When it comes to cooking, we often think of fruits as ingredients reserved for sweet treats and desserts. However, incorporating fruits into savoury dishes can add flavour, complexity, and a natural sweetness that takes your culinary creations to the next level. Fruits have a unique ability to balance and enhance the flavours in savoury dishes. Their natural sweetness can counteract the richness or saltiness of certain ingredients, creating a harmonious blend of tastes that tantalize the taste buds. Additionally, fruits bring vibrant colour, texture, and juiciness to the plate, making the dish visually appealing and more enjoyable to eat.

In this recipe, the seedless red grapes bring a burst of sweetness that complements the savoury flavours of the pork and the aromatic rosemary. As the grapes roast alongside the pork chops, they release their natural juices, creating a luscious sauce that infuses the meat with a subtle fruity flavour.

Pork Chops with Rosemary and Seedless Red Grapes

Ingredients:

• 2 pieces thick pork chop (about 1” thick)
• 2 sprig rosemary
• 1T brown sugar
• salt and black pepper
• 10ml Olive oil
• 8 – 10 pieces seedless red grapes, cut in half
• 30 – 50 ml chicken broth

Directions:

1. Use a paper towel to pat the pork chops dry. Use the back of the knife to gently hit both sides of the chop to loosen up the tissues. 
2. Marinate pork chops with one sprig of chopped rosemary, brown sugar, salt, black pepper and 5ml of olive oil. Let sit for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.
3. Preheat the oven to 200C.
4. Heat a frying pan over high heat. Add the remaining olive oil into the pan and put the pork chops into the hot pan. Pan fry one side until golden colour, 3 minutes.
5. Flip the chops and add the remaining sprig of rosemary, red grapes and chicken broth into the pan. Place the pan* into the oven immediately.
6. Roast the pork chop until cooked through. It will take around 8 minutes, depending on the thickness of the pork chop.
7. Take the pan out of the oven. Place pork chop on a serving plate and spoon over red grapes and pan juices over the top. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

*Note: if you do not have a frying pan that can go directly into the oven, you may transfer the pork chop after pan frying on one side onto a baking tray. Preheat the baking tray in the oven first to heat it so the temperature will be roughly the same as the frying pan.  

This Pork Chop with Rosemary and Seedless Red Grapes recipe is just one example of incorporating fruits into your dishes. Pork chop is an incredibly versatile cut of meat that lends itself well to various flavour combinations. If you’re feeling adventurous in the kitchen, I encourage you to try modifying one or two flavours in your pork chop dishes and witness the delightful transformations that can occur. In this recipe, I substituted sweet apples with seedless red grapes, imparting a subtle sweetness that beautifully enhances the dish. I invite you to try it yourself. Happy cooking!

For more cooking inspirations, check out my recipe page.