May 25, 2011

Caramelized Italian Pork Chops with Sweet Onion Jam

Pork chops are such a fantastic blank slate and this is such a great way to spice them up. 

Like chicken breasts, they can be a bit bland and dry out easily, but with a few tweaks they can also be a superior weeknight supper. Seasoning and Steam are the keys here. 


I served these up with a salad and some simple roasted broccoli last night (toss broccoli with olive oil, garlic powder, salt + pepper at 400 degrees for 40 mins) and our mid-week dinner turned into quite the treat. 

Ingredients for two servings:

4 boneless pork loin chops sliced about an inch thick
2 Sweet Yellow Onions (or any onion, really)
Salt + Pepper
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder 
Italian Seasoning
Herbs de Provence
Fat of Your Choice
Balsamic Vinegar

For the pork chops:
Heat a pan over medium high and add your choice of fat (I used ghee here.  YUM.)
Liberally Season both sides of your chops with salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. 

Drop them in the pan:

(I like to buy in bulk and butcher it myself just like my friend Sarah taught me.  Easy and cheap!)

Allow them to develop a nice brown crust (for about 5-7 minutes) then flip and repeat on the other side.  Don't worry about them cooking all the way through, we are going for crispness and color here.

When they are dark and gorgeous, drop 1/8 cup of water in the center of the pan to do a little deglazing of all of those bits.  Then quickly cover and allow them to steam for 3-4 more minutes just until they are cooked through.  They will be crispy on the outside but still juicy on the inside.
 
For the Onion Jam:

Peel onion, cut in half, then thinly slice and throw into a pan heated on medium with a fat of your choice.

Toss them around and let them get nice and golden.  Patience is a virtue here.


When they get a little color on them toss in some salt, pepper and Herbs de Provence.  Herbs de Provence sounds so snooty -- it isn't, I promise.  It is worth procuring though, because it gives them a magical little kick -- I think Giada taught me that.  She also taught me how to pronounce Limoncello.


Thanks Giada! 

So, now that we've cleared that up, once the onions begin to really caramelize (about 25-30 minutes in) drop in a tablespoon or two of balsamic vinegar. No need to measure, you can't screw this part up.
 

Allow the vinegar to reduce a bit (3-5 minutes) to make your onions nice and jammy. 

Top your chops with the jam and serve along your favorite vegetables.  Tons of delicious flavors, beautiful presentation, weeknight simplicity.  



Now that is something I can get behind!
_________________

9 comments:

Erin said...

I've never thought to make onions with balsamic. What a GENIUS idea!

Diane said...

Oh I am so making this. And all the onions will be for MEEEE because no one else around here will eat them. I'm thinking sweet potato and broccoli on the side. MOUTH IS WATERING.

Home Sweet Sarah said...

Woo, butchering your own pork; all the cool kids are doing it!

Well, you know I made this the other night, with the addition of the nectar of the gods -- blue cheese, but I also remembered I do something similar with roasted bell peppers (just roast, slice, and add to the onion mixture at the end), then take slices of baguette, slather goat cheese on them, and top with the onions and peppers. SO GOOD.

Anyway! I'll see you Sunday morning!

Camels & Chocolate said...

Christ on a cracker, that looks divine! Bookmarked for when I have more than a trailer kitchen in which to cook =)

Lauren said...

Wow, thanks a LOT for this recipe, it is so delicious. I've made it for myself twice this weekend now!

Anonymous said...

my husband just made this and I am so keeping this recipe. Our entire family loved it. WOW is all I have to say! Thanks much:)

Anonymous said...

Looks delicious! I also love Limoncello and will miss it during my Whole30...

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Anonymous said...

I came across this recipe several years ago when I was doing whole30 and I still use it as a go-to dinner! Just wanted to say thank you for sharing!

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