Caper Chops with Curried Carrots

The Recipe: Oh if only every supper were so quick and tasty! Cook the carrots and then the pork chops in a single skillet, add a few pantry ingredients. Low Carb. High Protein. Gluten Free. Easy adjusted for supper for one or two. A total win!

The joke in northern states is that the year has two seasons, winter and road construction. The joke among snowbirds wintering in warmer climes is that the weather is boring, one perfect 80 degree day after another.

Here in the Mississippi flyway of eastern Missouri, we’re blessed by four such distinct seasons, how can one pick a favorite?

Still, spring is wondrous!

Its promise starts small with snowdrops, crocus and hyacinths then moves to showy pussy willow, witch hazel and forsythia. Soon daffodils line roadsides in thick drifts, reaching sunward first on south- and west-facing exposures, gradually crossing over.

Then even as deciduous leaves stain green, the flowering trees burst with blossoms that parade for weeks, one after the other: the magnolias, cherries, redbuds, crabapples, dogwoods and the pears. And in that midst bloom the azaleas and the rhodies, both shameless with bold color in their own time.

Cold mornings, the furnace still kicks on but in another week, the last-frost date will pass and the annuals can be safely tucked into the warming earth.

Spring. It arrived late and stayed long in 2007. But it’s still my favorite season, at least until fall.

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QUICK SUPPER:
CAPER CHOPS with CURRIED CARROTS

Hands-on time: 20 minutes
Time-to-table: 35 minutes
Serves 4 but easily adjusted for one or two

CURRIED CARROTS
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/2 - 3/4 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/4 cup chicken stock
• 1 pound carrots, peeled, trimmed and sliced in bite-size chunks
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Chopped cilantro

CAPER CHOPS
• Splash chicken stock
• 4 pork chops, fat trimmed, seasoned to taste
• 1/4 cup chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 2 tablespoons drained capers

CURRIED CARROTS Melt the butter in a large skillet on medium heat. Add the garlic and curry, cook for a minute. Stir in the stock and carrots, arranging the carrots in single layer. Cover and simmer 10-15 minutes until the carrots cook. Season with salt and pepper, then stir in cilantro. Transfer to a warm serving dish, cover to keep warm.

CAPER CHOPS In the same skillet, add another splash of chicken stock to deglaze the pan, gathering up the bits of garlic. Add the chops and another 1/4 cup stock, brown chops on both sides until cooked through, cooking to an internal temperature of at least 145F. Transfer the chops to warm plates, cover to keep warm.

Stir the mustard and sour cream into the remaining broth, let thicken a minute. Pour sauce over the pork chops and sprinkle with capers. Serve with carrots on the side and enjoy!

MAKE-AHEAD TIPS The carrots can be made ahead of time and gently rewarmed in the skillet or even in the microwave. They are so-so good!

VARIATIONS No sour cream? Substitute Greek yogurt or even a splash of heavy cream. No capers? Substitute chopped dill pickle or green onion.

ALANNA's TIPS If you're watching calories or counting points, be careful with portion size. Pork chops can be huge! If you use two skillets, supper will hit the table even faster. Just start the carrots, then move on to the pork chops. I love cooking with chicken stock, nearly always it's No-Big-Deal Homemade Chicken Stock. This is such a great way to use a tiny bit of fat for flavor plus moisture for cooking. Win! The carrots will cook more quickly and the chops brown better in a stainless skillet – that's right, for Caper Chops, stainless is better than nonstick and even cast iron. I’ve just converted and love my new skillets, one a Cuisinart, the other a Calphalon. Why 145F? Please read through Should Cooked Pork Be Pink?.

NUTRITION INFORMATION Per Serving (assumes 3 ounces of cooked meat per serving): 263 Calories; 10g Tot Fat; 4g Sat Fat; 73mg Cholesterol; 200mg Sodium; 13g Carb; 4g Fiber; 6g Sugar; 27g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS Old Points 5 & PointsPlus 6 & SmartPoints 7

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From One Pork Chop Lover to Another ...

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