Tag Archives: Pork

Pasta and noodles, Pork

Pork and Lemon Meatballs with Lemon and Basil Linguine

On a warm, sunny day, there’s no prettier place to be than Ireland. Brilliant yellow fields of rapeseed are at their peak right now, everything seems to be in bloom and the windows in the house are thrown wide open to let in the fresh air. After a long, cold winter, we’ve had a few straight weeks of sunshine on the east coast in Ireland and I’m craving bright, fresh flavors. It’s not quite warm enough yet to be fully fledged salad weather, but this lemony take on spaghetti and meatballs is just right for this time of year, when you want something a little lighter after months of stews, braises and casseroles.

If you like this recipe, you might also like Rigatoni with Pork and Lemon Ragu, Lemon Fusilli, Lemon and Pea Risotto or Gnocchi with Peas, Pancetta and Lemon Ricotta. Or for more meatball recipes, try Polpette di Melanzane (Eggplant “Meatballs”), Turkey Meatballs with Walnuts, Cilantro and Raisins with a Lemon Cumin Yogurt Sauce, Swedish Meatballs, or Spring Rolls with Pork Meatballs and Spicy Peanut Sauce.

Pork and Lemon Meatballs
adapted from The Kitchen Diaries by Nigel Slater (or you can see the original recipe here)

Serves 4 to 6

Nigel Slater calls these “delectable little balls.” I just call them addictive.

1 lb 2 oz (500 g) pork mince
3/4 cup (75 g) fresh white breadcrumbs
10 anchovies, finely chopped (optional)
1 egg, beaten
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup (25 g) grated Parmesan
a large handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375°F (180°C). Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.

Put the pork, breadcrumbs, chopped anchovies, beaten egg, lemon zest and juice, Parmesan and parsley into a large mixing bowl. Season with a little salt (not too much because the anchovies and Parmesan are already salty) and a generous amount of black pepper. Mix thoroughly. Form the mixture into balls, using about 1 heaped tablespoon of the mixture for each meatball. Place them on the lined baking sheet. Cook in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until they’re golden brown and cooked through. Serve on top of the lemon and basil linguine.

***

Lemon and Basil Linguine
adapted from The Kitchen Diaries by Nigel Slater

Serves 4

This is a quick, simple recipe that lends itself to any number of adaptations — try adding in some garlic, chilli flakes or anchovies or using parsley instead of basil.

1 lb (450 g) linguine or spaghetti
juice of 2 large lemons
1/2 cup (125 ml) olive oil
1 1/2 cups (150 g) freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra to serve
1 or 2 large handfuls of basil leaves, roughly chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water according to the packet instructions. Meanwhile, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil and Parmesan in a warm jug (warmed under a running hot tap, then dried) until it’s thick and grainy. Add in the basil, season to taste and mix again.

When the pasta has finished cooking, reserve a mugful of the cooking water. Toss the drained, hot pasta in the lemon and Parmesan sauce, adding some of the reserved cooking water if you think the pasta looks too dry. Serve immediately with some extra Parmesan grated over.

30-minute meals, Italian food, Pasta and noodles, Pork

Classic Spaghetti Carbonara

When I’m feeling especially nice, or especially burdened with working mom’s guilt, dinner planning tends to be child-focused. My kids are great eaters, but like most kids, they’d rather have white bread than wheat, white rice instead of brown, and regular pasta instead of whole grain. Since I knew I was going to put something white (i.e. unhealthy) on their plates, why not just do it up right with bacon, cheese and a few eggs,  à la carbonara?

I’ve been wanting to try pasta carbonara for years but never thought to search out a recipe. I ended up using a simple, straightforward version from a culinary school’s online recipe collection. Admittedly, I’ve never eaten pasta carbonara so I can’t tell you if their version is especially good. I can tell you that my kids gobbled it up, asking for more before their first helpings were even finished. My husband and I also enjoyed it, though we both agreed that extra freshly chopped parsley and cracked black pepper enhanced the dish.

Carbonara ingredients

Classic Spaghetti Carbonara
adapted from Baltimore International College’s School of Culinary Arts

Serves 4

To make this a 30-minute meal, put on your pasta water to boil immediately. While the water comes to a boil, you can chop your ingredients. Start the bacon frying, then throw your pasta in its water. The sauce comes together in just about the same time it takes the spaghetti to cook.

