Quick Lunch: Smoked Pork Chops and Brussels Sprouts

I've been experimenting in the kitchen lately and it's time I posted the successful ones. I hadn't seen Brussel sprouts for quite some time but today I had some spare time to browse the produce market. I was after shallots for an Indonesian dish but they turned out to be very expensive so I bought red onions instead at about one tenth the price. And I found the Brussel sprouts.

Ingredients

Per serving

One smoked pork chop
8 oz Brussels sprouts (6 or 7 sprouts)
One small red onion
One radish
Olive oil
Salt

Preparation

Start by cleaning all the Brussel sprouts. Discard any discolourd leaves, trim the stems, and check for worms. Worms love the cabbage family. You don't have to discard the whole sprout, just trim the worm bitten parts. Wash under running water and drip dry in a colander for a few minutes. Select the ones you are going to cook and freeze the rest in a plastic bag. Cut each sprout from top to bottom into four parts. Set aside.

Select one small to medium sized radish for each serving. Cut it in half from top to bottom and then cut it into slices about 1/8th inch thick. Set aside.

Select one small red onion for each serving. Remove the outer layers and the roots. Cut in half. Cut each half into four sections then slice them to about 1/8th inch thick. Set aside.

Trim the extra fat from the pork chops (I discard the fat). Remove all the bone (I keep them for cooking). Lastly dice the pork chops into 1/4 inch cubes or somewhat smaller.

Cooking

Heat a frying pan on low to medium heat. Add a dash of olive oil, enough to cover the pan lightly. Add the diced pork chops and the Brussel sprouts. Sprinkle a small amount of salt, the pork is already salty. Stir lightly and cover the pan with a lid. The lid helps to cook the sprouts faster. After a couple of minutes stir the pork and sprouts and replace the lid. A couple of minutes later add the onion and the radish, stir and cover. Two more minutes and the meal should ready. Check that the sprouts are slightly browned.

This dish is very low on starch so you might want to serve it with a potato salad. Or maybe start with a creamy soup.

Note that salt is the only spice, the ingredients themselves provide all the flavor.

Enjoy!

Denny Schlesinger

Share this article with your followers