Honey-Braised Pork Chops with Pears, Red Onion, Feta and Almonds
Pork and fruit have a natural affinity: pork’s mild, tender meat pairs nicely with sweet, succulent produce. In this dish, the sweet ingredients (pears and honey) are balanced perfectly with tangier ingredients (feta cheese and cider vinegar), and then everything is topped off with toasted almonds.
1/3 cup (75 mL) sliced almonds
1 tablespoon (15 mL) olive oil
4 boneless pork loin chops (about 5 ounces each) (150 g each)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 pears, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1/2 cup (125 mL) thinly sliced red onion
1 teaspoon (5 mL) dried thyme
1 cup (250 mL) reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoons (45 mL) honey
2 teaspoons (10 mL) cider vinegar
1/4 cup (50 mL) crumbled feta cheese
2 tablespoons (30 mL) chopped fresh parsley
To save time on a future meal, double the recipe for the sauce portion and use the sauce (with pears and onions) over roasted chicken, turkey cutlets or turkey tenderloin.
Place almonds in a small, dry skillet and set pan over medium heat. Cook 3 to 5 minutes, until almonds are golden brown, shaking the pan frequently to prevent burning. Set aside.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season both sides of pork chops with salt and black pepper and add to hot pan. Sear 2 to 3 minutes per side, until golden brown. Using tongs, remove pork from pan and set aside. To the same pan over medium-high heat, add pears and onion. Sauté 3 minutes, until soft. Add the thyme and stir to coat. Cook 1 minute, until thyme is fragrant. Add the chicken broth, honey and vinegar and bring to a simmer. Return the pork chops to the pan and cook 3 to 5 minutes, until pork chops are tender and cooked through.
Transfer pork chops to a serving platter and pour over sauce with onions and pears. Top with feta cheese, parsley and toasted almonds.
Makes 4 servings
Active time: 10 minutes
Start to finish time: 25 minutes
Per serving for 4 servings: 409 calories, 16 g total fat (4.5 g saturated fat, 8.2 g monounsaturated fat, 2 g polyunsaturated fat), 31 g carbohydrate, 39 g protein, 84 mg cholesterol, 4 g fibre, 97 mg calcium, 66 mg magnesium, 617 mg sodium, 991 mg potassium, 2.6 mg vitamin E
