A Man’s Meal…the French Way

This is what eating like a man (a sophisticated man) is all about. You spend a hard day at work, hit the gym after you leave the office, and then come home hungry. If you have a well-developed palette like mine, and are an amateur chef, whipping up a delectable repast is no problem. If you’re not, this meal is easy enough even you can do it. All you need is a few pans, a handful of ingredients, and 20 minutes.

This meal was inspired by the holiday I spent in Paris. Simplicity at its best: no frills, just good food, well-seasoned and cooked to perfection. And it’s easy on the wallet, too.

What you’ll need:

Two veal loin chops (only about $6-7 at your local grocery store)

1 ½ cups of your favorite pasta (I chose penne)

A bag of fresh spinach

Olive oil

A tablespoon of butter

Salt and pepper

  

How to do it right:

1. Set your oven to broil, so it can heat up while you’re cooking everything else
2. Sprinkle the chops with a bit of salt and pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil. Set aside.
3. Cook the pasta – the key is to throw in a handful of salt and some olive oil before you drop in the pasta. The salty water will do wonders.
1. Right before you are ready to drain the pasta, take a coffee mug and dip it into the pasta water – you only need about ¼ to ½ of the mug’s worth of water. Pour that into a pan over medium heat. Drop the butter to this water, and let it melt.
2. Drain the pasta, and then immediately put it in the other pan with the water and butter. Toss it around so the pasta gets coated nicely.
3. Season with a couple pinches of salt and pepper. You’re done.
4. Cook the spinach – heat up some olive oil in another pan over medium heat. Drop in about 2-3 good handfuls of spinach. Let that simmer down while you stir it occasionally. Once it’s cooked down, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.
5. Cook the chops – put them on a broiling pan, and toss them in the oven. Let them cook for about 3 minutes on each side for a nice medium finish inside. Leave the well-done meat back in high school.
6. Throw it all on a plate, and you’re good to go!
7. Don’t forget the wine!
1. Go with a nice red wine, it pairs well with red meat. I prefer a French wine, like Bordeaux. But make sure you check the bottle! It should say Appellation Bordeaux Controlée – this indicates it’s a true French wine (the middle word lets you know what part of France it came feom). It may have just been me, but when I was in Paris, even the cheapest of wine tasted better than a fairly expensive bottle of American red wine. I do recognize that I am not a connoisseur of fine wines yet, but I have tasted a decent amount, ranging from the kind that comes in a bag to $35-40 bottles, and I must say – the French have this one.

Follow this simple recipe and you’ll never be sad. Switch it up some – use steaks or cuts or pork, or vary the past – the recipe should work well with just about anything. Hey, if you practice enough, you might even be able to whip out your new-found skills for your lady. Because hey: what’s good enough for the (sophisticated) man is good enough the true lady.

-JMC-