Braised Pork Chops with Peach Gravy and Cauliflower Couscous
This past summer’s peach harvest was, in my humble opinion, the best in several years. I couldn’t get enough of them and wanted to enjoy them in as many dishes as possible.
I love soul food but it’s often loaded with fat and carbs, so I thought I would take a classic dish, smothered pork chops and rice, and make it a lot healthier without compromising flavor.
INGREDIENTS
- Four pork chops
- 2 cups of peach wedges
- 2 cups of sliced yellow or Spanish onions
- 2 cloves of garlic, sliced
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups beef stock/broth (you may also use chicken or vegetable)
- Kosher salt (to taste)
- Black pepper (to taste)
- Chopped parsley (garnish)
- Fresh peach wedges (garnish)
DIRECTIONS
Preparation:- Pat dry both sides of each chop dry, season with kosher salt and black pepper; set aside.
- Pre-heat your oven to 350° F, place a rack on the middle level in the oven.
- Prepare the Cauliflower Couscous recipe which is an earlier post on this blog. You can do this a day ahead or while the pork chops are in the oven.
Cooking:
- Heat a large, oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat; add the olive oil. When the oil just starts to smoke place the pork chops in the skillet; brown on both sides.
- Add the onions, peaches, garlic, and stock to the pan. Bring to a boil then cover and place into 350° F oven for 45 minutes. (You may cook this on the stovetop if you can’t or don’t want to use an oven; you will just have to turn the chops over halfway through the cooking time.)
- Take the skillet out of the oven; remove the chops, place them on a serving platter, cover with foil to keep them warm.
- Using a potato masher mash the peaches and onions in the skillet. For a creamier gravy you can pour the contents of the skillet into a heat-proof blender and puree, but BE CAREFUL, it’s HOT, and hot liquids in a blender will react more vigorously when processed (i.e. the top will fly off the blender because of the expanding steam if the top is not held down ).
- Pour the peach gravy into a heat-proof serving bowl. Remove the foil from the serving plate of pork chops; garnish with fresh peach wedges. Serve with the cauliflower couscous. Enjoy with a glass of your favorite chardonnay.
ENJOY!
Braised Pork Chops with Peach Gravy and Cauliflower Couscous
