Cooking web notes

Jerk Pineapple Pork Chops and Awards

First of all, I apologize for not posting this last week.  I have had computer problems and you all probably know how that goes!

Fresh pineapple is my favorite sweet, sunny fruit and always reminds me of the pineapple plantations we saw in Hawaii ~ not to mention the Pacific Ocean, beaches, palm trees and Hilo Hattie.

During Colonial days, the striking visual attractiveness, the rarity and the expense of the pineapple made it the ultimate exotic fruit.  It was served only on special occasions and quickly became a symbol of hospitality.  

This recipe is from our local newspaper, The Northwest Herald.  It combines the jerk seasoning with pork chops and pineapple.  In Jamaica, the jerk method of cooking involves seasoning meat with a sweet-hot secret mixture of peppers, spices and herbs, then slowly cooking them.  The blend of allspice and thyme in this recipe captures the taste of the islands perfectly.

Its Jamaican jerk, made with thick, juicy pork and succulent fruit.  Pineapple has a meatier side and if you like flavorful dishes, this sweet and savory dish is for you! 

Jerk Pineapple Pork Chops 

Ingredients: 

1 small pineapple 
1 bunch scallions, sliced cross-wise into 1-inch pieces 
1 jalapeno pepper, stemmed and seeded 
2 teaspoons dried thyme 
4 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled 
1½ teaspoons ground allspice 
4 bone-in pork chops 
Salt and pepper, to taste 
2 teaspoons olive oil 

Method: 

Cut four ½-inch-thick rounds from pineapple; set aside. 
Cut remaining pineapple into large chunks, discarding core. 
In a food processor, combine pineapple chunks, scallions
chile, thyme, garlic and allspice and pulse until coarsel
chopped. 
Reserve ¾ cup pineapple marinade and refrigerate. 
Season pork with salt and pepper and place in a 9-by-13-inch
glass baking dish along with pineapple rounds. 
Top pork and pineapple with remaining pineapple marinade 
and turn pork and pineapple to coat. 
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour (or up to 4 hours). 
In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over
medium-high. 
Working in two batches, brush pineapple mixture off pork 
and cook chops until browned and cooked through, about 20
minutes per batch, flipping once. 
Add 1 tablespoon oil to skillet. 
Brush pineapple marinade off pineapple and cook rounds
until golden brown in spots, about 5 to 7 minutes, flipping
once. 
Serve with pork and reserved pineapple marinade. 

It’s tropically delicious!!!

Now it’s award time:  Times flies and a while back my special Cajun friend, Marguerite at Cajun Delights, presented me with these 8 awards.  I thank Marguerite and am honored that she chose me and appreciate her kindness in doing so.  I adore Marguerite’s blog ~ not only does she have fantastic Cajun recipes ~ she has the music and dancing to go with it.  If her blog is new to you, you must visit it and check out her delicious Cajun food and her rockin’ videos!  

I am supposed to pass these 8 awards rolled into one off to 15 of my favorite foodie bloggers.  So I am going to pass them on to these great people who inspire me with their winning recipes, fantastic writing and who are so supportive of me with their kind comments.  Here they are, in no particular order: 

Martha @seasidesimplicity 

Betty @scrambledhenfruit 

Larry @bigdudesramblings 

Kathy @thesugarqueenbakes 

Lynda  @lyndasrecipebox 

Biren @rotinrice 

Rita @sagecuisine 

Judy @atastythought 

Lyndsey @tinyskillet 

Kristy @kristygourmet 

Jeannie @chinadoll-bakingdairy 

Claudia @pegasuslegend-whatscookin 

Carol @theresalwaysthyme 

Linda @mykindofcooking 

Dave @bigdaddydavesbitsandpieces 


Please visit them all and let them know I sent you!  Thanks for paying me a visit and have a wonderful day!

This entry was posted on Monday, February 6, 2012 at 6:39 AM and is filed under Garlic, Jalapeño peppers, Jerk, Onions, Pineapple, Pork, Pork chops. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response.