Mancub here! Ms. Brass Knuckle Baker has asked me to make a guest entry in the cookbook. As revealed in her last log, the Misses and I didn’t leave it to chance for a romantic Valentine’s dinner, we made our own! Now as you all should know romance and pork go hand-in-hand, and following that rule of thumb I wanted to do a classy dish with pork chops. We also had a tasty Spiced Apple Wine we picked up from the Shallon Winery in Astoria, Oregon. So we’ve got apples and pork chops, which is already enough to make anyone’s mouth water. Without further ado, I give you Mancub’s Apple & Fennel Pork Chops.
Ingredients:
- 4 boneless, thin-cut pork chops (1 1/2 pounds)
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 shallots thinly sliced
- 1 fennel bulb—halved lengthwise, cored and thinly sliced crosswise
- 1 Fuji apple—halved lengthwise, cored and thinly sliced
- 8 small sage leaves, coarsely chopped
- 1 cup apple cider
- 1/2 cup hard cider
First, season the pork chops with salt & pepper (don’t be shy with the seasoning, I’m still surprised how great pork tastes with just salt). Heat the olive oil in a very large skillet until almost smoking. Throw the pork chops in, and over a high heat cook until browned around the edges and cooked through, should take about 3-5 minutes. Take off the skillet and keep warm while you construct the rest of this masterpiece.
Melt the butter in the same skillet. Cook the shallots over a medium heat until tender. Then add the fennel and apple, stir occasionally until softened. Add the sage and cook until fragrant, season with salt and pepper and transfer to a platter and keep warm.
Pour the apple & hard cider mix into the skillet with all the leftover pork juices. Boil over a high heat until thickened, about 5 minutes. Pork chops go on top of the fennel and apples, pour the sauce over everything, put on some Al Green and serve to that special someone.
Now be prepared for longing looks from across the table, if you’ve cooked everything properly you’re significant other shouldn’t be able to keep their eyes off of you. Enjoy!
