Pork Chops with Mango-Apple Relish

These sweet, fruity pork chops are perfect for the hot summer months.

For four servings, you'll need:

+  four pork chops, bone-in

+  apple cider vinegar, 1 cup

+  soy sauce, 2 tablespoons

+  olive oil, 2 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons, divided

+  S&P

+  1 apple, cored and diced

+  1 large mango, cored, peeled, and diced

+  1 shallot, minced

+  1/2 cucumber, seeded and diced

+  1 lime

+  sugar, 1 teaspoon

Marinate pork chops, for at least 2 hours, in vinegar, soy sauce, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Lightly salt and pepper chops; sear, in remaining olive oil, over medium-high heat for 7-8 minutes on each side.  Fold apple, mango, shallot, cucumber, and sugar together; lightly drizzle in lime juice, and season with salt and pepper.  Serve over pork chops.  Enjoy!

Thai Pork Burgers

My dad is (still) on the Atkin's diet, so when I saw the packages of ground pork in the freezer, I knew exactly what to do. I was inspired by Brigitte Nguyen's Vietnamese Bistro Burgers from the Food Network's Ultimate Recipe Showdown, but I simplified the recipe to accommodate our pantry. Enjoy!

For about 8 burgers, you'll need:

+ daikon radish, peeled and julienned, about 1/2 cup
+ red bell pepper, julienned, about 1/2 cup
+ carrot, peeled and julienned, about 1/2 cup
+ 1/2 Anaheim chile, seeded and julienned
+ apple cider vinegar, 1 1/2 cups
+ sugar, 1 cup
+ S&P
+ ground pork, about 2 pounds
+ soy sauce, 4 tablespoons
+ toasted sesame oil, 4 tablespoons
+ olive oil, for pan
+ hamburger buns

Combine the vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan; add daikon, bell pepper, carrot, and chile. Liberally salt and pepper. Pickle the vegetables over medium-low heat for at least 20 minutes. Drain.

In a large bowl, incorporate ground pork, soy sauce, sesame oil, and pepper. Form the mixture into patties of equal size. Coat a large skillet in olive oil, and cook the burgers for 7-8 minutes per side, flipping only once. Remove from pan.

Assemble, placing a liberal amount of pickled vegetables atop each burger. Enjoy!

Just Plum(b) Good: Asian Pork Tenderloins

These pork tenderloins are fruity and sweet, and amazingly tender. I wanted to braise sliced plums with the pork, but, since they aren't in season, I left them out of the recipe. Feel free to add them!

For four servings, you'll need:

+ 1 large lean pork tenderloin

+ soy sauce, 1/4 cup

+ dry white wine, 1/4 cup + 1/2 cup

+ brown sugar, 2 tablespoons

+ hoisin sauce, 2 tablespoons

+ Thai chili oil, 1 splash

+ garlic, 2 cloves, minced

+ ginger, 1 one-inch segment, minced

+ plum jam, 1 12-ounce jar*

+ S&P

+ olive oil

Trim the tenderloins of excess fat and slice into 2" segments. Use cooking twine to help the slices hold their shapes. Combine the soy sauce, 1/4 cup of wine, brown sugar, hoisin sauce, chili oil, garlic, and ginger in a shallow dish. Add the pork tenderloin; cover. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours; flip, and marinade for at least 2 more. Reserve marinade.

In a large skillet, bring olive oil to medium heat. Lightly salt and liberally pepper the tenderloins, and sear for about 2 minutes on each side. Remove from pan. Deglaze pan with reserved marinade, and gently whisk in the jam. Reintroduce the pork to the pan; cover, and braise for 20 minutes, or until the pork is cooked through. Remove the pork from the pan (and cut away the cooking twine) and place in a serving dish. Add the reserved wine to the sauce and stir until thick. Pour over the pork. Enjoy!

* I recently made this with fig preserves, and it was also fabulous! Most sweet fruits will work in this recipe.

Apple Pork Chops

Pork chops that made my Jewish boyfriend ask for seconds.

For two, you'll need:

+ 2 frenched, thick-cut pork chops

+ 3 sweet apples* (I used Braeburns), cored

+ 1 small onion (white or yellow), petaled

+ brown sugar, 2 teaspoons

+ olive oil, 3 tablespoons

+ soy sauce, 6 tablespoons

+ apple cider, 3 tablespoons

+ chicken stock, about 3/4 cup

Cut a pocket in each pork chop, and insert one apple ring (about 1/4 inch thick, with the core removed) and one teaspoon of brown sugar into each. Whisk together 3 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and the apple cider. Marinade the chops for at least 2 hours, in the refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Arrange the petaled onion and the remaining apples (cut into eighths, with the cores removed) in the bottom of a baking dish. Add chicken stock and remaining soy sauce.

In a skillet, bring remaining olive oil to medium-high heat. Salt and pepper each chop, and sear for about 1 minute on each side. Transfer to the baking dish. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Allow to rest for 5-10 minutes; enjoy!

* I cook almost exclusively with Granny Smith apples, because they're tart and substantial, but in this case, we're looking for a nice, sweet apple. Go ahead and use whichever variety you like best.