Fall’s favourite fruit adds a taste to the season to this main course.
PORK LOIN CHOPS WITH CABBAGE AND APPLES
The red cabbage and apples make a colourful and healthful backdrop for tender pork loin chops. The faintly sweet braising liquid makes a wonderful drizzle when you cook it down to a thick syrup. Make this in the oven or quickly, in a pressure cooked. Adapted from 225 Best Pressure Cooker Recipes by Cinda Chavich.
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 red onion, halved and slivered
• 1 pound red cabbage, shredded
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into wedges
• 4 centre-cut pork loin chops, about 1 inch thick, lean and well-trimmed of visible fat
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Heat olive oil in a an oven-proof pan with a lid (or a pressure cooker) over medium high heat and brown pork chops quickly on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Set aside.
In same pan, heat the butter over medium heat and sauté the red onion for 5 minutes, until soft and beginning to brown. Add the cabbage and stir to coat with the butter, then add the broth, wine, bay leaf, salt, pepper and apples. Lay the browned chops on top. Season them with salt and pepper.
Cover the pan and finish cooking in a preheated 350 degree oven for an hour. To pressure cook, lock the lid in place and bring the pressure cooker up to high pressure over medium high heat, then reduce the heat to medium low, just to maintain and even pressure, and cook for 14 minutes. Release pressure and remove lid.
Serve the chops and cabbage with a good grinding of black pepper, and fluffy mashed yellow potatoes on the side. If there’s and excess liquid in then pan, you can cook it over medium high, until reduced and thickened. To drzzle over the chops.
Serves 4.