Pork Chops with Honey Herbs in Applesauce

Pork and apple are a match and this recipe uses those ingredients just right. Use fresh herbs or 1/2 the amount of dried. This makes a great entree with a salad

Serves: 4

Ingredients
For the Chunky Apple and Herb Sauce with Balsamic Vinegar:
1 tablespoon olive oil (EVO)
2 large shallots or 1 medium red onion, finely chopped
1 large clove garlic, chopped
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons thyme, chopped
1 tablespoon rosemary, finely chopped
3 apples, peeled and diced ½ inch, such as Honeycrisp or Gala
½ lemon, juiced
½ cup apple cider
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoon grainy Dijon mustard


For the Pork Chops:
4 large boneless pork chops, about 1 ½-inches thick
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup Marsala or chicken broth
½ cup apple cider
2 tablespoons butter

How to make it:
For the applesauce, heat a saucepan over medium to medium-high heat with
EVO, 1 turn of the pan, add the shallots or onion, garlic, salt,
pepper and herbs and cook 5 minutes to soften. Add apples, lemon juice, apple
cider, honey and vinegar and cook about 12 minutes for apples to soften and
chunky sauce to form, stirring occasionally. Add mustard to serve

For the pork chops, heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat while you
pat chops dry and season with salt and pepper. Add olive oil, 2 turns of the
pan and cook chops about 10 minutes, turning occasionally. Brown the edges on
chops and let rest on a platter covered with foil. Add Marsala to the pan and
whisk up the fond or drippings. Add cider to the pan and reduce liquids by
half, then add butter and swirl a minute or so more. Spoon sauce over the
chops and top with the applesauce.