Recipe: Pork Chops with Pear Chutney

Every Thursday on the Good Food Blog we share a recipe from our archives.

Suvir Saran raises Heritage Breeds on his American Masala Farm in upstate New York. He partnered with the American Livestock Breed Conservancy to find breeds that are in the greatest need for preservation, including La Mancha goats and Leicester Longwool sheep. He first shared this recipe for Pork Chops with Pear Chutmey on January 31, 2009.

Keep reading for the full recipe…

Pork Chops with Pear Chutney

Serves 4

The oil in the marinade makes it possible to cook these chops in a skillet with no extra fat. If you don’t have any Pear Chutney in the house, serve these with some applesauce spiked with a pinch of cayenne pepper.

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tsps ground coriander

1-1/2 tsps cracked peppercorns

1 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Four 8-oz 3/4″ to 1-inch thick pork rib chops

1/2 recipe Pear Chutney

2 tsps sugar

Place the olive oil, coriander, cracked pepper, salt and cayenne pepper in a resealable gallon-sized plastic bag. Add the pork chops and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 20 minutes or overnight.

Set an oven rack to the upper-middle position and heat your broiler to high. Heat a large oven-safe skillet for 2 minutes over medium-high heat. Add the pork chops and sear until browned, about 3 minutes. Turn the chops over and transfer the skillet to the oven. Broil the chops for 3 minutes and then remove the skillet from the oven spread 2 tablespoons of Pear Chutney evenly over each chop. Sprinkle each chop with 1/4 teaspoon of sugar and return the skillet to the oven. Continue to broil the chops until the chutney is golden and even a little charred, about 1 to 1-1/2 minutes. Transfer the chops to a platter and serve.

Pear Chutney

Makes about 2 cups

3 Tablespoons canola oil

3 to 6 dried red chiles

1-1/2 tsps fennel seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

1/4 cup dried fenugreek leaves (optional)

1/2 tsp paprika

Pinch asafetida

3-1/2 lbss (about 6) Bartlett or d’Anjou pears, peeled, halved, cored, quartered and thinly sliced crosswise

1-1/2 tsps kosher salt

1/4 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar

Heat the oil with the chiles, fennel seeds and cumin seeds in a large saucepan or skillet over medium-high heat until the cumin is browned, about 2 to 2-1/2 minutes. Stir in the fenugreek leaves (if using), paprika and asafetida and cook for 15 seconds. Add the pears and salt and cook until the pears get juicy, about 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the sugar and vinegar, reduce the heat to medium, and cook for 3 minutes. Cook until the pears are soft, sticky, deeply golden and caramelized, stirring often, for about 35 to 45 minutes. Taste for seasoning, transfer to a plastic container and refrigerate for up to one week or ladle into dry and sterilized jars and can according to the manufacturer’s instructions.