Just like Gram used to make.
"It doesn't turn out right anymore," my Mom used to say. She was describing a dish her Mom made for her as a child. It was a pork loin roast cooked on a bed of sauerkraut and - and this is critically important - served with finely-diced, raw onion. The juices and fat released by the pork would keep the sauerkraut moist with the tips of shredded cabbage caramelizing as the pork roasted.
So, why did it never turn out right anymore?
"No juices," my Mom would say. There just isn't enough fat in the pork. Mom was right. Since we freaked out about the fat in our diet in the 1970's breeding and the feeding and raising of pigs has reduced the fat in pigs by about 30%. Imagine Mom's delight then when we stopped to speak with a pig farmer.
My Dad, who as a boy had raised pigs with his older brother to make extra money, jumped right into a conversation about the farmer's stock. The farmer waxed poetic about his pastured Bershire heritage breed pigs and assured my mother that her roast pork and sauerkraut would turn out exactly the way she remembered.
I recently created a dish inspired by the one my Mom grew up eating. I added a few extra dried herbs and spices than Gram probably used. I also added in fresh cabbage and a bit of chicken stock to keep the pan moist. Most importantly, I kept the garnish of raw onion.
And that heritage pork loin roast that my Mom brought home from the farm market? That farmer was right. It turned out exactly the way she remembered it. Every last bite.
Herbed pork chops with cabbage
Serves 4
Dried herbs and spices add depth to this Pennsylvania German inspired dish. Fresh cabbage cuts the sauerkraut with a bit of sweetness. The raw onion adds just the right bite and crunch at the finish.
For the pork:
4 about 1 1/2 to 2" thick pork loin chops
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp dried marjoram or oregano
1/2 tsp celery seed
1 tsp garlic powder
4 tbs bacon fat from 2 strips of bacon
For cabbage:
2 onions, diced
1 tbs caraway seed
5 cloves
3 cups cabbage
2 cups sauerkraut, drained
2 tbs cider vinegar
1 cup chicken stock
For sauce:
2 tbs apple cider vinegar
1 cup stock
4 cloves
1/2 cup cream
1 tbs grainy mustard
Directions:
Prepare the pork: pat the pork chops dry with paper towels. Make the rub combining thyme, marjoram, celery seed, garlic powder and season generously with 1 tsp each of salt and ground black pepper. Rub pork chops on both sides with rub. Warm bacon fat over medium-high heat in a 3 qt sauté pan (that's straight sided and with a cover). Sear pork chops on both sides, about 3-4 minutes per side, until browned. Reserve on a plate.
Cook cabbage: Return pan, with remaining fat, to medium heat. Add one onion and cook until translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Add caraway seed and cloves. Toast for 30 seconds.
Add cabbage and cook for 5 minutes. Add sauerkraut, vinegar and chicken stock. Stir to combine. Nestle reserved pork chops into cabbage mixture, drizzle with any juice from the plat and cover. Cook until pork chops are cooked through, about 10 minutes longer.
Uncover and reserve pork chops on a plate tented with foil. Turn heat to medium-high and cook without stirring until cabbage on the bottom of pan begins to brown. Remove cabbage to a platter.
Make sauce: Add vinegar and reduce by half, scraping up brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add stock, accumulated juices from the pork and cloves. Reduce by half. Add cream and reduce to thicken. Stir in mustard.
To serve, sprinkle cabbage with remaining raw onion. Top with pork chops and drizzle with cream sauce.
