Roast Pork Loin with Apricots

After my friend was talking about meal planning, I decided to dig out a few old cook books and try it for a week. This meal was perfect for the weeknight. I did all the prep the night before and then when it came time to cook dinner, all I had to do was put this in the oven and dinner was done in less then 30 minutes. The pork loin itself was incredibly flavorful on the inside and the outside which was great, and the apricots make for a beautiful presentation. This recipe was certainly a winner in our book!.

Ingredients
Source: Williams-Sonoma Bride & Groom cookbook, page 106

1 boneless center cut pork loin, about 2 lbs.
1/2 cup dried apricots
2 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
freshly ground pepper
leaves from 2 springs fresh rosemary
1 tsp. cumin seeds, lightly toasted and crushed
2 tsp. fennel seeds, lightly toasted and crushed
Directions
One day or at least 6 hours before cooking, stuff and season the pork loin. Use a thin boning knife to make an incision from each end that run the length of the loin through its center. The incision should be no wider then 1 inch. Stuff the dried apricots into the center, one at a time, until the incision is completely filled with apricots. Season pork liberally with the salt and pepper to taste. Rub with rosemary, cumin seeds and fennel seeds.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place pork on a rack in a roasting pan and put it in the oven. Roast for 10 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 375 degrees. Cook until a thermometer inserted into the center of the roast registers 135 degrees for medium-rare, about 25 minutes more. Remove from the oven and let rest for about 15 minutes.

Slice the pork, about 1/2 inch thick in order to show off the center stuffing. Serve.

Rosemary Encrusted Pork Tenderloin

For my anniversary, my darling husband got me a fabulous counter top rotisserie. Since then, we've used it every Sunday, always trying a new meat. Pork tenderloin was a perfect meat to use in the rotisserie. It left the meat perfectly juicy and flavorful on the inside and nice and crisp on the outside. If you don't have a rotisserie, I'm sure that this would be just as good baked in the oven, however I didn't make it this way so I'm only going to include directions for the rotisserie. Either way, this is such a simple meal to make, but is loaded with flavor.

Ingredients
1 pork tenderloin
Aprox. 1-2 tsp dried rosemary, minced
3-5 fresh sage leaves, minced
salt
pepper
garlic powder
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions
If you have a flavor injector, combine 2-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt, pepper and garlic powder. Inject into pork loin in various places. If you don't have a flavor injector, you can skip this step and move on to the next. In the same bowl (or a new one), add an additional 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, along with the minced sage and rosemary. Add another pinch of salt and pepper to the oil mixture, and stir to combine. Slather over entire tenderloin until completely coated. Fit tenderloin onto rotisserie skewers according to manufactures directions, and cook for about 45 minutes or until the middle of the tenderloin registers 160 degrees. Remove from rotisserie and let rest for 5-10 minutes. Cut into aprox. 1/2" slices and serve warm.

Pan Seared Pork Chops with Shallots and Sage

No sooner do I begin the quest for a recipe to make with Pork Chops for dinner one night last week, when I find in my in box a "Dinner Tonight" email from the Martha Stewart website.

This recipe was great. I personally am a huge fan of sage, so the addition of it was very welcome. Combined with the white wine and shallots, this recipe was a huge success and a snap to put together. Perfect for a busy weeknight, these pork chops are flavorful and tender.

Ingredients
Adapted from Martha Stewart.com

4 boneless pork loin chops (6 ounces each) (I used two butterflied pork chops)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/4 cup AP flour (I added this)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 medium shallot, minced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage or 1/4 teaspoon dried (I used more like 2-3 tsp of fresh sage! It was not overwhelming at all; in fact I think that 1 teaspoon would have been far to little!)
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup chicken stock (I added this)
1 clove garlic, minced (I added this)
Directions

Season pork chops generously with salt and pepper and dust with flour. In a large skillet, heat oil and butter over medium; add pork. Cook until browned and opaque throughout, 3 to 4 minutes per side (I had to cook mine longer than this...more like 5-7 minutes). Transfer to a plate, and cover loosely with aluminum foil to keep warm.

Make sauce: Add shallot and garlic to skillet; cook over medium, stirring until softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add sage, thyme, wine and stock. Simmer until sauce is reduced to about 1/3 cup, 2 to 3 minutes; stir in any accumulated juices from plate with meat. Transfer chops to plates, drizzle with sauce, and serve.

