December 12, 2011 - Oven Roasted Asian Style Pork Chop and Rice

After such an amazing weekend filled with excellent selections of Asian food (my first dim sum at Ocean Harbor in Chinatown on Thursday, and Wok Seafood Restaurant at 16th and Walnut on Friday) and friendship, of course when I came home today after a very Monday feeling Monday to a thawed pork chop, I pulled out my Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook (thanks Mom and The Christmas Tree Shop) and one of my flagged pork entrees (actually my ONLY currently flagged meat entree if we're being honest) was for Oven Roasted Asian Style Pork Ribs.  All I needed was a little bit of modification.

Oven Roasted Asian-Style Pork Chop (and rice)
Ingredients:

• 3 pounds pork loin back, ribs, or spareribs - erm I'd like to have One Pork Chop for bargain prices Alex
• 3 tablespoons pineapple, peach, or apricot preserves - make that one bag of mushed up mangoes since no such preserves reside in my kitchen at the moment
• 1/3 cup ketchup - halved to 1/6
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce - halved to 1 tbs
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger - make that 1/2 tsp frozen ground ginger
• 1 clove garlic, minced - ain't nothing wrong with that

Step 1: Put the pork in a "dutch oven" or if you're me in a pot of water with a lid that just covers the pork; allow to boil, reduce heat, simmer covered until tender (in my lifestyle that's about 5 to 10 minutes or until the sauce is mixed and ready).

Step 2: Figure out how to use your new Cuisinart chop/grind machine of wonder and mince the garlic.

Step 3: Stir together mushed mangoes, ketchup, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic until it really looks Asian

Step 4: In a shallow pan (roasting or otherwise) place the pork; cover with sauce, make sure you lift the pork and put some sauce underneath (the real recipe says to "coat" the pork, but my way works pretty well).

Step 5: Bake uncovered at 350 for 15 minutes; meanwhile wash the pot you boiled the pork in and use that to make your rice from a bag.

Step 6: Serve pork over rice; mix rice and sauce well for most delicious outcome.

So there you have it, and if your bff Becks calls in the middle of said meal while you are watching Jeopardy so that you have to pause and don't get to answer the final Jeopardy question that the Trapps first sang the Little Drummer Boy because your mouth is full of Asian-y goodness and your ears are full of your bff's life story then you've probably got it pretty great in life too.

This foodsperiment: +9 for taste, +5 for innovation, +5 for friendship, +5 for my love of Asian cuisine!