Pork chop with caramelised onions and dried apricot

Found pork chop, dried apricots, thyme and red onion in the fridge. This stirred me up to make a pork chop dish, topped with caramelised onions and drizzled with a balsamic reduction infused with thyme and dried apricots.

Trust me, this recipe is simple and doesn’t require much work. What we would want though is that golden sear for the pork and for the onions to be caramelised enough so it just oozes sweet goodness.

The trick to caramelising onions is to first, let the onions cook on medium heat until they are rich, golden and softened. Then you can reduce the heat to extra low and slowly cook for another 10 minutes – make sure to stir frequently though to prevent bits from sticking to the ban. The gentle heat will bring out the natural sugars in the onions which helps them brown and make them taste irresistible. The finishing touch is optional but you can add balsamic and/or sugar/honey to the last minute or two and mix thoroughly.

So yes, caramelised onions may require patience but they can last in the fridge for up to 4 days. And for the taste that they yield when complementing meat dishes, it is totally worth it.

Pork Chop with Caramelised Onions and Dried Apricot

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 x high quality welfare pork chop, ~150-200g each.
• 1 red onion
• Few strands of fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon of honey
• 6 dried apricots, diced into small cubes
• 6 tablespoons (~100g) of balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil

METHOD:

1. Finely slice the onions.
2. Wash pork chop and pat dry. Marinade with some olive oil, fennel seeds, black pepper and salt.
3. Heat a pan on medium-low heat. Add a dollop of oil and throw in the onions to begin the caramelisation process. This could take up to 30 minutes. Towards the last 5 minutes of the process, add a splash of balsamic vinegar. Dish up the onions for later.
4. In the same pan, turn up the heat and one smoking, add the pork chop.
5. In a separate pot, heat the balsamic vinegar along with the honey till it reduces and add the thyme and dried apricots towards the end.
6. Once the pork chop is done (roughly 4-5 minutes each side depending on thickness), put on a plate. Layer the caramelised onions on top and drizzle with the balsamic glaze mixture. Serve whilst warm.