Pork Chops with Quinoa Pilaf and Dried Fruit

This dish recently hit our table and it was delicious! The quinoa was definitely the highlight with a yummy dried fruit port sauce. Remember all that dried fruit from the trail mix? Well, it pulled double duty between that and this dish. We didn't add the wheat berries and substituted the dried fruit with what we had on hand- apple instead of pears, cranberries instead of cherries - and it didn't disappoint us.

The only thing we'll do different next time, because this is definitely a do-over, is to grill the pork chop. The chop was great but it didn't really get much flavor from the sauce. Maybe if we had poured it over the pork chop instead of the quinoa it would have been better but the sauce really does belong with the quinoa and it didn't seem to produce enough sauce for both.

ACTIVE: 20 MIN
TOTAL TIME: 35 MIN
SERVINGS: 4

Ingredients

1. 2 1/4 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
2. 1 small shallot, minced
3. 1 garlic clove, minced
4. 2/3 cup quinoa
5. 2 tablespoons wheat berries
6. 1 thyme sprig
7. 1 bay leaf
8. 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
9. Four 5-ounce boneless pork loin chops, trimmed of fat
10. Salt and freshly ground pepper
11. 2 dried pear halves, diced
12. 4 dried apricot halves, sliced
13. 1/4 cup dried sour cherries (1 ounce)
14. 2 tablespoons ruby port

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. In a small skillet, combine 1/4 cup of the stock with the shallot and garlic and cook over moderate heat for 2 minutes. Add the quinoa, wheat berries, thyme and bay leaf. Add 1 cup of the stock and bring to a simmer. Scrape the mixture into a 9-inch square baking dish, cover with foil and bake for about 15 minutes, or until the quinoa and wheat berries are tender. Remove the pilaf from the oven and keep covered.
   
   
2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper and brown them in the skillet over moderately high heat, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate. Add the dried pears, apricots and cherries to the skillet and cook for 1 minute. Add the port and cook for 1 minute. Add the remaining 1 cup of stock and simmer over moderately high heat until reduced to 1/3 cup, about 5 minutes. Add the pork chops and any accumulated juices and cook over moderate heat, turning the pork a few times, until it is hot and just cooked, about 2 minutes
   
   
3. Uncover the pilaf and fluff it with a fork; season with salt and pepper. Mound the pilaf on plates. Set the pork chops on the pilaf, top with the fruit sauce and serve.
   

One Serving 454 cal, 15 gm fat, 3.3 gm saturated fat, 40 gm carb, 4 gm fiber.

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