From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is not a recipe for the faint of heart or those whose palates aren't attuned to strong flavors. I thought long and hard before deciding to share this recipe with you. I finally reasoned that there were enough people who would enjoy the dish to warrant including it here. It is, however, a recipe that you'll either love or hate. I guarantee there won't be any fence sitters at your table. The dish is vaguely Hispanic and its dominant flavor is cumin, lots of cumin. To help balance the in-your-face flavor of these spice crusted chops, I serve them with creamy cheese grits and a lovely peach or mango salsa. The three elements work really well together and produce an altogether satisfactory meal. I'm not sure it would work as well with other sides, though cheese flavored mashed potatoes might work as an alternative to the grits. Pork is a big favorite at my table. Small families constantly deal with food packaged in quantities that can't be eaten in a single sitting. Pork and chicken help solve what could be an on-going war with leftovers. Years ago, pork received a culinary black-eye because it was cooked to death and had no moisture left in it when served. New cooking techniques, particularly brining, have helped solved the problem of dessicated meat. I always brine my pork and the recipe I use to do that can be found here. This is a really simple recipe that I first found in the New York Times. Save for brining the chops, I've made no changes to the original recipe. I have, however, made modest changes to the instructions for their preparation. The crust is what makes these chops interesting. To assure one forms without burning the coating, I use a blazing hot skillet. That's accomplished by putting the pan into the oven while it preheats and then transferring it to a burner to brown the chops. If you are looking for something arrestingly different and like strongly flavored food, you'll love these chops. Here's the recipe.
Cumin Crusted Pork Chops...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of the New York Times
Ingredients:
4 (1-1/2-inch thick) brined boneless pork loin chops
1 teaspoon kosher salt
4 teaspoons grainy Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons crushed cumin seeds
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon canola oil
Directions:
1) Place a large (12-inch) cast iron skillet in oven. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Pat pork chops dry. Sprinkle both sides with salt, then brush each side with mustard. Press cumin and pepper into mustard coating.
2) Using oven mitts, remove skillet from oven and place over high heat. Add oil and heat until it smokes. Add pork chops and brown for 2 minutes on each side. Transfer skillet back to oven and bake just until chops are cooked through, about 12 minutes. Serve immediately. Yield: 4 servings.
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71 comments :
I love cumin and the mango salsa sounds like a great accompaniment.
cumin is by far my favorite spice..so versatile and works great with all meats..i'll have to try out this recipe..looks delish!
We must be sharing the same wavelength. You just commented on my pork loin last week. Anyway this looks great. The cumin and mango salsa sound like a fantastic sweet and spicy mixture. I can't wait to try this. Thanks
Looks good, but don't think I'm brave enough to try it.
I adore cumin. (Even though sometimes I think it smells a little bit like dirty boys sometimes!) Cheesy grits and mango sound like heaven on a plate!!
HHHMMMmmm... I like all the ingredients singly, but together?? The jury's out!
Have a great day!!
Cumin is one of our favorite spices so we'll have to try it and see if we're lovers or haters.
thanks for the inspiration, I have pork chops waiting in the fridge for dinner tonight :)
i love mango salsa and pork is my fav protein .. this is a great dish. Would really like if you could share it with hearth and soul hop in my blog- I am co-hosting the event !
It seems to me that just before the last time I visited my son you posted a pork recipe that I took with me - and it was a big hit. I know that he'd love the strong flavor in this one.
Pork curry is fantastic and this dish uses couple of curry spices. Those who love curry should love this also I presume
Pork is a favourite meal in our table too.... I cooked ite with milk and sweet paprika last week!!! Thanks for recipe, hugs, Flavia
The cumin is a great spice and it gives for sure that extra flavour to the pork chop.The mango salsa sounds great ...
Kisses,
Rita
I just love strong and contrasting flavours, and I believe this recipe is just perfect to my palate.
Thanks for sharing :)
Gran bella ricetta e presentazione sai.. a casa ne sarebbero felicissimi! Un abbraccio e buonissima giornata
Cumin is one of the only spices I buy in larger bottles because I love it so much. These look perfect--especially with the bright flavors of the mango salsa. ;-)
This sounds finger licking good! Visiting your blog is always such a delight, Mary. So many wonderful treats. :-)
Cumin is such a great spice! Looks good on the pork chops, I might have to sample these one day!
We're certainly not afraid of cumin in this house. I'm more afraid of my attempting to put a pan in the oven and then back on a burner. This sounds like disaster for me. Those chops might be worth a 3rd degree burn tho...
Thanks for sharing!
Could I try this with steak? Ben won't eat pork.
I love the flavor and taste of cumin and your recipe is absolute delish!
Cumin is a star around here. The cheese grits and mango salsa sound to be perfect accompaniments. blessings ~ tanna
What is there not to love about cumin. I always add a little to any dry rub, soup or stew. Thanks for deciding to share the recipe.
Bursting with flavour ♥
I for one would love to know the details of your brining process. And ... how often do you see grits twice in one week?
I'm going to have to try this...I love the strong flavor angle. Maybe just a some red pepper flakes because I'm a little addicted to zing. ;)
Those look good. We will be having pork chops tonight.
I would be on the loving it side of the fence for sure. I've never tried cumin on pork chops and now you have my wheels turning! Thanks for sharing!
Definitly I would love this recipe and my lover would hate it... I guess I will have to prepare it when I'll be alone:)
I'm mulling this one over, Mary. It's taken me a while to really like cumin, so I'm wondering if this would be too strong for me.
pork chops always appear on my table and this is a new way for me to cook them.
