Apple Pie Pork Chops
Back in the “old world” before Covid, I used to get together with several other bloggers at Melissa’s Produce. We’d talk and enjoy an amazing lunch and then have a Q&A with a specific chef about their newest cookbook. Photos would be taken, there would be cooking demos and so. Much. Food. We were actually told not to have breakfast because of the feast that awaited us. It was so much fun, I couldn’t wait to attend. It was a chance to catch up with some of my favorite bloggers while enjoying an amazing lunch and getting to take home some really great produce!
But that was the old world. Today (as you all know) things look very different. These days I get a cookbook shipped to me while I watch a pre-recorded video of the chef preparing a couple dishes from the book. I still get to chat with my friends over YouTube during the broadcast, and of course watching the videos is always a blast since I absolutely adore cooking shows.
Recently I “attended” a cooking demo with Nancy Lin Chen. She was talking about her book, 101 Amazing Uses for Cinnamon. This isn’t your ordinary cookbook. While most cookbooks are filled with food recipes, Chen’s 101 Amazing Uses focuses on all the different ways to use cinnamon. Sure, you can add it to a variety of food recipes from apple pie to curry. But it can also be used as a body scrub or carpet deodorizer. While I stuck with food this time, I’m very curious to use cinnamon to make a bath bomb. This time I chose to use the cinnamon in Chen’s Apple Pie Pork Chops.
Apples are still very much in season, and nothing beats a nice, thick pork chop for dinner in the dead of winter. According to Chen, cinnamon was originally used to preserve meat because it has antibacterial properties. While spices are no longer needed to preserve meat, they still add a ton of flavor while enhancing the flavor of the meat. There are also few things that go better with pork than an apple or two. The sweet apple flavor combined with cinnamon really melds with the savory pork chop. Serve it with some roasted carrots or a rice pilaf and you have a hearty winter dinner.
Notes
Adapted from 101 Amazing Uses for Cinnamon
Ingredients
For the pork chops
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 pork chops
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
For the apples
- 2 teaspoons coconut oil
- 2 apples, cored and sliced
- 1 red onion, peeled and sliced
- 1/2 cup beef stock
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine the rosemary, cinnamon, paprika, nutmeg, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Rub the spice mixture all over the pork chops.
- Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat. Once hot, add the coconut oil and reduce heat to medium. Add the pork chops and cook until brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the chops to a plate and set aside.
- While the chops rest, add the remaining coconut oil to the skillet. Add the apples and onions, and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining ingredients until combined.
- Return the chops to the pan with the apple mixture and simmer until fully cooked, about 5 minutes. Transfer to plates and serve.
Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. The cookbook was provided by Melissa’s Produce for recipe testing. As always, any opinion expressed is my own and is not influenced in any way by the manufacturer/PR firm as I only review products that I have personally tested and endorse.
