Braised Pork Chops with Juniper-Leek Wine Sauce
Tasty and tender pork chops served with a sauce infused with leeks and juniper berries.
Ingredients:
A braised pork chop with juniper-leek wine sauce in the Adventure Kitchen.
4 pork chops, 1” thick
Coarse salt such as Diamond Crystal (if using table salt, use half as much as indicated throughout)
Ground black pepper
1 medium leek
2 tablespoons neutral high-heat oil
5 juniper berries, crushed with a fork
One half-cup dry white wine or dry French vermouth
2 tablespoons minced parsley, plus more to garnish at the end
One-half tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions:
1) Pat the pork chops dry and season them with 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
2) Remove the stem and fibrous green parts of the leek, then dice the remaining white and tender green parts into roughly quarter-inch pieces. You need about 1 cup of diced leeks for this recipe (you can save the rest, along with the stem and tougher green parts, to make soup or stock another time). Put the diced leeks in a large bowl, fill with cold water and swish them around to allow any dirt or sand to fall to the bottom of the bowl. Leave the leeks in the bowl of water until you’re ready to use them.
3) Heat a Dutch oven (preferred) or skillet over medium-high, then add the oil and swirl until shimmering. Sear the pork chops briefly in the hot oil, in batches as needed, until they are well-browned on both sides but not yet cooked through, about 2-3 minutes each. When the chops are all seared, remove them from the pan and turn the heat to low.
Juniper berries have a slightly sweet note, with a piney-floral aroma that adds a warm complexity to lots of dishes, especially in fall and winter.
4) Allow the pan to cool for a minute or two, then add the juniper berries, swirling them for just about half a minute until they’re fragrant. Use a slotted spoon or your hands to remove the leeks from the water and transfer them to the pan, still wet. (Be careful, there will be a lot of steam and there may also be some splattering oil depending on how hot your pan may still be!) Add 1/4 teaspoon salt and toss everything together until the leeks begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Turn the heat to high and pour in the white wine, using a wooden spatula to scrape up the browned bits as you deglaze the pan.
5) When the wine has reduced by about half, toss in 2 tablespoons of parsley and return the pork chops to the pan, resting them on the leeks. Turn the heat to medium-low, cover the pan and cook the pork chops at a bare simmer for about 10-15 minutes, turning them halfway through. The chops are done when they register 145 degrees F on a thermometer. At this point, remove the pan from heat and keep covered, allowing the chops to rest for an additional 5 minutes.
To serve, remove the chops from the pan, stir the lemon juice into the leek mixture and spoon it over the chops. Garnish with an extra sprinkle of minced parsley.
Notes:
I originally published this recipe to share with our Spice Club LIVE Zoom cooking class in January 2023. Our featured spice was juniper berries, and this had been a favorite dish to make in my own kitchen, so it’s the one I chose to share with our members. We made this recipe, as well as this vegan alternative with seared portobello mushroom steaks.
Juniper berries are a great ingredient to pair with pork, as well as turkey, duck, venison, mushrooms, and other flavors that make you think of fall and winter. When you taste juniper berries, the first thing you notice is a hint of sweetness, followed by a piney-floral aroma that evokes cozy cold-weather foods.
Spices and ingredients used in this dish:
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