Description[]
Source: THE BIG BOOK OF BACKYARD COOKING - BETTY ROSBOTTOM
These succulent chops, flavored with robust spices, are well balanced by a bracing accompaniment of sour cream combined with sliced grape tomatoes and chopped green onions. Try them with the Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Lime and Honey and Grilled Corn on the Cob.
Ingredients[]
- 6 5-ounce boneless center-cut pork loin chops, ¾ to 1 inch thick, trimmed of excess fat
- ¼ cup olive oil, plus extra for oiling grill rack
- 3 serrano peppers, about 3 inches long, seeded and minced (see page 17)
- 2½ tablespoons fresh lime juice (2 to 3 limes)
- 1½ teaspoons ground cumin
- Kosher salt
- ¾ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¾ cup regular or reduced-fat (not nonfat) sour cream
- 12 small grape or cherry tomatoes, quartered and seeded
- 3 green onions including 3 inches of green stems, finely sliced
- Kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Directions[]
- Place pork chops in a shallow nonreactive dish that will hold them comfortably in a single layer.
- Whisk together ¼ cup oil, minced serranos, lime juice, cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, and red pepper flakes.
- Pour over pork.
- Cover and refrigerate.
- Marinate 6 hours or overnight, turning several times.
- Bring to room temperature 30 minutes before grilling.
- Thirty minutes before you are ready to cook the pork chops, prepare the garnish.
- In a small bowl, mix together sour cream, tomatoes, green onions, ½ teaspoon salt, and cilantro.
- Set aside at room temperature.
- When ready to cook, oil a grill rack and arrange 4 to 5 inches from heat source.
- Prepare grill for a hot fire (high temperature).
- Remove pork from marinade and pat dry.
- Grill chops until cooked all the way through, 6 minutes or longer per side.
- The flesh should be white when done. (Internal temperature should be 160 degrees F.)
- Arrange chops on a platter.
- Garnish each chop with a dollop of sauce and pass extra sauce separately.
YIELD: SERVES 6