Meaty Monday: Quick Pork Chops with Cabbage, Apples & Hard Cider

Is there anything as comforting sounding as the words "We're having pork chops for dinner"? I don't think so.  If there are pork chops on the menu, I actually look forward to dinner all day. Weird but true.  Cheered me right up at work today knowing there were going to be nice, juicy chops tonight. A Meatless Monday night dinner would NEVER have that effect on me unless it was mac and cheese. And meatloaf. But I digress.

This combination is wonderful--it isn't exactly sweet, but it has the perfect rich pork and crisp apple fall flavor. Obviously, its good washed down with more hard cider. Or a fruity white wine. Or in my case, diet Coke. Let's not go there, either.

This'll take about 45 minutes from fridge to plate and that'll leave you enough time to make a side dish, have a glass of wine and look at your email while the chops simmer. You'll need either a shallow braiser, or a deepish frying pan that has a cover. Feel free to substitute 12 oz. of apple juice for the hard cider if you don't have any on hand.

Some green beans or carrots, and either some nice bread, rice or noodles will round out this recipe quite well.

Quick Pork Chops with Cabbage, Apples & Hard Cider

Quick Pork Chops with Cabbage, Apples & Hard Cider

Serves 4

4 center-cut boneless pork chops, 1" thick (about 6 oz. each, 1.5 lb. total)
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive or coconut oil
1 large sweet onion,  cut in crescents
1 apple, shredded on a large hole grated
1 lb. package of cole slaw mix (shredded cabbage and carrot)
1 scant cup apple juice (a juice box is perfect)
1 bottle of hard cider (12 oz.)
2T Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning


1. Salt and pepper the chops on both sides. Heat the oil heat in the frying pan over medium high until it shimmers. Add the chops and brown on one side for about 5 minutes until well browned.  Turn and brown the second side for about 3 - 4 minutes. Remove the chops from the pan to a plate and set aside.

2. Add the onion, the shredded apple and the cabbage mix to the pan and toss well. Season with salt and let wilt for a minute or two. Add the apple juice, the hard cider and the Dijon mustard, stir well and bring to a simmer, loosening any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

3. Stir in the thyme and the poultry seasoning, and then return the pork chops and any accumulated juices to the pan. Bring to a simmer, cover and let cook about 35 minutes until the chops are cooked through and tender. Taste for seasoning and add salt and / or pepper as needed. Enjoy!

Meaty Monday: Braised Pork Chops with Fennel, Tomatoes & Potatoes

It was 80º here two weeks ago, and we'll likely have our first light frost at the end of the week. Doesn't seem fair. I haven't even brought in all my houseplants yet. The ONLY thing I like about the coming winter is the hearty, comforting food. I'll just console myself with dishes like this lovely one-pot dinner  of pork chops and fennel until spring comes. Or the seed catalogs arrive...

Last year I made a slightly different version of this dish, but I think it was  too herbal, so bear with me. This is a meal that's quick to prepare, reheats well, and is so, so satisfying on a cold night with a glass of beer. Contrary to popular belief, the flavor of anise is even better in savory dishes than it is in sweet things. It's actually not as intense here as it would seem; it melds beautifully into the herbal background and lets the flavor of the pork shine.

This is a wonderful, aromatic one-pot meal, and a green vegetable or a salad will round it out nicely.  The dish gluten free, so if you want to serve bread on the side, choose accordingly to the needs of those at your table. Depending on how you feel about potatoes, you may want to modify this for a paleo dinner, and again, if you omit the potatoes, it would be a good low carb or Atkins-type meal.

We'll just serve ourselves from the pan tonight because I'm L-A-Z-Y.

Braised Pork Chops with Fennel,  Tomatoes & Potatoes
Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 T olive oil
4 boneless center-cut pork chops (heritage if possible), 1" thick, salted and peppered
1 large onion, diced
1 large fennel bulb, cored, sliced, both white and green parts
Fennel fronds reserved for garnish
3 cups small, yellow potatoes, halved or quartered
2 cups of chopped fresh tomatoes , OR 1 15oz. can diced tomatoes, no salt added
1 cup chicken stock
pinch hot red pepper flakes
2T Italian seasoning
2T Anisette liqueur or Pernod
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

1. Heat the oil on medium heat in a large, deep covered sauté pan until is begins to shimmer and smoke and add the pork chops. Brown the chops, about 4 minutes per side, adjusting the heat as needed.

2. Remove the chops to a plate and set aside, leaving any fat in the pan. Add the onions, fennel bulb, and potatoes. Salt lightly, and cook until the onions and fennel begin to soften. Add the tomatoes,  stir up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, then add the stock, the red pepper, the Italian seasoning, and the Anisette liqueur.  Bring to a simmer and stir well.

