Recipe: Spiced Pork Chops Baked with Rice and Sour Cherries

SPICED PORK CHOPS BAKED WITH RICE AND SOUR CHERRIES

"Whenever I travel about the South, I head for the nearest bookstore and have a look at the local cookbooks, those spiral-bound paperbacks published by churches and clubs to raise funds for good works. I have hundreds of these now, dozens from every Southern state. One recipe that keeps cropping up in these local fund-raisers-apparently old, but new to me-is this unusual but oh, so easy pork chop casserole."

6 pork loin chops, each about 1 1/4 inches thick (about 4 1/4 pounds in all)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons bacon drippings, unsalted butter, or vegetable oil
1 cup uncooked converted rice
1 can (14 ounces) chicken broth plus enough water to total 2 cups
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) pitted tart red cherries, well drained
SPICED SUGAR:
2 tablespoons sugar blended with 1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest and 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Pat pork chops dry with paper toweling, then rub both sides of each chop with salt and pepper and set aside. Heat drippings in large heavy skillet over moderately high heat 1 1/2 to 2 minutes until ripples appear on pan bottom. Add chops and brown about 2 minutes on each side.

Meanwhile, spread uncooked rice over bottom of ungreased shallow 4-quart casserole (15 10 1/2 2-inches is a good size); set aside.

Combine broth-water mixture and cherries, spoon over rice layer taking care not to dislodge it, then sprinkle with half the spiced sugar. Nestle browned pork chops side by side in cherries, sprinkle remaining spiced sugar on top, and cover casserole.

Slide onto middle oven shelf and bake about 1 1/4 hours until chops are tender.

Serve hot with a simply steamed and seasoned green vegetable-broccoli, perhaps, or Brussels sprouts, or green beans.

Makes 6 Servings
Source: From a Southern Oven by Jean Anderson