pork chops with chipotle and orange sauce

pork chops in the evening, with chipotle and orange

Inspiration strikes from a dozen different directions.

When Danny and I walk through the farmers’ market, and see the latest vegetable in season draped across our favorite farmers’ table, we stuff some in our bags. And then we talk about what to make with it, all the way home.

Sometimes, our friends (many of whom write about food for a living or work as professional chefs) post photographs of dishes on their websites, and we are driven into the kitchen from the vivid colors and the imagined hunger.

We have our favorite cookbooks and our favorite cooks, the ones who feel like companions as we stand at the stove and stir. Jamie Oliver talks about leeks and prosciutto on tv, and there we are folding them into pasta, just a few moments later.

Cooking is a communal experience, even if you happen to be chopping onions by yourself, in that moment. We are never alone. That’s one of the things I love most about food, how we wave to our friends as we stir our own sauces.

These pork chops you see above were inspired by a recipe sent to us by the editor of Gourmet, Ruth Reichl. Oh, I’d love to be able to say she wrote to us personally, sending her favorite pork recipes with a chatty little note. No such luck. (However, if you want to hear about Ruth’s food days, you can follow her on Twitter.) If you sign up at Gourmet’s website, you’ll receive a weekly newsletter from Ruth and her team, with extra recipes that don’t show up anywhere else.

A few weeks ago, she sent one for pork chops with a quick chipotle and orange juice sauce. When I saw it in email form, I wanted to eat it. When I told Danny about it, he wanted to make it. So we headed up to SeaBreeze, our local farm, for a couple of pork chops. Clutching navel oranges as we left the store, we talked about the chipotles waiting in our refrigerator.

An hour later, I was pushing Danny away, making him wait, while I took photographs of the pork chops, before we could eat them.

Oh, these are good.

Pork Chops with Chipotle and Orange Sauce, adapted from Gourmet

Danny would like you to know a couple of things before you make these.

Chipotle peppers are actually smoke-dried jalapenos, primarily produced in northern Mexico. They have a heat kick, to be sure, but their smokiness seems to soothe some of the highest points of heat. You can buy chipotles dried and re-constitute them with hot water. Just pour boiling water over a handful of dried chipotles. It’ll only be a couple of minutes before they’re soft enough to go. If you want to soften a bunch of chipotles at a time, you can keep them in water in the refrigerator. Or, you can buy cans of chipotles in adobo sauce, already chopped and ready to use. It’s a personal choice. Both are fine.

Also, Danny is insistent on this, and I agree. Get pork chops with fat left on them. Just a skim, if you’re nervous about it. But pork without a bit of fat will have not enough taste.

2 center-cut pork chops, fat still on
kosher salt and cracked black pepper
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon garlic, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons chopped chipotle (or more, depending on your desire for heat)
2 cups fresh orange juice
6 sprigs fresh cilantro, plus 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
zest of 1 orange

Preparing to cook. Preheat the oven to 450°. Season both sides of the pork chops with salt and pepper.

Roasting the pork chops. Bring a large sauté pan to heat. Pour in 2 tablespoons of the oil.  Place the pork chops in the hot oil. Sear until the bottoms are browned. Flip the chops and slide the pan into the hot oven.

Making the sauce. Bring another large sauté pan to heat. Pour in the remaining olive oil. Put the chopped onion and sliced garlic into the hot oil. Cook and stir until the onions are soft and translucent, taking care not to let them burn. Add in the chipotles and cook until their smell flavors the room.

Pour in the orange juice and the sprigs of cilantro. Cook over medium-high heat until the juice is reduced to 1/3 its original volume.

Add the chicken stock to the sauce. Cook until the sauce is reduced by 1/2 its volume.

Resting the pork. Pull the pork chops from the oven. Allow them to rest on a saucer to the side of the stove while you finish the sauce. Wipe out the excess grease, leaving the crispy bits on the bottom.

Finishing the sauce. Strain the sauce. Throw away the wilted vegetables. Pour the strained sauce into the pan where the pork chops were roasting, to pick up the good tastes. Cook the sauce on high heat until it has reduced and thickened. Add the butter and swirl in the goodness. Toss in the orange zest and the chopped cilantro.

Plate up the pork chops and pour the sauce over them.

Feeds 2.