Recipe: Oven-Baked Pork Chops with Apple Mostarda

This super filling meal looks bright and colourful on your plate — and it's delicious to boot! Follow Shahir's steps for perfectly brined pork chops. 

Ingredients

Pork chops:

• 6 cups water
• ½ cup salt
• 3 sprigs of thyme
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 4 double bone-in pork chops
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Mostarda:

• 2 Gala apples, diced largely
• 1 shallot, diced
• Zest of an orange
• ½ cup yellow raisins
• ¼ cup honey
• ½ cup white wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp hot yellow mustard
• 2 tbsp yellow mustard seeds
• Splash of brandy (optional)
• Pinch of chili flakes

Rapini:

• 1 head of rapini
• 2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 birds eye chili, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Salt (to taste)
• Pepper (to taste)

Preparation

Pork chops:

Add salt to water in large resealable container. Stir until dissolved. Add thyme and pork chops. Cover. Transfer to fridge and brine for 2-8 hours. Once brined rinse off chops and pat dry with a paper towel. Discard brine.

Pat dry pork chops with a paper towel. Heat oven safe cast iron pan to high on stovetop, add oil and sear chops until nicely browned on each side.

Transfer to oven and bake at 350F for 30-35 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 145F. Rest for 5 minutes before serving. Serve alongside blanched rapini and crusty bread.

Mostarda:

Combine all ingredients in a high sided pan or pot medium heat. Simmer until apples are soft, but not mushy — about 10 minutes. Serve on top of pork chops. Store in a glass container in the fridge.

Rapini:

Blanch rapini for 3-4 minutes until stalk is tender. Shock in cold water then pat dry. Add garlic, chili to hot pan with oil, fry until golden. Add rapini. Sautee for a few minutes.