Pork Chops Two Ways

I have been told that I make some great pork chops. Here are my two favorite recipes, both of which can be pulled off in about 30 minutes for a weeknight dinner for two.

pan-Asian, seared over udon, baby bok choy

• 1 center-cut double-thick chop (approx. 1lb uncooked weight)
• 1/4 cup soy
• 2 tbsp sriracha
• 2 tbsp turbinado sugar
• 2 “bundles” udon noodles
• 1 tbsp white sesame seeds
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp ginger, julienned
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 heads baby bok choy
• 1 red bell pepper, julienned
• 1 tsp rice wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup mirin

Preheat oven to 450F. Mix soy and sriracha, pour over pork chop and let marinade for 5-10 minutes while prepping the remaining ingredients. Start water boiling for udon; dice garlic and julienne ginger, put in microwave-safe bowl and cover with olive oil. Microwave ginger-garlic oil for 1 minute on high.

Heat a cast-iron skillet to about as hot as it’ll go (usually 2-3 min. on high). Drain marinade from chop and coat each side with turbinado sugar. Sear, approx 1m each side or until a thin, delicate, caramelized crust develops. Transfer skillet to oven and roast for 8-12 minutes depending on thickness. Transfer cooked chop to a cutting board, let stand for 3-5 minutes. Return skillet to stovetop, heat on high, deglaze with 1/4 cup mirin and 1/4 cup water, scraping caramelized sugar from pan.

Boil udon for 3 minutes or according to package directions. Transfer drained noodles to a bowl, toss with garlic-ginger oil and sesame seeds. Sautee baby bok choy and julienned bell pepper until just tender. Toss with rice wine vinegar.

Typically I slice the chop at the cutting board; I’ll build the dish in a medium-sized bowl, with the sesame-garlic-ginger udon at the base, several slices of pork and the sauteed vegetables on the top. Pour the pan sauce over the whole thing, garnish with a Thai bird chili or two and enjoy.

euro-california style: paprika, rosemary; roasted fingerling potatoes & artichokes:

• 1 center-cut double-thick chop (approx. 1lb uncooked weight)
• 1 tsp grey salt[1]
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 2 sprigs rosemary, leaves pulled from stems
• 1 tbsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp carraway seeds
• 1/4 cup cream.
• 1 cup fingerling potatoes
• 2 artichokes
• 1 lemon, halved
• fleur de sel to taste

Preheat oven to 450F. Mash grey salt, garlic, rosemary, carraway and paprika with a mortar and pestle until a moist paste is formed. Cover both sides of pork chop with paste, let stand for a few minutes while prepping the artichokes and potatoes.

Cut fingerling potatoes into halves, toss with olive oil, fleur de sel, black pepper. Trim the the artichokes as per steaming (PDF link) but take the additional step of cutting the whole artichoke into quarters, leaving the heart exposed[2]. Rub the exposed artichoke heart with lemon, then toss with olive oil, fleur de sel, and black pepper to taste. Arrange on a baking sheet with potatoes, roast for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Sear and roast pork chop as in recipe above (about 1 min. per side, 8-12 minutes in the oven, let rest for a few minutes before slicing). Deglaze with 1/4 cup water, add 1/4 cup cream and allow to reduce slightly.

This is one of those very straightforward dishes that really allows the quality of the ingredients to speak up. Though artichokes are out of season, a crop turned up at the farmers’ market this weekend. Short of deep-frying, roasting is our favorite way to prepare artichokes, since steaming tends to waterlog the choke while roasting condenses the flavor.

1. I believe in using different salts for different dishes; the grey sea salt from Noirmoutier is one of my favorites for use with grilled or pan-roasted meats since I find the flavor to be sharper, slightly more mineral-rich than other salts. It also tends to come in larger chunks, which works well when grinding with other seasonings for a dry rub. By contrast, fleur de sel has a very clean, “pure salt” taste and almost snowflake-like texture which binds well with raw or cooked vegetables.
2. This is also the cut used when making a fritto misto.