Apple compote

Ever since I started shopping more at my local butcher's, I'm eating more pork than ever and I've come to enjoy pork chops (though still not a fan of ham fillets). Lately I've been trying to think of new ways to cook or serve pork. While classic, plain applesauce isn't something I like all that much, perhaps because it reminds me too much of baby food. But inspired by the classic combination of pork and apples, I made an apple compote to go with the pan fried pork chops for dinner tonight.

Pan fried pork chop with apple compote on a bed of blanched Romaine lettuce, served with fried sesame aubergine

Ingredients for the apple compote

3-4 servings

1 small sweet onion, peeled and finely diced

2 small tart apples (Jazz or Pink Lady), peeled (optional), cored, and finely diced
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp organic honey
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
1 lemon, zested & juiced

Method

1. In a small heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine all the ingredients and set over a medium heat.
   
2. Stirring occasionally, cook the mixture until the apples and onions are soft.
3. Reduce the liquid to thicker consistency.
   
4. Remove from heat and pour over simple pan-fried pork chops to serve.

The addition of sweet onions provided a slight kick to what is essentially a spiced applesauce. This sweet and tart compote complemented the simply fried pork chops very well. 

Pan fried pork chop with apple compote on a bed of blanched Romaine lettuce, served with fried sesame aubergine