Pork Chops with Brussels Sprouts and Lemon Vinaigrette
I’m a leeeeeeeeettle embarrassed. I made this a long time ago. Like several months ago. And have been telling myself to put it on the blog for months. And for one reason or another it hasn’t happened. But anyway, here we are, and you’re getting it now.
We didn’t used to eat a lot of pork. I was kind of afraid of it to be honest. Afraid of cooking it properly because it can dry out so quickly and because it’s a confusing thing…do you cook it through? Can you see pink? Our parents grew up being told they needed to cook it all the way through making pork kind of uninteresting and dry. We have changed our ways and recognized the deliciousness of a slightly pink pork chop! I also love the savory/sweet combination here. Grapes may sound strange, but trust me, they’re great (updated version of pork chops with applesauce).
The recipe below serves two. You can make this any time of year, but it’s veggie heavy and still feels nice and light.
What You’ll Need:
2 boneless pork loin chops (about 6 ounces each)
½ pound organic Brussels sprouts
6 ounces organic cherry or Sungold tomatoes
¼ pound organic red or other grapes
4 or 5 sprigs organic fresh basil
lemon vinaigrette base (Whisk together: juice from one lemon, 1 tsp onion powder, 2 cloves minced garlic, 1 tbsp dijon mustard and 1/4 cup olive oil, salt and pepper)
What I Did:
Pat the pork dry with a paper towel; season with salt and pepper.
Trim the stem ends from the Brussels sprouts; cut the sprouts lengthwise into quarters.
Cut the tomatoes in half.
Remove any stems from the grapes.
Warm a large frying pan to medium high heat. Warm 1-2 TBSP of your favorite cooking oil (I recommend avocado, coconut or bacon fat) warm 1 to 2 tablespoons oil until hot but not smoking. Add the pork and cook, turning frequently, until browned but still faintly pink within, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board to rest for 5 minutes, then cut into ¼-inch-thick slices. Do not clean the pan.
While the pork cooks and rests, prepare the vegetables and grapes.
In the same pan used for the pork, if dry, add 1 to 2 teaspoons oil. Warm over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the Brussels sprouts, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften and lightly brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and grapes and cook, stirring occasionally, until they start to soften and the Brussels sprouts are just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and season to taste with salt and pepper.
While the vegetables and grapes cook, strip the basil leaves from the stems; coarsely chop the leaves for garnish, and whisk the dressing ingredients together.
