Breaded Pork Chop with Rhubarb Jam and Sauteed Greens

   When I tasted the rhubarb, apple & maple jam from my last post one thought lept to mind: "Dear Lord this would go great with pork chops!" And lo, it did. I found some beautiful, thick cut pork chops and breaded them in the classic style. It's just like Shake & Bake, but without the preservatives. I used plain bread crumbs to keep things simple, but you can jazz up the bread crumbs with anything you like. I suggest trying some fresh herbs such as thyme and rosemary. If you want to save time, you can skip the breading entirely. The combination of the rhubarb jam and sauteed greens would also go well with grilled pork chops.     

     The accompaniment to the pork chop is sauteed rapini (brocolli rabe) and dandelion leaves. The bitterness of the dandelion leaves helps cut through the sweetness of the jam and brings balance to the dish. If you cannot find dandelion leaves, or simply want to use something with a milder flavor, you can use arugula or spinach instead. Before sauteing the vegetables I blanch them in salted boiling water. Blanching is useful techinque to add to your culinary repertoire for number of reasons. Firstly, most vegetables will turn out much better after roasting or sauteing if they are blanched first. An example of this is the roasted potatoes from my eggs benedict recipe. Blanching is also useful because you can precook each vegetable separately to the perfect doneness and then saute them together so that they are ready at the same time. This is key in this recipe because the rapini needs to be cooked for 3 minutes, but the dandilion leaves will cook in seconds.  


Start to finish 30 minutes. Serves 4

Ingredients:
    4    thick cut pork chops
    1    bunch rapini
    1    bunch dandelion leaves,
          roughly chopped
    2    cloves garlic, thinly sliced
200g   flour
    3    eggs
100ml milk
200g breadcrumbs
200ml rhubarb, apple & maple jam
olive oil, salt & pepper
 
1. Place a baking tray in the oven and preheat to 425F (220C) Whisk the milk & eggs together and pour in a plate. Spread the flour and breadcrumbs on two other plates.
2. Dredge the pork chops, one at a time, in the flour, then the egg wash, then the breadcrumbs.

3. Remove the hot baking tray from the oven and coat with a thin layer of olive oil. Set the breaded pork chops on the heated tray. The chops should sizzle when they hit the tray. If you don't hear a nice sizzling sound when the chops hit the tray, then it is not hot enough. If that is the case, set the chops aside and return the tray to the oven until it is hot enough.
4. Cook the pork chops until golden brown on each side, about 7 minutes per side.
5. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Place the rapini in the water and cook for 3 minutes. Transfer the cooked rapini to a bowl of ice water. Next, place the dandelion leaves in the water until wilted, about 45 seconds. Transfer the dandelion leave to the bowl of ice water, then drain when cooled.


To serve:
1. Heat a large frying pan with a small amount of olive oil and sautée the rapini and dandelion leaves on medium heat until warmed through, but not browned. Add the sliced garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Divide vegetables on the center of 4 plates.
2. Place the cooked pork chops over the vegetables.
3. Top each pork chop with warm rhubarb, apple & maple jam