Pork Chops in a Fig and Shallot Reduction

Two things:

1) If I ate a pork chop one way for the rest of my life, this would be the way.

2) If you haven't checked out the Noble Pig blog, go do it. Now! (please?)

Seriously though, the Noble Pig blog has been one of my favorites for a while now. I love her writing style and we must have the exact same palate because everything she makes I want to try. This, however, was the first thing that I actually did try from her blog and it was *amazing* and so, so easy!!! I had the whole thing done in less then 30 minutes.

This was a fabulous weeknight meal, and would also be great for company (the name alone implies fancy...little will your guests know how easy it is to make!) and if you love figs like I do, you will certainly love this dish. Enjoy!

Ingredients
Source: Noble Pig

1-1/2 to 2 lbs. Boneless Pork Loin Thin Sliced Chops (I used 2 butterflied chops)
2 cups of beef broth or beef stock
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 large shallot, chopped
9 dried figs, diced (I was convinced I wouldn't be able to find these, but lo and behold they were right next to the raisins and other dried fruit at my supermarket)
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
salt & pepper for seasoning

Directions
Preheat a nonstick skillet. Add olive oil and fry pork chops in batches, 2 minutes per side and remove from pan; keep warm. Add shallot to the pan and cook until softened, 3 minutes. Add beef broth, balsamic vinegar and figs. Bring to a boil and simmer until reduced by half, about 7 minutes. In a small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in a little water. Add this cornstarch mixture and cook 1 minute. Add chops back to the pan and cover. Simmer 2-3 minutes or until meat is cooked through. Remove the chops from the pan and pour sauce all over. Serve immediately.

Rosemary Mustard Pork Chops

I was browsing through Tastespotting the other day, hoping to be inspired to make something different for dinner, when I saw these Rosemary Mustard Pork chops. I had everything on hand, so I was anxious to try them.

These were fantastic. What a great way to prepare pork chops when you are sick of the "same old way". These were a fantastic departure from the normal pork chop, and all of the flavors worked so well together. In addition, the recipe is simple and most likely you have all of the ingredients on hand; that's my kind of week night meal! Definitely try these out if you are looking for something new to do with Pork Chops!

Ingredients
Source: Zesty Cook

4 Pork chops (I used 3)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. mustard (I used Yellow Mustard)
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/4 Cup chicken stock
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tsp. paprika (I omitted)
1 Tbsp. rosemary (dried) (I used about a twig and a half of fresh Rosemary, minced)
1 Tsp. black pepper
1 Tsp. salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°.

Preheat saute pan/frying pan to medium high heat and dry the pork chops with a paper towel.

Combine soy sauce, mustard, brown sugar and rosemary in a bowl; mix together.

Season pork with salt and pepper.

Add pork to pan and begin to sear on one side, about 3-4 minutes. Once complete on one side, flip and do the same on other side.

Remove pork chops and place on plate.

De-glaze the pan by adding the chicken stock and scraping all the bits off the bottom of the pan.

Add the sauce mixture from step 3 and let thicken for 2 minutes.

Add pork back on the pan and place into the oven to finish the cooking process; about 12 minutes. (After I put my chops in the pan to coat them in the sauce, I put them in a greased baking dish and drizzled the leftover sauce over the chops. In addition, I baked them for about 15-20 minutes because they were still really pink inside after 12).

Remove from oven, baste with sauce.

Pulled Pork Sandwich

Over the weekend my husband and I had SUCH a taste for pulled pork sandwiches! I have never made them, and we haven't been to our local BBQ joint in ages! So I found a recipe on Colleen's awesome food blog: Cooking this and that and gave it a go this past weekend. The recipe couldn't have been simpler and the pulled pork couldn't have been more delicious! My husband and I agreed that this is a fabulous recipe and one that I will be keeping for the archives!
Ingredients
Adapted from Cooking this and that

2 lb pork tenderloin or cut of your choice
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
1 bottle of barbecue sauce of your choice (I use Dinosaur BBQ Roasted Garlic Honey BBQ sauce which is amazing!!!)
salt
pepper

Directions

Pour a little BBQ sauce in your slow cooker to completely coat the bottom. Place pork tenderloin in slow cooker, and rub with a little salt, pepper and all of your minced garlic. Spread chopped onions over pork. Pour remaining BBQ sauce over everything to coat. Cook on low for 7 hours. Shred the pork with 2 forks and cook for 1 additional hour. Serve on fresh kaiser rolls.

