope it doesn't put you off from wanting to make them. They are tender and delicious.

The meat remains moist and succulent and that coating nice and crisp, which is surprising.  These are a chop I have been baking for my family for years.  They have always loved them. I got the recipe from one of my mother's old cookbooks and hand copied it down into my Big Blue Binder many years ago.

It may have been in her Lawrencetown Co-op cookbook. I am not sure.  Lawrencetown is the community my mother grew up in.  She was given this cookbook as a wedding shower gift before she got married in 1954.

Back in the day most communities had their own community cookbook, comprised of the tried and trues, the favorite recipes from the women in the town.

These cookbooks have always been filled with real gems. Such is the way with these chops! They are truly delicious.

Yield: Variable

Author: Marie Rayner

Crumb Baked Pork Chops

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 45 MinTotal time: 1 Hour

Ingredients and instructions are given for one chop. Simply multiply by as many chops as you need or want to cook. These always come out tender and delicious with a buttery crumb coating. Cook time will vary according to the thickness of your chops.

Ingredients

• 1 bone in pork chop per person
• salt, pepper, dried sage and onion granules
• 2 TBS of fine dry bread crumbs per chop
• butter to dot
• fruit juice (apple, orange, cranberry, etc.)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Pat the pork chops dry and then place them onto a baking sheet with a raised edge, which you have lined with foil and buttered. The size of baking sheet depends on how many chops you are cooking. Obviously if you are only cooking one or two you will want a smaller baking tray.
2. Dust the top surface of each chop with some salt, pepper, sage (rubbed between your fingertips) and onion granules to taste. Then sprinkle a tablespoon of bread crumbs evenly over top of each one. Dot with butter. Pour fruit juice into the baking tray evenly around the chops, trying not to disturb the crumbs on top.
3. Place the tray into the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, checking to make sure the apple juice does not boil dry in the pan. Once the crumbs have begun to brown on top, remove the pan from the oven.
4. Carefully turn each chop over without disturbing the crumb topping and repeat the process for seasoning and crumbing on the underside. If you need more juice in the pan, once again pour it around the chops.
5. Return the pan to the oven and cook for another 15 to 20 minutes, until nicely browned on top and the juices have thickened into a bit of a sauce. Check every 5 to 6 minutes or so to make sure the pan is not going dry and top up with more juice if need be. Serve hot with some of the pan juices spooned over top. Fabulous!

Did you make this recipe?

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One thing which always goes really well with pork chops is apple sauce.  I love applesauce with any kind of pork actually.  It is great with a roast or with chops.

Today I used the Sweet Tart Apples to make the apple sauce, but you can use any good cooking apples to make it. In the U.K. I used to use Bramley Apples. They cooked up nice and fluffy.

Sweet Tart Apples is a new variety of apple here in Nova Scotia.  This is the first year they had them at Spurr's Farm Market.  They have a beautiful pink flesh which gives the applesauce a lovely deep pink color.

Apple Sauce

Yield: 6

Author: Marie Rayner

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 25 Min

Perfect in every way. Slightly tart with just a hint of sweetness. The best condiment to go with pork.

Ingredients

• 3 large cooking apples, peeled cored and sliced (about 3 cups)
• 1/4 cup (50g) caster sugar
• 3 1/2 TBS (50g) butter
• 1 tsp lemon juice

Instructions

1. Tip all of the ingredients into a pan. Cover tightly with a lid.
2. Cook over low heat for about 15 minutes, or until the apples are very soft and have broken down.
3. Beat with a fork to break down the apples, or mash with a potato masher.
4. Serve immediately or tip into a bowl, cover and chill until needed.

Did you make this recipe?

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Corn Scalloped Potatoes is something that my mother used to make for us when we were growing up.  We loved it.  I used to make it for my own children as well.  

It is a simple and old fashioned scalloped potato dish made in a simple way with canned creamed corn added between the layers.

 

Occasionally if I am feeling especially indulgent I will add some grated cheese to the layers as well. This makes them especially rich and delicious.  You can also add bits of cooked ham

Whichever way you choose to make it, you are sure to find that this is a comforting and homey dish which goes with just about anything.   Roast pork.  Pork Chops. Fish. Chicken. Ham. Ham Steaks, etc.

Enjoy! 

 

Yield: 2 - 3

Author: Marie Rayner

Corn and Potato Scallop

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 45 MinTotal time: 1 Hour

This old fashioned side dish is an old family favorite. You can multiply it very easily to serve more people if you wish. Its delicious, easy to make and goes with just about any protein you can think of!

