Warming Winter Dinner: Brined Pork Chops with Spicy Kale and White Beans

Ok, here’s the situation: it’s winter time - snow falling and not very many good, local, fresh ingredients at your local market.  You got some friends or family coming over for dinner on a weeknight and want to make something really good, but don’t want to have to work very hard at it.  Here’s an idea - do just a little bit of work a few days in advance and then reap the benefits later while only having to sear some pork chops for a few minutes.

Brining is something that I was introduced to a couple of Thanksgivings ago by Aimee’s family when we decided to brine an entire turkey for the dinner.  It turned out great for the turkey, and even better for these pork chops.  If you haven’t tried brining pork chops, you will be impressed with the moistness of them, I guarantee.  It’s so easy to do too, though the hard part is remembering to do it in advance.  A lot of sources may recommend brining pork chops 1-2 days, but I would definitely advise using the full 2 days or more. For other poultry, you can use less time, but be patient for the pork.  Here’s a pretty good guide for brining different types of meat.

The kale is a fairly simple Italian recipe that is spicy and savory.  The white beans added some starch and thickened the sauce and the tomatoes and lemon play key roles for their acidity.  This was a good complement to the pork and would serve it again.  Here’s how it went down:

For the Brine and Pork:

1/2 c. sea salt
1/4 c. granulated sugar
1 bay leaf
10-15 whole black peppercorns
5-6 fresh thyme sprigs
1 rosemary sprigs
2 cloves garlic - smashed with your knife
A few fennel seeds
~4 c. water
4 bone-in or bone-out pork chops

You can really add as many things here as you want or whatever you would like - it can be as simple as salt and water and it will still work great.  Some other ideas are star anise, cloves, cinnamon sticks, juniper berries, saffron, etc…you get the idea - go nuts.

Mix the brining ingredients well in a large seal-able bowl and add in the water.  The salt and sugar you add should dissolve before you add in the meat.  Once the liquid is ready, add the meat and cover in the fridge for the desired brining time (I brined my pork chops for a little under 3 days).

When the pork is done brining, remove them from the liquid and discard the liquid.  Dry the pork well with paper towels and set aside to come to room temperature.  Heat a heavy-bottomed pan (cast iron works great) over medium-high heat and add olive oil to coat the pan - grab a well fitting lid too!.

Once the pan is hot and the oil is almost smoking, add the chops and sear for a few minutes before flipping - you are looking for some good carmelization here!  Flip the chops and cover the pan with your lid.  Continue to cook until done, around 10-12 minutes depending on thickness.  If you think your pork is done, pull it from the heat and let it rest for another 10 minutes - it will continue to cook!

For the Kale:

~3 c. Kale - chopped into 1-2″ pieces lengthwise like lettuce
1 can white beans or 1-2 c. cannelloni beans soaked overnight and boiled in salted water until tender
1/3 c. white wine
1/2 large white onion - juilianed (half moons)
2 anchovy filets
Leaves from 7-8 thyme sprigs
3-4 garlic cloves - peeled and roughly chopped
1/3 c. Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp. red pepper
1/2 c. tomato puree
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
salt and pepper

olive oil

Start by adding the olive oil in a pan, then the onions and salt and sautee until softened.  Add in the red pepper, thyme, anchovy (let it dissolve into the oil) and garlic.  Cook until the garlic is a light golden brown before adding in the wine.  Let the wine cook until the liquid from it is almost cooked off, then add in the beans.  Cook the beans for a minute or two, and then add the chopped kale and some more salt and pepper.  Let the kale wilt and cook down, incorporating it into the dish, but don’t stir to hard or you’ll break up the beans - you want to keep them fairly whole.  Finish in the pan by adding the tomatoes and lemon juice (you can also use a little vinegar) and finally the Parmesan cheese.

Serve immediately with a pork chop on top!

More brining ideas:

Cookshack - good looking brining guide
I Like to Cook
Real Restaurant Recipes

And a couple Kale recipes:

Kathy’s Blog
101 Cookbooks