This 30 minute pan dinner is the summer peak simplicity

In the corner of the North Massachusetts, the strawberry season slides later than you can expect. While the southern distant people can move into peaches and plums, in June and July I am still in the thickness of the ruby ​​red berries who broke from the grapes. This is one of the sweetest stages of the year, literally and illustrated. I never say no to classics –coil high in whipped cream, warm jam Planted on the toast and, of course, the berries that come from his hands, sunny and still dusty from the patch.

But I'm a salty girl in her heart, so once I fill the strawberry showcazs, I start looking for the strawberries at the dining table. This is where this pork recipe comes in. Fruit and pork for good reasons are classic pairing – Pork natural sweets are well -made with fruits such as apples, cherries, and especially strawberries cooked with a balsamic vinegar splash.

This food was cut in my summer shooting. It can be quickly made, uses a single pan and hit the fresh and satisfactory ideal balance. The pork is until golden brown and juicy, then set aside while reducing a simple strawberry, peanut onion and vinegar until it is shiny and spooned. Half of the sauce becomes a warm grape for the hearty salad of spinach, basil and sliced ​​peanut onions; The rest of the pork is like a glaze. The scattering of goat cheese and toasted pecan is only made with the right creamy, bitter and crunchy mixture.

And this food is infinitely adapted. Occasionally, roast salad is excellent or mustard green I replace spinach or use blue cheese instead of goat cheese. If I feel fashionable, I throw in some shaved radishes or a handful of cooked Farro. But the heart of the vessel is pork, the bright strawberry glaze and the greens we are wearing is still the same.

The method is simple, but some technical details make a big difference in taste and texture. That's how it all comes together.

The pork: browned, rested and juicy

Let's start with pork. You can use bone or bone-free pieces here, or you have a hand in your hands until about one inch thick. I have found that this thickness is ideal for forming a good bark in the pan without over cooking the interior. Any thinner, and the meat overflows the formation of brown bark; No matter how thicker, it is still underflowed in the center on the outside. I use a non -adhesive or well -sensitive cast iron pan to minimize the risk of scorching sugar berries and attachment to the pan. The pan is nice and hot and, every few minutes, ensures evenly on both sides of the meat. My goal is to have an internal temperature 135-140 ° F, which after a few minutes of rest will result in juicy pieces with slightly rye centers.

It is tempting to jump into the slicing, but the meat rest is key: let the pork sit while making the sauce, gives time to rise carefully at the temperature while the juices redistribute the whole meat. Plus, while the meat is resting, you can leave that delicious dear in the pan to work for strawberry sauce.

Strawberry sauce: sweet and salty worker horse

We connect this food on the plate, both in the taste-the strawberry-balmy sauce. Not only is it a glaze for pork, it also forms the sphere of a warm grape ball that softens and season the salad. Because of this dual role, this recipe feels so coherent and smart for summer cooking: a pan, a sauce, two separate but connected elements.

The base of the sauce simply starts, roasted in olive oil with the finely chopped peanuts until it softened and aromatic. Then come the chopped strawberry, a good balsamic vinegar and just a little sugar if your berries need to be momentum. The vinegar is key here – not only brings the brightness to balance the natural sweets of the fruit, but also adds the delicious depth and ruin the sauce from the Jammy sweets and to complexity.

As the berries degrade, the mixture is shameful and thickened with a spoon, not quite a compote or reduction. No need to be emptied – some texture is welcome. The goal is a sauce that has enough body to stick to the slices of pork while still fluid enough to sink into a wine peel for the greens. Because of this double gesture, the vessel feels bigger than its parts.

The salad: warm, woven and full of contrast

This is one of my favorite summer salad techniques – the warm components that are gentle greens, only create the right amount of text. It uses the gap between cooked and raw, making it more dynamic and satisfactory into a simple spinach bowl.

Here's a spoonful of still warm strawberry glazes with olive oil, salt and thinly sliced ​​peanut onions. This heat carefully softens the hazelnut onions while retaining their bite and warming it with the sauce to become a gentle relapse without turning it wet. The fresh basil is thrown into the spinach – the warmth displaces its aroma and rounds the sweets of the sauce with grassy, ​​herbal brightness.

To balance the greens and berries, I add the toasted pecan to crunch and riches, as well as the spraying of the goat cheese to the creamy tang. Everything is collected just before serving, so the greens remain lively and the cheese holds the shape.

The result is a salad that feels stratified and deliberate – sweet and delicious, warm and cool, crunchy and soft at the same time. This is a side salad that does not feel after -thought, but an integral part of the plate. And it's just as interesting to eat as watch – full of brightly colored, varied textures and opposite temperatures.

Include and serve suggestions

After the pork sliced ​​and the salad dressed, only the meal plate remained. I like to put a portion of salad on each plate, then adore pork slices on the salad, spoon with a little extra strawberry sauce on top, and scatter a few last pieces of cheese or nuts with garnish. This is not a disturbing coating, but it looks and feels like something special – a summer dinner that brings the most out of the currently growing, without trying too hard.

So, if you are like me, and strawberry repair is still brilliant, but something in the mouth wants something salty, try this recipe. The strawberries do not have to be doven as a dessert – these can be the star of the plate, even at dinner.

Cooking method
(Keep on the screen awake)

• 4 (6-8 ounces) Bone or boneless pork coilapprox. 1 inch thick, cut

• 1 1/2 teaspoon Diamond crystal kosher saltshared; For table salt, use half a quantity

• 1 teaspoon fresh ground peppershared

• 1/4 cup virgin extra olive oilshared

• 1 large hazelnut (3 ounce; 85 g), half chopped and sliced ​​half thin, shared

• 1 pound (453 g) strawberrywhipped and roughly chopped

• 3 tablespoon (45 ml) balsamic vinegar

• 1 teaspoon sugaroptional

• 6 ounce (about 6 cup) baby spinach

• 1/4 cup fresh basilthinly sliced ​​or torn

• 1/4 cup toasted pecanroughly chopped

• 2 ounce goat cheese (about 1/2 cup), crushed

1. Pat pork dry paper with towels and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. In a 12-inch non-adhesive or well-seasoned cast iron pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil at medium to high heat until only smoking. Add pork and cook every 2 minutes until the well-read thermometer (57-50 ° C) is registered 135-140 ° F (57-50 ° C) for 8-12 minutes. Put it over a carving board and allow to relax while preparing sauce and salad. Do not wipe the pan.

2. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to stay in the pan and heat it from medium to high heat. Add the finely chopped peanut onions, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper and cook until soft, approx. 3 minutes. Add strawberries, vinegar and sugar (if used) and cook, often mixed until the berries are softened and the mixture is syrup, approx. 5 minutes.

3. In a large bowl, mix 1/2 cup of warm boiled strawberry mixture, the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Add spinach, basil, pecan and sliced ​​peanut onions and toss it together. The upper salad crushed with goat cheese.

4. Slice the pork and serve with salad. Serve the remaining strawberry sauce on the side of the pork.

Special equipment

12 -inch non -adhesive or well -seasoned cast iron frying pan

Make-Head and Storage

This food is best eaten immediately, but the rest can be cooled in airtight containers; Store pork, sauce and salad separately. Pork and sauce can be cooled for up to 4 days, while the salad can be stored for up to 2 days.