Pomegranate-Glazed Pork

Copyright 2006 by Cooking With The Single Guy

Ingredients:

1 lb. pork chops (2 pieces, each about 1-inch thick)
Juice from one pomegranate (substitute with 1/4 cup of pomegranate juice in the off-season)
1 T brown sugar
1 T honey
2 t Champaign vinegar
1 T extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

Salt and pepper pork slices on both sides and place on dish.

In mortar, ground seeds from pomegranate and pour juice into a strainer over a small bowl. (If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, just press the pomegranate seeds against the side of the bowl with the back of a wooden spoon.) Save a tablespoon of seeds for garnish. Combine pomegranate juice, sugar, honey, vinegar and olive oil in small bowl. Set aside.

Heat a large skillet with olive oil and sear the pork over medium high heat. Cook the pork for about 2-3 minutes on each side to create a nice brown color, depending on the thickness of your cut. When you’ve flipped over your pork slices to cook the other side, pour enough of the marinade over the pork to create a thin layer in your pan. Transfer pork onto a dish and continue cooking your marinade on high heat until caramelized and thickened. Drizzle sauce over pork and sprinkle remaining pomegranate seeds as garnish.

Makes 2 servings. Serve with roasted potatoes and chutney.

Pair with a Syrah or Pinot Noir.

TIPS: Pomegranate is a beautiful fruit but it can be tricky to get the seeds out. All it takes is some patience and careful fingers. Most chefs recommend cutting the pomegranate in half and then turning it over above a bowl and hitting the back of the fruit with a wooden stick. Basically, it’s your S&M way of spanking out the seeds. I find this a bit messy with the seeds flying all around the dish. So I like to cut the pomegranate in half and then carefully remove the seeds by hand. This may sound like it’ll take forever, but the seeds are in beautiful clumps like honeycombs that comes out easily with just a slight nudge. Just work around the pulp, removing it as you go to unveil the clumps of red jewels. You’ll get more seeds into your dish than onto your kitchen floor.

SPECKS OF FLAVOR: The pomegranate seed can provide a nice burst of intense juice with each bite. So it’s fun to use the seeds in a variety of dishes, especially as a garnish. People have used it in a martini or sprinkled over a salad. Don’t be afraid to find new ways to use this ancient fruit.