Quick-Braised Pork Chops with Ginger, Garlic, and Scallions

If any of you readers out there are of the observant ilk, you may have noticed that basically all of my posts thus far (which add up to not many, I admit) are of the quick-quick-quick variety. I especially like foods that *seem* to be high on effort, but are instead just high on taste. These pork chops fit the bill. One of my very good friends aroused my interest in the other white meat last weekend over a delicious meal of pan-sauteed chops--I've never cooked pork at home before--so I decided to buy some good-looking thick pork chops at Safeway (the meat selection was actually quite nice! Thank you, Rancher's Reserve), and I dreamed of white wine sauces and shallots.

Perusing my How to Cook Everything, however, I came across Bittman's recipe for "Sweet Simmered Pork Chops" (I like my title better, hah!). This dish is absolutely perfect for a night where you feel like some soul-soothing cooking but you're not up to more than 30-40 minutes of puttering in the kitchen--all the ingredients are Asian pantry staples, and it's great with just some white rice (I love my Cuckoo rice cooker) and maybe some quick stir-fried cabbage or broccoli. I made broccoli braised in white wine and garlic (sense a pattern in my cooking, yet?) and that fit the bill; the broccoli would have been even better with some toasted sesame seeds to kick up the Asia factor. The pork stayed succulently moist, not an easy feat with low-fat meats like chicken breast or pork chops.

The recipe is for four; I reduced it for two. The salt content of this dish is quite high, so I'd suggest low-sodium soy sauce if you are so concerned.

Makes 4 servings
Time: 20 minutes

1/3 cup soy sauce
2/3 cup water
1/3 cup sherry
1/4 mirin or 2 tbsp honey thinned with a little water
2 tbsp rice or white wine vinegar
5-6 thin slices peeled fresh ginger
3-4 cloves garlic, crushed
4 center-cut loin pork chops, abt 1 inch thick, trimmed of excess fat
1/2 cup minced scallions or 1/4 cup minced chives for garnish

1. In a large skillet with a cover, mix together all ingredients except the pork and scallions or chives. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, turn heat down to medium-low, and simmer, uncovered, for about 5 minutes. Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

2. Add pork, cover, and simmer, turning occasionally, until the meat is just about cooked through, about 15 minutes. (Cook's note: my pork wasn't done at the 15-minute mark, so I chose to keep it on the stove for 3 extra minutes and skip the oven step altogether).

3. Place the chops on an ovenproof platter and put the platter in the oven. Turn the heat up to high and reduce the sauce to 1 cup or a little less. Remove the ginger slices if you like (Who would ever want to do that?!)

4. Plate the chops over some white rice, and spoon the sauce, garlic, and ginger on top. Garnish with scallions or chives.

Drink of choice?: I was craving an Asahi or a Sapporo with this meal, but sadly the pantry was empty on that end.