Email to Cat      

Braised Pork Chops with Spiced Apricot Glaze

Source of Recipe

From "Pig: King of the Southern Table" by James Villas


Recipe Introduction

"Braising is by far the preferred way to ensure that pork chops remain moist and tender, and, in the South, orange juice is not only the most popular braising liquid but also the base for numerous fruit glazes used to enhance chops, steaks, country-style ribs, and baked hams. If fresh apricots are not available, substitute a couple of large peaches, mangoes, or eating apples. For added flavor in this dish, you can also lightly brown the glazed pork chops under the broiler, so long as you're careful not to dry them out or burn them."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 2 tablespoons butter
â—¦ 6 pork loin chops, trimmed of excess fat
â—¦ ½ cup orange juice
â—¦ ¼ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
â—¦ 2 teaspoons cornstarch
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
â—¦ â…› teaspoon ground cloves
â—¦ 3 teaspoons minced lemon rind
â—¦ Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
â—¦ 6 ripe apricots, peeled, pitted, and finely chopped


Recipe

In a large, heavy stainless-steel or enameled skillet, melt the butter over moderate heat, arrange the pork chops in the pan, and brown well on both sides. Add half the orange juice, reduce the heat to low, cover, and braise slowly till the chops are tender but still moist inside, about 45 minutes, adding a little more orange juice if necessary.

Meanwhile, combine the brown sugar, cornstarch, allspice, cloves, lemon rind, and salt and pepper in a small saucepan and stir till well blended. Add the remaining orange juice and stir over low heat till smooth, about 5 minutes. Add the apricots, return to a simmer, and cook till the apricots are soft and well incorporated into the glaze, about 15 minutes.

To serve, arrange the hot pork chops on serving plates and spoon apricot glaze over the top.

Makes 6 servings