Blackberry Grilled Pork Chops with Mashed Yucca and Sauteed Squash with Aromatic Sea Salt

I recently learned how easy it is to make my own aromatic sea salts by observing an older Italian gentleman show off his long-run family business. Basically, you need organic sea salt, a mortar and pestle, and your choice of add-ins. I was torn between citrus (lemon or orange zest sea salt) and an herb and garlic sea salt. I knew that it needed to sit out a day, so my choice yesterday came down to what I was going to make for dinner today. After talking with a friend, I decided that I would saute some zucchini and yellow squash that I already had with an herb and garlic sea salt. I only wanted enough to use for dinner tonight and perhaps another day, so I only made about 1/4 cup. I took my quarter cup of sea salt, one clove of chopped garlic, and about a tablespoon of roughly chopped herbs (I chose basil, rosemary, lemon thyme, and oregano from the garden) and placed them in the mortar. I began grinding until the garlic was incorporated and there were tiny specks of the herbs all around. Then, I just sat it on the counter and allowed it to dry out until tonight. Sometimes I forget that things you think are hard to make and that provide the most flavor might actually be very simple. As was the case here. Along with the zucchini and squash, I needed to find complimentary foods. I wanted somewhere else to use this same aromatic sea salt within. I always like finding ways to subtly link foods that are on my plate together. Last night when I made this, I made sure that because the fig compote was made with cinnamon and lemon, I would reuse those flavors in other ways. I added cinnamon in with the arrowroot starch to coat my chicken before I sauteed it. I used lemon thyme in my dressing that coated my fig salad, lemon zest and juice in my green beans, and garnished my chicken with lemon thyme as well.  It just makes it more cohesive in my opinion. So, that being said, tonight I decided to season pork chops with the sea salt, grill them, and top them with a homemade blackberry sauce. I also made mashed yucca and seasoned those with ghee and the sea salt as well. This food still is Whole 30-compliant and is one of those comfort dishes that sometimes you just need.

Blackberry Sauce
(Serves 4)

12 oz. container of blackberries
2 TBS date paste (Made from 4 chopped dates and hot water, mashed until it becomes syrupy)
Zest and juice of 1 lemon

Place all ingredients in a pan over med-high heat
As it cooks, mash in the blackberries while they release their juices
When the mixture begins boiling, reduce heat to med
Allow to cook down, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes
Take off heat
Allow to cool for a few minutes
Use an immersion blender and puree into a sauce (a blender or food processor works too)
*I don't mind the blackberry seeds in my sauce, but if you want a smoother sauce, strain it.

Mashed Yucca
(Serves 4)

2 yucca roots (peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces)
Sea salt, for the water
1/4 cup ghee
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (I like to warm this before incorporating so it keeps everything nice and warm.)
2 tsp herb and garlic aromatic sea salt
1 tsp black pepper

Place cut yucca into a pot of cold water
Add some sea salt in the water
Bring to a boil
Allow to slow boil for 30 minutes
Drain
Begin mashing yucca
Add in the ghee, salt, and pepper
Mix and continue mashing
Slowly add in the almond milk (You might need more or less depending on how creamy you want them.)
Mix and mash together

**Yucca is more fibrous than a potato, but it works so well. You just need to take a little more time mashing and mixing until you get the consistency you want. It will taste like smashed potatoes when you're done. It's awesome. (And it's really tasty to dip your blackberry pork chops in.)

Herb and Garlic Sea Salt Grilled Pork Chops
(Serves 4)

4 Pork chops (I used thick boneless ones tonight, but you can use what you have)
2 tsp herb and garlic sea salt
1 tsp pepper

Season the chops with the sea salt and pepper
Grill for 4-5 minutes per side (depending on the size...verify done-ness)
  **To serve, place pork chop on the plate and top with blackberry sauce

Sauteed Squash with Aromatic Sea Salt
(Serves 4)

I used 1 zucchini and 1 yellow squash here, sliced into half moons.
Here is a link to my sauteed squash recipe. Just omit the salt and replace the "favorite seasoning" with 1-2 TBS aromatic sea salt (depending on how strong you like your seasoning).