The Anonymous Widower

Pork Chops Braised in Cyder

This is a recipe I’ve cooked many times.  Note that I spell the cyder with a y.  This is because I use the King of Ciders, Aspall.  And they spell it that way.

The original recipe came from recipetips.com.

Applesauce is a traditional accompaniment to pork chops – but try this version which infuses apple flavour into the meat.  I’ll agree with that.

The ingredients you’ll need for four are.

• 4 6 oz. pork chops, about 1″ thick
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 cups apple cider – I use Aspalls Cyder
• 2 teaspoons dried sage, crumbled
• 1 tablespoon cooking oil
• salt and freshly ground pepper

I usually do one, so I would use an onion and a cup of cyder. I should say that the recipe doesn’t seem to be too critical as to how much onion, sage and cyder you use.  More sauce is probably a good idea.

And this is how you cook it.

• Heat oil in heavy 12″ skillet.
• Lightly salt chops. Grind a generous amount of black pepper over each chop. Press pepper into chop.
• When oil is very hot but not smoking, add chops and brown well on each side, about 2 minutes per side. Remove chops from pan. Add cider, sage and onion. Boil to reduce liquid by about half – about 5 minutes.
• Return chops to pan, reduce heat to maintain a simmer, and cover.
• Cook until chops are desired doneness – make a small cut to check. Center should be very pale pink. (If overcooked, chops will be tough and flavorless.)
• Remove finished chops to a warmed platter. If cider sauce is too thin, quickly boil down to consistency of syrup. Spoon over chops and serve immediately.

It’s good and it’s totally gluten-free.

July 2, 2009 - Posted by AnonW | Food | Coeliac/Gluten-Free, Pork, Recipe