Author Notes
Sweeten up the weeknight blues by eating fruit for dinner… Think a blueberry compote and creamy polenta with a perfectly grilled pork chop! —Rachel (Simple Seasonal)
Continue After Advertisement
Ingredients
-
CHOPS
-
4
pork chops
-
1 cup
all-natural, unsweetened apple juice
-
1 tablespoon
salt
-
1 tablespoon
olive oil
-
fresh cracked pepper to taste
-
BLUEBERRY COMPOTE
-
1 cup
medium chopped onions
-
1 cup
large peeled and chopped granny smith apples
-
1 teaspoon
butter
-
2 teaspoons
minced garlic
-
1 cup
all-natural, unsweetened apple juice
-
2 cups
fresh blueberries
-
2 tablespoons
balsamic vinegar
-
1/4 teaspoon
salt
-
POLENTA
-
6 cups
water
-
1/4 teaspoon
salt
-
1 cup
cornmeal
-
2 tablespoons
butter
-
fresh basil for garnish
Directions
-
One to two hours before you plan on starting dinner whisk together 1 C of all-natural, unsweetened apple juice and 1 Tbsp of salt to make a brine for your pork chops. Add the pork chops to the brine and brine for 1-2 hours in the refrigerator.
-
When you're ready to start dinner remove your chops from the brine. pat dry with a paper towel, and lightly coat all over with olive oil and then add fresh cracked pepper to taste.
-
Prep all of your ingredients for the blueberry compote, so that it's easy to make while you're cooking the other components of your meal.
-
Preheat and clean your grill. While the grill is heating allow the pork chops to come to room temperature.
-
For the blueberry compote sauté your onions and apples in 1 tsp of butter over medium heat for 3 minutes, or until the onions begin to soften. Add 2 tsp of garlic to the pan and sauté one more minute.
-
Next, add 1 C of apple juice and 2 C of blueberries to the pan and cook over medium-high heat until the liquid is reduced by half. About 5 minutes.
-
Add salt and 2 Tbsp of balsamic vinegar to the pan and cook an additional minute. Remove from the burner and your sauce is complete.
-
For the pork chops, place them on the grill over direct medium heat (350º-450º F) with the lid closed as much as possible until slightly pink in the center (about 10 minutes), turning once. Remove the chops from the grill and let rest for 3-5 minutes.
-
While the pork chops are cooking make your creamy polenta, which comes together easily. Bring 6 C of water and 1/4 tsp of salt to a boil in a medium sauce pan. Next, slowly pour in 1 C of cornmeal while whisking vigorously to prevent clumping. Continue to cook until it begins to thicken and then remove from the heat. This will only take a minute or two. Finally, melt in your butter.
-
To serve, ladle 1/4 of the polenta onto a plate, top with a pork chop and then pour 1/4 of the blueberry compote in an attractive swirled pattern over the dish. Garnish with fresh basil.
See what other Food52ers are saying.