Smothered Pork Chops

Boy were these delicious!!! I was sick of making pork chops the same old way and found this recipe from Tyler Florence and I'm hooked! My husband and I both loved these and I really look forward to making them again.

Ingredients
Source: Tyler Florence

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 pork chops, 3/4-inch thick, bone-in
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup buttermilk
Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

Directions

Put the flour in a shallow platter and add the onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly. Pat the pork chops dry with paper towels to remove any moisture and then dredge them in the seasoned flour; shaking off the excess.

Heat a large saute pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat and coat with the oil. When the oil is nice and hot, lay the pork chops in the pan in a single layer and fry for 3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove the pork chops from the pan and add a little sprinkle of seasoned flour to the pan drippings. Mix the flour into the fat to dissolve and then pour in the chicken broth in. Let the liquid cook down for 5 minutes to reduce and thicken slightly. Stir in the buttermilk to make a creamy gravy and return the pork chops to the pan, covering them with the sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes until the pork is cooked through. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.

Apricot & Honey Glazed Pork Chops

I was inspired to make this when I saw this recipe on the amazing blog "Joelen's Culinary Adventures". I thought the combination of honey and apricots would work well with pork chops and it turns out I was right! My husband loves this meal and requests it almost every week! It's a great, easy way to prepare pork chops on a busy weeknight. I apologize for not having exact measurements, but this recipe is one where not everything has to be exact. Just make enough for the amount of pork chops your making, and adjust it to your tastes.

Ingredients
2-3 Pork chops, rinsed and dried
aprox. 1/2 - 3/4 cup Apricot preserves
aprox. 2 tbsp honey
aprox. 1/2 cup plain Panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup flour
salt
pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Season pork chops with salt and pepper on both sides and then dredge them in flour until coated on all sides. Spray a large skillet with non stick spray and put over medium-high heat. Put pork chops in skillet for about 3-5 minutes per side, or until pork chops are a light golden brown on both sides. Remove skillet from heat and put pork chops in a 13x9 baking dish that has been sprayed with non stick spray. Let rest while you make the apricot sauce.

In a small bowl, add Apricot Preserves and Honey. Cook in microwave on high for 30 seconds, remove and stir. The sauce should be warm enough to pour. Using a spoon, pour sauce on all pork chops until completely covered. A little can drizzle down the sides. On top of apricot sauce, sprinkle some Panko bread crumbs and lightly "push" them into the preserves. Cover baking dish with foil and bake for aprox. 20-25 minutes or until the inside of the chop is a very light pink.

Seared pork chops with balsamic caramelized onions

I absolutely love caramelized onions and balsamic vinegar paired with pork chops. It's one of my favorite flavor combinations. Last night, my husband requested pork chops but I didn't feel like making a recipe that I had to follow with ingredients I may or may not have had on hand. So I just whipped this up without a recipe and it was so great. I've never had such juicy pork chops ever, and while it certainly isn't a complicated recipe it, it was just great, simple, weeknight food that my husband and I both loved.
Ingredients
2 pork chops, butterflied
1/2 cup flour
extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced
aprox 3-4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
kosher salt
pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large skillet over medium heat, drizzle a little olive oil so it coats the bottom. Add onions and sautee until tender, about 5-6 minutes. Meanwhile, dry off your pork chops and season with salt and pepper to taste. Then dust the whole chop (top and bottom) with flour so there is a nice coating. When the onions are tender and beginning to caramelize, raise heat to medium-high and sear the pork chops with the onions, about 5-6 minutes, or until golden brown, on each side. Transfer chops to a medium-large baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray. Drizzle a little Balsamic over each chop, and then add about 2 tbps. of balsamic to the onions that are still in the skillet. Toss onions with balsamic and when most of the vingear has been absorbed, remove from heat and put onions on top of pork chops. Cook in the oven for about 8-10 minutes, or until the chops are no longer bright pink (a little pink is ok!)