3. Add the chops and any accumulated juices from the plate, return the mixture to a simmer, cover and cook about an hour, until the pork is very tender. Place the chops on a serving platte, and spoon the vegetables and juices over it all. Garnish with the fennel fronds.

Meaty Monday: Pork Chops with Smoked Paprika, Roasted Peppers & Braised Onions

A break in the heat means a wonderful dinner
that's not grilled, for a change!

Cook the onions until they turn gold and translucent...
they get sweet!

Smokey, juicy pork chops, oh, deliciousness!

Yep, this is a rerun. But Chuck has been complaining that we haven't had this is a long time and I've been working and gardening, working and gardening. Last time I made this was last summer when I told you all about it, and it's a perfect dish for a Meaty Monday because you can have it on the table in about a half hour, and for much of that time, the food is in the oven.  So you can sit and have that much deserved beer. Sadly, we are not having the little cool-off we had last year...but we do have air conditioning...

We must be having a blip in our oven-like summer. Suddenly for the last couple of days, it's actually been nice. Like "my shirt isn't stuck to my back" nice. Nice enough for a hot dinner from the oven. A lapse in the heat and humidity. Even though I go from my air-conditioned job to my air-conditioned car to my air-conditioned home, I'm just not that motivated to turn on the oven. Not when it's just plain hot-hot-hot. But I am really tired of grilled this and that.

Even though I do love summer, it made me very happy to make a deeply smoky, spicy, oniony base for some nice, thick bone-in sirloin pork chops. Without having to think about how much it might heat up the kitchen. I miss the savoryness of cooler weather foods. Just not the cold weather. This Spanish-inflected dish doesn't take that long in the oven, so you really could consider it for just about any time of year.

We enjoyed our chops over simply sauteed mushrooms and spinach for a grain-free, gluten free and Paleo dinner. And best yet, since we were just two at dinner last night, there are leftovers for today. When the heat comes back this afternoon, I'll just have to reheat. For now, yippee! for the nice blip in the weather and a flavorful baked dinner.

Note: Smoked Spanish paprika (pimentón) comes usually in either mild or hot, but be careful. Even the mild can pack a wallop at the two tablespoons used in this recipe. Use your discretion.

Pork Chops with Smoked Paprika, Roasted Peppers and Braised Onions
Serves 4

4 bone-in sirloin pork chops 1/2" to 1" thick
salt, fresh ground pepper
2 T olive oil or coconut oil
4 cups sliced onions (about 3 large)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2T smoked Spanish paprika (pimentón, see note)
1 12-oz. jar fire roasted red peppers, drained and coarsely chopped
1 cup dry Sherry or white wine
Salt and pepper to taste
chopped parsley for garnish

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Spray a shallow baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. Salt and pepper the pork chops on both sides lightly. Heat the oil in a large nonstick pan, and quickly brown the chops on both sides, remove from pan and set aside on a plate.

Add the onions to the oil and stir well to cover with the oil, salt lightly and cook about 5 minutes until the onions begin to brown a bit and turn golden. Stir in the garlic and the smoked paprika and mix well. cook for about a minute, then add the roasted peppers and the wine. Bring to to a simmer, cover the pan and turn down the heat. Cook for about 5 minutes until the unions are nearly translucent.

Place the pork chops in the prepared baking dish, then removing the cover from the pan, and stirring up all the juices, pour the onion and paprika mixture on top of the pork chops. Taste the juice for seasoning.  Bake in the oven uncovered, about 20 minutes until they are cooked through.

I like this with sautéed spinach and mushrooms, or this cauliflower puree. If you like potatoes or a grain, go for it.

Braised Pork Chops with Fennel, Potatoes, & Rosemary

Cold out there. Don't know why it's such a surprise, but its cold. Gray and cold. They call April the cruelest month, but I personally think November is the worst. So far we've had sleet, snow, and a touch of Indian Summer and it's barely mid-month. Ugh. Since I don't like winter much at all, November brings the prospect of four cold months ahead. The only thing good about it is that it heralds the start of the real cooking season. Nothing like coming through the door to a warm home, and the good smell of something delicious happening in the kitchen.

Contrary to popular belief, the flavor of anise is even better in savory dishes than it is in sweet things. It's actually not as intense here as it would seem; it melds beautifully into the herbal background and lets the flavor of the pork shine.

This is a wonderful, aromatic one-pot meal, and a green vegetable or a salad will round it out nicely.  The dish gluten free, so if you want to serve bread on the side, choose accordingly to the needs of those at your table.

