One Step at a Time

Recipes

• Quick Apricot Chutney
• Pork Tenderloin with Apricot Chutney

When a baby takes its first step, as my wee grandson, Henry, is aiming to do momentarily, a whole new world unfolds. For me, January marks less dramatic, more symbolic changes. Obligations of the old year are settled. The calendar is ready for fresh inscriptions. And finding simpler ways to make interesting dishes freshens up my world.

To me, this means trimming recipe ingredient lists. And often, brevity comes from making use of unexpected, multidimensional elements that on their own complement a variety of foods.

Apricot jam, for instance, can be quickly turned into an excellent chutney. Then the chutney itself can become the essential ingredient of a rich braising sauce for pork tenderloin.

Henry is hankering for a lot of steps. But me―I want fewer.