by Erin Gilliland
I’m excited to revisit a series that gives our customers an opportunity to connect with our staff, that also additionally highlights products that we love.
We have access to some of the best pork (from our partners at Pork & Plants) I’ve honestly ever had. Their soy-free pigs are housed in deep-bedded straw and fed grains are that are grown on their farm using sustainable and regenerative principles.
I hadn’t enjoyed a bone-in pork chop for awhile, and IT JUST SEEMED RIGHT! What pairs well with a perfectly cooked, melt in your mouth piece of meat? A tangy, sweet and sour sauce that will cut through all the richness of the pork.
Agrodolce is Italian for “sour” (agro) and “sweet” (dolce). A classic agrodolce recipe contains reduced honey or sugar, vinegar, pine nuts, and a mixture of dried fruits and veggies, such as golden raisins, red onion, or currants, but it varies. (Is ketchup secretly an agrodolce? 👀 Chew on that one for a minute…)
This is where it gets weird. I had a bunch of rhubarb in my fridge I was planning on making a tart with, it really needed to go. Everything has a savory side, right!?
It turned out beautiful.
Stop in and grab some pork chops! Slather them in a bright and beautiful sauce, serve with fluffy couscous, veggies, or a pasta salad from our deli. You won’t regret it.
INGREDIENTS
1-2 tablespoons oil of your choice
1-2 Bone-in pork chops ( or T-Bones )
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 medium red onion, sliced thin
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons red-wine or sherry vinegar
1 pound rhubarb stalks, sliced into 2-inch pieces
RHUBARB AGRODOLCE
Heat the oil, onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in sugar, vinegar and rhubarb. Cook, partially covered and tossing occasionally, until rhubarb is tender and the juices in the pan are thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. It goes fast!
PORK
Pat the pork dry, and generously season with salt and pepper, and I mean generously.
Cook them however you’d like, honestly. One of our meatmongers can gladly give you some advice! Grill ‘em! Sear them hard in a cast iron to get a crust, render off some of the fat (the best part IMO) and finish in the oven to your temperature preference.
(Pro tip: save all those pan juices!!)