Baked Pork Chops & Apples

Not only was our local supermarket having a special on boneless, skinless chicken breasts (see the previous post), but also on boneless pork chops. Like a chicken breast, a boneless pork chop is a versatile centerpiece for a meal. I have a favorite recipe for pork chops from The Joy of Cooking, but as wonderful as it is, making it every time we have pork gets monotonous. I wondered: how could I make something new?

I looked through an old cookbook for inspiration. One of the pork recipes I came across contained what seemed like it would be an interesting taste combination, but I thought I could do better. So I tweaked it, switching out ingredients, modifying the cooking method, and in the process I created a new recipe.

This new, improved recipe is simple and quick to prepare. It also tastes delicious, with a delightfully unexpected sweet-and-sour flavor.

Serves 4

4 boneless pork chops, ¾ inch thick (about 1 to 1 ¼ pounds total)
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 medium apples (Gala or Golden Delicious are good varieties)
¼ cup maple syrup (real maple syrup, not pancake syrup)
¼ cup apple juice
¼ cup soy sauce (preferably reduced sodium)
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon corn starch
¼ teaspoon ground ginger

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Place pork chops in a baking dish. Season both sides of the chops with salt and pepper. Peel, core and chop the apples into bite size pieces. Place the chopped apple on top of the pork.

In a small bowl whisk together the maple syrup, apple juice, soy sauce, ketchup, corn starch and ginger. Pour the sauce over the pork and apples.

Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Turn the chops over and bake for another 15 minutes.

Two possible accompaniments to this dish are couscous or rice. Both taste great with the baked apples and sauce spooned over them.