Savory Apple Pork Chops Food

SAVORY APPLE PORK CHOPS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Place pork chops in a foil lined 9x9 inch baking dish and season with salt and pepper to taste. Arrange the sliced apples over and around the chops and brush all liberally with the ketchup. Then sprinkle with the brown sugar.
• Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 35 to 45 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F (63 degrees C).

SAVORY APPLESAUCE (ACCOMPANIMENT TO PORK CHOPS)

Steps:

• In a large pot, simmer all ingredients except the salt and pepper, covered, stirring occasionally until the apples are falling apart and the garlic is tender (about 15-20 minutes).
• Mash the garlic pieces to mix with the applesauce.
• Season with salt and pepper.

PORK CHOPS WITH SAVORY APPLE STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Cook onion and garlic for 5-8 minutes or until translucent but not browned. Add chopped apple during last 1 minute of cooking time.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine bread cubes, sage, thyme, salt and pepper.
• Pour onion/garlic/apple mixture over bread cube mixture and stir until incorporated.
• Stir chicken broth one cup at a time into bread cube mixture until bread cubes are moistened to your satisfaction. If not moist enough, add more to your preference.
• In a 9" x 13" baking pan, spread half of the stuffing mixture evenly.
• Season pork chops with salt and pepper to taste. Nestle each pork chop into stuffing mixture (do not overlap chops).
• Spoon remaining stuffing atop each pork chop, covering each evenly.
• Bake for 35-40 minutes or until chops are done or juices run clear when pierced with a fork.

SIMPLE, SAVORY PORK CHOPS

Steps:

• Rub both sides of the pork with the garlic. Sprinkle both sides with the seasoning blend. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium-high heat, swirling to coat the bottom. Cook the pork for 4 minutes on each side, or until no longer pink in the center. Transfer to a large plate. Add the water, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and remaining 2 teaspoons oil to the skillet, scraping to dislodge any browned bits. Stir. Cook for 1 minute, or until reduced to 2 tablespoons liquid. Spoon over the pork.

PAN-SEARED PORK CHOPS WITH CARAMELIZED APPLES

Steps:

• Pat dry pork chops with paper towels.
• Brush pork chops with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and Italian seasoning.
• Allow the pork chops to rest while you prepare the apples as follows below. This brings pork chops closer to room temperature which will help them sear better.
• I used 2 apples (1 red Gala apple and 1 green Granny Smith apple, for presentation purposes). Core the apples and slice each one length-wise.
• Place sliced apples into a large bowl, add brown sugar, cinnamon, and mix. Let apples sit for about 10 minutes to release juices.
• In a large pan (I used a large stainless steel skillet), heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil on high heat. Add sliced apples (without juice at the bottom of the pan) and cook on high heat for about 3 minutes on one side, checking periodically. After 3 or 5 minutes, flip sliced apples to the other side, reduce heat to medium and cook the apples for another 3 or 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Cook the apples in a single layer, without overcrowding to get a slightly "roasted" appearance. That means you might have to cook apples in 2 batches. Use the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter for the second batch.
• Depending on how hot your stove gets, it might take you less or more time to cook apples, the key is to brown them or even get a slightly "burned" effect. But don't overdo it, remove the cooked apples from the skillet once the apples have this "roasted" appearance.
• Right after you remove the pan with roasted sliced apples from the heat, immediately add honey to the hot skillet - it will make apples sizzle and will caramelize them beautifully, off the heat.
• For best searing results, use a cast-iron skillet. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes to heat it through.
• Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil - the oil should shimmer. Add the pork chops, and cook them on one side for 5 minutes, without moving.
• Reduce the heat to medium, flip the pork chops over to the other side, and cook them on medium heat for about 5 minutes. Cook longer (depending on the thickness of your pork chops) until the pork chops are cooked through.
• Spoon the cooked apples, together with the sauce from cooking the apples, over the pork chops. Top with fresh thyme.