Saturday, July 13, 2013

Apple Chutney Chops

It seems like it has been a long time since we had pork chops.  I just got my latest Simple & Delicious in the mail, and when I saw this recipe I thought it would be a good one to try.  I think chutney is, roughly, a hot fruit salsa type thing.  Now I will google it and see what it says...okay here's what wikipedia (a source I always trust) says about chutney: it "is a family of condiments from South Asian cuisine that usually contain some mixture of spice(s), vegetable(s) and/or fruit(s)". So my rough definition was pretty close.  We had this with mashed potatoes and green beans, because in the picture with the recipe, they have mashed potatoes on the plate beside the meat and I thought it looked good.

Apple Chutney Chops
4 cups chopped peeled apples
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup honey
3 tbsp cider vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground mustard
1/2 tsp curry powder
1 tbsp canola oil
4 boneless pork loin chops

For chutney, in a large saucepan, combine the first eight ingredients.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 10-15 minutes or until apples are tender, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat.  Add pork chops; cook 4-5 minutes on each side or until 145.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving.  Serve with chutney.

Okay this was pretty good, and pretty easy.  We had 4 pork chops, and 5 eaters.  Way too much chutney.  We didn't even use half of it.  That seems wasteful, since I think chutney would have a limited number of other uses.  If it was just the fruit and honey, maybe.  But by the time you add the spices, especially the curry, I think it pretty much has to go on meat.  Maybe my horizons are not broad enough, but I just threw the remainder away.  What a waste.  Otherwise, it did taste good.  Maybe if you had a larger number of eaters, or they ate more in one sitting, this ratio of pork to chutney could be corrected.  The kids didn't like the chutney anyway, only the grown-ups.  So I guess I'm not keeping this one.  But I'm still glad I tried it.

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