kindkit | today's cooking

Today, for the first time in a couple of weeks, I felt well enough to bother cooking something nice. I've been in the mood for Indian flavors but also for traditionally western autumn dishes, so this is my attempt to have it both ways. Quantities of spices, etc. are approximate.

Ginger-Apple Marinated Pork Chops with Indian-Spiced Apple and Raisin Compote

For the marinade:

1/4 cup or so apple cider vinegar
3-4 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2-3 tablespoons fresh ginger, coarsely grated
1 garlic clove, peeled and cut in half
1/2 teaspoon or so ajowan seeds (these are tiny seeds, available in Indian and middle eastern shops, that smell a lot like thyme; chopped thyme leaves can be substituted)
4 pork chops, preferably thick ones

Bring everything except the meat to a boil in a small pan, stir to dissolve the sugar and salt, and set aside until cool. Once it's cool, put it in a dish or a sealable plastic bag along with the pork chops and let marinate in the refrigerator for half an hour or so. Since this is an acidic marinade, don't keep the pork chops in it for hours and hours.

For the fruit compote:

2 fairly tart apples suitable for cooking (I used one Granny Smith and one Braeburn), peeled, cored, and sliced; toss them in a bit of apple cider vinegar after slicing so they don't turn brown
1/4 cup or so of raisins
1 small shallot, finely chopped
1-2 teaspoons mustard seeds
1 chile of your choice, slit lengthwise to but not through the stem (so the seeds are exposed but it's still in one piece)
2-3 tablespoons fresh ginger, coarsely grated
1/4 cup or so brown sugar
A few tablespoons apple cider vinegar
A little water
Salt to taste

First, take the pork chops out of the marinade, dry them off a bit, and saute them in a pan with some oil. If they're thick, just brown them and finish them in the oven until they're cooked through; if they're thin, cook them in the pan and set aside in a low oven to keep them warm. In the same pan, adding a little more oil if needed, saute the shallot, mustard seed, and chiles for a minute or so, then add the apples, raisins, and ginger. Cook, stirring frequently, until the apples are browning and beginning to tenderize. Add the brown sugar and stir, then add some vinegar (use your own judgment based on how tart you want the fruit to be) and just enough water so there's enough liquid in the pan that the apples can braise and soften for a few minutes. When the apples are as soft as you like and there's only a little liquid left in the pan, add any pork juices that have oozed out of the chops and take the compote off the heat. Add a little salt if you like, bearing in mind that the pork chops will have some saltiness from the marinade.

I ate this with diced potatoes oven-roasted in ghee with mustard seed, cumin seed, and a little fennel seed, and green beans oven-roasted in mustard oil and cumin seed.