Honey-Braised Pork Chops with Pears, Red Onion, Feta and Almonds

Pork and fruit have a natural affinity: pork’s mild, tender meat pairs nicely with sweet, succulent produce. In this dish, the sweet ingredients (pears and honey) are balanced perfectly with tangier ingredients (feta cheese and cider vinegar), and then everything is topped off with toasted almonds.

Recipe courtesy Almond Board of California

 

Servings Passive Time
4servings 25minutes total
Servings
4servings
Passive Time
25minutes total
Ingredients
Servings: servings
Units:
Ingredients
Servings: servings
Units:
Instructions
  1. Place almonds in a small, dry skillet and set pan over medium heat. Cook 3 to 5 minutes, until almonds are golden brown, shaking the pan frequently to prevent burning. Set aside.
  2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season both sides of pork chops with salt and black pepper and add to hot pan. Sear 2 to 3 minutes per side, until golden brown. Using tongs, remove pork from pan and set aside.
  3. To the same pan over medium-high heat, add pears and onion. Sauté 3 minutes, until soft. Add the thyme and stir to coat. Cook 1 minute, until thyme is fragrant. Add the chicken broth, honey and vinegar and bring to a simmer.
  4. Return the pork chops to the pan and cook 3 to 5 minutes, until pork chops are tender and cooked through.
  5. Transfer pork chops to a serving platter and pour over sauce with onions and pears. Top with feta cheese, parsley and toasted almonds.
Recipe Notes

Per serving for 4 servings: 409 calories, 16 g total fat (4.5 g saturated fat, 8.2 g monounsaturated fat, 2 g polyunsaturated fat), 31 g carbohydrate, 39 g protein, 84 mg cholesterol, 4 g fibre, 97 mg calcium, 66 mg magnesium, 617 mg sodium, 991 mg potassium, 2.6 mg vitamin E