These pork chops are deliciously tender in their sweet, toffee coloured sauceThis is an unusual and tasty recipe for pork chops, which I got from my newly acquired book (which you can read about over here) “Return To Corriebush” by Lynn Bedford Hall.
Pork chops are always a favourite in our house, and this is a great recipe as it requires very little preparation before placing it in the oven to cook for just over an hour – which gives you time to get on with other things !
I must admit that I’d never heard of the ingredient ‘Verjuice’ before, but a quick Google search told me that it is made from the juice of unripe grapes, and is often used to replace vinegar in dishes as it is quite acidic. I left it out of this recipe, but you could just as easily substitute it with vinegar if you found the final dish to be too sweet (see recipe below for more info on this) -:
Orange Pork Chops (from the book “Return To Corriebush” by Lynn Bedford Hall)
a dash of Oil
6 large Pork Loin Chops (around 1 kg) without rind or excess fat
a little Sea Salt
250 ml (1 cup) fresh Orange Juice
30 ml (2 tbsp) Soy Sauce
30 ml (2 tbsp) smooth Chutney
2 ml (1/2 tsp) ground Cinnamon (I left this out as I had none in my pantry !)
A small knob of fresh Ginger, peeled & coarsely grated
5 ml (1 tsp) very finely grated Orange rind
10 ml (2 tsp) runny Honey
60 ml (4 tbsp) seedless Raisins (I left these out - at my husband’s request !)
30 ml (2 tbsp) Flour
Verjuice (optional) – I left this out
Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the chops and seal quickly on both sides – do not brown. Transfer to a baking dish to fit fairly closely, and season lightly with the salt. Quickly mix the orange juice with the rest of the ingredients, except the flour and the Verjuice. Add the flour to the pan drippings and, when absorbed, add the orange juice mixture. Stir while it comes to the boil, then pour over the chops. Cover securely with a sheet of greaseproof paper* and then one of foil, and bake at 180’C/350’F/Gas Mark 4 for 1 hour. Turn the chops, cover again, and bake for a further 15 minutes, by which time they should be wonderfully tender in a toffee-coloured sauce. Taste and, if too sweet for your liking, add a dash of Verjuice. Serves 6.
*I didn’t cover mine with greaseproof paper – only with the foil – and the chops still turned out really well.
Pork chops are always a favourite in our house, and this is a great recipe as it requires very little preparation before placing it in the oven to cook for just over an hour – which gives you time to get on with other things !
I must admit that I’d never heard of the ingredient ‘Verjuice’ before, but a quick Google search told me that it is made from the juice of unripe grapes, and is often used to replace vinegar in dishes as it is quite acidic. I left it out of this recipe, but you could just as easily substitute it with vinegar if you found the final dish to be too sweet (see recipe below for more info on this) -:
Orange Pork Chops (from the book “Return To Corriebush” by Lynn Bedford Hall)
a dash of Oil
6 large Pork Loin Chops (around 1 kg) without rind or excess fat
a little Sea Salt
250 ml (1 cup) fresh Orange Juice
30 ml (2 tbsp) Soy Sauce
30 ml (2 tbsp) smooth Chutney
2 ml (1/2 tsp) ground Cinnamon (I left this out as I had none in my pantry !)
A small knob of fresh Ginger, peeled & coarsely grated
5 ml (1 tsp) very finely grated Orange rind
10 ml (2 tsp) runny Honey
60 ml (4 tbsp) seedless Raisins (I left these out - at my husband’s request !)
30 ml (2 tbsp) Flour
Verjuice (optional) – I left this out
Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the chops and seal quickly on both sides – do not brown. Transfer to a baking dish to fit fairly closely, and season lightly with the salt. Quickly mix the orange juice with the rest of the ingredients, except the flour and the Verjuice. Add the flour to the pan drippings and, when absorbed, add the orange juice mixture. Stir while it comes to the boil, then pour over the chops. Cover securely with a sheet of greaseproof paper* and then one of foil, and bake at 180’C/350’F/Gas Mark 4 for 1 hour. Turn the chops, cover again, and bake for a further 15 minutes, by which time they should be wonderfully tender in a toffee-coloured sauce. Taste and, if too sweet for your liking, add a dash of Verjuice. Serves 6.
*I didn’t cover mine with greaseproof paper – only with the foil – and the chops still turned out really well.
