Rochester Chops Recipes

Steps:

• Mix Aleppo pepper, paprika, coarse salt, ground Malabar pepper, and fresh sage in small bowl. Brush pork on both sides with 2 tablespoons oil. Sprinkle generously with all of spice mixture; press to adhere. Spread flour on plate. Dredge pork in flour; shake off excess.
• Heat 3 tablespoons oil in large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork and cook until brown, 3 minutes per side. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until instant-read thermometer inserted into center of pork registers 145°F, about 10 minutes.
• Serve pork with Braised Bacon, Pomegranate, and Pine Nut Relish.
• *Ground Aleppo pepper from Syria has a moderate heat level and tastes slightly sweet. It is available at some specialty foods stores and by mail from Surfas (310-559-4770; surfasonline.com).
• **Malabar peppercorns, from the coast of western India, are especially pungent and zesty. They are available in the spice section of some supermarkets and by mail from The Spice Hunter(800-444-3061; spicehunter.com).

Steps:

• For cabbage:
• Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add cabbage, onion, garlic and marjoram and cook until cabbage and onion are tender, stirring occasionally, about 50 minutes. Stir in balsamic vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared up to 3 hours ahead. Cover skillet and let stand at room temperature. Bring to simmer before continuing with recipe.)
• For pork:
• Heat oil in another heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Season pork chops with salt and pepper. Rub with marjoram. Add pork chops to skillet and fry until cooked through, turning once, about 6 minutes. Transfer cabbage to platter. Place pork chops atop cabbage. Remove skillet from heat. Add chicken broth and balsamic vinegar to skillet. Stir with wooden spoon, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of skillet. Pour sauce over pork and serve.

Steps:

• Cut four 1/2-inch-thick rounds from pineapple; set aside. Cut remaining pineapple into large chunks, discarding core. In a food processor, combine pineapple chunks, scallions, chile, thyme, garlic, and allspice, and pulse until coarsely chopped. Reserve 3/4 cup pineapple marinade and refrigerate.
• Season pork with salt and pepper and place in a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish along with pineapple rounds. Top pork and pineapple with remaining pineapple marinade and turn pork and pineapple to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour (or up to 4 hours).
• In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Working in two batches, brush pineapple mixture off pork and cook chops until browned and cooked through, 10 minutes per batch, flipping once. (Reduce heat if pork begins to overbrown.) Add 1 tablespoon oil to skillet. Brush pineapple marinade off pineapple and cook rounds until golden brown in spots, 5 to 7 minutes, flipping once. Serve with pork and reserved pineapple marinade.