Ingredients

• 1 large potato, peeled
• 1 small onion, peeled
• 1 can of creamed corn (you may not need it all)
• 2 TBS flour to sprinkle
• salt and black pepper
• grated cheddar cheese to sprinkle (about 4 TBS)
• a handful of buttered cracker crumbs
• milk as needed

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a small (2 cup/1 pint) deep glass baking dish.
2. Cut the potato in half lengthwise and then cut into thin half-moons cross-wise. Do the same with the onion.
3. Place 1/4 of the creamed corn in the bottom of the casserole dish. Top with 1/4 of the potatoes and the onions. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with 1/2 TBS flour and 1 TBS of the cheese. Repeat 3 times until you have all layered in the dish.
4. Pour the milk over top, using the tip of a knife to move things around a tiny bit in order to allow it to get down to the bottom. Do not fill more than 1/3 of the baking dish with milk. Scatter the buttered cracker crumbs on top and then cover tightly with a lid.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour until the potatoes are soft and everything is bubbling. Uncover and allow to brown for about 10 minutes.
6. Remove and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

You may want to place the casserole dish on a baking tray just in case it bubbles over in the oven. Also, I sometimes start this in the microwave to help it cook quicker. About 6 minutes on high, and then pop into the oven as above. It should be done in 35 minutes or so.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @marierayner5530 on instagram and hashtag it #TheEnglishKitchen

For a vegetable side I added a tin of French style green beans. This particular brand was Del Monte.  I picked them up at the local Sobey's store.  I had not seen this type of green beans in years.  It had chopped red peppers and onions in the mix.

This is the type of thing my mother would occasionally buy.  I am not that fussy about most canned vegetables and cannot stand canned peas, but I do love canned green beans.  Funny that! 

The Sweet Mix Pickles are Bick's Brand of Sweet Mix Pickles. They include pearl onions and cauliflower as well as cucumber.  This is the kind  my mother always had.  

I really missed them when I was living in the U.K. They did not have pickles like this at all over there. They did have pickled onions and gherkins, but they were very sour, especially the pickled onions.  And those were pickled in Malt Vinegar.

The favorite part of the sweet mix pickles was always the cauliflower and the onion. There were usually only two or three pieces per jar. They were treasures and we used to fight over who was going to get them!  That's one good thing about living on my own!  They are all mine!

This date pudding intrigued me.  It is very similar to a butter tart filling, without the crust on the bottom.  Its also similar to my Walnut Slices, which are a scrumptious cookie bar with a blondie like base, topped with a walnut meringue.

The Walnuts fall to the center of the bar somewhere between the brown sugar meringue and blondie base. They are incredibly scrumptious.

It was a very simple pudding to make, containing very few ingredients.  And none of them were complicated.

The original pudding contained walnuts. My family doesn't really like walnuts in desserts, and since I was going to be taking the bulk of the dessert over to my sister's afterwards, I switched the walnuts out for pecans, quite successfully.

This was one very sweet dessert, with plenty of sugar in it as well as sticky sweet dates.  You will want to serve it warm with something like ice cream or whipped cream to help cut the sweetness a bit.

It was however, very delicious, served warm, in small amounts.  It  separates like magic giving you a lovely crisp crust on top and a gooey fruity nutty base on the bottom. Positively scrumptious.

Yield: makes 6 servings

Author: Marie Rayner

Date Pudding

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 1 HourTotal time: 1 H & 10 M

This sweet dessert is really delicious. Best served warm in small portions with either some softened unsweetened whipped cream or ice cream to help cut the sweetness. A very simple make.

Ingredients

• 3 large free range eggs
• 1 cup (200g) sugar
• 1/4 cup (35g) all purpose, plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup (151g) chopped, stoned dates
• 1 cup (116g) chopped toasted walnuts or pecans

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/gas mark 4. Butter an 8-inch square baking dish really well. Set aside. Place a baking tin partially filled with hot water into the oven. It should be large enough to hold the baking dish comfortably.
2. Beat the eggs with the sugar until very light and voluminous. Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt. Fold in the dates and the nuts.
3. Pour into the prepared baking dish. Set the baking dish in the pan of hot water in the oven.
4. Bake for one hour until nicely puffed and set. Serve warm, spooned into bowls along with some whipped cream or ice cream.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @marierayner5530 on instagram and hashtag it #TheEnglishKitchen

And there you have it. My last Vintage Menu Madness of 2023. I do so hope that you have enjoyed this series. Do let me know if you want me to continue it in 2024.  I really have enjoyed doing them, but if it is not something which my readers are interested in, then it is probably not worth the effort. 

I want you to enjoy and to be interested in the things I post!  So do let me know!

This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan@aol.com 

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