Spicy Pork Chops With Pickled Peppers Recipes

PICKLE SCHNITZEL-PICKLE-BRINED PORK CHOPS WITH SWEET AND SPICY PEPPERS

Steps:

• Combine the pickle juice, pepper juice and pork chops in a large zipper-top bag. Brine at least overnight and at most 24 hours, flipping the bag halfway through.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Toss the piquante peppers, bell peppers and onions with the olive oil in a bowl. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Transfer to a baking sheet and roast until slightly charred and soft, about 20 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 200 degrees F and keep warm until ready to serve.
• Take the chops out of the bag (discard the brine) and dry them off with paper towels. Place a chop between plastic wrap and pound with a meat mallet until 1/2 inch thick. Make sure you pound around the bone but keep the bone intact; this adds flavor and plating dramatics. Repeat with the remaining chops.
• Set up an F. E. B. station with flour, egg and breadcrumbs in separate shallow containers; season the breadcrumbs with salt and pepper. Season each chop with salt and pepper, then dredge in the flour, coat with the egg and then coat in the breadcrumbs, ensuring the breadcrumbs adhere to all the nooks and crannies.
• Heat a large skillet over medium heat, add the vegetable oil and heat until very hot. Working in 2 batches, fry the chops 2 at a time until golden on each side, 4 to 5 minutes a side. Keep the chops warm on a wire-racked baking sheet in the oven while you repeat with the remaining chops.
• Plate each chop over a serving of the peppers and onions and serve with 2 lemon wedges to squeeze on top.

PORK CHOPS IN CHERRY-PEPPER SAUCE

Steps:

• Make the sauce: Drain the cherry peppers, reserving 1 cup brine, then stem, halve, core and seed them. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat, and swirl the olive oil into it. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the garlic, and sauté, stirring frequently, until it begins to color, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the peppers, the reserved brine and the white wine, and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until the liquid has reduced by slightly more than half, 10 to 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and remove from the heat. (The sauce can be made a few hours ahead of time.)
• When you're ready to cook the meat, season it aggressively with salt and pepper. Place a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat, and swirl the neutral oil into it. When the oil begins to shimmer, place the meat in the pan, working in batches if needed, and sear until the meat has browned, formed something of a crust and cooked through to medium-rare, 5 to 6 minutes on each side. Transfer the chops to a warmed platter.
• Add the sauce to the large, heavy-bottomed skillet in which you seared the meat, and warm over medium-low heat. Whisk the butter into the sauce until evenly distributed and the sauce develops a velvety sheen. Spoon sauce over chops, and garnish with parsley.

SPICY PORK TAMALE PIE WITH PICKLED JALAPEñOS

Steps:

• Prepare the chili: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. In a 12-inch cast-iron skillet, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Add the pork and season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium-high heat, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until the just starting to brown but not cooked through, about 5 minutes.
• Add the onions, poblanos, jalapeños, garlic and a pinch each of salt and pepper to the skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are just softened and the pork is cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the chili powder and cumin and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the enchilada sauce and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Simmer, over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 5 to 7 minutes; stir in the corn kernels.
• Meanwhile, prepare the cornbread: In a medium bowl, whisk the masa harina with the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper. In another medium bowl, beat the eggs with the milk and chicken broth. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and beat vigorously until the batter is fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Fold in 1/2 cup of the cheese.
• With the chili off the heat, spoon the cornbread batter on top and gently spread it in an even layer. Scatter the pickled jalapeños over the batter, then sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese on top. Bake the tamale pie until bubbling and the cornbread is risen, 25 to 30 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Serve topped with hot sauce and sour cream.

PEPPERCORN PORK CHOPS WITH WARM PICKLED PEPPER RELISH

Steps:

• Place all peppercorns on a cutting board and use the flat bottom of a heavy pan to crush them as finely or coarsely as you like. Transfer crushed pepper into the pan.
• Make 3 cuts through the fat on each pork chop and season generously with salt. Apply a generous coating of crushed peppercorns to both sides, pressing into the meat firmly as you do, until fully coated.
• Transfer chops to a rack set over a pan and let sit out at room temperature for 1 hour, turning halfway through and reapplying crushed peppercorns as necessary. Or, place in the refrigerator for 4 to 12 hours.
• Meanwhile, prepare the pepper relish while the chops are dry-brining: combine poblano pepper, orange and red bell peppers, garlic, salt, cayenne, and rice vinegar. Mix to combine and cover with plastic wrap. Leave on the counter for 1 hour.
• Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat until very hot and starting to shimmer. Add pork chops and sear for 5 minutes per side. Use tongs to turn chops while you brown the edges for another 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium if the pan is too hot and begins to smoke. Chops should firm up and spring back to the touch. Do not overcook. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 140 degrees F (60 degrees C).
• Turn off the heat and transfer chops to a plate. Cover loosely with foil and let rest.
• Add chicken broth to the hot pan. Turn heat to high and bring to a rolling boil. Add pickled pepper relish and stir with a spoon, scraping all the bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until liquid in the pan reduces by about half, about 3 minutes.
• Turn off the heat. Add cold butter and any accumulated juices from the plate of pork and stir until butter has melted.
• Serve pork chops with plenty of hot pickled pepper relish over top.

SPICY PORK CHOPS WITH PICKLED PEPPERS

Steps:

• 1 In a large heavy skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Pat the chops dry with paper towels then sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Cook the chops until browned, about 2 minutes, then turn them over with tongs and brown on the other side, about 2 minutes more. 2 Reduce the heat to medium. Scatter the garlic slices around the chops. Cover the pan and cook 5 to 8 minutes or until the chops are tender and just slightly pink when cut near the bone. Regulate the heat so that the garlic does not become dark brown. Transfer the chops to a serving platter and cover to keep warm. 3 Add the sweet and hot peppers and pickling juice or vinegar to the skillet. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until the peppers are heated through and the juices are syrupy. 4 Stir in the parsley. Spoon the contents of the pan over the chops and serve immediately. From "1,000 Italian Recipes." Copyright 2004 by Michele Scicolone. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.