Pork Chops with Glazed Turnips and Cider Sauce

Pork Chops with Glazed Turnips and Cider Sauce

Here's another winning recipe printed in Bon Appetit magazine! They've really been on a roll lately. I think at least 3 of my recipes this week are coming from there and I've never blogged a recipe from them before. Go figure. I served this with some simple sauteed spinach. I must admit though that apple something-or-other should have accompanied this. I'll bet the Bourbon-Apple Butter that I posted a while ago would be outrageous with this! I would have liked to have made the apple, pancetta pasta that they mention below but the link to the Boneta Restaurant that they gave had no recipes of any kind on it. Bummer. I'll let you know if I can get my hands on it. It sounds like a wonderful addition to this meal. Don't you hate when that happens? Anyway, if you can't locate baby turnips, which I couldn't, just use the smallest ones you can find and half or quarter them. Please enjoy!


Recipe: Pork Chops with Glazed Turnips and Cider Sauce
Bon Appetit Magazine, August 2009
At Vancouver's Boneta restaurant, this dish comes with apple and pancetta cappelletti and arugula pesto.
4 servings

Ingredients
Pork
8 cups water
1 cup apple juice
3 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar
2 tablespoons coarse kosher salt
8 sage leaves, bruised
4 garlic cloves, peeled, halved
4 small bay leaves
2 whole star anise
1 serrano chile, halved
1 1/4-inch-thick slice fresh ginger
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
4 8- to 9-ounce pork rib chops (1 to 1 1/4 inches thick)



Sauce
3 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup low-salt chicken broth
1 cup beef broth
1 fresh sage sprig



Turnips
8 baby turnips, trimmed
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 1/2 tablespoons butter, divided
1 fresh sage sprig
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup



Directions
Pork
Combine all ingredients except pork in large saucepan; boil, stirring to dissolve salt. Chill brine, then add pork. Cover and refrigerate overnight.



Sauce
Cook sugar in heavy small saucepan over medium heat until melted and deep golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add vinegar (mixture will bubble) and stir until hardened syrup dissolves, about 3 minutes. Add both broths and sage; boil until reduced to 1/3 cup, 8 to 10 minutes. DO AHEAD Sauce can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.



Turnips

Cook turnips in medium saucepan of boiling salted water until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain, cool, and peel. Cut turnips in half through stem end.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in small skillet over medium heat. Add turnips, cut side down; cook without turning until golden brown on bottom, about 8 minutes. Pour off oil. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.



Preheat oven to 350°F. Drain pork. Pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle pork with pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork; cook until brown, about 3 minutes per side. Add 1 tablespoon butter and sage to skillet; baste pork with butter. Transfer skillet to oven. Roast until thermometer inserted into center of chops registers 140°F, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove pork from oven; let rest 10 minutes.



Meanwhile, add maple syrup and 1/2 tablespoon butter to turnips and cook over medium-high heat until turnips are thickly coated, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Rewarm sauce.



Transfer pork and turnips to plates. Drizzle sauce over pork and serve.