Miso Marinaded Cherry Topping
Perhaps a little monotone in color, don’t let the appearance of this pork chop fool you. It’s rich and delicious!
One of the things I like best about pork chops, besides being the right price for my budget, is the versatility of marinade and topping choices. Pork blends well with a multitude of flavors, from all spectrums; sweet to salty, spicy to tangy… We also know that pork is perhaps not the best for us, but that simply means we just need to add something healthy to it! Fruit!
For this recipe, the bold flavor of miso is paired with other complimenting Japanese condiments to make a marinade which includes dried cherries. If you would prefer, dried plums work just as well. The marinade is designed to also be the frying sauce and a bit of a chutney topping, making for quick and easy cooking, and pretty simple clean-up in the end.
As for the ‘kicker,’ that would be the poppy seed crust. For the cheapest option, look for poppy seeds in the bulk herb section of your health food department.
Miso and Dried Cherry, Poppy Seed Crusted Pork Chops
By: Semiserious Chefs
Serves:4-6
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds of medium sized pork chops
- 1 cup sake or michiu cooking wine
- 1 T brown miso paste
- 1 cup olive oil
- generous 1 cup of chopped dried cherries
- OR prunes
- 4 large garlic cloves; minced
- 1/4 t ground sansho/Japanese green pepper
- OR Szechuan pepper
- 1/2 t fish sauce
- 1 t oyster sauce
- 1/4 t sea salt
- 1 cup poppy seeds
Directions:
- Add the wine, miso, olive oil, chopped cherries, garlic, sansho pepper, fish sauce, oyster sauce, and salt to a large bowl or ziplock bag, and add the the meat.
- Coating well and rotating regularly, this will only need to marinade for 1 hour. Miso marinates very effectively.
- Brush off the excess ingredients from each pork chop and roll in poppy seeds until completely crusted on all sides.
- Using a tablespoon or two of the olive oil from the marinade for each pork chop, sear them over medium high heat until dark and crisped on both sides and cooked through to desired doneness.
- While the cooked pork chops rest, add the cherries and any remaining marinade liquids to the skillet, and deglaze the pan, collecting any burned on bits. This will also warm the cherries and cook the garlic.
- Serve your seared and crusted pork chops with a side or topping of the sauteed cherries.
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