Pork chops and apple sauce with a Mexican flair

Chef Ivy Stark from Dos Caminos restaurant in New York cooks up a delightful dinner dish

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>>> this morning on "today's" kitchen, pork chops and applesauce. hot chef ivey stark here in new york city brings a mexican flare to this classic combination. why do we love pork chops and apples together?

>> i think it's a natural combination. i think that one of the things pigs like to eat is apples . so i think --

>> so their demise is they like the apples .

>> so apples naturally complement the pork flavor.

>> so this starts with a marinade?

>> yes, it does, this is a simple rub. i have some c oourksumin and ground coreander and i would marinade that for 15 minutes in the refrigerator, you can do it an hour, two hours, if you wanted to do it more ahead of time. and you can take a little bit of the paste and i'm going to rub it right on the pork.

>> get it on e both sides?

>> get it on both sides and then get that started on the grill. i'm going to flip it. now i just started at a --

>> that's a pretty thick pork chop , so how long would you grill that on each side?

>> i would say eight to ten minutes on each side, for medium and medium well .

>> people think you have to cook it so dry.

>> it's a lot more juicy that way.

>> i have some blanched tomatillos here, you would take off the muhusk, wash them and then blanch them in boiling water. so i have in the food processor some cilantro and i'm going to add the blanched tomatillos to that. i have a little bit of cumin. you can use any sort of chili pepper that you like or none at all if you don't like spice.

>> are those chili's particularly spicy?

>> they're spicy and they're smoked jalapenos so they have a smoky flavor.

>> what are you adding there?

>> there is fresh lime juice . i'm going to add a little bit of honey. this will add a little bit of complexity in the sweet against the spicy.

>> and you have your chopped apples ?

>> these are granny smith apples . this is a little apple juice .

>> does it matter which apples ?

>> use whatever apples you like, the granny smith are kind of tart. i'm going to blend this a little bit to get it combined.

>> i'm just going to add that. simple. and look how simple this sauce is to make?

>> it's beautiful.

>> and it's pretty too.

>> so you're done with that and what is the final step here?

>> the final step is to eat. everybody's favorite part. so i have the pork chops . i'm going to just put that on a plate with some of the sauce.

>> you just kind of pour the sauce over it and let it soak into the meat?

>> absolutely.

>> i'll try this and i know you have a few other dishes to complement.

>> oh, love that.

>> and cornbread, some chili cornbread goes with that.

>> the pork chop .

>> i have to put some muscle in this. this is delicious looking, awesome.

>> very nice.

>> it is very nice. would you like to try one?

>> oh, my gosh, that's absolutely delicious.

>> the salsa is amazing. ivey , this is absolutely amazing. i can't stop eating. thank you, ivey .

>> coming up, with hoda and kathy lee, getting your picky kids to eat healthy foods

Show transcript

TODAY recipes

updated 9/21/2010 3:42:15 PM ET

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Want to add a little Mexican flair to your next dinner? Chef Ivy Stark shares a pork chop and apple sauce dish you’ll love for your next meal.

Recipe: Grilled pork chops with tomatillo-apple sauce (on this page)

Recipe: Grilled pork chops with tomatillo-apple sauce

Ivy Stark

Ingredients

For the pork chops
3 tablespoons ground coriander
3 tablespoons ground cumin
2 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 1/2 tablespoons black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 (2-inch-thick) loin pork chops
For the tomatillo and green apple sauce:
1/2 pound fresh tomatillos, husks discarded and tomatillos rinsed
2 Granny Smith apples
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro sprigs
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup apple juice
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon mild honey
1 teaspoon minced canned chipotle chiles in adobo

Preparation

Stir together coriander, cumin, salt and pepper in a small bowl, then add oil and stir until combined well. Rub spice mixture all over chops. Let chops marinate while making sauce and preparing grill.

Simmer tomatillos and 3 cups water in a 2 1/2 to 3-quart saucepan, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until tomatillos are just soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and cool 15 minutes.

While tomatillos are cooling, core apples and cut into 1/4-inch dice. Purée tomatillos with remaining sauce ingredients except apples in a food processor. Transfer to a bowl and stir in apples.

To cook pork using a charcoal grill:

Open vents on bottom of grill. Light charcoal in chimney starter. Leaving about one quarter of grill free of charcoal, bank lit charcoal across rest of grill so that coals are about three times higher on opposite side.

Charcoal fire is medium-hot when you can hold your hand 5 inches above rack over area where coals are piled highest for 3 to 4 seconds. Sear pork on lightly oiled grill rack directly over hottest part of coals, uncovered, turning over once and moving around grill to avoid flare-ups, until well browned, 10 to 12 minutes total.

Move pork to coolest part of grill, then cover with inverted roasting pan and grill, turning pork over once, until thermometer inserted diagonally into center of each chop (avoid bone) registers 150 degrees, 10 to 12 minutes total.

Transfer pork to a cutting board and let stand, loosely covered with foil, 15 minutes (temperature should rise to 155 degrees).

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