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Leftover cabbage made these chops easy [UPDATED]
Published 3:02pm Wednesday, March 21, 2012 Updated 3:43pm Wednesday, March 21, 2012“Eewwww!”
That was the response from a teen living with us when I told her that we were having sage-rubbed pork chops with warm apple slaw.
I had mentioned to her that we were going to try something new Tuesday night and asked her to keep an open mind and give it a chance, which she did.
After St. Patrick’s Day, when we had corned beef and cabbage, I still had a half a head of cabbage left over and thought the pork chop recipe the perfect way to use it.
Our teen didn’t care for either the corned beef or the cabbage, so I planned to make rice along with the slaw so she would have something to eat with the chops on the likely chance she wouldn’t eat the apple slaw. That was a good decision on my part.
She liked the pork chops, however, it seems it doesn’t matter how the cabbage is prepared, she just won’t eat it. No biggie. She liked the rice.
My husband and I loved the chops and the slaw, although I did decide when I make the recipe again, I will cook one of the apples with the pork chops to add additional flavor.
The recipe was easy to make and we decided it is a keeper. Hope you enjoy it, too.
Sage-rubbed pork chops with warm apple slaw
For the chops:
1 tablespoon fresh sage (or 1 teaspoon dried; I used the dried)
1 large clove garlic, minced (about 1 teaspoon; I used the jarred minced garlic and it worked perfectly)
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper (you can use the ground pepper, I didn’t notice a difference)
4 3/4-inch thick bone-in pork loin chops (about 8 ounces each)
2 tablespoons olive oil
For the Slaw:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, cut in half, then thinly sliced into half-moons
2 large Granny Smith apples, cut in half, cored and coarsely shredded (I just cut into chunks; I like cooked apples cut bigger.)
1 teaspoon fresh sage (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
1/2 head green cabbage, cored and coarsely shredded (about 9 cups)
1 package shredded carrots, (about 3 cups)
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup chicken broth
To make the chops, combine the sage, garlic, salt and a few grinds of pepper (I used about 1/4 teaspoon of ground pepper) in a small bowl. Rub this mixture all over the pork chops and let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes.
Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chops (and if you prefer, one of the apples, cut in chunks) and brown on both sides about 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer the chops to a plate.
Carefully wipe out the pan and heat oil over medium heat and add the onion, apple and sage.
Cook, stirring a few times, until softened and golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the cabbage, carrots, vinegar and salt and continue cooking until the cabbage and carrots begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
Add the broth and return the pork chops to the pan, burying them in the vegetable mixture. Cover and cook just until the pork chops have a slight blush in the center, about 5 to 7 minutes longer.
To serve, arrange the warm slaw on individual plates and top with a pork chop and pan juices.
