Pork Chops and Brown Rice - LaMarr Hoyt (Pitcher)

RECIPE

4 or 5 pork chops, medium, sliced
1 medium onion, diced
1/3 cup green pepper, diced
1 cup uncooked rice
1 can beef consomme
1/2 cup water
salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Brown chops lightly in 10" to 12" skillet.  Remove chops and pour off grease.  Pour onions, peppers, rice, water, consomme and salt and pepper into skillet and let come to a boil.  Return chops to skillet and cover.  Cook in oven 40-50 minutes, stirring once.  Serves 4 to 5. 

Everyone raves about this one!

It's another throwback Sunday for the White Sox today.  Kids get a free 1983 jersey, but even more exciting than that: both Tony LaRussa and LaMarr Hoyt will be on hand at the game.

Hoyt's 1983 season with the White Sox was nothing short of spectacular.  He went 24-10 with 148 K's and only 31 walks.  His K-to-Walk ratio was a league-leading 4.77.  He helped the Sox to their first post-season appearance since 1959, and he won the Cy Young Award along the way.

So in honour of the big man's return to the southside, here is another of his recipes from the 1983 White Sox cookbook.

We've already been dazzled by Hoyt's Shrimp Creole earlier this season, and this pork chops and rice dish presents another classic southern offering.

Season the chops however you like.  I have a garlicky-peppery spice blend that I like to use. Actually it came from Chicago too - it's the Back of the Yards Butcher's Rub from The Spice House.  I love it.  Love The Spice House too - they have all sorts of spices available, as well as local-neighbourhood-themed spice blends, and they do mail order!

Got way off track there, sorry.  Back to the pork chops.  A quick browning, then put them over the rest of the ingredients and pop everything into the oven.  If you use smaller chops like I did, the oven time can be reduced to keep the chops juicier.  You will indeed rave about this one.

FINAL SCORE - a big, delicious dish from the big man on the mound.  Welcome back, LaMarr!

Shrimp Creole - LaMarr Hoyt (Pitcher)

RECIPE

1 1/2 lbs. raw shrimp, peeled
1 can tomato paste
1 pint tomatoes, large can
1/8 tsp. soda
1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 cup celery, diced
1 medium onion
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
1 tblsp. salt
1 stick butter
3 whole bay leaves
1/2 cup water

Saute in 12" skillet, butter, onion, celery and green pepper for 5 min.  Add tomato paste, tomatoes, bay leaves, water and seasonings.  Cook 10 minutes covered. Add mushrooms, cook 10 more minutes.  Thicken with cornstarch if necessary.  Add shrimp and cook 5 minutes.  Remove bay leaves.  Serve over white rice.  Serves 4.  If you love shrimp, you'll love this! 

LaMarr Hoyt's 1983 was a career year not soon forgotten.  The big boy from South Carolina racked up 24 wins, a Game One win in the ALCS, and the Cy Young award.  Not too shabby for someone who was an unknown throw-in as part of the 1977 Oscar Gamble-Bucky Dent trade.

One look at burly, bearded Hoyt would tell you: "Here is a man who loves to eat.  Probably food that he tracked and killed himself.  It is highly likely that a pickup truck and some SKOAL were also involved at some point."

Hoyt did not offer up any wild game recipes for the 1983 White Sox cookbook, but this one for Shrimp Creole is classic southern cooking.  Easy, and damn tasty.  I liked it so much I adapted it for some leftover chicken the other day.  Once you have the rich red sauce going, you could probably throw in ham, sausage, pork, anything you like.  But the classic dish calls for shrimp.  As mentioned in the recipe, if you love shrimp, you will indeed love this.

There are two more recipes from Hoyt in this cookbook, so stay tuned for more.

FINAL SCORE - it's the Cy Young of shrimp dishes.  Yes!  These will always be corny!