Chef notes

This recipe is sure to help you reimagine the possibilities of pumpkin — and we promise that it will soon be your favorite fall dinner. Boneless pork chops are bathed in warm spices, seared, then simmered in an ultra savory pumpkin and brown butter sauce. It’s one of the coziest meals you’ll eat all season.

If you’re not familiar with five-spice, allow us to introduce you. Five-spice powder is a blend of five spices — Star anise, cloves, Chinese cinnamon, Sichuan peppercorns and fennel seeds — that’s commonly used in Chinese and Taiwanese cuisine. The resulting flavor is sweet, savory and spicy all at the same time. It’s a wonderful spice blend to add to your pantry during the cooler months. Use it as a rub, as is done here, or try adding it to soups, sauces, marinades and roasted vegetables. It’s also surprisingly wonderful in baked goods. Use it as you would pumpkin pie spice or ground cinnamon in pies, cakes, quick breads and cookies.

The warm aroma from the five-spice powder complements the fresh rosemary and sage in this pumpkin sauce. To ensure the sauce is as comforting as can be, it’s enhanced with brown butter, which not only lends richness but provides added nuttiness and caramelized flavor. Since the pork chops finish cooking in the sauce, they’ll have a chance to soak up a lot of this great flavor, not to mention moisture, so you can be assured that they won’t dry up.

Ingredients

3-4 boneless pork chops (1¼-inches-thick and 6 ounces each)
1 tablespoon five-spice powder
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
1/2 cup salted butter
1 shallot, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, grated

1 tablespoon chopped rosemary
2 tablespoons chopped sage leaves
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 (15-ounce) can pure pumpkin purée
1 cup vegetable or chicken broth

Fulfilled by

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Place the pork chops on a baking tray, pat dry with a paper towel and season evenly with five spice, salt and pepper.

Place a large oven-safe pan over medium heat and add the oil. Once the pan is hot and the oil begins to sizzle, add in the prepared pork. Sear for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until golden-brown. When the pork is seared on both sides, remove it from the pan and discard the oil.

Place the pan back onto the stove, reduce the heat and add the butter. Once it is melted, stir and cook for 2 minutes, until lightly golden. Add in the shallots, garlic, rosemary, sage, red pepper flakes and brown sugar. Stir together and continue to cook until the butter darkens a bit further in color. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the pureed pumpkin and broth.

Add the seared pork chops into the pan with the brown butter-pumpkin sauce and spoon the sauce over the top. Place the pan into the oven and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the thickest part of the pork reaches an internal temperature of 145 F.

Once finished cooking, remove from the oven and spoon the pan juices over the pork. Allow the pork to rest for 5 minutes before slicing.