Apple to the Core

Pork Recipes

Apple Glazed Pork Chops

• 1/2 cup Smucker's Apple Jelly

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

• 4 (1-inch-thick) pork chops

• 2 small baking apples, cored and sliced

Combine first four ingredients in saucepan; cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until jelly melts. Keep warm.  Place pork chops on rack in broiler pan. Broil five inches from heat, seven minutes on each side. Remove from oven; brush one side with jelly glaze, and broil three minutes. Flip and brush other side with glaze; top with apple slices, and drizzle with remaining glaze. Broil three minutes

Pork Chops Ole

• 6 loin pork chops, 1/2 inch thick, trimmed

• Salt-free herb seasoning blend and pepper to taste

• 3/4 cup uncooked long grain rice

• 1½ cups water

• 1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce

• 2 tbl taco seasoning mix

• 1 medium green pepper, chopped

• 1/2 cup shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese

In a large skillet coated with nonstick cooking spray, brown pork chops; sprinkle with seasoning blend and pepper. Meanwhile, in a 13x9" baking dish coated with nonstick spray, combine rice, water, tomato sauce and taco seasoning; mix well. Arrange chops on top; sprinkle with green pepper. Cover and bake at 350º for 1½ hours. Uncover and sprinkle with cheese; return to oven until cheese is melted. Makes 6 servings.  Each serving = 268 calories, 7 grams fat, saturated fat 3 grams.

Scalloped Potatoes and Pork Chops

• 5 cups thinly sliced peeled potatoes

• 1 cup chopped onions

• Salt and Pepper to taste

• 1 can cream of mushroom soup

• 1/2 cup sour cream

• 6 pork loin chops

• chopped fresh parsley

In a greased 13x9" baking dish, layer half of the potatoes and onion; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Repeat layers. Combine the soup and sour cream; pour over mixture. Cover and bake at 375º for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a skillet, brown pork chops on both sides. Place chops on top of casserole. Cover and return to the oven for 45 minutes or until chops are tender, uncovering during the last 15 minutes of baking. Sprinkle with parsley. Makes 6 servings.

Ranchero Pork Chops

• 2 tbl oil

• 1 medium onion, sliced

• 1 medium green pepper, cut into thin strips

• 1/2 tsp ground cumin

• 1 tsp chili powder

• 1 (14½ oz) can tomatoes

• 1/2 tsp sugar

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 4 pork loin butterfly chops, each 1/2 inch thick

• 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper

• 1 large avocado

• 1/2 cup sour cream

• tortilla chips

In a 2-qt saucepan, over medium heat, cook onion and green pepper in hot oil until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in chili powder and cumin; cook 1 minute. Add tomatoes with their liquid, sugar and salt; over high heat, heat to boiling, string to break up tomatoes. Reduce heat to low; simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes. 

While mixture is cooking, sprinkle cracked pepper on pork chops on both sides. Cook pork chops in butter on a skillet, turning chops once. While chops are cooking, peel and cut avocado into thin slices. To serve, spoon tomato mixture onto platter; arrange pork  chops on top. Arrange avocado slices and sour cream on same platter. Serve with tortilla chips. Makes 4 main dish servings.

Pineapple-Garlic Pork Chops

• 4 boneless pork loin chops, 1" thick

• 1 cup unsweetened pineapple juice

• 2/3 cup dry sherry

• 2 tbl brown sugar

• 1/2 tsp dried rosemary leaves, crushed

• 1 clove garlic, minced

Combine all ingredients except chops; mix well. Place chops in a shallow dish; pour marinade over chops. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Remove chops from marinade. Broil 5 inches from heat, 4-5 minutes on each side. Serves 4.

Pork Chops with Pepper and Olives

• 6 large pork chops, trimmed of excess fats (or 12 small chops)

• olive oil

• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

• salt and peppers

• 2 medium onions, thinly sliced and separated into rings

• 1 yellow pepper and 1 green pepper, seeded and cut into long, thin strips

• 2 large tomatoes, seeded and diced

• 1-1/3 cups olive slices

• 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley, divided

Rub chops with oil and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Let meat stand while preparing vegetables. Place a small amount of olive oil in a skillet and cook pork chops until  half done. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to skillet and add onions, sauté until they soften. Add peppers; sauté until they are barely tender. Add tomatoes, olives and 2 tbl parsley; reserve remaining parsley. Cook until vegetable are tender and chops are cooked through. Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat. Divide sautéed vegetable among 6 warm plates. Place a pork chop on top of vegetables. Sprinkle with reserved parsley. Makes 6 servings.

