Fall Recipes: Harvest Pork Chops

Fall is finally here, and our leaves may still be green, but even the proudest Southalnders are excited about the autumn harvest season. Southern California is home to tons of farms and a dedicated selection of urban pumpkin patches, but it's rare that we take a weekend jaunt to indulge our autumn whims -- there's not a lot of apple picking going on in Los Angeles. For all of the fall and none of the fuss, the best option is to cook something deliciously seasonal. Debra Hempe and Klausbees Honey (a prize sponsor in our apple recipe contest) have got you covered on that front: their Harvest Pork Chops use apples and honey to bring out the flavor of the pork -- the result is a sweet and savory meal that will satisfy all your apple-picking, pumpkin-carving, sweater-wearing cravings.

Harvest Pork Chops
1 small green apple ~thinly sliced half moons
1 small red onion~ thinly sliced half moons
½ tablespoon butter
½ tablespoon. olive oil
1/8 teaspoon ground clove
3/4 teaspoon sweet curry
¾ teaspoon cumin
Juice of 1 medium orange
½ teaspoon honey
1 tablespoon water
Salt and pepper to taste
Onion and garlic powder to taste
2-3 pork chops

Place the butter and olive oil in to a low to medium heated sauté pan. Add the red onion and apple to the pan and cook on low till they are soft, but not browned (5-10 minutes or so). When done, remove onion apple mix from the pan and set aside.

In a small bowl combine the cloves, cumin, curry, honey water and orange juice. Mix well and set aside.

Heat a fry pan to medium to high heat.

Meanwhile, sprinkle two pork chops with salt and pepper, plus onion and garlic powder, to taste.

Sear the chops in the hot pan on both sides, then turn down the heat to medium and carefully add the orange juice mixture.

Five minutes before the pork chops are done add the onion apple mixture back into the pan to heat them and marry all the flavors together.

Serve when the pork chops reach their proper internal temperature of 160 degrees.