Cooking in Augusta

WHAT YOU NEED:

2 tblsp vegetable oil
4 (8 oZ) bone-in pork chops
seasoning - salt and pepper
1/4 cp butter
3/4 cp sliced shallots
1 1/2 cps fresh black cherries, pitted and halved
2 tblsps red wine (table is fine)
1/4 cp beef stock
1/4 tsp dried rosemary leaves, crumbled

HOW YOU DO IT:
Oven to 350 degrees F
Prepare baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat
Season the pork chops with salt and pepper
Brown pork chops in the hot oil (should be about 120 seconds each side)
Place the pork chops on baking sheet.
Bake until the pork chops are no longer pink in the center (about 20 minutes).
While baking, melt butter in the same skillet over medium heat
Stir in shallot & cherries
Cook until the shallot has begun to soften, about 120 seconds
Mix in the red wine and beef stock and simmer
Season with rosemary, and simmer until the sauce has reduced and thickened.
Season to taste with salt & pepper before pouring over the pork chops to serve.

Alas you have a great Southern piece of meat for your dinner in Augusta, Georgia or anywhere

Cooking in the South is very much like what you’d consider ‘home cooking’ or comfort food.  Some of the most popular themes in Southern cooking, inside and outside of Georgia are Cajun, Carolinas, BBQ, Creole, low-country, soul, and Tex-Mex. Southern cooking usually includes fresh vegetables (organic these days :-)), rice or corn, usually pork or chicken, and seafood. Popular dishes you may have heard of include: bbq, chicken-fried steak, catfish, smothered pork chops, black-eyed peas, grits, biscuits and gravy, fried green tomatoes, collard greens, okra and sweet potatoes. Don’t forget something to cleanse your pallet.  Cooking in my kitchen in Augusta, GA usually includes sweet iced tea and mint juleps.

WHAT YOU NEED

• 19 pounds ripe peaches (firmer the better - can scale, but 19 works best with this recipe)
• 7 lbs sugar
• 2 cps distilled white vinegar
• 1 qt H20
• 24 whole cloves
• 3 tblspns of smashed cinnamon sticks

THE HOW TO:

1. Peel peaches and set aside. In a large pot over medium high heat, boil sugar, vinegar and water until the syrup is moderately thick.
2. Add cloves, cinnamon and peaches. Bring to boil stirring occasionally until the peaches can be pierced to the pit with a fork.
3. Fill sterilized canning jars with peaches. Continue boiling syrup until heavy and add to peaches to cover.
4. In a large stock pot, pour water half way to top with boiling water. Using a holder, carefully lower jars into pot. Leave a 2-inch space between jars. Add more boiling water to cover them, about 2 inches above the tops. Bring to a boil and cover, processing for 35 minutes. Remove jars from pot. Put jars on a wood or cloth surface, several inches apart and allow to cool. Jars will be sealed.

These taste good in Augusta, GA or anywhere else