I'm counting down the days until Dave and I get our new camera when we're back in the US at Christmas. While I don't think the camera itself is always the problem, it's always disappointing when my dish doesn't look nearly as good in the photo as it does in person and especially when it doesn't capture how tasty it was in general and I feel that this recipe is a prime example of that.

This recipe for Cheddar Dogs with Cider-Braised Leeks and Apples immediately caught my eye. But we definitely can't find cheddar over here and having hot dogs for dinner isn't the best idea. I really liked the idea of leeks and apples together, so the obvious choice seemed to be pork chops.

I think that pork chops can be so boring and while they usually taste good, my basic preparations of them can be pretty boring. So with my new-found love of leeks, I was excited to test this one out. It definitely added a dimension and balanced out the sweetness of the apples. The colors are still rather dull, even with a sprinkling of parsley, but it was pretty tasty.

Pork Chops with Braised Apples & Leeks
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
2 cups (generous) thinly sliced leeks (white and pale green parts only)
1 apple, peeled, cored, diced
1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
Pinch of ground allspice
Coarse kosher salt
1 1/4 cups apple cider
4 pork chops
2 tsp chopped parsley

Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add leeks and apple. Cover; cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Mix in caraway and allspice; season with coarse salt and pepper. Add hard cider; bring to boil. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the pork chops. Simmer, uncovered, until most of liquid is cooked away, about 16 minutes.



Serve a pork chop over rice or potatoes and top with the leeks and apples. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Results: A nice change to pork chops that so often have apples, but not the leeks. The pork chops stay tender while the sauce reduces and infuses them with flavor.