1/2 lb (225 g) bacon, chopped
1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
1 lb (450 g) fresh spaghetti, cooked al dente (note: I used dry pasta)
4 large eggs, beaten
1 cup (100 g) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (or more, to taste)
salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a large sauté pan over a medium heat, cook the bacon until crispy, about 6 minutes. Remove the bacon and drain on paper towels. Pour off all the oil except for 3 tablespoons. Add the garlic, season with black pepper and sauté for 30 seconds. Add the crispy bacon and the cooked pasta. Sauté for 1 minute.

Season the eggs with salt. Remove the pan from the heat and add the eggs, whisking quickly until the eggs thicken, but do not scramble. Add the cheese and re-season with salt and pepper. Mound into serving bowls and garnish with parsley.

Pork, Rice

Ham and Cheese Risotto

At dinner years ago with Matt’s old college friend and his wife and two-year-old daughter, I remember watching in amazement as their little girl gobbled up an appetizer of Gorgonzola-stuffed mushrooms. Coming from a family where my sister and twin brothers were classic picky eaters, I asked what their secret was in getting their daughter to eat so well. “We don’t make a big deal out of new foods,” they said. When I had kids of my own, I followed their advice and it’s matter of some pride that my kids now eat such a wide range of foods and flavors. When we were in Florida over Christmas, I picked up a tray of sushi from the grocery store and my mother couldn’t believe it when my daughter proceeded to eat most of it while my twin teenage brothers were having yet another dinner of chicken fingers and fries. But even though my kids will happily eat a dish like sole meunière or gnocchi with blue cheese and walnut sauce, I do still like to make explicitly kid-friendly things that I know are sure to appeal to them, like Parmesan chicken fingers or this risotto, which is basically a more everyday version of my favorite bacon, leek and Camembert risotto. But who am I kidding in saying this was for the children? The grown-ups liked it just as much.

Ham and Cheese Risotto
adapted from Nigella Express by Nigella Lawson

Serves 4

The original recipe is for cheddar and leeks only, but I couldn’t resist adding in some bacon to make it a ham and cheese risotto. Leave it out for the original vegetarian version.

1 tablespoon (15 g) butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 slices of bacon, chopped into lardons (or you could use chopped leftover ham)
2 small leeks, cut in half lengthwise and finely sliced
2 cups (300 g) risotto rice
1/2 cup (125 ml) dry white wine or extra-dry vermouth
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 pints (1 liter) hot vegetable stock
1 1/4 cup (125 g) grated mature cheddar
chopped fresh chives, to garnish

Melt the butter and oil in a large pan over a medium heat and cook the bacon and the leeks for about 5 minutes, until the bacon has browned and the leeks have softened. Add the risotto rice, stirring for 1 minute to make sure all the grains of rice are coated with the oil. Turn up the heat to medium-high and add the wine and mustard, stirring until the wine is absorbed. Start ladling in the hot stock, letting each ladleful become absorbed before adding the next one. Keeping stirring and adding a ladleful of stock at a time until the stock is all used up and the rice is al dente, about 20 minutes. Add the cheese, stirring it into the rice until it melts. Take the pan off the heat, still stirring as you do so, and spoon the risotto into warmed dishes, sprinkling with some of the chopped chives.

French food, Pork, Soups and stews

French Onion Soup and Croque Monsieur

“How easily happiness begins by / dicing onions”, writes William Matthews in his poem, “Onions”. This is never more true than when making French onion soup. And surely there can be no higher calling or better end for an onion than to be sauteed in butter, then doused in a boozy broth of brandy, sherry and wine. As an easy midweek soup-and-sandwich dinner goes, you could do worse than one that makes you wish you were sitting in a Parisian café.


French Onion Soup
adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten

Serves 4 to 6

2 1/2 lb (1.1 kg) yellow onions, halved and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/4 lb (110 g) unsalted butter
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup (125 ml) medium-dry sherry
1/2 cup (125 ml) brandy or Cognac
1 1/2 cups (375 ml) good dry white wine
8 cups (2 liters) beef stock
salt and freshly ground black pepper
freshly grated Parmesan, to serve

Melt the butter in a large stockpot on a medium heat. Saute the onions with the bay leaf and a pinch of salt (to stop the onions from browning) for 20 minutes, until the onions turn a rich golden brown color. Deglaze the pan with the sherry and brandy and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Add the white wine and simmer uncovered for 15 more minutes. Add the beef stock plus salt and pepper (but not too much salt because your stock is liable to be salty already). Bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Remove the bay leaf, adjust the seasoning and serve hot with grated Parmesan on top.

