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Thursday, June 3, 2010

Pork Chops with Sage and Balsamic Vinegar


This week's them at IHCC is Herbs. So many herbs and so little thyme. (insert laugh, or snicker).

I chose Mark Bittmans Pork Chops with Sage and Balsamic vinegar.

Sage is the herb that reminds me of cornbread dressing and country sausage. I wanted to see just how sage would taste prepared differently than what my family is accustomed to. It is a wonderful, smokey and savory herb!

My youngest son came into the kitchen as I prepared dinner and said. "I smell sausage. Mom are we having sausage for dinner?" He was disappointed that he was not having waffles and sausage for dinner. However, he did eat all of his sage covered pork chop.


I soaked the chops in a brine for a few hours.

Pork Chops with Sage and Balsamic

- serves 2 -
Adapted from Mark Bittman

Ingredients

2 not-too-thick pork chops
1 tablespoon neutral oil, such as canola
1/4 teaspoon sugar
6-8 sage leaves, roughly chopped
Balsamic vinegar to taste
Salt and pepper

Procedure

1. If at all possible, salt the chops a few hours before cooking, though it's not necessary. Make sure the chops are very dry, then rub with the sugar and salt (to your liking) on both sides. Add the oil to a cold pan and lay the pork chops down, pressing firmly. Turn on the heat to medium and cook, undisturbed, for 5 to 6 minutes.

2. Flip the chops and cover, cooking on the other side for an additional 2 to 3 minutes until the pork is cooked through.

3. Uncover, remove the chops, and add the sage leaves. Increase the heat to high and scrape up any pan drippings as the sage gets slightly crisp.

4. Drizzle the pork chops with the pan sauce and balsamic vinegar, to taste. Crack fresh black pepper and serve immediately.

13 comments:

  1. Yes, sage definitely reminds me of sausage too, which is always a good thing:-)
    I bet the brining gave way some very tender pork chops. They look very pretty!

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  2. It used to remind me of turkey stuffing, but we've been branching out more here. Do you think the brining made them more juicy?

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  3. Yes they were definitely more juicy and were fork tender.

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  4. Looks yummy! I want to try them soon.

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  5. These look great and I love balsamic vinegar!

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  6. MMMM...I made this with chicken. Wasn't it great!

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  7. These look delicious. I love using fresh sage in a variety of ways. Such a wonderful flaveo.

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  8. This looks delicious! Sage always reminds me of pumpkin since I make this pumpkin pasta sauce with it. I would love that sausage and waffles with sage recipe...is it posted?

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  9. I have searched but can't seem to find it. Have you?

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  10. I love sage so this dish is perfect--the pork chops look juicy and delicious. A great pick!

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