Pork Chops with Apples and Chile is adapted from a recipe by Polina Antonova of Bay Area Personal Chefs. It’s pan seared pork chops with lots of onions, apples, cider, and a nice bit of heat from chiles.
Apples, chiles and pork! They go together like a horse and carriage (that’s how it works, right?). This recipe is my own adaptation of a recipe by Polina Antonova, a personal chef in the San Francisco Bay Area whom I met through Bay Area Personal Chefs. She grew up in Moscow and specializes in Eastern European cooking. Well, I took a look at her original recipe, Pork Chops with Apples and Sage, and I knew it would be great with chiles. I only used 1/4 cup of hot green chiles, so the heat is clearly noticeable, but subtle. You might like it with more chiles in it. Some people might add brown sugar, but I like it the way it is. As a kid, pork chops grilled on the bbq and served with applesauce was my absolute favorite meal; I had no concept of pork chops served this way. Try it – you’ll like it!
I usually get out to the San Francisco Bay Area at least once a year – I used to live there and have family and friends there. Every time I visit, I come back with a new appreciation of our relatively modest traffic jams here in Denver. But I also get exposed to broader cultural stuff – like I’d never heard of a personal chef until this year. We do have them in Denver, but there are more of them in California (there’s more of everything in California … except skiing and snow). Using personal chefs for convenient, healthy meals seems to be a growing trend.
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 6 boneless pork chops
- salt
- pepper
- 3 apples(preferably Granny Smith), cut into eighths and cored
- 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp fresh chopped sage
- 1 cup apple cider
- ¼ cup diced hot green chiles
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Season the pork chops with salt and pepper and brown on both sides, then place on a plate and set aside.
- Add the apples to the skillet, cover, and cook over medium heat, turning to caramelize on all sides, then place on a plate.
- Add onions to the skillet, cooking until soft and starting to brown, about 10 minutes, then add the sage leaves and cook for another minute.
- Add the cider and scrape the sides of the pan to deglaze. Cook the sauce to reduce by half and add the green chiles.
- Add the pork chops back into the pan, top with the apples, reduce the heat and simmer 20 minutes.
- Serve with salad and potatoes if desired, and garnish with sage leaves.
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