P Cubed Chops

[Gustibus]

P Cubed Chops

Serves 2 as Main Dish.

While not wholely original (green peppers, pineapple, and pork have long been seen about town as good friends) These are designed to be lighter, sweeter summer pork chops. They go well with sweet potatoes, or fruit chutneys if you are particularly ambitious.

P cubed, for Pepper, Pork, and Pineapple.

*Scaled this down, so use your intuition regarding the taste.

• 1 c orange juice
  
• 2 T sugar
  
• 1 lime
  
• 2 thick cut pork chops
  
• 3 tsp salt
  
• 3 tsp black pepper
  
• 1 pineapple
  
• 1 red onion, sliced into rings
  
• 1 green pepper, sliced into rings
  
• 4 T olive oil
  
• 1/2 tsp (or to taste) cayenne pepper
  

preheat oven to 350deg

• 
  

Pour the orange juice into a saucepan; add the sugar and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, skin and slice off the meat of the pineapple, and mince about 1/3 of it with a knife or food processor, then add it to the hot orange juice. juice the lime into the mixture, stir in the cayenne pepper, and let simmer until reduced by about 1/2. Then pour though a strainer, and return to the saucepan, reserving the strianed pineapple bits for later. Continue to heat until it is even more reduced- the goal is a light syrup. This sauce can be prepared significantly beforehand, just bring to temperature when pork chops are being cooked.

For really thick pork chops, you may wish to marinate them in a brine before hand, to soften them. 2 hours is normally enough; too long and they become too soft (if there is such a thing). A good brine would be about 3 cups water, 1/3 cup salt, 4 tbsp pepper, 1/4 cup melted OJ concentrate, and 2 tbsp sugar. You can experiement with the brine, of course; its purpose is mainly to tenderize the meat. For thinner pork chops, this isnt really necessary.

After brine bath, rub pork chops with the salt and pepper, on both sides. Do the same to the pepper and onion rings. Heat the oil a heavy skillet until good and hot, then lay the pork chops in and sear on both sides, about 3-5 minutes. Then transfer to a baking pan and put in the oven. While those are in the oven, lower the heat on the stove a little and carmelize the onion rings and pepper rings in the skillet with a little more oil. They should be soft with nice color. Reheat the pineapple orange sauce. Remove the pork chops from the oven, lay some onion and pepper rings on top, and drizzle with the sauce.

Keywords: Pork, Dinner

( RG1749 )