Spicy Sheet Pan Pork Chops

Spicy sheet pan pork chops and broccoli. In today's world, we're all pressed for time, and especially when you want to come home, you want to cook a good meal, and you don't have the time. Well, this is a good meal. It's substantial pork chops and vegetables, and it's all in the oven. So let's season the pork chops. Let's put some salt, a nice size pork chops. If you have smaller pork chops, or if you decide to do lamb chops or chicken this way, which you can, then just be mindful of the cooking time of the meat and the vegetables. Let's put some oil. Okay. Now I'm going to caress my pork chops. You know, just like that. I'm going to use that there, and then I'm going to steal some from here so I don't waste any oil. And this one goes here. So you see what I'm doing? I'm grabbing all the oil wherever I can. Yes, you could have a brush and be elegant about it if you want, but I love the feel of the product. It tells me a lot about the product. So this is done. And in the oven, I have already a tray, nice and hot, getting hot. So the pork chops will be seared on one side and it'll have a nice color. Here I am. The oven is hot. The tray is hot. Let's close. We want to keep the heat in there. And here we are. You hear it? It's like searing it on the stove, except no splatter. And we're going to put this back in the oven while we dress the vegetables. Okay. Let's work the vegetables. A little bit of legumes. Nice balanced meal. Chickpeas. And this chickpeas are canned chickpeas, or you can cook your own. They're already cooked. And then broccoli. Here we have the broccoli little florets. I have that done already, but I'll just show you how I peel the broccoli just like that. The skin of the broccoli, you can just pull it right off like that. Okay. And let's cut this in small florets because you want it to cook all at the same time. It's all about the timing. And let's season this. And you know what I like to put in there? This Tuscan pepperoncino. So what is a Tuscan pepperoncino? It's this pepperoncino green that you find in jars just like that, and you leave it whole. And it's nice, acidic, and it's peppery, and it really adds a nice crunch. And I'm going to do also some of the juice. That's it. Some oil, salt. I'm going to just get in there. Oops. I lost. I lost that one. So once you put it there to bake, it is all dressed and seasoned. So the vegetables are all dressed and ready. And now let's check on the pork chops and see. I want them nice and caramelized. Wow. What an aroma. You see? And that wasn't hard at all. Let's flip them over. So far so good, you see? The coloring began on one side, just like that. Look at this. Okay, now we're going to put this all around it. And that's where the vegetables are going to cook. Let's spread them out nicely, just like that. We want that juice in there too. We want the chechi in there. And of course, you want to leave the pork chops uncovered because you want them to get some more color. We'll put a little bit of water, just a little bit. Everything else is seasoned. Maybe a little bit more of salt I'll put. Maybe a little bit more of this juice. You know, when you cook, listen to yourself, to your feeling. Maybe a little bit more of this. It's okay. Usually you're right. Okay, do we have enough oil? Maybe a little bit of oil, a little bit of everything. And not on the pork chops, but on the vegetables I'm concerned. So I'm going to put this in the oven. And mind you, the oven is hot, 425 degrees, because we want everything to be crunchy. And this in the oven. Now it's been in the oven already about 20 minutes, maybe another 20, 25, half an hour, depend on how thick your pork chops are. So let's put them back in the oven and dinner is going to be ready. Buongiorno. Welcome to my library. Here is where I read your emails, watch your video and answer you. And here I have a video with a group of gals. I like to see that one. Lydia, we love your show. Every year, this group of women gathers together for a fun filled weekend. And the first night is always about food. And we like to prepare food in advance. Can you recommend something that would be perfect to prepare ahead? Oh, thank you, ladies. This kind of thing really warms my heart, getting together and cooking and eating a nice glass of wine and just chatting away. And do I have an answer for you? I would suggest some good pasta in the oven, like baked shells, like lasagna. You make a good sauce, you get the good cheese, and you can make two trays, three trays, depending on how many people you have. And you put it in the oven, pull it out before they all get there, let the lasagna or the baked pasta set. And then you cut it in small pieces on serving plates. Or you can have them sit down and serve it as a meal. And you ladies get some good wine. Thank you, ladies. Hope to hear from you again. And here is an email from Mary. And she wants to know, what is a mise en place? And what goes into a mise en place? That's a good question, Mary. The mise en place, it's a French phrase, but everybody use it, mise en place, to put in place. That is all about pre-preparation of cooking a meal or a plate or a dish. So certainly, all the things that go in into making, whether it's onion, whether it's garlic, whether it's parsley, the vegetables, absolutely. Also, the proteins. Make sure that you prepare them, whether it's a veal chop or a steak, that you have your chicken, the pieces that you want to use, that you have your fish cut right, if necessary, that you have marinated it in time. So you have all the ingredients in front of you, and you just go ahead and cook. If you need wine, you need to have it there. That you don't run around the kitchen looking for that wine while the chicken is burning in the pan. You have to have it all at portata di mano, so you can take it and use it. That's what it is, getting yourself really ready. Go over all the recipe, all the ingredients, and have them ready to go. Thank you for the question, Mary. Keep on cooking. You're doing great. So here's another email from Grace. I enjoy frying pork chops, but they always come out dry and hard. Please tell me what I'm doing wrong. Well, Grace, the first thing, you're doing everything right. You're cooking, and that's great. Pork chops are sensitive to temperature and to cooking time. Make sure you don't overcook them. If you want to get a nice crisp outside, go on high temperature. If you put a little butter in the olive oil, it will help their caramelization. Season them right. That is the secret of pork chops. You don't want to undercook them, but you don't want to overcook them. Wow, the aroma. It is bubbling. It is ready to go. So can you imagine? You come like this to your table, and you say, this is for my family. They would love that. Okay, so look at this. I guess we're ready to plate. So you could bring it like that, or you could make a nice little fancy plate. This one is maybe a nice one. Here we are. So let's go with that. So I think that some of the broccoli are kind of falling off like that, or standing up, and then some on the side here like that. That would look nice. Like that. Perfect. What's missing? Those garbanzo. Here we are. That's a beautiful plate here. Pork chops, broccoli, chechi beans. Now let's do Lidia's plate here. A nice piece, just ready to be cut right here. Nobody will ever know the difference. There it is. And you can plate them all, or you can put them back on the table just like that. Just like that. Now let me taste this. Complete meal in the oven. Balanced. Perfect. Of course you need some red wine with this. And you know, I didn't put many herbs because you have the peperoncino, but I don't mind decorating it with a little bit of rosemary. How's that? And if you have rosemary plants like I do, it comes rather easy. Just like that. So here we are. This is a simple meal, a straightforward meal. It's a balanced meal. It could turn out into an elegant meal. But also, just the tray on the table and say, hey guys, dive in.