Peachy Pork Chops

Pork, the other white meat, and I have never been friends because it only came to me in one way growing up, with cream of mushroom soup and white rice. I believe it was either the Tuesday or Wednesday meal in my parents house- nestled in between spaghetti night and leftover night. I swore I would never eat pork again, and then, I tried it at a restaurant, and fell in love again.



I decided to try to make a pork chop recipe at home after that one meal, and selected something that would allow me to use a jar of the peaches I had canned in the summer, along with a few other seasonal ingredients. I picked out the pork chops from the farmer's market, and let them thaw for a day. These pork chops were incredibly thick though, so it actually took two days to fully thaw.



The recipe originally came from Real Simple magazine, from which I occasionally cook. I love the simpleness of their meals; they test really great recipes that are quick for weeknight meals. One of the caveats that I ran into though in this recipe was the cooking time. As my pork chops were extremely thick, my cooking time doubled. However, the recipe was originally created for typical supermarket chops that are thinner.



All in all, I really enjoyed the peachy pork chops as they were sweet, yet salty enough to keep me wanting more. It was a great way for me to try out my first pork recipe!



Peachy Pork Chops
adapted from Real Simple

1 tablespoon olive oil
4 bone-in pork chops (3/4 inch thick; about 2 pounds total)
kosher salt and black pepper
2 peaches, cut into wedges- I used canned peaches from last summer
1 small red onion, cut into thin wedges
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
Drizzle of Honey-I added this
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves-I omitted basil

Directions
Heat oven to 400° F.
Heat the oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat.
Season the pork with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook until browned, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.
Add the peaches, onion, vinegar, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper to the skillet and cook, tossing, for 1 minute.
Return the pork (and any accumulated juices) to the skillet. Drizzle with honey if you so choose.
Transfer to oven and roast until the pork is cooked through and the peaches are tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
Sprinkle the pork and peaches with the basil if you like