Mexican-Spiced Pork Chops With Roasted Lemon Salsa Verde

           Mexican-Spiced Pork Chops 

         With Roasted Lemon Salsa Verde

Infused with robust Mexican spices, these succulent pork chops are topped with a vibrant salsa verde starring roasted lemon. Roasting mellows the tartness and bitterness of the citrus, and marinating the chops ahead of time ensures they’ll be tender and juicy. This salsa is also delicious on fish tacos, scrambled eggs or as a dip for tortilla chips.

Ingredients:

Salsa Verde:
1 lb (455 g) medium tomatillos, about 10, husked, rinsed
1 small onion, cut into large chunks
1 jalapeño
4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1 medium lemon, about 4 oz (115 g), halved crosswise, seeded
1 tbsp (15 mL) extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste
1/4 cup (60 mL) chopped fresh cilantro
Sugar to taste
Pork Chops
2 tbsp (30 mL) extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp (30 mL) soy sauce
Zest and juice of 1 medium lemon
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 cup (60 mL) chopped onion
1 tbsp (15 mL) smoked paprika
1 tbsp (15 mL) chili powder
2 tsp (10 mL) dried oregano, preferably Mexican
2 tsp (10 mL) cumin
2 tsp (10 mL) coriander
1/4 tsp (1 mL) cinnamon
Freshly ground pepper to taste
4 bone-in pork chops, cut 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick, about 6 oz (170 g) each
2 tbsp (30 mL) canola oil
Directions:                                                                           For the salsa verde, preheat oven to 450°F (232°C).

Place tomatillos, onion, jalapeño, garlic and lemon on parchment-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with oil, season with salt and toss to coat, making sure lemon halves are cut sides down. Roast until tomatillos are charred and onions are brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.

When cool enough to handle, discard garlic skins and pepper stem. Place everything in a food processor and pulse to desired consistency. If it’s too thick, add water, 1 tbsp (15 mL) at a time. Transfer to a mixing bowl and stir in chopped cilantro. Season with salt and sugar, if necessary. Transfer to an airtight container. Refrigerate up to 5 days.

For the pork chops, stir together all ingredients other than pork chops and canola oil in a small bowl. Place chops in a container and pour marinade over, flipping to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or up to 1 day.

Take chops out of fridge and preheat oven to 400°F (204°C).

Set a large cast-iron or ovenproof skillet over high heat. When hot, add canola oil. Swirl, then add pork chops. Cook until nicely browned on one side, about 3 minutes. Flip and transfer pan to oven for 5 minutes. Flip and continue cooking in oven until chops reach an internal temperature of 145°F (63°C), about 5 minutes more.

Transfer chops to cooling rack and rest 5 minutes before serving with salsa verde.    Serves 4