fall-inspired pork.

One thing I pride myself in is being able to change my husband's mind about food. Pork chops is one of those things that he never really liked. Me, on the other hand, grew up on pork of many kinds. BBQ'd, fried, braised, sauteed . . . you name it, I probably had it. I made it my mission to have the hubby like at least ONE pork dish.

Why not pork chops?

This recipe is fall-inspired. It has apples, cherries, and sage. I've also added some savory spicy sausage to cut the sweetness of the fruit. I like to serve this with mashed potatoes and collard greens. This time around, I made green beans and leek smashed potatoes. The hubby found this filling and, thankfully, really tasty. Yay for pork!

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Apple-Cherry Stuffed Pork Chops
(makes 4 servings)

4 (thin-cut or 1-in) pork chops, boneless
olive oil
garlic powder
onion powder
paprika
rubbed sage
salt and pepper

2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
2 oz. spicy Italian sausage
1 small apple, peeled and grated
2 celery ribs, finely chopped
4 stalks green onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped dried cherries
1 cup plain bread crumbs
1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley
salt and pepper

 
Preheat oven to 350F degrees.

Cut a pocket in the pork chops with a very sharp knife, carefully bringing the pocket as close to the edge of the chop as possible without cutting through. Drizzle with olive oil then season with garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, rubbed sage, salt, and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Add butter and oil to the pan. When frothy, add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add sausage, sage, and fennel seeds and cook for a few minutes, crumbling the meat. Saute in apple, celery, onion, and cherries until tender and vegetables have given off most of their liquid. Remove from heat then stir in bread crumbs and parsley until mixture comes together. Season with salt and pepper, as needed.

Heat a oven-safe pan over high heat with a little bit of olive oil. Working carefully, stuff each chop firmly with a quarter of the stuffing mixture. Once the pan is hot, add the chops and sear on both sides. Once they have been seared, transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Increase the temperature to 450F degrees and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes or until pork is cooked to desired doneness.

tagine, without the pot.

I love buying kitchen gadgets . . . especially if it's something that I'll particularly find useful. Sometimes, I buy them because they're cute or pretty. My latest splurge was at World Market where I got myself a nice-sized tagine!

I've been itching to use it and finally found a couple of recipes that I wanted to try. So, I got everything that I needed and started to cook. Unfortunately, I never used the tagine. Turns out, before you use a tagine, the bottom portion needs to soak overnight or else it'll crack. Not only that, but apparently I also needed a "heat diffuser" so that it'll protect the clay pot from excess heat. Who knew that clay pots were so finicky??

Luckily for me, I had a heavy-bottomed pot to use as an alternative.

Despite not using the tagine, this dish actually turned out pretty well! I used this and this as guides and went from there. And since I didn't have some of the ingredients listed, I made do with what I did have in my fridge/pantry: Moroccan oil-cured olives, saffron water, giant golden raisins, and plain lemons.

For the side, I decided to make some roasted beets. It's a little weird since I've never come across any Moroccan dishes that uses beets as a side dish, but it was either use them or let them go bad. Thankfully, they paired surprisingly well with the lemony tagine. I also served this with some saffron rice since the hubby isn't too keen on couscous.

So, what's the verdict? Two thumbs up from the hubby! Yay!

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Moroccan Chicken Tagine
(adapted from Simply Recipes and My.Recipes)

For the Chicken:
3 to 4 pcs bone-in chicken thighs
3 tbsp Moroccan spice
2 tbsp honey
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

For the Tagine:
1 large or 2 medium onion, chopped
1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced
3 to 4 carrots, chopped to 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup large golden raisins
1/4 cup pitted oil-cured olives
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 lemon rind, pulp removed and thinly sliced
1 tbsp saffron water (or a pinch of saffron)
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
salt and pepper, to taste
water, as needed
chopped parsley, for garnish

 
Marinate the chicken:
Combine chicken, spice, honey, garlic, and olive oil in a ziplock bag. Massage the marinade into the chicken to make sure it's evenly coated then marinate overnight (or up to 2 days) before making the tagine.

Make the tagine:
On cooking day, heat a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Add the chicken, skin-side down, along with marinade liquid. Cook the chicken until lightly browned then turn over and repeat with the other side. Once the chicken is lightly browned on both sides, add the remainder of the ingredients except for broth.

Cook mixture for about ten minutes. Add broth, scraping the bottom of the pan, then cover with a tight-fitting lid. Cook for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked and tender. If the dish is too dry, add water as needed and cook for a further few minutes. Season with salt and pepper, as needed, then serve garnished with parsley.

Makes 4 servings.

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Honey Roasted Beets
(makes 4 servings)

5 small red beets, quartered
5 small golden beets, quartered
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp fresh thyme
salt and pepper, to taste
2 tbsp white balsamic vinegar, flavored or plain
2 tbsp chopped parsley

 
Preheat oven to 375F degrees.

Whisk together olive oil, honey, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss into beets then evenly spread onto a foil-lined baking sheet.

Roast for 30 to 40 minutes until tender. Remove from oven then add vinegar and parsley. Toss to coat, then transfer to a serving bowl. Drizzle pan juices over beets then serve.