Ingredients
|
4 pork chops, thicker cut
Hawaii or kosher salt and cracked black pepper, to taste. I tend to go light on salt and heavy on pepper. Splash of oil, any kind except sesame oil |
1 ½ cups of juice.
Your choice of: orange, tangerine, pineapple-orange, or orange-peach-mango juice 1 cup of your favorite salsa, as mild or as spicy as you like. 2T brown sugar ¼t cumin Pinch of ginger (optional) |
What To Do
To prep, set out a plate that will serve as a temporary parking space for cooked pork chops while the sauce reduces.
Salt and pepper both sides of the pork chops. Heat a sauté pan that is large enough for all four chops medium-high. Drizzle in a bit of oil. When the oil is hot and sheets the pan. Sear pork chops and cook on both sides until just barely cooked. Put pork chops on the plate and set aside.
Lower heat, and add salsa, orange juice, brown sugar, cumin, and ginger if you are using it. It will splatter so be careful. Mix ingredients together and add pork chops back to the pan. Simmer for 20 minutes.
Take out pork chops and keep warm. Raise heat on the pan and reduce the sauce until it is the consistency of pancake syrup. Pour over chops and eat.
Salt and pepper both sides of the pork chops. Heat a sauté pan that is large enough for all four chops medium-high. Drizzle in a bit of oil. When the oil is hot and sheets the pan. Sear pork chops and cook on both sides until just barely cooked. Put pork chops on the plate and set aside.
Lower heat, and add salsa, orange juice, brown sugar, cumin, and ginger if you are using it. It will splatter so be careful. Mix ingredients together and add pork chops back to the pan. Simmer for 20 minutes.
Take out pork chops and keep warm. Raise heat on the pan and reduce the sauce until it is the consistency of pancake syrup. Pour over chops and eat.
Notes and Talking Story
- Searing is really important to keep the pork chops from drying out.
- Be careful that you don't over simmer the pork chops as they will get dry and tough. I am super-paranoid about cooking pork chops and have done this more times than I can remember.
- If you are using thin-cut pork chops, you will need to reduce the simmer time as they cook considerably faster than a thicker cut chop
- Goes well with jasmine rice, plain green beans and baked acorn squash or sweet potatoes, as well as on a bed of fresh spinach, pictured above.
