Chef's Corner
Pork Chops with Apples
A quick and simple but satisfying supper dish.
Ingredients (serves 4)
4 large
pork chops
– skin removed if you prefer
2 large onions – sliced
4 cox or braeburn apples peeled and cut into quarters
sprigs of fresh thyme and sage roughly torn
1 tablespoon of sunflower oil
2 glasses of white wine or dry cider
a splash of cider brandy or French brandy
sea salt and black pepper
To Prepare
Place a large frying pan on a high heat. When it is hot, add the oil and sauté the chops until they are browned. If necessary, only put 2 at a time so the pan is not overcrowded. Season well as you cook. Then place the chops in shallow casserole or gratin dish. Next sauté the onions until the are starting to soften and turn brown, add the herbs, and splash over the brandy. If you are cooking on gas, it may well flame – most impressive! Quickly add the cider or wine and all will be under control again. Tip the contents of the pan over the chops. The meat should not be covered by the liquid, but sitting above it. Add the quartered apples, seasoning with a little more salt and pepper and a sprinkling of sugar over the top if you wish to.
Bake for 40 minutes in a 200c, gas mark 6, or mid shelf of the top Aga oven. Serve with minted new potatoes and a simple green vegetable such as green beans or broccoli.
As an unashamed plug, you could try using Somerset Cider Brandy, produced by the Somerset Brandy Company which, in recent blind tastings, was rated more highly than the French Calvados offerings by all the judges – praise indeed. Their “Kingston Black” is a blend of the cider brandy with the juice of the Kingston Black apple, and a chilled glass of this whilst cooking helps things along rather nicely! We like people in Britain who use good, local, natural produce to produce something of very high quality.
© Emma Elkerton 2002