Last Night's Dinner #76: Peach Chutney Pork Chops

Tired of the same old pork chops? Dress it up with this zingy peach chutney...





* You may want to play around with the vinegar and preserves ratio, too sweet? add a touch more vinegar and a splash of water. Too acidic? add more preserves etc.

You'll need:
2 to 3 one-inch loin pork chops (bone-in or boneless)
brine solution (1/4 cup kosher salt + 1 quart of water plus)
1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots
1 teaspoon chopped thyme
a handful of dried peaches or a bag of frozen peaches (thawed)
1/3 cup peach or apricot preserves
1/8 cup sherry vinegar
1/4 cup of water (not necessary if you're using frozen peaches)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons of unsalted butter



step 1. Brine chops in brine solution for 30 minutes. Pat dry and sprinkle with pepper. Why brine?
step 2. Heat up oil in a heavy skillet and cook chops over medium heat, turning once, until browned and just cooked through - don't overcook! (10 minutes). Transfer to a plate and cover loosely with foil.



step 3. Pour out all but 1 tablespoon oil from the skillet. Heat up butter until foaming subsides, add shallots and thyme. Cook until light brown.
step 4. Add vinegar and scrape bottom of the skillet to loosen brown bits.
step 5. Add peaches and preserves. Depending on whether or not you used frozen or dried - you may need to add additional water (add any meat juices from the platter). Season with salt and pepper, about 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. It should be syrupy, not watery.

Spoon sauce over chops.