Pork chops with pineapple relish

It's Friday afternoon, and although I'm at work, I am by no means in a frame of mind that is conducive to getting proper work done. Blogging is attractive at times like these: I get to feel like I've accomplished something (a small something), and it's far more enjoyable than debugging code that I've been trying to debug for the last several days. 

So, it's pork chops for a summer evening. I made these recently (is it already weeks ago?) and I thought the Suitor was going to cry with delight. Pork chops and pineapple are two of his favorite things. Put them together, with a bit of zing from some spicy chile peppers, and it's a recipe for a very happy Suitor. The original recipe is out of last month's Gourmet, but I did a bit of tweaking to suit what I had on hand and what the Suitor will (or won't) eat. Namely, no onion. There was also lemon juice instead of white vinegar, and Cointreau instead of dark rum. (I didn't want to go out and buy rum just for this dish, and I didn't think the Cointreau would detract too much from the overall tropical theme.) I will no doubt try it with the rum at some point, and if you have it on hand, by all means go for it. I'm sure it's delicious. 

One of the things I love about this dish is how very easy it is: if you so choose, you can make the pineapple relish ahead of time and stick it in the fridge, or if you work efficiently you can make it while the pork chops cook. 

Pork chops with pineapple relish

Serves 2

1 cup chopped fresh pineapple

2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh serrano or bird's eye chile

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon ground coriander

2 one-inch-thick boneless pork loin chops

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons dark rum (or spirit/liqueur of choice)

Toss together pineapple, chile, thyme, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt.

Pat pork dry, then sprinkle all over with ground coriander, salt, and pepper.

Heat oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add pork and saute, turning once, until well browned and just cooked through but still juicy, 7-10 minutes. 

Transfer pork to plates and keep warm. Add pineapple mixture to skillet, deglaze with rum, and cook 1 minute. Spoon relish over pork and serve.