***

Croque Monsieur
adapted from How to Cook: Book One by Delia Smith

Serves 1

A croque monsieur is really just a grilled ham and cheese sandwich. It originated in France as a kind of fast food snack served in cafés and bars. A croque madame is a version of this sandwich with a fried or poached egg on top. I was tempted by the Barefoot Contessa’s version of this classic, which she smothers in a béchamel sauce, but I opted to keep things simpler (and less calorific) with Delia Smith’s recipe. I did use Ina’s tip though to add some Dijon mustard to the sandwich.

2 large slices good-quality white bread, buttered
Dijon mustard (optional)
1/2 cup (50 g) Gruyère, finely grated
2 or 3 slices of cooked ham, Parma ham or wafer-thin ham
2 tablespoons (30 g) butter, melted
1 rounded tablespoon finely grated Parmesan
salt and freshly ground black pepper

On one slice of the buttered bread, add a thin smear of Dijon mustard (option). Sprinkle over half the grated Gruyère, then cover that with the slices of ham, folding them if need be to fit the size of the bread. Now sprinkle the rest of the Gruyère on top of the ham, season with salt and pepper, then press the other slice of bread on top of that and press it down firmly. Now brush the top side of the sandwich with some of the melted butter, sprinkle it with half the Parmesan and press it into the bread. Transfer the sandwich to a baking sheet and grill it in the oven for about 2 minutes, 2 inches from the heat, making sure to keep a close eye on it so that it doesn’t burn. When it’s golden brown, turn it over, brush the other side with melted butter, sprinkle the rest of the Parmesan all over and grill for another 2 minutes. Remove it from the grill, cut it into halves or quarters and eat it while it’s still warm and crunchy.

Beans, Desserts, Pork, Soups and stews

White Bean and Sausage Soup and Almond and Candied Bacon Bark

The first time I ever tried black pudding (a.k.a. blood pudding), I spit it out. I had only been living in Ireland for a few weeks and was at a fancy book launch for my new publishing job. One of the canapés being passed around was circles of pan-fried black pudding with a fancy relish on top, and not wanting to lose face in front of my new colleagues, not to mention my boyfriend, I was determined to try some. When in Rome, right? But I just couldn’t get over the fact that it was made from blood and I couldn’t even bring myself to chew it. Growing up in suburban Illinois, where an egg roll from the Chinese takeout was the most exotic thing I’d ever eaten, it was too much of a culture shock.

I was telling this story to my friend Caroline a few hours before we were due to go to the Clonakilty by Candlelight dinner last week. “Are you sure you want to go?” she asked, looking worried. “You know they’re bound to serve it there.” “Oh, I’m over it now,” I said. “I even ordered a black pudding and goat cheese tart at a restaurant last year.”

I was lucky to get a place at the free dinner on its second night, which was run as a pop-up restaurant by Clonakilty Blackpudding for only six nights. The location was kept secret until the day before, which turned out to be a Georgian house on Dublin’s north side. Caroline and I were the first to arrive (fellow food blogger Aoife was there that night as well) and we were handed a glass of Prosecco and directed towards the biggest turf fire I’ve ever seen, stacked eight briquettes deep at least. We also got a sneak peek of the room next door that we’d be eating in – along with 2,000 creepy china dolls crammed into floor-to-ceiling shelves that lined the room – and a look at the menu, which did indeed include a main course of black pudding with scallops and a carrot puree.

Because I’d won some Clonakilty black and white pudding, sausages and bacon by correctly answering the question “What is entomophagy the consumption of?” (insects), I made this white bean and sausage soup, an old cheap and cheerful stand-by. And feeling inspired by the chocolate-covered bacon, bacon praline and 12-year-old Jameson whiskey with a bacon and rosemary twist that we were served, I made this almond and candied bacon bark. This dessert seems to divide people firmly into two camps – people who have never heard of such a thing and think it sounds downright weird (they must have somehow missed the bacon mania boat), and people who think it sounds delicious and can’t wait to make it themselves. If you’re the former, then all I can say is don’t knock it till you’ve tried it – and then once you’ve tried it, try to stop yourself from eating all of it.

