In the summer, my garden is heavy with chilies of all kinds. But my favorite are always the jalapeños. They’re versatile, and while not too hot, you can make them as spicy as you like. I miss having them right outside my back door, so I bought some beautiful fresh ones from the market for this recipe.
INGREDIENTS
4 8-ounce pork chops
Pinch kosher salt
Dash freshly ground black pepper
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup coarse-chopped yellow onion
4 small-chopped fresh jalapeños peppers*
2 Fuji or Honeycrisp apples, cored and cubed (you can peel them if you like - I prefer not to)
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground cumin
2 cups pure apple juice - I prefer natural juice that’s almost pulpy
4 tablespoons cane syrup
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons coarse-chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste
METHOD
For the pork chops: Place the flour into a pie pan or deep dish.
Season the pork chops with salt and pepper to your liking.
Place them into the flour and dust to remove excess flour.
Place a large skillet or sauté pan over medium heat.
Add the oil and place the pork chop in the pan and cook 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until lightly browned, cooked evenly, and doneness is almost to your liking.
Remove chops from the pan and set aside on a paper towel-lined plate.
Using the same pan, add onion and continue to stir over medium heat until translucent and soft, about 8 minutes.
Add garlic and jalapeños, and cook and stir occasionally for an additional 2 minutes. *Jalapenos will be much milder if you remove the seeds AND membranes. If you like a lot of heat, leave them both.
Add the apples, coriander, chili powder, cumin, apple juice, cane syrup, vinegar and cilantro. Reduce sauce over medium-low heat until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Taste sauce, and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
To serve: Place pork chops on individual plates or a platter. Spoon sauce over chops and serve right away.
A little Spanish rice would be a nice accompaniment to these chops. Or dice up the pork and put everything in a tortilla.
I chose to serve it with some cornbread that I grilled in a little butter.
Jalapeño plants are sensitive to cold weather, so I won’t be able to plant them for 2 months or so. This dish gave me a little taste to make the waiting a bit easier.
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