I’m working through a HUGE backlog right now, so you’re currently getting recipes that I cooked last fall–case in point, 7-53: Cider-Braised Pork Chops. This is more of a fall/autumn-type recipe (when fresh cider is in season), but don’t let that hold you back from your cider-braised, pork-scented dreams.
There’s a TON of pork chop recipes in this book–I feel like every time I think I’ve got them all, another one pops up. If you like pork chops, check out 7-28: Pork Chops with Rosemary, 7-9: Hunter’s Style Pork Chops, or 7-26: Maple-Glazed Pork Chops for just a few examples.
I didn’t see the TIP suggesting the addition of Dijon mustard the first time–if I made this recipe again, I’d include it. Take that for what it’s worth.
Ingredients. My pork chops are actually “porq” chops that I made ahead of time, recipe courtesy of The Gentle Chef. Despite it being fall when I cooked this, I didn’t have any fresh cider on hand–but I did have one lonesome packet of powdered mix. Into the recipe it goes.
Peeling/slicing my pearl onions–mine seem much bigger than theirs did, so I trimmed them a bit.
Tossing the porq chops in the pan with the onions. As I’ve said before–our goal with cooking up fake meat is to get color/flavor, not necessarily texture. Therefore, the onions are going in now, instead of later on. They’ll taste better in the end, I promise.
Color on both the porq and onions is getting there.
Once the color looked really good, I tossed in the cider. Now we’re up to Step 2 on the card.
These don’t need to cook as long as the card suggests since everything’s mostly cooked already–this is more for the cider to deglaze the pan and pick up the flavors.
After removing them from the pan. I had tossed the parsley on in the last shot to mimic the card picture–you don’t need to add it until you’re ready to serve.
These were going to be used for lunches throughout the week along with 7-31: Lime-Cayenne Pork Chops (made from the same batch of porq), so I sliced them up to make them easier to eat at the office.
Here’s the chops in their #mealprep containers. I paired these chops with a mixed potato hash (half-sweet potatoes, half-regular potatoes), which went well with the sweet, tangy pork. The pork chops themselves were a bit bland as served, but definitely benefit from a little BBQ sauce or ketchup on top.
Grade: B
