Pork Chops with Blackberry Port Sauce

Now that I’m in my new neighborhood, I’m within walking distance of Philadelphia’s Italian Market. In the mid- to late-1800s, several Italian immigrants opened stores on 9th Street, selling ethnic foods. Now, there are also Chinese, Vietnamese and Mexican stores as well. You can buy things like fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, cheese, and spices. Many prices are well below supermarket prices. For example, a few weeks ago, I bought a pound of center-cut, bone-in pork chops, a pound of butter steaks, 4 sausage links, and 5 ears of corn on the cob for less than $20.

So, I started looking around for a recipe for the pork chops. I’m not a huge fan of applesauce (the traditional accompaniment to pork), so when I came across Pork Chops with Blackberry Port Sauce on AllRecipes.com, I was intrigued. I made the recipe almost exactly as written (except substituting blueberry juice for blackberry juice, and using 2 bone-in pork chops instead of 6 boneless).

It is DELICIOUS. The sauce wasn’t as thick as I thought it would be but that is my only complaint. It’s not overly tangy. Really complements pork well. I served it with brown rice and roasted asparagus. I only made two pork chops (instead of the 6 called for), so I plan to use the leftover sauce on chicken breasts. And best of all, it’s QUICK — prep consists of mincing the shallots, and the dish cooks in about 30 minutes. The rice took 12 minutes and the asparagus roasted in 10 minutes.

Pork Chops with Blackberry Port Sauce

Ingredients

6 (4-oz) boneless pork chops
salt to taste
pepper to taste
2 tsp olive oil, divided
2 shallots, minced
2 tsp dried thyme
3/4 cup sweet port wine
3/4 cup blackberry or blueberry juice (I found blueberry juice at Whole Foods)
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp cornstarch
2 tsp water
2 cups blackberries

Directions

Pat the pork chops dry. Season both sides to taste with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté the pork until light brown, about 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until internal temperature reaches at least 15 degrees. Remove from pan and set aside. Tent with foil to keep warm.
Add another tbsp of olive oil to the pan. Add shallots and thyme and sauté about a minute, until translucent. Pour in wine, juice, broth, and vinegar. Bring to a boil, scraping up any brown bits of food stuck to the bottom of the pan. Cook until reduced by 1/3, about 5 minutes. Mix the cornstarch and the water into a paste, and stir into the sauce. Cook until thickened, about a minute, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low and stir in blackberries. Simmer until berries are hot.
Return the pork chops to the skillet and turn to coat with sauce. Serve hot, spooning sauce over chops.

Keep a little flour on the counter