Honey Glazed Porkchops with Veggies in a Marsala Wine Reduction

Part of the reason why it's taken me so long to post the recipe for these pork chops/veggies is this: I haven't been able to come up with a short enough title that accurately captures the tasty ingredients I used to make the dish! I know it seems silly, why should I have to mention all of them? Well, it's a loaded dish with a variety of savory flavors which combine to create something that can't be summed up in a few words. The cranberries add a tartness that's balanced out by the sweetness of the honey-grape juice reduction...that's complemented by the marsala wine and parsley covered pork chops...that are covered in sweet, diced carrots and sauteed onions...that melt in your mouth while you're wondering if it's ok to keep eating such an illegally rich yet healthy dish. Well, it's more than OK! With only 2 tbsp of butter to thicken the light glaze-like sauce covering the pork chops, and a bit of extra virgin olive oil for flavor, these pork chops are lean! You know you're safe with the carrots, onions, and cranberries; even if you're not an onion fan, you will probably like how lightly candied they taste in this dish. The sourness of the cranberries is also softened against the natural sweetness of the carrots.

I initially planned on posting this recipe before Easter. I thought it'd be a fun alternative to the usual glazed ham dinner, but this year we (my husband and I) had a vegetarian Easter feast. It might seem a odd that we ate lentils and homemade veggie pizza for Easter, but who knew that such simple comfort foods can be really delicious and colorful when made with the right ingredients? Take lentils, they're not very pretty, and they have a very rich earthy taste (that I've personally loved for years) but with a little tomato sauce, spinach, and a few finely diced veggies, they can light up even the most boring, plastic bowl. Vegetables have the ability to add beauty to whatever dish they become a part of, just look at that pork chop picture. A couple of meat slabs on a plate wouldn't look very appealing to me, but those bright and orangey carrots bring the picture to life! It's nice to know that the most naturally beautiful foods, veggies and fruits, are actually the healthiest :). I'll post the lentil recipe next!

4 large pork chops
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp thyme
salt and pepper
1/4 cup marsala wine
1/8 cup honey
1/8 cup grape juice
1/8 cup water
1/2 cup sliced sweet onion
2 carrots, chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 1/2 TBSP flour
3 TBSP Olive Oil
2 TBSP butter
1/8 tsp lemon juice

First I drizzled the olive oil in a large all-purpose pan. Then I sprinkled salt, pepper, parsley, and thyme on both sides of the pork chops. I lightly browned the pork chops on both sides, then added the carrots and onions on top of the pork chops, along with the marsala wine. I let these ingredients cook over a low-medium flame until the carrots were soft - about 30 minutes (by this time, the pork chops should also be cooked). While the pork chops/veggies cooked, I put the cranberries into a warm cup of water and let them soak for about 5 minutes, until they rehydrated. I then strained the cranberries and added them to the pork chop/veggie mix in the pan. I let them simmer for a few minutes more. After this, I removed the pork chops from the pan with a fork and added the grape juice, lemon juice, honey, water, and butter. I stirred these ingredients together then removed the veggies/cranberries. I then added the flour, to thicken the sauce, and then put the pork chops back in the pan. I raised the flame to a medium-high setting and let the sauce become a glaze for the pork chops, turning the pork chops over so that both sides were equally covered in the thickened glaze. Finally, I put the flame on a low setting and added the veggies/cranberries back into the pan with the pork chops. After I let all these ingredients rest in the covered pan for about 5 minutes, I turned off the stove and uncovered the pan until the pork chops were cool enough to serve.

Sheesh! That was a long set of cooking instructions! But you know what? Once you stare at the ingredients for awhile, you'll see that it's hard to go wrong with this combination of ingredients, you can even add more to the list if you like. I know I've been baking like crazy lately. It's because I have an official sweet tooth now! I had my first cavity filled last week - EEK! It wasn't a pleasant experience. I miss experimental cooking, though. They (Anthony Bourdain and Bobby Flay) say cooks don't bake, and even though I consider myself more of a "cooker" than "baker" (simply because it comes a lot easier to me) I don't see why I, or anyone else, can't be both! But I have to admit, cooking is a lot less stressful than baking. It's a lot easier to cook rather than bake on a whim, I've discovered (which is why IF I go to culinary school in the near future, I will not become a pastry chef!).