Pork Chops and Applesauce

My plan was a meatless meal. Really. But then I saw those extra thick pork chops on sale in my local market and was smitten.

When I was a kid, one of my favorite meals was Pork Chops and Applesauce, though it probably came in second to my mother's Fried Chicken and Mashed Potatoes, at least on my 6th birthday. I forgive my Mother for forcing me to eat Liver and Onions (can't stomach it to this day) and the two years of nothing but vegetarian stir-fries for that Fried Chicken. Alas, she never makes the Fried Chicken any more. But this post is not about chicken, it's about the Pork Chops and how my mom used to make them.

This meal really doesn't have a "recipe", but I think it's a good example of one which can be tossed together in about 20 minutes and still be fresh and healthy (especially if you remember that old saying about the other white meat).

Pork Chops, Sauteed Spinach and Sliced Tomatoes with Goat Cheese.

2 each Pork Chops, about 1" thick

1/4 cup flour

salt and pepper

2 Tbsp olive oil

20 oz cleaned spinach

1/2 lemon

2 cloves garlic

1 large vine ripe tomato

1 oz soft goat cheese

1 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar

Applesauce

Pre-heat the oven to 350-400 degrees.

Put 1/4 cup of flour on a plate with some salt and pepper. Dredge the Pork Chops in the flour and shake off the excess.

Heat a heavy bottomed pan and put in a tablespoon of oil. Cook the Pork Chops until brown on one side and then turn over. Put the pan in the oven so that the Chops keep cooking.

Note; I put the pan in the oven because they will cook more evenly in there, without burning, than they will on the stove top.

In a large saute pan or wok, heat about a teaspoon of olive oil. Toss in 2 cloves of minced garlic. Add the bag of cleaned spinach and a squeeze of lemon juice from 1/2 a lemon. Toss the spinach rapidly so it wilts and turn off the heat.

Slice the tomatoes and garnish with crumbled soft goat cheese. Drizzle with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.

The pork chops should be done by now. They took about 10 min in the oven because they were about 1" thick. If thinner, obviously they will cook much faster. Very thin pork chops can be cooked entirely on the stove top.

I didn't have any home made applesauce, but the chunky organic stuff from Trader Joe's is pretty good.

Serves 2.

Total cooking time 20 minutes

Note to self: Those tomatoes are the worst I've ever had. Completely tasteless. Must get summer garden started...