Being lazy about dirtying extra plates,
we serve ourselves these braised pork chops right from the pan on the stove
 when there are no guests.

Braised Pork Chops with Fennel,  Potatoes, & Rosemary
Serves 4

Ingredients:

1T olive oil
2 oz. diced speck or bacon
4 boneless center-cut pork chops (heritage if possible), 1" thick, salted and peppered
1 large onion, diced
1 large fennel bulb, cored, sliced, both white and green parts
Fennel fronds reserved for garnish
1 T bruised fennel seeds
3 cups small, yellow potatoes, halved or quartered
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes, no salt added
1 cup chicken stock
pinch hot red pepper flakes
1T Italian seasoning
2T fresh rosemary leaves, minced
2T Anisette liqueur
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

1. Heat the oil on medium heat in a large, deep covered sauté pan, and add the speck. Cook until it begins to just brown. Move the speck aside and add the pork chops. Brown the chops, about 4 minutes per side, adjusting the heat as needed.

2. Remove the chops and speck to a plate and set aside, leaving any fat in the pan. Add the onions, fennel bulb, fennel seeds and potatoes. Salt lightly, and cook until the onions and fennel begin to soften. Add the tomatoes,  stir up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, then add the stock, the red pepper, the Italian seasoning, rosemary and the Anisette.  Bring to a simmer and stir well.

3. Add the chops, the speck, and any accumulated juices from the plate, return the mixture to a simmer, cover and cook about an hour, until the pork is very tender. Place the chops on a serving platte, and spoon the vegetables and juices over it all. Garnish with the fennel fronds.

A Summer Lapse: Pork Chops with Smoked Paprika, Roasted Peppers & Braised Onions

A break in the heat means a wonderful dinner
that's not grilled, for a change!

Cook the onions until they turn gold and translucent...
they get sweet!

Smokey, juicy pork chops, oh, deliciousness!

We must be having a blip in our oven-like summer. Suddenly for the last couple of days, it's actually been nice. Like "my shirt isn't stuck to my back" nice. Nice enough for a hot dinner from the oven. A lapse in the heat and humidity. Even though I go from my air-conditioned job to my air-conditioned car to my air-conditioned home, I'm just not that motivated to turn on the oven. Not when it's just plain hot-hot-hot. But I am really tired of grilled this and that.

Even though I do love summer, it made me very happy to make a deeply smoky, spicy, oniony base for some nice, thick bone-in sirloin pork chops. Without having to think about how much it might heat up the kitchen. I miss the savoryness of cooler weather foods. Just not the cold weather. This Spanish-inflected dish doesn't take that long in the oven, so you really could consider it for just about any time of year.

We enjoyed our chops over simply sauteed mushrooms and spinach for a grain-free, gluten free and Paleo dinner. And best yet, since we were just two at dinner last night, there are leftovers for today. When the heat comes back this afternoon, I'll just have to reheat. For now, yippee! for the nice blip in the weather and a flavorful baked dinner.

Note: Smoked Spanish paprika (pimentón) comes usually in either mild or hot, but be careful. Even the mild can pack a wallop at the two tablespoons used in this recipe. Use your discretion.

Pork Chops with Smoked Paprika, Roasted Peppers and Braised Onions
Serves 4

4 bone-in sirloin pork chops 1/2" to 1" thick
salt, fresh ground pepper
2 T olive oil or coconut oil
4 cups sliced onions (about 3 large)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2T smoked Spanish paprika (pimentón, see note)
1 12-oz. jar fire roasted red peppers, drained and coarsely chopped
1 cup dry Sherry or white wine
Salt and pepper to taste
chopped parsley for garnish

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Spray a shallow baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. Salt and pepper the pork chops on both sides lightly. Heat the oil in a large nonstick pan, and quickly brown the chops on both sides, remove from pan and set aside on a plate.

Add the onions to the oil and stir well to cover with the oil, salt lightly and cook about 5 minutes until the onions begin to brown a bit and turn golden. Stir in the garlic and the smoked paprika and mix well. cook for about a minute, then add the roasted peppers and the wine. Bring to to a simmer, cover the pan and turn down the heat. Cook for about 5 minutes until the unions are nearly translucent.

Place the pork chops in the prepared baking dish, then removing the cover from the pan, and stirring up all the juices, pour the onion and paprika mixture on top of the pork chops. Taste the juice for seasoning.  Bake in the oven uncovered, about 20 minutes until they are cooked through.

I like this with sautéed spinach and mushrooms, or the cauliflower puree recipe I posted last week. Gut if you would potatoes or a grain, go for it.