Some people are very particular about using fruit in savory dishes.
For example, my friend Sarah loves salads with strawberries. Me? I prefer my strawberries chocolate-dipped or in a smoothie, personally, but I totally get her.
Spiralizing has really opened up my eyes to eating fruits with savory foods. I actually have a couple recipes in my cookbook (out March 2015!!!) that incorporate fruit noodles into main courses and salads.
Cherries are in a league of their own – they’re the heartiest of the fruits, but so small. I find that every bite into a cherry is a satisfyingly tart forkful.
The tartness in the cherries make for a delicious sauce when reduced with wine and a little salty chicken broth. Then, spoon it over sweet butternut squash noodles and bone-in pork chops and you pretty much have an insanely impressive dish, that really doesn’t take much time to make.
If you live in the NYC/NJ area, I really recommend FreshDirect’s bone-in pork chops. While I love to go straight to the butcher for meats, I was pressed for time (it’s been so busy lately!) and did a clickity doo-da over at FreshDirect and then was so impressed at the beauty of their pork chops, as documented in this Instagram picture.
Actually, I accidentally clicked 6-8am delivery time slot instead of 10am-12pm and I woke up in a panic when my phone started ringing and immediately thought the world was ending, because, you know, why would anyone call me at 6:30am unless it was my mom, calling to tell me something important/terrible?
Anyway, I should have saved this dish for Valentine’s Day blog posting, because it’s very man-friendly and very beautiful (and, well, has red in it- like the color of LOVE.)
If you’re throwing an intimate holiday party or just making a holiday dinner for your boo/bae this would work famously.
Also, happy first day of Hanukkah! I have a celebratory spiralized potato kugel coming your way this next week.
What are your favorite meals to make with cherries?
Nutritional Information & Recipe
Pork Chops with Cherry-Tarragon Sauce and Butternut Squash Fettucine
Ingredients
- For the pork chops and noodles:
- 1 small butternut squash peeled, Blade B, noodles trimmed
- olive oil cooking spray
- 2 1” thick pork loin chops
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- For the cherry sauce:
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup fresh Bing cherries pitted and halved
- 1 tablespoon fresh tarragon roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup red wine
- ¼ cup chicken broth
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lay out the butternut squash noodles. Spray the noodles with cooking spray and set aside.
- Rinse the pork chops and pat the dry with paper towels. Season generously with salt and pepper and then place the coriander and mustard in a bowl and mix until evenly combined. Rub the spice mixture all over the pork chops, on both sides. Set aside.
- Olace a medium skillet over medium heat and add in the olive oil. Once oil heats, add in the cherries, tarragon, and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute and then stir in the wine and broth. Simmer, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes or until the sauce is reduced and thicker. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- While sauce is cooking, place a large oven-safe skillet over medium-heat and add in the olive oil. Once oil heats, add in the pork chops and cook for about 4 minutes (about 2 minutes per side) or until bottoms are golden brown.
- Transfer the pan to the oven, along with the butternut squash noodles and bake until the chops are golden brown, about 7-10 minutes. If using a thermometer, temperature should register at 145 F in the thickest part of each chop. The butternut squash noodles should bake for 8-10 minutes.
- Divide the butternut squash noodles into plates, top with pork chop, and top with cherry-tarragon sauce.
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