Pork Chops With An Apple Cider Sauce And Roasted Tomatoes, Onions and Peppers

I am in a cookbook group with 15 friends. We each pick a cookbook and then it is mailed around the country to each member so we can cook from it and make notes in the book. We also post pictures and discuss what we have made in a private Facebook group. One of the books chosen this round was The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perelman. There were two recipes that I made from the book that my husband and I loved. When it was announced that we would be doing The Spice House Challenge, I knew I wanted to use these two recipes as my inspiration. I hope you will pick up a copy of The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook and that you will try Deb’s wonderful recipes. I was lucky enough to be given a copy for Mother’s Day. It’s a wonderful cookbook with great recipes and beautiful pictures. To accommodate The Spice House seasonings and to turn this into one recipe, you will find this recipe to be similar to Deb’s, yet very different. Enjoy!


Pork Chops With An Apple Cider Sauce And Roasted Tomatoes, Onions and Peppers
by Linda

Adapted from recipe in The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook (Pork Chops with Cider, Horseradish, and Dill and also  Roasted Tomatoes and Cipollini Onions with White Beans)

Ingredients for Tomatoes/Onions/Peppers:
1 pound small white and purple pearl onions (cipollini are great, I just couldn’t find)
2 cartons small Roma, cherry or pear tomatoes
1 large yellow bell pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
The Spice House Dill Weed

Ingredients for Pork Chops:
4 1-inch bone-in pork chops
Olive oil
The Spice House French Countryside Seasoning
Pepper
1 carton low-salt chicken broth

Ingredients for Sauce:
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup hard or pressed apple cider
2 Tablespoons The Spice House Horseradish Powder
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 to 1 cup pan juices

To start:

1) Preheat oven to 375°F.

2) Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

3) Peel your onions* and place them on the cookie sheet with the tomatoes.

4) Cut off the top of the bell pepper and remove seeds/veins. Cut bell pepper into small strips and place them on cookie sheet.

5) Drizzle the olive oil over the tomatoes/onions/peppers, using your hands to toss them around to get them well-coated.

6) Sprinkle generously with the The Spice House Dill Weed.

7) Bake for about 45 minutes, gently turning tomatoes/onions/peppers over every 15 minutes, until nicely roasted.

8) Place in serving dish.

*The recipe in Smitten Kitchen has a great tip for peeling small onions easily.

To cook pork chops:

1) Trim excess fat from pork chops, leaving just a small rim of fat.

2) Pat pork chops dry.

3) Rub the pork chops lightly with olive oil.

4) Generously sprinkle The Spice House French Countryside Seasoning and pepper on both sides.

5) Heat 1 Tablespoon of olive oil in non-stick skillet.

6) On medium heat, brown pork chops for about 3 minutes on each side.

7) Reduce heat to low and add chicken stock to pan, about half-way up the sides of pork chops.

8) Cover and let simmer about 10 minutes, turning pork chops over once.

9) Remove pork chops from pan and place on serving dish.

10) Reserve pan juices to use in sauce.

To Make Sauce:

1) In small saucepan, combine apple cider vinegar and pressed apple cider. Bring to a rolling boil.

2) Ladle about 1/2 cup of hot liquid into a bowl.

3) Whisk in The Spice House Horseradish Power and cornstarch until dissolved.

4) Return thickened liquid to saucepan and continue to let boil for 2-3 minutes.

5) Add 1/2 cup of pan juices. Taste. If too tart, add additional 1/2 cup.

6) Remove from heat.

To Plate:

Place a pork chop on each plate. Divide tomatoes/onions/peppers amongst your plates. Spoon sauce over the pork chops. Lightly dust pork chops, tomato/onions/peppers and plates with The Spice House French Countryside Seasoning. Enjoy!