Two-Timing Number One

Many times when I hear a popular song, I never think about the life of the song prior to that artist recording it. In many cases, the song was written by someone else, and often recorded first by another artist. Despite all of that, the artist that makes it popular, I still see as the “owner” of the song.

But what happens when that song is really made popular by two different artists? What if both recordings have gone to the top of the charts? Believe it or not, it has happened a number of times. According to the Ramblin’ with Roger blog, there are 11 occurrences. Here they are:

1. “Butterfly” – Charlie Gracie (1957) and Andy Williams (also in 1957)
2. “Young Love” – Sonny James (1957) and Tab Hunter (also in 1957)
3. “Go Away Little Girl” — Steve Lawrence (1963) and Donny Osmond (1971)
4. “The Loco-Motion” — Little Eva (1962) and Grand Funk (1974)
5. “Please Mr. Postman” — The Marvelettes (1961) and The Carpenters (1975)
6. “Venus” — Shocking Blue (1970) and Bananarama (1986)
7. “Lean on Me” — Bill Withers (1972) and Club Nouveau (1987)
8. “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” — The Supremes (1966) and Kim Wilde (1987)
9. “When a Man Loves a Woman” — Percy Sledge (1966) and Michael Bolton (1991)
10. “I’ll Be There” — The Jackson 5 (1970) and Mariah Carey (1992)
11. “Lady Marmalade” — Labelle (1975) and Christina Aguilera / Lil’ Kim / Mýa / Pink (2001)

Only three of them I can recognize the version by each artist: “Lean on Me”, “When a Man Loves a Woman” and “I’ll Be There”.

I’ll be there anytime this dish is made.

I don’t often purchase a fennel bulb.

Grinding the fennel seeds.

Frying the medallions of pork.

Veggies getting ready.

Fried up.

With the shrooms.

Lookin’ good.

A great, hearty dish!

Pork and Fennel Ragout

Cook Time: 24 min | Servings: 4 servings | Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon fennel seeds
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
3 1-inch-thick boneless pork loin chops (1 pound total), trimmed and sliced into 1/4-inch-wide strips
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup sliced shallots
1 small fennel bulb, trimmed and chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
10 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 1/2 cups red or white wine


Directions:

Grind the fennel seeds with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a spice grinder or chop with a knife. Transfer to a medium bowl; mix with the lemon juice and pork. Add the flour and toss to coat. In another bowl, mix the lemon zest with 2 tablespoons parsley.

Heat a deep skillet or pot over high heat and add the olive oil. Brown the pork in batches, 1 minute per side; transfer to a plate. Add the shallots, fennel bulb, the remaining 3 tablespoons parsley, and salt to taste to the skillet. Reduce the heat and cook until the vegetables are wilted, 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, 3 minutes.

Add the mushrooms, wine and 1/2 cup water; scrape up any browned bits. Cover and simmer over low heat until the fennel is tender, 12 minutes. Add the pork and heat through, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and top with the lemon zest-parsley mixture.

Source: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/pork-and-fennel-ragout-recipe/index.html