Pork Chops with Chutney

Friday: Peachy Pork Chops; baked potatoes; green herb salad

Summer finally has arrived here in Seattle - it was far too warm to think about turning on the oven, so I peeled the potatoes instead, cubed them, and boiled them 'til tender in the microwave. Then, with a wave of my magic wand (er, a potato masher), they became mashed potatoes! I added a glug or two of half-and-half and made them decadent with a large amount of garlic-sage butter from the freezer (perhaps two tablespoons). And some salt.

The herb salad was just some lettuce and a variety of herbs from our container garden: this time, I went a little spring-roll-ish with them, and picked mint, Thai basil, and cilantro.

For the pork chops, I used a jar of the peach chutney Victor and I canned last summer. After sprinkling some salt and pepper on both sides of the chops, I browned them very well over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes/side and then poured a generous amount of chutney on top of them, turned down the heat, and cooked them a bit longer with the lid on the pan. These were very thick chops - for thinner ones, decrease the cooking time. Any type of chutney would work here (we're out now, but I also like rhubarb chutney particularly for this type of recipe).

Peach Chutney
from The Ball Blue Book Guide to Canning (a title that brings out my inner thirteen year-old)

• 4 qts chopped, pitted peaches (about 20 medium)
• 1 C raisins
• 1 C chopped onion (about 1 medium)
• 2-3 C brown sugar
• 1/4 C mustard seed
• 2 Tbsp ginger
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 hot red pepper, finely chopped
• 5 C vinegar

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepot. Cook slowly until thick, at least 40 minutes. Stir frequently to prevent sticking. Ladle hot chutney into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Adjust two-piece caps. Process 10 minutes in a boiling water canner.

Yield: about 14 half-pint jars