Getting Porked

They say that pork is the “other white meat”, but I often don’t make it because I don’t really know what to do with it. There are a million recipes out there for the first white meat, chicken; but the simple pork chop usually is left out. And seriously how many times can you Shake and Bake a chop? So I started the great search for new and interesting pork chop recipes, and have come up with three winners.

The think that makes pork so versatile is that it has a mild flavor that pairs with almost anything like fruit, nuts and even chocolate. I also prefer to pan sear or bake my chops, as I am not a huge fan of the grill. Why this is I don’t know because if I grilled I would have to wash less dishes. I don’t even own a real grill, when I do get my caveman on I do it on a ghetto rigged camp grill. Before we get into the recipes I want to let you in on a little secret. You do not have to cook the crap out of your pork anymore, trichinosis is not a problem these days and it really sucks to eat a chop that has the consistency of shoe leather.

Recently I was perusing my favorite cookbook, Bitchin Kitchen looking for something to make and there was a recipe for Balsamic Chocolate Filet Mignon that I thought would translate well for pork chops, and boy was I right. When you buy your chops look for some that are about a half-inch thick so that they will sauté well. I have to have mine specially cut because we cut them at least one inch to an inch and a half to sell at work and those monsters are just too thick to sauté. In this case bigger is not better. Anyway salt and pepper each side of the chop and sauté over medium high heat in olive oil. In a small saucepan combine six tablespoons each of Balsamic vinegar and maple syrup, bring to a boil and let it thicken before adding about a teaspoon of shaved dark chocolate. I will admit that I used imitation maple syrup instead of the real thing and even though it was tasty I need to bring home some of the real stuff for cooking. I love the fake stuff on my pancakes but it doesn’t translate well in recipes. So once the chops are cooked to a nice medium remove from the pan and drizzle with the sauce. I have recently become a fan of Balsamic vinegar and when combined with the chocolate it is divine.

Another recipe for pan-fried pork with a yummy sauce is Blueberry Chops. Once again sauté your chops in olive oil as in the first recipe, but this time we are going to top them with a tasty fresh blueberry sauce. Sauté a small-diced onion in butter until soft before adding one and a half cups of chicken broth and one cup of fresh blueberries. Bring this to a boil and let it cook until it reduces by half. Serve this over the pork chops. I recommend using wild blueberries for this recipe, and if you do not have any fresh ones then frozen will be fine, just let them defrost first.

Finally here is my favorite way to make pork chops, Pistachio Crusty Chops. Begin by shelling about a half cup of pistachios and dumping them into your food processor, add 2 cloves of garlic, the zest from one lemon and about a quarter cup of whole-wheat breadcrumbs. Process all of this until well combined then dump it all onto a plate. Take four one-inch thick pork chops and dip them into the nut mixture, do this liberally. Bake the chops at 350 degrees for about a half hour or until they are cooked until medium.

So there you have it, no need to constantly grill up a bland pork chop or be reduced to constantly Shake and Baking them. So go ahead and get your pork on and try out your favorite sauces or techniques from other recipes on this versatile meat.


Chocolate-Balsamic Chops

4 1-inch thick pork chops
6 Tlbsp. Balsamic vinegar
6 Tlbsp. Real maple syrup
1 tsp. Dark chocolate, shaved
Salt & pepper

Season both side of the chops with salt and pepper and sauté over med. high heat. Cook to your desired doneness. Combine the vinegar and maple syrup, bring to boil and let thicken before melting in chocolate. Drizzle the sauce over the chops.



Blueberry Chops

4 1-inch thick pork chops
1 small onion, diced
1-½ cups chicken broth
1-cup blueberries
Salt & pepper

Season both sides of the chops with salt and pepper and sauté over medium high heat. Sauté the onion in butter until softened and add the broth and berries. Bring this to a boil and then cook until reduced by half. Drizzle sauce over the chops.


Pistachio Crusty Chops

4 1-inch thick pork chops
½ cup pistachio nuts
2 cloves garlic
1 lemon, zest only
¼ cup whole-wheat breadcrumbs

In a food processor combine the nuts, garlic, zest and breadcrumbs. Coat the chops liberally with the mixture and bake at 350° for about 30 minutes.