Smith Enjoys Cooking With Flay

All week, resident Chef Bobby Flay has dropped in for lunch at each of The Early Show co-anchors' homes, surprising everyone but Harry Smith.

Being the old newshound of the bunch, Smith was able to figure out Flay's plan before he arrived. But in keeping with the spontaneity of the series, he did not rush out to the market. He did, however, manage to thaw out a few pork chops, just in time.

Opening the door to Flay, Smith asked bewildered, "What's for lunch?"

But Flay did not buy it. With laughter he said, "Mr. Smith. You knew I was coming so you didn't stock the kitchen?"

Smith confessed, "I knew you were coming, I did not stock the kitchen. I told Andrea and she said, 'At least let me get something out of the freezer.' So we have some pork."

Pleased, Flay noted, "Pork is good. Pork is very versatile."

But Smith openly said, "Otherwise, whatever is in here is exactly the way…"

Flay was surprised, looking at the cabinets, "Did you stock this. Come on."

Smith had also a plan, "Here's what I'm thinking. Because these little babies can cook up in a minute, these little pork chops."

"Very quick," Flay agreed, "We'll spice these up a little bit."

Smith continued, "Maybe make like a rub for them. And I think with this butternut squash."

Flay noted, "You're into the butternut squash."

Smith said, "Well I think we could," so Flay asked if he wanted a puree, but Smith was into sautéing the squash. And to complement the dish, they both agreed on adding some Granny Smith apples. Flay even suggested making chutney. Click here for the recipe.

"Now you're talking," Smith exclaimed.

Getting into cooking mode, Flay explained his cooking method as he put the fruit in the pot, "So we are going to let this come to a boil. We are going to let this caramelize. We want the sugars in the peach nectar, the apple and the sugar from the sugar. And so we'll let that caramelize. This we want to stew a little bit. We want that to get nice and soft."

Taking the pork chops, he noted, "Now the thing about these pork chops. Pork has very little fat, especially the pork they are raising these days. So that's good in the sense of health reasons, but they are going to cook very quickly and if you overcook them, they are going to be very dry. So we want them to be medium and we're going to season them pretty well. We're going to put a little salt and pepper and then season them on one side with the Chinese all-spice."

As he instructed Smith on what to do, Flay added, "Now you'll take the Chinese five spice and rub it in." Smith was loving it.

"Grab your cast iron pan," Flay asked, "We're going to put a little oil in there. Do you have any oil?"

Smith replied, "Oh, we have a thousand kinds of oil."

"Thousands?" Flay asked skeptically, and continued his cooking lesson. "Remember when you put oil in a pan, Harry, it expands. So if you have a half of teaspoon of oil, it's going to make a full teaspoon or more."

While that was taking place the fruit was almost done, so Smith asked if the heat had to be taken down.

"Nope. Definitely not," Flay said, "Going to candy them up."

Calling his wife, Andrea, Smith said, "We're making pork chops and a green apple chutney and squash so you better get home for lunch." And to Flay he said, "She's on her way, Bobby."

Checking the pork, Flay noted, "These are going to cook pretty fast. We want a really nice crust on the spice side down and the only way you're going to achieve that is if the pan is really hot. Otherwise, they are just going to boil in the oil."

Anxiously, Smith looked for the smoke to come out, Flay warned him not to rush and let them cook. Once they were done, Flay noted, "Now, at this point you don't touch them, because if you touch them, they are not going to get a nice crust on the outside. So let's leave those alone and while they are working, let's deal with the squash."

In no time, the whole dish was ready. Just in time, Andrea arrived to give it a taste.

"Fabulous," she pronounced. Then she asked Flay, "So you just put the salt, pepper, and five spice and that's it?"

Flay replied, "Salt , pepper, five spice on one side. Because you really don't want to kill the flavor of the pork."

Biting a piece, Smith commended, "So good, so good."

Flay was happy, "Thanks for having me. Cheers, you guys."

From start to finish, the meal took less than an hour to prepare.

The following is his recipe:

Harry's Pork Chops & Apple Chutney & Butternut Squash Puree
Serves: 3

1/2 stick unsalted butter
1 pound butternut squash, peeled and cut into large dice
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Pinch of ground cinnamon
2 granny smith apples, halved, cored and cut into quarter-inch thick slices
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup peach nectar or apple juice
2 teaspoons ground ginger
3 boneless pork chops, 6 ounces each
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon allspice
2 tablespoons olive oil
Chopped cilantro, optional

Method

1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, add the squash, 1/2 cup of water and salt and pepper, cover and cook until the squash is soft, about 15-20 minutes. Mash the squash with a potato masher until smooth and stir in the cinnamon. Cover to keep warm.
2. Place the apples, sugar, nectar and ginger in a medium sauté pan over medium high heat and cook, stirring occasionally until the liquid has evaporated and the apples are golden brown.
3. Season pork chops on both sides with salt and pepper to taste. Season the chops on 1 side with the allspice. Heat the oil in a medium sauté pan over high heat until smoking. Place the chops spice-side down in the pan and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and cook the chops until just cooked through, about 4-5 minutes.
4. Spoon some of the apple chutney into the center of a large plate and top with a chop. Serve butternut squash to the side of the chop and sprinkle with chopped cilantro if desired.