Cranberry Pork Chops

Ah, pork. You are NOT my favorite food. But you are the other white meat, and so you must be included in a balanced diet I suppose. Or at least you must be included occasionally on this blog.

In honor of Thanksgiving approaching this month, I bring you a recipe that uses cranberry sauce. You know, that stuff from the can that sits on the table and is woefully neglected during Thanksgiving dinner because it looks entirely too healthy?

INGREDIENTS:

1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1/4 tsp pepper
4 boneless pork loin chops (1/2 inch thick and 4 oz each)
2 TBS olive oil
1 can (16 oz) whole-berry cranberry sauce
1 TBS balsamic vinegar

DIRECTIONS:

In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the flour, salt, seasoned salt and pepper. Add pork chops, one at a time, and shake to coat. In a large skillet, cook pork in oil over medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes on each side or until juices run clear. In a small bowl, combine cranberry sauce and vinegar; pour over chops. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, bring broth to a boil. Add rice and cranberries. Return to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Let stand for 5 minutes or until broth is absorbed. Serve pork chops with sauce and rice.

VERDICT:

It's not too bad. I think I overcooked the pork (but it's hard to tell when it's done with all that cranberry covering it!) and it probably would have been better if it weren't so chewy. I have yet to discover the secret to non-chewy pork chops, and I'm beginning to think it's just part of pork's charm.

The cranberry taste was great, definitely a recipe to use again... next November.

And just because I can, here's a picture of what Jacob was doing while I was cooking. He swiped the bag of corn (yes, I cheat and just heat up frozen corn from a box!) off the counter and fed his monkey dinner.