Saturday, October 18, 2008

Spice Rubbed Pan Seared Pork Chops

I've hit my stage of life where I am concerned about how much things cost. Today I went to the store with every intention of getting a nice pork tenderloin for dinner and serving it with corn I had from the farmer's market. However, when I arrived at the store, I learned that pork tenderloin was $15! I couldn't bring myself to buy it. Plus, it was about 1 1/2 pounds more than my recipe calls for*. So, I scoped out the meat department and settled on thin cut boneless pork chops.

I applied the same rub I was going to use on the tenderloin to the pork chops. The corn takes about 10 minutes to cook (or less) and the pork chops probably took about 5. It was a quick dinner that looked great in just minutes! The pork had lots of flavor made up of spices just lying around the kitchen. I think the meal ended up being about $7 total--and there are leftovers for at least one more meal for two. I had some avacados lying around and whipped up a classic avacado and tomato salad on the side for just me.

Recipe adapted from Ellie Krieger

Spice Rubbed Pan Seared Pork Chops
5 boneless pork chops, thin cut
1 t kosher salt
1 t cumin
1 t dried thyme
1 t dried oregano
1 t ground corriander
1 t garlic powder
1 T olive oil

1. Heat oil over medium heat in a large (preferably non-stick) skillet.
2. Meanwhile, mix together the spices.
3. Sprinkle the spices over the chops and press into meat with a dry hand.
4. Put meat in the pan and cook for 3-5 minutes, turning once until golden brown on both sides and cooked through.

Enjoy!

*I know you can freeze meat and use it later, my freezer, however, is a meat graveyard.

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1 comment:

Nadine said...

They look yummy. I like pork chops -- if you get the thin ones, they cook quickly, but you do have to be careful not to overcook since they dry out. I often cook them with a little fresh rosemary on the grill.