Emeril Lagasse's Roasted Pork Chops With Jeweled Rice Pilaf

Try This Tasty Dinner Tonight

Emeril Lagasse prepares one-pot wonders from his new book, "Sizzling Skillets."

From the kitchen of Emeril Lagasse

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Servings:4

Difficulty: Easy

Cook Time: 30-60 min

The jeweled rice pilaf was inspired by a dish made for me by a Lebanese friend. The already aromatic basmati rice is spiced with cinnamon, cumin, and allspice and is bespeckled with dried fruits and nuts. The pork chops are glazed with an orange-cardamom reduction that further enhances the flavors of this dish.

Ingredients

Four 12 ounce center-cut bone-in pork chops

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 ½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons instant flour, such as Wondra flour

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons ghee or clarified unsalted butter

1 cup small-diced carrot

Two 3 inch cinnamon sticks

½ teaspoon whole allspice berries

¼ teaspoon cumin seeds

1 bay leaf

¼ cup dates, pitted and diced

¼ cup dried apricots, diced, small

¼ cup dried currants

2 cups basmati rice

3 ½ cups chicken stock or canned low-sodium chicken broth

1/8 teaspoon saffron threads, crumbled between your fingers

1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest

3 tablespoons Greek-style yogurt

1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

3 whole cardamom pods, lightly crushed

1 tablespoon apricot jam

¼ cup lightly toasted sliced almonds

¼ cup toasted and coarsely chopped pistachios

1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves

Cooking Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Season the pork chops on both sides with 2 teaspoons of the salt and 1 teaspoon of the pepper. Sprinkle both sides of the pork chops with the flour and set aside. Set a 12 inch flameproof casserole pan over medium-high heat and add the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the ghee. When the oil is hot, place the pork chops in the pan and sear for 3 minutes per side. Transfer the pork chops to a plate and set aside.

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons ghee to the pan, and when hot, add the onion, carrot, cinnamon, all-spice, cumin, and bay leaf and cook over medium heat, scraping the bottom of the pan, until the onion and carrot are lightly caramelized, 3 to 4 minutes. And the dates, apricots, currants, and basmati rice, stir to coat, and cook until the rice is fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the stock, saffron, orange zest, yogurt, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and place the pan in the oven for 10 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven and, working quickly, place the pan in the oven for 10 minutes.

While the pan is in the oven, combine the orange juice and cardamom pods in a 1 quart sauce pan and cook over medium-high heat until the juice has reduced by half, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the apricot jam and stir until melted. Strain the reduction through a fine mesh-sieve. Set aside until ready to serve the pork and rice.

Brush the chops with the orange juice reduction and garnish with the almonds, pistachios, and mint. Serve immediately.

This recipe was styled by chef Karen Pickus for Good Morning America.

Recipe courtesy of Emeril Lagasse.