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07 January 2010

An Autumn Meal

Deepest apologies for not posting last night. I was so worn out that I fell asleep on the couch for a little while and then was out at about 9:00. Needless to say, I didn't cook, and the hubby went to get us Wendy's (I can't live without the spicy chicken sandwich). Anyway, I made my hubby's favorite pork chops tonight which of course comes from All Recipes (the spinner app for iPhone has been my saving grace more often than it should have been).



Caramel Apple Pork Chops are amazing! The name is extremely misleading in that it is nowhere near as sweet as a caramel apple you would find at a state fair. This is another one of those meals that is easy to prepare and is pretty quick to get on the table (or the couch or the tv tray). Um...I've kind of run out of things to say about the chops, and I think it's fitting with how simple the recipe really is. With that being said, enjoy!



Caramel Apple Pork Chops
Recipe by All Recipes

4 (3/4 inch) thick pork chops
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
4 tablespoons brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I double the ingredients for the apples because I don't feel like it makes enough for the last step)
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tart apples - peeled, cored and sliced
3 tablespoons pecans (optional)

  1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees F (80 degrees C). Place a medium dish in the oven to warm.
  2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brush chops lightly with oil and place in hot pan. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, turning occasionally, or until done. Transfer to the warm dish, and keep warm in the preheated oven.
  3. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, salt and pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add butter to skillet, and stir in brown sugar mixture and apples. Cover and cook until apples are just tender. Remove apples with a slotted spoon and arrange on top of chops. Keep warm in the preheated oven.
  4. Continue cooking sauce uncovered in skillet, until thickened slightly. Spoon sauce over apples and chops. Sprinkle with pecans.

4 comments:

Honey Mim said...

Where's the pork?

Brian S. said...

This sounds like a mindblowing meal. Try the pork chops from the Stonehorse retail store, they are about 2 inches thick, and the flavor is awesome! Not because it's better than yours, but just for variety, here's a recipe I culled (stole) from the N.Y.Times



2 1 1/2-inch-thick bone-in pork loin chops (about 1 1/2 pounds total)

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, more for seasoning pork

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, more for seasoning pork

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced

3 large rosemary sprigs

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 pounds plum tomatoes (preferably a mix of red and yellow), roughly chopped

6 anchovy fillets

Polenta, noodles or rice, for serving (optional).



1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse pork chops and pat dry with a paper towel. Season generously with salt and pepper. In a large, ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat, place 1 tablespoon oil. Sear chops until well browned, 3 to 4 minutes a side. Transfer to a plate.

2. Add remaining tablespoon oil to skillet and sauté onion and rosemary until onions are golden, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another minute.

3. Add tomatoes, anchovies and remaining salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes begin to break down, about 8 minutes.

4. Add pork chops to skillet, spooning sauce over chops. Cover skillet and transfer to oven to bake until a thermometer inserted into center of meat reads 145 degrees, about 15 minutes. Allow chops to rest for 5 minutes in pan. If desired, serve with polenta, noodles or rice to soak up sauce.

Yield: 2 servings.

Megs said...

I just found two packages of pork chops when I cleaned out our deep freeze this week. Perfect timing!

Sunshine said...

Honey Mim - If you look really closely at the bottom of the apple pile, you can see the chop. It doesn't help that I still have trouble with my camera, and I'm not a great photographer like you.

Brian - Thanks for the recipe. I'll try that one out the next time I pick up chops.

Megs - How felicitous! Let me know how you like it if you end up giving it a try.