Plated Meal Kit Review - Sticky Pork Chops & Fennel Chile Flounder

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I continue to be really impressed by Plated meal kits, the flavors are huge and the recipes are so creative. It's incredibly convenient how the Plated box arrives at your front door and all the ingredients are measure and prepped. If you are too busy to go shopping but still want to eat exciting home made meals, I really think you should give Plated a try. The first recipe is Szechuan style pork chops with spicy garlic sauce and blistered green beans. The pork chops are juicy and tossed in a sticky glaze that has the perfect amount of heat and sweet. The second dish is fennel chile flounder with fregola and roasted tomatoes. The flounder is baked in the oven with the grape tomatoes and red onions, and at the end a little dollop of homemade chile-fennel butter melts all over the fish and veggies.

Recipes courtesy of Plated
Szechuan Pork Chops
Serves 3 people

1 cup jasmine rice
3 boneless pork chops
3 tablespoons sesame oil, divided
1 pound green beans
3 scallions, divided
¼ ounce ginger
4 cloves garlic
⅓ cup gluten-free soy sauce
1 tablespoon sambal oelek
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground Szechuan peppercorns
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
3 teaspoons ketchup

In a small pot, combine rice, 1½ cups water, and ½ teaspoon salt, and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir once, reduce heat to medium low, cover pot, and simmer until water is fully absorbed, 10– 12 minutes. Remove pot from heat and let stand, still covered, for 10 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork, then cover again to keep warm until ready to serve.

While rice cooks, pat pork chops dry with paper towel and season all over with ½ teaspoon salt and pepper as desired. Heat 1 tablespoon sesame oil in a medium pan over medium-high heat. When oil is shimmering, add pork and sear until browned and cooked through, 3–5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and set aside to rest for about 5 minutes.

In a small bowl, stir together soy sauce, sambal (it's spicy— feel free to use less for a milder flavor), spice mix, rice wine vinegar, and ketchup.

Return pan from pork to medium-high heat with remaining sesame oil. When oil is shimmering, add green beans. Cook until blistered and slightly tender, 4–5 minutes. Add ginger, garlic, and scallion whites and light greens to pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly browned and fragrant, 2–3 minutes more.

Reduce heat under pan with green beans to medium, then add soy sauce–sambal mixture. Cover pan and cook until green beans are tender, 2–3 minutes. Meanwhile, transfer pork to a cutting board; find the direction of the grain (muscle fibers) and slice across it. Once green beans are tender, add sliced pork to pan and turn to fully coat. Remove pan from heat.

Divide rice among serving plates. Top with Szechuan-style pork and green beans, drizzle over spicy garlic sauce, and garnish with scallion dark greens. Enjoy!

Fennel Chile Flounder
Serves 3 people

2-3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 lemon, divided
¼ ounce basil, divided
1 red onion
1 Thai chile
½ teaspoon fennel seeds
1 clove garlic
1½ cups fregola
5 ounces baby spinach
¾ pint grape tomatoes
1 pound flounder

Mince garlic and, still on cutting board, sprinkle over ⅛ teaspoon salt. Using a large knife, carefully scrape over mixture at a 45° angle, pressing down. Repeat until garlic is broken down and a paste forms (see recipe tip). Add garlic paste to bowl with butter, and set aside.

Season boiling water generously with salt. Stir in fregola and cook until tender, 9–10 minutes. Drain and return to pot, off heat. Then, add spinach and stir to wilt slightly. Cover and set aside until ready to serve.

While fregola cooks, on a foil-lined baking sheet, toss tomatoes and onion with 1 tablespoon olive oil, ¼ teaspoon salt, and pepper as desired, then push to edges of baking sheet. Pat flounder dry with paper towel, season all over with ¾ teaspoon salt and pepper as desired, and add to center of baking sheet, spacing apart. Roast until fish is opaque and cooked through and vegetables are tender, 8–10 minutes.

While fish cooks, add crushed fennel seeds, Thai chile (skip or use half for less heat), ¼ teaspoon salt, and pepper to bowl with butter, and mash with a fork until fully combined. Once roasted, remove sheet with flounder from oven and dot with fennel-chile butter so it melts and coats the fish (see recipe tip). Divide fregola among serving plates and top with flounder, leaving vegetables on sheet for next step.

Add juice of ½ lemon (or use half for less tang, depending on your preferences) and half of basil to vegetables on baking sheet and toss to combine. Spoon roasted tomato mixture and any melted butter from baking sheet over fish. Garnish with remaining basil and squeeze over remaining lemon, if desired. Dig in!