Parmesan Encrusted Pork Chops with Balsamic Caramelized Onions

I'm always looking for new ways to incorporate more pork, beef or anything but chicken into weeknight dinners. So when I saw this recipe from Giada DeLaurentis, I knew I had to try it but with a few of my own changes. One addition I made was that I added balsamic caramelized onions to the top of the chop. I love balsamic caramelized onions with pork, so I thought it would work well and it did! I served it with roasted garlic mashed potatoes, Italian bread and a side salad.

Ingredients
adapted from Giada DeLaurentis

• 2 large eggs (I used 1 egg for 2 chops)
  
• 1 cup dried Italian-style bread crumbs (I used Italian style Panko)
  
• 3/4 cups freshly grated Parmesan
• 4 (1/2 to 3/4-inch thick) center-cut pork loin chops (each about 10 to 12 ounces) (I used 2 pork chops)
  
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3-4 tablespoons olive oil
• Lemon wedges, for serving
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1-2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp butter
  

Directions

Whisk the eggs in a plate or bowl to blend. Place the bread crumbs in another plate. Place the cheese in a third plate. Make sure your pork chops are very dry. Sprinkle the pork chops generously with salt and pepper. Coat the chops completely with the cheese, patting to adhere. Dip the chops into the eggs, then coat completely with the bread crumbs, patting to adhere.

Heat 3 tablespoons of oil and 1 tbsp of butter in a very large skillet over medium heat. Add pork chops, in batches if necessary, and cook until golden brown and the center reaches 150 degrees, about 6 minutes per side. After the 1st 6 minutes are up and you have flipped the pork chop, add your onions to the same skillet, making sure most of them are coming into direct contact with the skillet. When the pork chops are finished cooking (in aprox. another 6 minutes) remove them from the skillet and add your balsamic vinegar to the onions. Sautee for another 3-4 minutes until onions are carmelized and the vingear is absorbed. Serve onion mixture on top of pork chops.

Pork Chops with Gouda and Balsamic Carmelized Onions

It's pretty obvious that I make a lot of chicken...too much. What can I say, I'm comfortable with it and it always turns out good. Well this week my husband requested something different, so I turned to Pork Chops which I have never made before! I know, how sad. I've just never been a huge pork fan. So as I was browsing through Blog recipes that called for pork, I saw this recipe on the "Elly Say Opa!" Blog. When I saw Gouda and caramelized onions, I knew it would be something that my husband and I would both enjoy. I thought this recipe was really good. I did a few things differently...mainly I did not add mushrooms (which are my mortal enemy...thinking about them makes me gag) and I added a good amount of balsamic vinegar to the carmelized onions. Also, I had a problem with my Gouda oozing out of the pork chop from the slit I made in the center so I had to add a slice to the top of the chop before I put them in the oven for the final time. Next time I will run a toothpick through the cut to hold in the cheese better. All in all this recipe was great and I will definately make it again!!!

Ingredients

2 pork chops
1 oz. shredded or sliced smoked gouda
1 tsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. butter
1 yellow or vidalia onion, cut in half and sliced
2 sprigs thyme (omitted)
2 cloves garlic, minced (omitted)
1 cup cremini mushrooms, sliced (omitted)
2 Tbsp. dry sherry or marsala (I used merlot instead)
1/3 cup beef broth
salt and pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350. Slice a pocket into each pork chop and fill it with the gouda. Season the chops with salt and pepper. Heat an ovenproof skillet over medium heat and add the oil. Sear the pork chops for about a minute per side, just to brown them. Move the chops to a baking dish and cook in the oven until just slightly underdone.

Meanwhile, melt the butter to the skillet in which you pan-fried the chops, over low heat. Stir in the onions and thyme and cook over low heat until golden brown, stirring occasionally--about 15 minutes. Add the garlic and the mushrooms and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.

Increase the heat to medium high and add the sherry (and balsamic). Scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan and cook until the sherry is almost completely evaporated, a couple minutes. Stir in the broth and cook it for another couple minutes to reduce it, slightly, too. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the pork chops back into the skillet, spooning the onions and sauce over them. Place the skillet in the oven for about 5 minutes or until the pork chops have cooked and the sauce has thickened slightly.