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Friday, April 17, 2009

Braised Pork Chops with Homemade Curry and Chutney Sauce


From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I grew up as "Big" Mary in a two Mary household. "Little" Mary - all five feet of her - was my mother. If you phoned the house you'd have to specify which of us you wanted to talk with. I hated it. When our daughters arrived I was determined to spare them such ignominy. Oh, they have pet names but those are sealed within the bosom of the family. That's fine, except when you need to know which child I'm speaking of. So, for today, I'll be referring to my first born as "Number One Daughter." When we get together and family updates are complete it's time to talk food. You need to know that Number One Daughter is fearless in the kitchen and she does know what she's doing. If that meat on your plate looks like boar chances are it is. Get the drift? This year she set me onto Nancie McDermott's The Curry Book - Memorable Flavors and Irresistibly Simple Recipes from Around the World. As a rule of thumb, I won't buy a cookbook until I've found and tested at least two recipes, but Number One Daughter's recommendation was all I needed to place an order for the book. I was surprised by the simplicity of the recipes and the depth of flavor that could be produced with so few ingredients. I know it's not necessary to make your own chutney - Major Gray's would do nicely - but it's fun to know how its done. You can use any curry powder you like, but I've included a recipe that will allow you to make your own for the same reason. So, today we'll have a three-fer.

Braised Pork Chops with Curried Chutney Sauce...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 (1-1/4-inch thick) center cut pork chops (brined if possible)
1 tablespoon butter
1tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoon finely chopped shallots or scallions
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/4 cup Madeira, Marsala or cram sherry wine
3/4 cup chicken broth
3/4 cup light cream or half-and-half
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 cup mango chutney
1/4 cup chopped chives or scallions

Directions:
1) Combine flour, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl. Pat pork chps dry; dredge in flour mixture. Set aside.
2) Heat butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork chops and cook until lightly browned, about 1 minute per side. Remove chops to a platter.
3) Add shallots and curry powder to skillet; cook until shallots are softened and coated with curry powder, about 3 minutes. Add wine and broth, scraping fond from bottom of pan. Bring to a boil.
4) Combine half-and-half and cornstarch in a small bowl. Gradually add to skillet. Dice any large fruit pieces in your chutney. Stir chutney into skillet and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until sauce is golden and slightly thickened, about 3 minutes.
5) Return pork chops to pan; turn to coat both sides with sauce. Cover and simmer, turning once, for a total of 20 minutes, or until done. Transfer to a serving platter, cover with sauce and sprinkle with chives. Yield: 4 servings.

Cook's Note: I always brine pork chops. Ingredients and directions for brine are here. This extra step is well worthwhile. You'll have wonderfully moist pork chops.


Fresh Mango Chutney...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
2 large, ripe mangoes
1 large apple
1 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup dark raisins
1/4 cup diced crystallized ginger
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1-1/2 teaspoons mustard seeds
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:
1) Peel mangoes and cut into bite-size chunks. Place into a large (3-quart) saucepan. Peel, core and coarsely chop it; add to saucepan along with onion, bell pepper, raisins, ginger, sugar, vinegar, mustard seeds, pepper flakes and salt.
2) Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender and liquid thickens into a light syrup, about 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from heat. Cool to room temperature. Refrigerate. Chutney will keep for 3 to 4 weeks in refrigerator. Yield: About 3 cups.

Curry Powder...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons ground coriander
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper
2 teaspoons ground cloves
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1 teaspoon ground cayenne
2 tablespoons ground turmeric

Directions:
Place all ingredients, except turmeric, in a frying pan. Toast spices over medium heat until they darken, release their fragrance and wisps of smoke rise from pan, about 3 minutes. Cool to room temperature. Stir in turmeric. Store tightly covered and away from heat and light. Shelf life is about 3 months. Yield: 1/2 cup.

27 comments:

  1. What a wonderful homemade sauce for the braised pork chops!

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  2. Selba, it really is wonderful. This is so easy to do and the flavors so intense that this tiny recipe worked its way into my recipe rotation. I'm really fussy about what goes there.

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  3. I shall give the mango chutney a go - something I haven't made before, but had forgotten that I would love to - being a Brit, curry is second nature to me. Actually, I think I am right in saying that Indian food is the number 1 take away in England!

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  4. Manggo chutney is one of my favourite. I always wanted to make some. Your recipe is really simple and easy to make.

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  5. I do buy Major Greys (and a jar is always in the pantry) thanks for the curry recipe -- I may try to make my own -- there is definitely a difference in curry powders -- currently I get one from Penzy's that is really good but I'll try your recipe.

    BTW, the pork looks good as well.

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  6. Mary.. and my invite went where?? OMG delicious. From the curry to the mango, perfect dish.. again, where's my invite?

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  7. Mary those pork chops look like they should be on the menu of a fine restaurant. Thank you for the chutney recipe. I have been looking for a good one and I think I definitely found it.. I want a good recipe because it is expensive to buy and it never has been worth the price. Have a great weekend...

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  8. your chutney sounds amazing! Love the way it's all jewel-like on the chop...yum!

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  9. I am glad you shared the chutney recipe. That is something I want to try.

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  10. That sounds so yummy! I love pork and chutney together. I will put this book on my (ever expanding) wishlist.

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  11. Your mango chutney looks yumm and i love the ratio of your Curry powder ingredients.

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  12. Oh my goodness...those chops look amazing. The chutney sauce sounds really incredible.

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  13. I wish I had your restraint! If I see a cookbook with a pretty picture I buy it. I'm hopeless! But I do like to sit around and read them at night and I cook from them all the time so it's not a waste, just a little excessive!

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  14. Homemade curry powder. You are amazing, Mary. I'm looking forward to trying this recipe. Love curry and chutney.

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  15. Mary, This is so wonderful because everything is reduced to what you can control: no reliance on mass produced products. I like that. I am trying to cook cleaner. Searching for a CSA in our area.

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  16. It just sounds all-over delicious.

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  17. Just a quick note to you all. I'm going to make more chutney this weekend and hope to have a picture to insert on Monday.

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  18. Wow! Mary, you are so amazing! Not only did you create a lovely dish, you made the sauce ingredients (the curry and chutney) from scratch! My Hubby would say I have to learn from you! :)

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  19. This looks so gratifyingly good. Tastey.

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  20. We will just call you Chef Mary. Wow those Pork Chops look fab. Love the curry.

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  21. Terrfic blog, great pix, and your recipes are ALL mouthwatering!

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  22. Katy, thanks for stopping by. I hope we'll see you often.

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  23. I usually brine pork chops too. Those flavors sound delicious.

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  24. Mango chutney and pork goes really well together. I used to make a very similar but less elaborate recipe. Delicious.

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  25. Two things I am always looking for are new roast chicken recipes and new pork chop recipes. I usually brine my chops, so there's no hesitation there. I love the chutney glaze on these - can't wait to try them!

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  26. Haleysuzzane, welcome to my place. I hope we'll see you often.

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  27. Having a British mother both curry and chutney were used in the kitchen alot. She has a chutney recipe (and thank you a future blog is being inspired!). This is definately a recipe I will make her. Maybe for Mother's Day!

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