I have a recipe very similar to this that I always keep saying I'm going to make, but then never do (fear that Chris' delicate palate would not survive it..lol) But now that you are showcasing it, I'm thinking I'll give it a try.. at least on a night I'm cooking for myself... I think it sounds wonderful!
Let's just say that my palate is eager for strong, in my face flavor. Uh huh. Yes, and this shall be consumed with gusto with mashed spuds and a strong, earthy, dry red wine. Another masterpiece!
I come from the southern approach to preparing pork. It took me a long time to actually put into use what I knew intellectually--pork should NOT be overcooked. And it has opened up a whole new world of porkness in my kitchen. That might be a bit melodramatic but you get the picture. And, I think we are going to like the boldness of the cumin.
Best,
Bonnie
Cumin is one of my favourite spices and I am a freak for Dijon mustard, so this recipe is right up my street. I'll be trying this when I start eating meat again for sure. :)
Have a nice day.
I've been looking for different ways to make pork chops! I love your side dish suggestions. Those three sound like an interesting combination with some really great flavors!
They look very crunchy and cumin is a very flavorful spice Mary!
I would be one of the lovers of this recipe. Cheese grits and mango salsa, yes please!
what a great crust! we love cumin.
Thanks for stopping by my blog! I'm definitely not afraid of cumin - quite the reverse actually - and this looks delicious...
Flavorful, crusty pork chops are a favorite in this house! I happen to LOVE cumin in anything too! Thanks for passing along the tried and true recipe!!!!
Yum. I love cumin and pork so this dish is yelling my name!
We eat a lot of cumin flavored dishes and this would be a great dish to try out. The chops sound especially good with the pairing of the mango salsa. Thanks for sharing :o)
Mary, I loved the pork chops I'll try at my house because I think everyone will love it!
Thank you for sharing
Kisses
Wow Mary! Lovin the different spice combo!
I haven't had pork chops in a long time. That looks delicious.
my brother and I love love LOVE pork chops...I'm always on the lookout for a new recipe and I'm so excited to try this one out! I will let you know how it goes:-)
Thanks for posting it!!!!
Shawna
I rarely cook pork and this seems to be a good way of using it. I love cumin and find the combination very interesting with the peach or mango sauce.
Your blog is really fantastic.
Bye
Eugenia
We did pork chops coated in smoked paprika this week. Like the Hungarian cousin of your pork chops!
Great to be back on line even with limited time. Love the shrimp recipe and the story that went with it. Yep I agree some prices are best not discussed LOL. Diane
I am REALLY big on bold flavors, especially where cumin is involved! Love this.
Hi Mary, I missed this site. When I change my URL all my addresses are gone. Thankfully I tracked you down again so I am adding you back to my friends kitchen side bar. ^_^
At my tabletop
mmm, cumin is so good, i think this would be a winner for us. excellent recipe!
I am growing quite found of cumin these days....and I like strong flavors, so I might like this dish a lot! I have some mango salsa in the fridge...all I need is some pork! :)
I agree, Mary, the power of pork has been greatly under estimated. I actually came "this close" to taking pork chops out for dinner. (Went with spare ribs instead) I'll be saving this recipe for when I'm feeling really adventurous and Marion is having, liver:)
Thanks for sharing, Mary...
Sounds yummy to me. Thanks for the visit Mary. Have a lovely day!
My palate handles spiced dishes very well, Mary, so before even trying,I know it's very flavorful, especially with mango salsa!Mmmm
I love cumin! In fact, I am a big fan of spices in general. They keep meals fun and interesting. Although I don't eat pork I know a few people that I think would love this recipe. Have a lovely evening!
Mary, this really sounds good to me! Do you by chance have a recipe for your creamy cheese grits? I have been trying to figure out how the chef at 95 Cordova fixes his grits, and he told the waiter that he uses lots of butter and cream. Of course, that doesn't help poor little me who is needing instruction. LOL. If you would share that, I would so appreciate it.
XO,
Sheila :-)
You needn't have fretted with me. I love cumin and I know these pork chops would be a big hit here.
Cumin ranks very, very high on my list of favourite spices (I'd say it's in my top 5, maybe even in my top 3), so thank you for sharing this recipe with us! It looks scrumptious!
This is just my style. Cannot wait to try these.
I'll bet it's wonderful Mary - and thank you so much for including me in your links! I feel honored and humbled to be in such good company. Thanks!!
I love cumin- I think these sound good, especially with the grits and salsa. :)
Thanks for the link, Mary. I copied it and found the recipe. Looks great!
The chef at 95 Cordova said that he uses lots and lots of butter and cream. Or that's what the waiter told me he said. I've never tasted grits that creamy, and I grew up eating them. My mother used to make garlic cheese grits, and they were baked in the oven in a casserole dish and were SO good. But these supposedly have no cheese. I love cheese, but I still can't figure out how he gets them that creamy sans cheese.
XO,
Sheila :-)
What an interesting flavor the pork chops must have with the cumin.
I love cumin ;-) Bet the pork chop tastes heavenly!
This sounds absolutely delicious, especially with your recommendation of serving the chops with cheesy grits and mango salsa. I think I would definitely be a lover rather than a hater of this!! Crusted with strong spices... you've got a great texture and flavour combo there!
Pork is a mild flavoured mear and lends itself to many delicious dishes. The balance of flavours here would be a marriage made in heaven.
It does sound spicy, but I'm a cumin junkie so I'm printing this and putting in my "to try" pile. :)
Thank you for deciding to share this recipe! We looove cumin around here and are not scared of spice and flavor at all. The pork chops look amazing and I'm for anything with mango salsa. :)
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