Variation: 12 (6 oz) lamb chops can be used in place of 6 large pork chops.

Ham Loaf

• 1 lb ham

• 1 lb pork

• 1/2 green pepper

• 1 small onion

• 1 egg

• cracker crumbs

• salt and pepper

• 1 can tomato soup

Grind ham and pork together. Chop green pepper and onion. Add to meats. Add egg, crumbs and salt and pepper. Mix well and place in a loaf pan. Bake at 350º for about one hour. Pour tomato soup heated with a little water over the top of loaf when serving. 

Pork Chops and Potatoes

• 6 pork chops

• 1 can cream of celery soup

• 1/2 cup milk

• 1/2 cup sour cream

• seasoning salt

• 1/2 tsp pepper

• 1 (24) pkg hash browns

• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

• 1 can fried onions

Brown pork chops; sprinkle with seasoning salt. Set aside. Combine milk, sour cream, soup and pepper in a large bowl. Stir in potatoes, 1/2 cup cheese and 1/2 can onions. Spoon into 9x13" pan. Arrange pork chops on top. Bake, covered, at 350º for 40 minutes. Uncover and top with remaining cheese and onions. Bake, uncovered, 5 minutes longer. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Pork Chops and Rice

• 6 pork chops

• 1 (16 oz) can stewed tomatoes

• 2 (15 oz) cans tomato sauce

• 6 slices green pepper

• 6 slices onion

• 2 cups instant rice

• 2 cups water

• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Heat oven to 350º. Brown pork chops , then place in 9x13" pan. Top each pork chop with a slice of onion, slice of green pepper and then tomatoes. Pour tomato sauce over all. Bake 50 to 60 minutes until hot and bubble and vegetable are tender crisp. Meanwhile, boil water; add rice. Set aside. Top cooked mixture with rice, then cheese. Return to oven until cheese melts.  Makes  4-6 servings.

Hawaiian Pork Chops

• 4 loin pork chops, about 1 inch thick

• 2 tbl vegetable oil

• 1/4 cup butter

• 1/2 cup chopped onion

• 2 cloves minced garlic

• 2 tbl flour

• 1 tbl curry powder

• 1 cup chicken broth

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp pepper

• 1 (8¾ oz) can crushed pineapple with juice

Heat oil in large skillet. Brown pork chops on both sides; remove from pan. Melt butter in same skillet. Add onions and garlic; sauté until tender. Stir in flour, curry powder, chicken broth, salt pepper and crushed pineapple with juice. Bring mixture to a boil. Return pork chops to pan. Cover and simmer 20 minutes or until pork chops are done. Serve over rice. Makes 4 servings.

Gingered Pork and Asparagus

• 6 tbl apple juice

• 6 tbl soy sauce

• 4 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 tbl ground ginger

• 1 lb pork tenderloin, thinly sliced

• 2 tbl cooking oil, divided

• 1 lb fresh asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces

• 1½ tsp cornstarch

• Hot cooked rice

In a large resealable plastic bag or shallow glass container, combine the  first four ingredients. Remove 1/3 cup and set aside. Add pork to remaining marinade, seal bag or cover container and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 1 hour. In a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat, stir-fry half of the pork in 1 tbl oil for 2-3 minutes or until no longer pink. Remove pork with slotted spoon; set aside. Repeat with remaining pork and oil. In the same skillet, stir-fry the asparagus for 2-3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Stir cornstarch into  reserved marinade; add to the skillet. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Return pork to skillet and heat through. Serve over rice. Makes 4 servings.

Quiche Lorraine

• 1 pie crust

• 12 slices bacon (about 1/2 lb), crisply fried and crumbled

• 1 cup shredded Swiss cheese

• 1/3 cup minced onion

• 4 eggs

• 2 cups light cream or whipping cream

• 3/4 tsp salt

• 1/4 tsp sugar

• 1/5 tsp cayenne red pepper

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Sprinkle bacon, cheese and onion in pie crust. Beat together the remaining ingredients; pour into pie pan. Bake 15 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees. Bake pie 30 minutes longer or until knife inserted 1 inch from edge comes out clean. Let pie stand 10 minutes before cutting. Serve in wedges.  Make 6 servings.

