Why go out to dinner when you can have a better, less expensive meal at home? Okay, preparing a meal is a lot of work. Sometimes. But not with the recipe I'm offering you today. Pork Sirloin Chops with Pears and Blue Cheese is easy to put together, cooks in about 30 minutes, is economical, and, best of all, tastes amazingly good. The recipe has savory, tender pork, sweet pears, and salty, creamy blue cheese crumbles. You'll have plenty of sauce to accompany the pork and to top noodles, mashed potatoes, or rice. The meal is easy enough to pull off on a busy weeknight, and washing up the dishes won't be onerous, because the pork cooks in a skillet on the stove top. Try the pork sirloin chops. They really are better than what you're likely to get in many restaurants!
Pork Sirloin Chops with Pears and Blue Cheese -- Serves 2
1 tablespoon of canola oil
2 pork sirloin chops (about 6 ounces each)
1 tablespoon of flour
2-3 tablespoons of chopped onion
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of lemon pepper
2-3 ripe pears, cored and sliced (peel them, too, if you like--or not)
1 1/2 cups of chicken broth (or 1 1/2 teaspoons of reduced sodium chicken
"Better Than Bullion" reconstituted in 1 1/2 cups of water)
1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme
1 teaspoon of sweet paprika
1/2 cup of white wine
2-3 tablespoons of crumbled blue or gorgonzola cheese
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Dust the chops with the flour and, when the pan is hot, add them to the pan and scatter in the onion. Sprinkle the chops with the salt and lemon pepper. Cook the chops for 8-10 minutes, flipping them mid-way through the time, so that each side browns. Remove the chops to a plate. To the pan with the onion and brown bits from the pork, add the pears, chicken broth, thyme, paprika, and wine, stirring everything well to loosen the brown bits and blend the ingredients. Bring the contents of the pan to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer. Let the sauce cook for about 10 minutes, stirring it periodically. Add the pork chops back to the pan and let them cook in the sauce for about 5 minutes or until cooked through and the sauce has reduced by 1/3-1/2. Turn off the heat and sprinkle the blue cheese over the chops before serving them.
