pork chops with caramelized onions

I'm tired of hearing about chicken breasts, ground chicken, turkey breasts, turkey sausages, and ground turkey as the only source of protein at school. Yes chicken breasts and turkey meats are lean and good for you but what's the point in cooking if you're limiting yourself to only those meats?

It's not so much that people don't like the flavor of other meats like cattle and pork but it's this myth that these cuts of protein are bad for your health. That's absolute bollocks (as Hameed likes to say) and I'm on a mission this year to get my peers to eat/cook other cuts of meat.

To debunk what you may hear on TV, it doesn't matter how healthy you eat if you're going to eat over your daily caloric expenditure. Yes, that's right. It doesn't matter if you're cooking/eating chicken breasts and your turkey varieties if you eat in large quantities. Whole wheat pasta? Yes, it's healthier for you because of the vitamin/mineral and fiber content but calorie for calorie, it's actually higher (in most cases) than your regular pasta. There are some amazing RD's, RD's to be and fitness trainers that visit this blog and I recommend you shoot them an e-mail if you have futher questions or don't believe me.

This pork chop is a lean piece of meat that's full of flavor and high in protein. I hate how pork cuts get forgotten around school except for the bacon and ribs. The pig is a magical and versatile animal that has so much to offer. I topped my chops off with caramelized onions and with a warm apple salad. Pork is a dense meat so it goes perfectly with the sweet and dense flavor of apples.

Pork Chops with Caramelized Onions
Original, Serves 2

Ingredients:
- 2 pork chops, bone-in
- 3 cloves of garlic, crushed with the skin
- 1 sprig of rosemary
- 1 onion, halved and sliced
- 2 teaspoons of sugar
- half of a radicchio, sliced
- 2 braeburn apples, sliced with skin-on
- few tablespoons of cider vinegar

1) In a hot pan, add olive oil and the sliced onions. Season lightly with salt and pepper and sweat down over medium-low to medium heat for about 5 minutes.
2) Sprinkle the sugar over the onions and sweat down further until browned and caramelized. About 20 more minutes. Keep warm and set aside until needed.
3) In a hot pan, add olive oil and fry for 3 - 4 minutes on both sides. Add the crushed cloves of garlic and sprig of thyme when cooking the second side. Baste the pork chop with the excess oil to cook the pork even more and develop texture on the chops. You can add butter to do this if desired.
4) Cook the pork chops to medium, firm but springly when pressed. Remove to a plate and rest while you make the apple salad.
5) Slice the apples - skin on - and slice half of a radicchio.
6) Add olive oil to a hot pan and add the apples first. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Sautee for about a minute.
7) Add the sliced raddichio and toss a few times to evenly distribute. Deglaze with cider vinegar, circling around the edge of the pan. Remove from heat.
8) Spoon the warm salad in the middle of the plate, place rested pork chops on top and spoon some of the caramelized onions on top of the chops. Eat and conquer.
_________________________________________
Going home for a couple days to pick up stuff and see the family before tests hit the fan. If I don't post before then have an awesome Friday and a great weekend!