Tag: pork chops
Apple & Apricot Glazed Pork Chops
Another great meal for the holidays…
Brine
- 2 cups apple cider
- 3 tablespoons salt
- 1 pound center cut pork chops
Transfer the cider and salt to a deep airtight container and add the pork chops. Keep over night or at least for 4 to 5 hours in the fridge. Take the chops out and soak on a paper towel till dry.
Glaze
- 1 cup apple cider
- 1 tablespoon apricot jam
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
Bring the cider to a boil in a small saucepan and simmer for about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the apricot jam, paprika and salt. Mix well and cook for another 5 minutes. Turn heat off and keep aside.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Sprinkle with salt
Heat a wide frying pan with the olive oil and add the pork chops. Sprinkle with salt. Saute on medium high heat on one side for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the chops over and add the glaze. Cook for about 4 minutes on medium heat. Turn off and serve with the glaze spooned over the pork chops.
Pork and Vegetables Stir Fry Ramen Noodles
This was a huge hit! Everyone loved it and wanted me to make it again!
- 1 pound boneless pork chops, sliced
- ¼ cup Szechuan peppercorns, ground
- 1 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil
Marinate the pork slices with the peppercorns and salt for 2 to 3 hours in the fridge. Take out half an hour before cooking.
Heat a frying pan with the oil and add the pork slices. Cook on a high heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Take out and keep aside.
- 2 tablespoons peanut oil
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- 1 red chili, deseeded and chopped
- 2 cups Cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 1 medium red pepper, sliced
- 1 cup green beans, trimmed and cut in half
- ½ cup green onions, chopped
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
Sauce
- ¼ cup oyster sauce
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon Shao Shing Hua Tiao cooking wine
- 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon ponzu sauce
- 1 packet of Ramen noodles, cooked according to package instructions
Transfer the oyster sauce, fish sauce, cooking wine, dark soy and ponzu sauce to a medium bowl. Mix well and keep aside.
Heat a wok like pan with the peanut and sesame oil. Add ginger, garlic and red chili and sauce for 1 to 2 minutes on medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook on high heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the red pepper and green beans. Sauce for another 2 to 3 minutes. Add the noodles and cooked pork slices. Mix well and add the sauce. Toss and garnish with green onions and cilantro. Serve warm.
Pork and Kumquat Stir Fry
This is another yummy recipe using kumquats. I had a pack in my fridge needed to be used. I looked around online for a good recipe and found one on Epicurious. It was a Chinese inspired stir fry with pork and used a delicious spice I don’t use very often. It used Chinese five spice powder- which includes a mixture of cloves, fennel, cinnamon, star anise and Szechuan peppers. Szechuan peppers have an interesting numbing effect to the tongue. The five spice powder has the same flavor and effect. It is a delicious way to make stir fries, stews and curries.
I started with center cut pork chops and marinated them in hoisin and oyster sauce. I then made a sauce with orange juice, chicken broth, rice vinegar and the five spice powder. The kumquats need to be halved and deseeded. I sprinkled some sugar on them to sweeten them further.
The stir fry was delicious. I served it brown rice and sauteed bok choy. My daughter ate the dish but didn’t care for the little oranges… so, we kept them aside and went on with the evening….
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Orange Pork Chops with Smoked Paprika
It is smoked paprika week.. all the recipes have the delicious spice. I have decided on taking the spice with me if I ever get stranded on a deserted island.
I bought some center cut, thin pork chops. I don’t like making them too often since they tend to dry out very quickly- but then I realized if I brine them, they come out super juicy.
For the brine, I mixed orange juice, apricot jam, vinegar and of course smoked paprika. The liquid has a delicious sweet, savory and tangy component- perfect for a sauce for the pork chops.
I marinated them for a few hours in the liquid. I then browned them and added the liquid back. I realized, cooking them in the liquid keeps them soft and tender. The chops came out delicious. I roasted potatoes on the side with some garlic powder, salt and of course, smoked paprika. I also roasted asparagus on the side and I had a perfectly balanced meal.
Everyone enjoyed the meal with a yummy glass of red wine…
- 4 to 5 center cup pork chops
- ¼ cup apricot jam, softened in microwave
- ½ cup orange juice
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
Mix the jam, juice, garlic, vinegar, paprika and salt in a small bowl. Add the chops and mixture to a zip lock bag and marinate for 4 to 5 hours. Save the marinade for later.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Heat a non-stick pan with the oil. Brown the pork chops on both sides on high heat. Take out of the pan and add the marinade. Bring to a boil and add the pork chops. Cook for a few minutes till the chops are done (careful not to overcook). Serve the chops with the sauce, potatoes and asparagus.
Pork Chops with Apples and a Cider Pan Gravy
I had these pork chops in my freezer for a while, I had bought them from a local butcher air-packed and frozen. I wasn’t sure what to do with them until my daughter talked about the delicious applesauce her teacher made at school. Apples go so well with pork chops!! When I think of apples and pork chops, thyme comes to mind! So that is what I did. I took onions, garlic and cooked them with the apples. Adding the flour right into the skillet saves you a step (and cleaning a pan!). I decided to use cider for the pan gravy. The cider gives the dish a very deep apple flavor, and cooking the chops right in the gravy makes them tender and full of flavor. I did make creamed corn and fingerling potatoes (recipes to follow in the next few days!). After all of that, my daughter ate the pork chops but did not like the apples!! They were not the same as what her teacher made! I guess you can’t please everyone! Enjoy!
- 4 boneless center cup pork chops ½ to ¾ inch thick
- Salt
- Ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, sliced thin
- 2 garlic cloves, sliced thin
- 1 large Granny Smith apple or 2 small Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 3/8 inch wedges
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1½ cups apple cider
Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over high heat until smoking, about 3 minutes. Meanwhile, dry pork chops with paper towel and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Brown chops in single layer until deep golden on first side, about 3 minutes. Flip chops and cook until browned on second side, another 3 minutes. Transfer chops to a large plate and set aside.
Reduce heat to medium and add the onions and apples. Using wooden spoon, scrape bits on pan bottom and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are softened and browned around edges, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme and rosemary and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the flour to the skillet and cook for about a minute mixing well. Next add the apple cider slowly whisking the entire mixture until it turns into a smooth sauce. Bring to a boil and then turn the heat down to medium. Add the chops, cover and reduce heat to low, and simmer until pork is tender and paring knife inserted into chops meets very little resistance, about 20 minutes.