Pork Chops with Applesauce

Another quick recipe as a companion to my post today over at the Ladies of Loserville: the pork chops my mom always used to make, which are awesome with a little fresh applesauce.

Pork Chops

Ground Allspice
Garlic Powder
2 Bay Leaves, crumbled
Salt
Fresh ground pepper

3-4 boneless center-cut pork chops

Amounts are totally approximate, but I’m going to say roughly a tablespoon each of the allspice and garlic, maybe half as much salt and some healthy grinds of pepper.  Mix the spices in a small bowl, then coat pork chops with the rub.  Be generous and fully coat the meat.  Store them in an airtight container or ziploc bag (feel free to toss in any remaining spice mixture) for several hours (you could easily do this in the morning to have for dinner that night).

When you’re ready to cook, first wipe off as much of the spice rub as you can, and pat the chops dry.  They’ll be plenty well-seasoned.  Either saute in a pan with a little olive oil or nonstick spray, or grill them.  Be careful not to overcook, because they can really dry out.  Serve with applesauce (instructions below, if you need them).  I like steamed broccoli and couscous as side dishes.

Fresh Applesauce

This is so easy, it’s almost embarrasing to post the instructions.  But if you’ve never made your own applesauce, you really must do it now.  You may never go back to the stuff in the jar.

Apples, however many you like (at least 2 pounds, I think!)
Lemon
Cinnamon stick
Sugar (optional)

Equipment:
large saucepan or pot
food mill or potato masher

A mixture of different types of apples is always nice, I think.  Some, like Granny Smith, will stay firm when cooked and make for a chunkier applesauce.  Some, like McIntosh, turn to mush almost immediately.  I don’t think you can go wrong with a mix of Golden Delicious, Macoun, Jonagold, Gala, and the like.  There’s plenty of charts out there if you need help picking.

If you have a food mill, don’t even bother to peel them.  Just core and cut into sections.  If you’ll be using a potato masher, take the peels off before you core and section.  Dump them all into a pot, add maybe an inch or so of water in the bottom of the pot.  The juice of one lemon is a nice addition, as is a cinnamon stick dropped into the water.  Add a couple spoonfuls of sugar if you want, but you don’t need much at all (if any).

Cook on medium-high heat (covered) until the apples start to get mushy (some varieties will just get soft, others will practically disintegrate).  Once nice and soft or mushy, turn off the heat and remove the cinnamon stick.  Mash with a potato masher, or put the cooked apples through the food mill (if you left the skins on and had some red apples, the sauce will be kind of pink).  Include the water that’s still in the pot.

Seriously, that’s it.  Just grab a spoon and dig in (yes, warm fresh applesauce is awesome if you’ve never had it).  It will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for at least a week, I’d say.  If it lasts that long…