Recipe #101: Cran-Orange Pork Chops

I've said before that I'm not the biggest fan of pork chops, but I'll definitely eat them again with this sauce! The cran-orange sauce that goes on these chops is so perfect with the pork.  This is a modified cook book recipe.  I couldn't find fresh, regular cranberries, so I used a can of them (but NOT cranberry sauce).  I also made the big mistake of reading the amount of orange concentrate wrong and used the whole can instead of 2 tablespoons, but I liked how much sauce it made.  Sometimes mistakes are a good thing!

INGREDIENTS:

Pepper and celery salt, to taste
2-4 pork loin chops (I used bone-in)
2 teaspoons cooking oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings
2 tablespoons water (or chicken broth)
1 can cranberries (NOT the sauce)  (OR 1 cup of just cranberries)
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons water
1 can frozen orange juice concentrate (or as little as 2 tablespoons for less sauce)
1 teaspoon finely shredded orange peel (or zest)
1/2 teaspoon ground sage
1/4 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS:

Season the pork chops, both sides, with pepper and celery salt.  Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat and add chops.  Cook chops and onion rings until chops are browned, turning once.  Add 2-3 tablespoons water (or broth) to the skillet and cover.  Cook over medium heat 15-20 minutes until no longer pink.  Remove onions with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Meanwhile, for the sauce, in a medium saucepan, combine the cranberries, sugar, the orange juice concentrate, orange peel, sage, and salt.  Cook and stir over medium heat about 10 minutes or until the mixture thickens (I used a little flour since mine was a bit runny).  Stir in the onions; heat through.  Remove from heat.

Serve pork chops with sauce on top. 

The side I made was mushrooms sauteed in butter with dried rosemary, thyme, and sage.