San Francisco Chops

• 4 pork chops

• 1 tbl oil

• 1 glove garlic, minced

Sauce

• 2 tbl oil

• 4 tbl dry sherry or broth

• 4 tbl soy sauce

• 2 tbl brown sugar

• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

• 2 tsp cornstarch

• 2 tbl water

Trim pork chops of fat. Heat oil in skillet. Brown chops on both sides. Remove and add a little more oil if needed. Sauté garlic for a minute, being careful not to burn it. Combine oil, sherry or broth, soy sauce, brown sugar and red pepper. Place shops in skillet. Pour sauce over them. Cover tightly. Simmer over low heat until chops are tender and cooked through, 30 to 35 minutes. Add a little water, 1 to 2 tbl if needed to keep sauce from cooking down too much. Turn once. Remove chops to platter. Stir in cornstarch dissolved in water. Cook until thickened. Pour over chops and serve.

Good served with noodles tossed with butter and sauce.

Hungarian Pork Paprika

• 2 tbl flour

• 1 tbl paprika

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/4 tsp pepper

• 1 lb boneless lean pork, cut into 1 inch cubes

• 4 tsp olive oil

• 2 cans (14 1/2 oz each) Del Monte stewed tomatoes

• 1/2 sour cream, room temperature

Combine flour, paprika, salt and pepper. Toss with meat. In skillet, brown meat in hot oil. Stir in tomatoes. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat 20 minutes or until meat is tender, stirring frequently. Remove pan from heat. Remove 1/2 cup of sauce mixture from skillet and blend with sour cream. Return mixture to skillet; blend well. DO NOT BOIL. Serve over hot cooked noodles or rice.  Makes 4 servings.

Penne d'Allessandria  

• 6 red bell peppers, quartered, seeds and stem discarded

• 6 tbl extra virgin olive oil

• salt and pepper

• 1 lb large white mushrooms, sliced

• 1/2 cup packed Italian parsley leaves

• 1 tbl fresh oregano leaves

• 1 tbl fresh thyme leaves

• 2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

• 1 lb Italian sausage, sliced and removed from casings

• 1 lb penne pasta

• 1/4 cup reserved pasta cooking liquid

• grated parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Cut pepper quarters into 1/2 inch diagonal pieces. Place in 13X9" baking dish. Drizzle with 3 tbl olive oil; salt and pepper to taste. Bake until peppers are charred on edges and tender, stirring occasionally, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven. Finely chop parsley, oregano, thyme, garlic together and set aside. Heat 3 tbl oil in large non-stick skillet. Add mushrooms, cook, stirring over medium heat until mushrooms are tender and golden brown. Add chopped herb and garlic mixture, sauté, stirring, 2 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, transfer to side dish. Wipe out skillet. Place sausage into skillet, cook, stirring, over medium high heat, until sausage is browned. Transfer to strainer, drain. To baking dish with roasted peppers, add mushroom mixture and sausage. Cover with foil. Keep warm in oven, set at lowest temperature. Boil a large pot of salted water, stir in penne pasta and cook until pasta is tender. Ladle out 1/4 pasta liquid; reserve. Drain pasta. In a large deep platter, combine pasta, red pepper, mushroom and sausage mixture. Stir to combine. Add pasta liquid to moisten pasta. Sprinkle with cheese.  Serve with hot crusty bread. Makes 4 servings.

Ham Rolls

• 1 pkg (10 oz) frozen asparagus spears

• 8 thin slices fully cooked ham

• 1 can (10 3/4 oz) cream of shrimp soup

• 1/4 cup dry white wine or water

Heat oven of 350 degrees. Cook asparagus spears as directed on package; drain. Wrap each ham slice around 2 or 3 asparagus spears. Place in ungreased baking dish, 10x6". Mix soup and wine; pour on ham rolls. Bake, uncovered, until bubbly, 20 to 25 minutes. Makes 3 servings.

Ham Hawaiian

• 3/4 pound fully cooked ham, cut into 2 inch strips (about 2 cups)

• 2 medium stalks celery, thinly sliced

• 1 medium red apple, cut up

• 1 can (13 1/4 oz) pineapple bits, drained

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing

• 1 tsp soy sauce

• 1/2 tsp ground ginger

• 4 oz spinach or 1/2 small head lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces

Toss ham, celery, apple and pineapple. Mix mayonnaise, soy sauce and ginger; stir into ham mixture. Refrigerate at least one hour. Just before serving, toss ham mixture with spinach. Makes 4 to 6 servings.