Pork chops smothered in blueberry jam and peaches

Pork Chops with Blueberry Jam and Peaches

I grew up with fried pork chops served with rice and gravy, biscuits and green beans that were slow cooked all day.  That's just one of the perks of growing up in the south.

I still eat rice and green beans, but the fried pork chops, biscuits and gravy are just a distant memory. These days, pork chops are grilled, broiled or pan fried and have a tendency to be a little dry. Adding a little moisture and flavor from fruit makes a huge difference.

A few months ago I started making my own jam with fresh fruit from the local farmer's market. Summer is so short in Chicago that extending it into the fall and winter months with preserved fruits will hopefully brighten up my life a little. Blueberries are in abundance right now, so I made jam a few weeks ago adding cinnamon and nutmeg to the berries for extra flavor. I have been buying a ton of peaches over the past few weeks too. That jam will be made next week. 

One of the downfalls of living in the city is not having a grill. Therefore, I have to pan fry pork chops in a little grape seed oil or grill them on the stove. Pan frying them is usually my method of choice because I can cover them to hold in some of the moisture.  After browning them on both sides, I add a 4 oz. jar of preserves (jam) and let the flavor of the fruit penetrate into the pork.  You should be able to purchase good quality jam at your local supermarket.

I like the flavor of blueberries with pork, but also had some ripe peaches that needed to be used last night. Therefore, chopped peaches were added to the blueberry jam.

Tools needed...

Small saucepan

Cutting board

Large frying pan with lid

Large pot of boiling water for the peach  (reserve the boiling water for the Fava beans if you plan to make them too)

It is necessary to peel the peach before chopping and adding to the jam. The fastest way is to bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cut a cross in the bottom of the peach. Drop the peach in the boiling water and when the skin starts to peel away where you cut the cross, remove from the water and carefully peel the skin from the peach and chop into small pieces.   Pour the blueberry jam into a small saucepan and add the peaches. Heat the jam and peaches over low heat until peach is tender. Simmer until ready for use.. Stirring occasionally. Do not alow the jam mixture to burn..

Preparing the pork chops...Makes 4 servings
     4 bone-in center cut pork chops
     1 tablespoon grape seed oil

• Heat a large frying pan on high heat and add grape seed oil
• When the oil is hot, add the pork chops to the pan
• On medium-high heat, brown the pork chops on the first side for about 3 minutes 
• Turn and brown the second side for about 2 minutes
• Turn the pork chops again and carefully spoon the jam mixture onto the chops
• Cover and cook on low heat for about 15 minutes or until cooked through 

Browned pork chops

Pork Chops with Blueberry Jam and Peaches

Last night, I served these with Fava beans since they are still in season in the midwest.  If you can't find them, steamed green beans also work great.

If you've never prepared Fava beans, they are a labor of love, but I am beginning to appreciate them.

• 2 pounds of Fava beans will make about 4 servings.

You have to begin by removing the beans from the pods.  Boil a large pot of salted water and have an ice bath ready for when they come out of the water to stop the cooking process. Add the beans to the boiling water and cook for a minute or two.  They will begin to float to the top of the water and that is a good indicator that they're ready for their ice bath.   Once they have cooled, carefully remove the "white" skin from the beans.   When they are all skinned, drizzle with about a teaspoon of olive oil, the zest and juice of half a lemon and garnish with fresh grated parmesan cheese.

Fava Beans in the shell

Fava Beans with Olive Oil, Lemon zest, Lemon juice and grated parmesan cheese

Additional information:

• I used 1 peach and a 4 oz jar of blueberry jam
• If you wish to season the jam, add about 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and a 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg.
• A great alternative to the blueberry jam is pear jam.