Pork Chops With Apples Can Chase Away The Chill

Sweet, savory and salty - not a likely combination, but a delicious and popular one in traditional Pennsylvania Dutch, Mennonite and Shaker cooking.

Creating appetizing dishes was a challenge during harsh winters when few fresh perishables were available. With salted pork, sauerkraut (cured cabbage) and apples (often dried) as staples in the larder, cooks naturally gravitated toward sweet, savory and salty flavors.

Before refrigeration became common, Mennonite homemakers salted or brine-cured fresh pork after butchering to preserve it for winter. To prepare it, women soaked the meat overnight to remove the excess salt, then simmered it with sauerkraut, brown sugar, fresh or dried fruit and potatoes.

Cider was the liquid of choice when Shaker cooks prepared ham or pork. Favorite dishes included pork chops with mustard, cider and cream; roast pork with herbs, beef broth, cider and sugar; or pork steaks with hard cider, cream and cabbage.

Then, there was the classic Pennsylvania Dutch “schnitz und knepp,” salty, savory ham, sweet apples and knepp, or dumplings. (If this seems too exotic for your taste buds, imagine salted french fries served with ketchup - salty, savory and sweet.)

Now, of course, cooks have a world of ingredients to choose from regardless of the season. But when winter’s chill winds build appetites, a skillet dish of pork, apples and noodles in a sweet and savory sauce sounds nourishing and satisfying.

The following recipe uses maple syrup, molasses, soy sauce and mustard to create the trio of tastes.

Pork Chops with Apples and Noodles

2 (6-ounce) butterflied loin pork chops, cut through to create 4 (1/2-inch-thick) chops

3 tablespoons maple syrup

1 tablespoon dark molasses

3 tablespoons dark rum

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon balsamic or red wine vinegar

Salt, pepper

Apples and Noodles (recipe follows)

1 tablespoon oil

1/4 cup apple juice

Place pork chops in glass bowl. Stir together maple syrup, molasses, rum, mustard, lemon juice, soy sauce, vinegar and salt and pepper to taste in cup. Pour over pork chops. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour. Drain pork chops, reserving marinade.

Just before making pork, prepare Apples and Noodles.

Heat oil in large skillet. Add chops and brown on both sides over medium heat. Remove and pour off fat.

Add apple juice and deglaze pan. Add reserved marinade and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low. Return pork chops to skillet and simmer, covered, until chops are tender, turning once, about 10 minutes per side.

Remove chops. Cook liquid over high heat to reduce to syrupy sauce, about 5 minutes.

To serve, spoon Apples and Noodles onto 2 plates. Top each with 2 pork chops and half the sauce. Serve immediately.

Yield: 2 servings.

Note: For a less-hearty portion, use 1 (6-ounce) butterflied pork chop for 2 servings. Do not reduce marinade amounts.

Apples and Noodles

1 cup fusilli, kluski or other thick noodles

Salt

2 strips bacon, diced

1 small onion, thinly sliced, then cut into half slices

1 small Granny Smith apple, unpeeled, cored and thinly sliced

6 juniper berries (see note)

1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds

2 tablespoons apple juice, optional

Freshly ground white pepper

Cook fusilli in boiling salted water until tender (time will depend upon type of noodle used). Drain and set aside.

Fry bacon in medium, deep-sided skillet until crisp. Add onion, apple, juniper berries and caraway seeds and saute until onion and apple slices are tender, 5 to 10 minutes. If mixture seems dry, add apple juice.

Add noodles and cook over low heat to warm through, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Note: Look for juniper berries at larger supermarkets or specialty stores. If you can’t find them, the recipe will work without them, although it will lack their distinctive taste.