Citrus Marinated Pork Chops

Serves 4

• Juice of 2 limes
• Juice of 2 oranges
• 1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2-3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme, or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 4 center-cut pork chops, 1 inch thick
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Directions

1. In a large, nonreactive bowl, combine all ingredients except the 1 teaspoon olive oil, pork chops, and butter; mix well. Add chops, and spoon marinade over them to coat. Marinate for at least 30 minutes.
2. Heat a heavy skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes. Remove chops from marinade, reserving marinade. Brush pan with the teaspoon of oil; cook chops for 5 minutes on each side. Add marinade, lower heat, and cook, covered, for 7 minutes, turning chops once.
3. Remove chops from pan, and set aside. Turn up heat to medium high; reduce liquid until thick. Remove from heat, stir in butter, and strain. Pour sauce over chops; serve immediately.

Sweet-and-Sour Pork Stir-Fry

Serves 4
1 can (8 ounces) pineapple chunks in juice, drained (juice reserved)
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pork tenderloin (about 1 pound), halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
6 scallions, white and green parts separated, cut into 1-inch lengths
2 bell peppers (ribs and seeds removed), cut into 2-inch pieces
1 package (10 ounces) frozen broccoli florets, thawed and patted dry
Cooked rice, for serving

Directions

In a small bowl, stir together 1/3 cup pineapple juice, vinegar, soy sauce, cornstarch, and 1/4 cup water. Season sauce with salt and pepper.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Cook pork, in two batches, until well browned on one side, about 1 minute (pork will cook more later); transfer to a plate.

To skillet, add scallion whites and bell peppers; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until peppers are crisp-tender, 6 to 8 minutes.

Add pork (along with any juices), broccoli, and pineapple chunks. Whisk sauce; add to skillet. Bring to a simmer; cook, stirring, until broccoli is warmed through, 2 to 4 minutes. Stir in scallion greens, and serve with rice.

Pork Paprikash

Ingredients

Serves 4
Coarse salt and ground pepper
8 ounces wide egg noodles
1 tablespoon butter, cut into pieces
1 pork tenderloin (about 1 pound), excess fat and silver skin removed, halved lengthwise, then cut
2 tablespoons sweet paprika
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can (14 ounces) whole peeled tomatoes in juice
1/2 cup sour cream
Chopped parsley, for garnish (optional)

Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook noodles until tender; drain and return to pot. Stir in butter; cover and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine pork with 1 tablespoon paprika; season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high; cook pork, tossing occasionally, until lightly browned on all sides, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate (reserve skillet).

Return skillet to stove; reduce heat to medium. Add remaining tablespoon oil and onion; cook until onion is soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add pork, remaining tablespoon paprika, tomatoes with their juice, and �� cup water; bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer; cook, until sauce is slightly thickened, breaking up tomatoes with a spoon, 2 to 4 minutes.

Remove skillet from heat, and stir in sour cream; season with salt and pepper. Serve paprikash over noodles, garnished with parsley, if desired.

Tandoori-Orange Spiced Pork Chops

Tandoori-Orange Spiced Pork Chops
serves 4

4 pork chops
1/2 cup kosher salt (for brine)
1/2 cup brown sugar (for brine)
1 tablespoon Tandoori spice
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1 orange, sectioned, reserving the 2 ends & the middle membrane for juice
1 medium onion, sliced
1 pint sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon unsalted butter


This step is purely optional, but I’ve found that when I brine chicken or pork chop, it never dries out even if I accidentally overcook the chops. But I understand if you don’t have time, no big deal, just skip this step. Or, if your chops are really thin, don’t bother. Grab a big pot. Take the salt and brown sugar, dissolve in 2 cups of hot water. Add cold water and ice cubes to make total of gallon total of brine. Place pork chops in the cooled brine, refrigerate between 1 hour-2 hours. Rinse and pat dry. Season with Tandoori spice and ground pepper (no salt! its salty enough from brine) Note: If you want the chops to be brined for a longer period of time, just use less salt/sugar. Sometimes I put the meat in brine in the morning, go to work and come home to cook. I’ll just use half the amount of salt/sugar.

In a pan large enough to hold all chops without touching each other, heat over high. Add 1 tablespoon of canola oil. When hot and shimmering, add pork chops to pan. Fry 2minutes without moving, touching or peeking.

This process should create a nice brown crust! Flip the chops, turn the heat to medium-low and let it finish cooking through (internal temp 125.) Timing really depends on how thick your chops are. Really thin chops - just a couple of minutes. Thicker chops - cover the pan after flipping to get more heat in the pan. Really thick chops - best to stick it in the oven after flipping, 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Check the internal temp. Remove chops from pan, let rest on plate while you make sauce.

Pour out all but 1 tablespoon of the pan drippings (most of it is fat). Place back on stovetop on medium heat. Add onions and cook until golden, soft and totally fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms, cook another 2 minutes.

Turn up heat to high and add wine. Stir and scrape up the bottom of pan. Cook 1 minute. Add chicken broth and the orange sections. Take the orange ends and membranes, squeeze whatever remaining juice remains into the pan and discard. Cook 1 minute.

Swirl in the 1 tablespoon of butter. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Reduce the sauce until it becomes thick, coating the back of a spoon. Pour on top of the chops.