Relishing Porkiness

Onions and apples have always been good friends with pork - they are naturals together - so when I had two nice thick pork chops, an apple that needed eating and a nice big onion in the fridge, it seemed like a match made in heaven.

First, I cut a deep pocket into the fat side of each chop with a sharp knife, taking care to keep the blade level so the pocket sides would be evenly thick. The chops were about an inch thick, so the resulting pocket was about 1/2" thick on each side.

Then, I diced finely about 3/4 of a large apple (snacked on the rest while I worked) and the same amount of onion. I sautéed them both in a little butter, just until the onion was translucent and the apple had softened a bit, added about a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to the pan and tossed the dice to coat. Into each chop pocket, I spooned a healthy portion of the apple-onion relish, reserving the rest.

I browned the chops on both sides using a little olive oil in a heavy frying pan (being careful not to dump out the stuffing when I turned them), then added a generous splash of chicken broth to the pan and put the lid on. Steaming the chops this way kept the meat moist while it cooked for about 10-15 minutes more. My Beloved likes his pork slightly on the pink side, so I took his out a few minutes before mine. These cook faster than chops without pockets so watch them carefully.

Laying the chops on the plates, I spooned the rest of the reserved apple-onion mixture over the chops. The vinegar added a lively tang to the sweet and savory of the apple-onion flavors and gave another dimension to the rich chops. I would happily make this again - it was easy, relatively quick and we relished (sorry 'bout that!) every bite.