Pork Chop and Applesauce Dinner Gets a Makeover With Spicy Pear Chutney and Brined Pork Chops

By Carol Kicinski

Pork chops and applesauce is a classic weeknight dinner. However it may be time to make over this dinnertime favorite. Applesauce is fine but with its sweet, one note flavor, bland color and baby food texture, it could easily stand for an update.

Spicy Pear Chutney is just the answer! Green Anjou pears are in season and their crispy, juicy sweetness is the perfect compliment to pork chops. In about 15 minutes with some fresh, ripe pears, a few pantry items and a handful of dried cranberries you can whip up a side dish to make any ordinary pork chop company worthy.

This spicy pear chutney is a must try recipe! It not only goes great with the brined pork chops but also makes an amazing topping for pulled pork, baked chicken breasts and would even make a welcome change as an accompaniment for your Holiday Turkey!

Now let’s talk chops. About 25 years ago, the pork industry answered the demand for leaner meat. They bred pigs to have less fat and as we all know, less fat means less flavor and drier meat. So in order to pump up the flavor and juiciness of cheap supermarket pork chops, brining is the answer! Brining is soaking meat in a salty water solution with some flavoring added.

Why it works.

Remember in 5th grade science class we learned about osmosis? No, not smarter than a fifth grader? That’s ok. Simply put, water flows out of things that are less concentrated into things more highly concentrated. Brines have a higher concentration of salt than the water in the pork chop cells so the water flows out, the salt from the brining solution flows into the meat making the meat cells more concentrated so they draw the moisture back in. The bottom line is that brining makes tough flavorless meat moist, tender and more flavorful.

This brine recipe uses classic pork flavors; onion and sage. You can change up the flavor anyway you like with different herbs, spices and vegetables but keep in the basics of water, salt, sugar and vinegar. They all play their part in the brining process. The sugar will keep the pork chops from tasting too salty and the vinegar tenderizes the meat.

Four inexpensive pork chops can be purchased in most cases for about $5.00, brine and grill them, add the Spicy Pear Chutney and some steamed green beans and you have a delicious dinner for 4 for under $10.00! And aside from the brining time the whole meal was ready in about half an hour.

Spicy Pear Chutney

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ medium sized red onion, minced

½ cup dried cranberries

¼ cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

¼ – ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (depending on how spicy you want it)

3 fresh pears, chopped

Directions

Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the olive oil and minced red onion. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes until the onions start to soften. Add the dried cranberries and cook for 5 more minutes. Stir in the sugar, vinegar, lemon juice, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and peaches. Combine well. Simmer on low heat for 5 to 10 minutes or until the pears and cranberries have softened but the pears still retain their shape. If the mixture is too liquid, turn the heat up and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. Serve warm.

Makes about 2 cups.

Brined Pork Chops

Ingredients

4 cups water, use divided

¼ cup kosher salt

¼ cup brown sugar, packed

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

4 pork chops about ¾ inch thick

½ white onion, sliced

2 or 3 springs of fresh sage

Olive oil for brushing the pork chops

Directions

Combine 1 cup water with the salt, brown sugar and pepper in a small saucepan. Heat, stirring until the salt and sugar dissolve. Add 3 cups of cold water and let the mixture cool. Stir in the apple cider vinegar. Pour mixture into a glass baking dish or large freezer weight plastic storage bag. Add the pork chops, onions and sage. Refrigerate for 1 – 12 hours. Even a little bit of brining is better than none.

Take pork chops out of the fridge and rinse them well with cold water the pat dry with paper towels. Let set for about 5 minutes before cooking.

Heat a grill pan or skillet over medium high heat. Brush the pork chops with olive oil and cook for 4 minutes per side (more or less depending on the thickness of the pork chops). Remove from pan, brush the top with a little more olive oil and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Makes 4 pork chops.

For recipes visit Simply…Gluten-free

Carol Kicinski is a gluten-free food writer, recipe developer, and television chef. She is the author of the upcoming cook book “Simply…Gluten-free Desserts” and has a monthly gluten-free cooking segment on the nationally syndicated morning show “Daytime”.

For more gluten-free recipes visit her blog at http://simplygluten-free.blogspot.com/

By Linda Carol Wilson

Lemon Drop Cookies, photo by nsdis

These Lemon Crisp Cookies are not overly sweet but offer a light, tangy, refreshing taste. Perfect for after a meal or as a snack, these cookies are sure to be winners. They are as at home in a lunchbox as they are at afternoon high tea. Make some to share with your family and friends; you will be surprised how easy they are. Not only are they tasty and easy to make, they are pretty enough to decorate any table.

LEMON CRISP COOKIES

1 stick butter (unsalted is best), softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tbsp finely grated lemon peel
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour*

DRIZZLE:

1 cup powdered sugar
5 or 6 tsps lemon juice
Yellow sugar sprinkles

*For a healthier cookie use 1 cup all-purpose flour and 1/4 cup whole wheat flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar together for two minutes or until fluffy. Beat in the egg, lemon juice, lemon peel, vanilla extract, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat the mixture until well mixed. On low speed, beat in the flour/flours just until blended. Do not over beat the dough!

Drop the cookie dough onto ungreased baking sheets using a teaspoon. Place cookies approximately 1 1/2-inches apart. Bake at 350 degrees 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden brown. Allow to cool on the baking sheets for about a minute then remove to wire racks to cool completely. When cookies are cool, make the drizzle by stirring the powdered sugar and lemon juice together in a small bowl. Use just enough lemon juice to made mixture thin enough to drizzle without being runny. Drizzle over the tops of the cookies and sprinkle the yellow sugar candies over all.

Enjoy!