(EDITED: Angel Food Ministries is no longer in operation, if I find another service like this I will update!)
Last month’s Angelfood came with a plethora of apples and boneless pork chops. Well, I thought, apples and pork go together like peas and carrots! In anticipation I put the frozen pork in the fridge and spent all day browsing recipes online and rejecting them. I decided to make up my own based on a few different recipes and an optimistic attitude but while at work on the big day I realized that I had started by forgetting the marinade!
Last month’s Angelfood came with a plethora of apples and boneless pork chops. Well, I thought, apples and pork go together like peas and carrots! In anticipation I put the frozen pork in the fridge and spent all day browsing recipes online and rejecting them. I decided to make up my own based on a few different recipes and an optimistic attitude but while at work on the big day I realized that I had started by forgetting the marinade!
Luckily, The Daddy gets home much earlier than I do on nights he isn’t working his 2nd job so I called home to give him explicit instructions:
“Umm… can I get you to start the pork chop marinade?”
“I don’t know how.”
“Well, I can tell you how! That’s why I’m calling.”
Sigh “I guess so. What do you need me to do?”
“Grab the pork chops in the plastic bag in the fridge.”
“Ok.”
“Now I want you to mix up a marinade with a couple tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, salt, pepper, and some water.”
“Wait, where is the brown sugar?”
“Behind the macaroni and cheese” He lives on mac and cheese when I don’t cook.
“and the balsamic vinegar?”
“In the bottom cabinet on the right of the stove, now mix all that up and put it all in the bag with the pork and put it back in the fridge!”
“Hold on, I need to write this down. Now what do I need to do?”
…
An hour and a half later, after a delayed train ride and a late bus, which resulted in me asking The Daddy to pick me up at the train station I arrived home, ravenous and ready to cook. I handed off Lola to the care of The Daddy and good friend Heather who came along for the food.
I preheated the oven to 350 while Lola screeched. So Heather and The Daddy alternated bouncing her in the doorway of the kitchen so she could see me work. I chopped up some onions and got them ready for a long caramelization in the skillet with some olive oil and a tiny sliver of butter.
While the onions were working I got the apples ready. I washed them, sliced them, cut out the cores and tossed them in with the onions, the rest of the marinade and a little bit of chicken broth. I let the apples simmer for a minute or two and tossed them on top of the pork chops in a casserole dish and let it bake for 50 minutes. When the pork chops were done, I let them rest and poured out some of the juice from the dish back into the skillet. I warmed it to simmering and added a big pinch of corn starch and stirred till it was well blended and thickened up a bit. I poured most of the sauce into a serving cup and the rest back onto the chops and it was ready to serve. I set out a bowl of mixed greens, with some croutons and a quickly made dressing of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
The result: Mouth watering, yummy yummyness. The apples still had some of their shape with just a touch of firmness left, the onions were sweet and savory and the pork was perfectly done. Can’t wait to make it again!
Apple and Pork Tenderloins
serves 4
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 cup water
4 pork tenderloins
1 large onion, sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp butter
4 crisp apples, cored, sliced
1/2 cup stock
big pinch of cornstarch
Prepare the marinade in advance! Must soak at least 1 hour to overnight. Pour the balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, salt, pepper and water in a gallon freezer bag. Close and shake till mixed. Open and place the pork in the bag. Carefully squeeze the air out of the bag and close. Put in the fridge on a plate to marinate.
Preheat the oven to 350. Put a pan on med heat. Pour in the olive oil and butter. Toss in the onions. You want them to caramelize so make sure the heat is not too high and leave them sit stirring every couple minutes. Once the onions have begun to brown toss in the apples, the remaining marinade and 1/2 cup of stock. Let the apples simmer for 2-3 minutes while you salt and pepper the pork and place in a casserole dish. Pour the apples and sauce over the pork and place in the oven. Bake for 50 minutes.
When pork chops are done strain the sauce back into the saucepan. Warm to a simmer and add cornstarch. Stir till thickened. Pour the sauce over the chops and apples and reserve some in a serving dish.
Apple and Pork Tenderloins
serves 4
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 cup water
4 pork tenderloins
1 large onion, sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp butter
4 crisp apples, cored, sliced
1/2 cup stock
big pinch of cornstarch
Prepare the marinade in advance! Must soak at least 1 hour to overnight. Pour the balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, salt, pepper and water in a gallon freezer bag. Close and shake till mixed. Open and place the pork in the bag. Carefully squeeze the air out of the bag and close. Put in the fridge on a plate to marinate.
Preheat the oven to 350. Put a pan on med heat. Pour in the olive oil and butter. Toss in the onions. You want them to caramelize so make sure the heat is not too high and leave them sit stirring every couple minutes. Once the onions have begun to brown toss in the apples, the remaining marinade and 1/2 cup of stock. Let the apples simmer for 2-3 minutes while you salt and pepper the pork and place in a casserole dish. Pour the apples and sauce over the pork and place in the oven. Bake for 50 minutes.
When pork chops are done strain the sauce back into the saucepan. Warm to a simmer and add cornstarch. Stir till thickened. Pour the sauce over the chops and apples and reserve some in a serving dish.
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