Tamarind-Glazed Pork Chops

Zeldaz's Note:

A Splendid Table recipe for the grill or a skillet, from "How to Eat Supper". The chops cook quite quickly,so don't overcook them, and the leftover glaze would also be good on other proteins, like poultry or swordfishfish.I use dry white vermouth for the white wine. I recommend NOT using a cast iron pan for this!

• Total Time: 15 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 5 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 2

Glaze

• 3 generous tablespoons tamarind paste
• 2 tablespoons ground aleppo pepper (or other sweet dried chile like ancho)
• 6 garlic cloves
• 2 teaspoons asian fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons dry white wine
• 3 tablespoons water (or more)

Chops

• 4 thin-cut pork chops
• extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. If you are grilling, prepare the grill.
2. In a food processor, puree the glaze ingredients. Thin the resulting paste with water as needed to get the consistency of thick masple syrup. Set the glaze aside.
3. Grill the chops over a medium fire until nicely browned, or film a large saute pan with olive oil and sear the chops over medium-high heat for 3 to 5 minutes.
4. In the last few minutes of cooking, baste the chops with the glaze, turning them once to coat both sides. You want it to bubble and caramelize. Serve the chops with the extra glaze alongside.