White Bean and Sausage Soup
adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten

Serves 6

I’ve adapted the Barefoot Contessa’s original recipe to add sausages, but I make it just as often without them for a vegetarian version.

1 lb (450 g) dried white cannellini beans
olive oil
6 to 8 good-quality sausages
3 large onions, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 large branch fresh rosemary
2 quarts (2 liters) chicken or vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a medium bowl, cover the beans with water by at least 1 inch and leave them in the refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight. Drain.

In a large stockpot over a low to medium heat, heat some olive oil and cook the sausages for about 10 or 15 minutes, until they’re browned on all sides and cooked through. Remove the sausages to a plate and set aside. Add the onions to the pot and saute for 10 to 15 minutes, until they are translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the drained white beans, rosemary, chicken stock, and bay leaf. Cover, bring to a boil, and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, until the beans are very soft. Remove the rosemary branch and the bay leaf. Pass the soup through the coarsest blade of a food mill or place in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until coarsely pureed. Return the soup to the pot over a medium heat. Slice the sausages and add to the soup to reheat. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve hot.

***

Almond and Candied Bacon Bark
adapted from Ready for Dessert by David Lebovitz

David Lebovitz says it’s best to make the candied bacon the same day you plan to use it. If you want to play around with flavors (though this almond and candied bacon combo is insanely addictive), check out this list of top 10 chocolate bark mix-ins from the Big Girls, Small Kitchen blog for some inspiration.

1 1/4 lb (565 g) good-quality chocolate, broken into pieces
1/2 cup (50 g) flaked almonds, toasted
5 pieces of bacon, pancetta or streaky rashers
3 tablespoons brown sugar
flaky sea salt, such as Maldon (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a baking try with foil (shiny side down) or parchment paper. Place the strips of bacon on the tray and sprinkle each strip with about 2 teaspoons of brown sugar. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, turning the strips over halfway through baking and dragging them through the melted sugar on the tray. They’re done when they’re mahogany colored. Cool on a wire rack until crisp, then crumble or roughly chop. Set aside.

While the bacon cools, place a piece of parchment paper on a baking tray or stretch a piece of cling film taught across a baking tray instead. Add the chocolate to a large heatproof bowl. Set the bowl over a pot of simmering water and stir often until the chocolate is almost melted.

Remove the bowl from the heat, wipe off the bottom, then continue to stir the chocolate until it’s all melted and smooth. Mix in two-thirds of the toasted almonds and two-thirds of the bacon.

Scrape the mixture onto the prepared baking tray and use a spatula to spread it to the desired thickness. Add the remaining almonds and bacon to the top of the chocolate, pressing them in lightly so they’ll adhere. Sprinkle bits of salt, if using, across the top. Refrigerate the baking sheet until the chocolate sets. Once the bark is firm, break it into pieces. Store the bark in the fridge, where it will keep for 3 days.

Mexican food, Pork, Slow cooker

Slow Cooker Smoky Pork Tacos with Avocado and Feta

Feeling frazzled from the demands of two young children after a long month, I fired off an email to Kelly on Friday evening asking if I could hop on a plane and join her in Mexico, where she was spending the weekend for work. “I’m sitting on my balcony watching the waves crash on the beach, a little tipsy from my margarita. Wish you were here!” she wrote back. “I’m making a Rick Bayless recipe on Sunday, which is about as close as I’m likely to get to Mexico anytime soon,” I replied. As compromises go, at least it was a tasty one — I just wish I’d had the makings of a Rick Bayless margarita on hand too.

Slow Cooker Smoky Pork Tacos with Avocado and Feta
adapted from Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless

Serves 8

Rick Bayless calls this Smoky Pork Tinga Tacos in his book and says you can vary the recipe by replacing the pork with 2 lb (1 kg) of boneless, skinless chicken thighs or cubed boneless beef chuck (stewing beef). I picked up a couple cans of chipotle chilies on my trip back to the US this summer and have been rationing them for the past 5 months, but if you can’t get them, you should still try this recipe, perhaps using 1 or 2 chopped red chilies or using more chorizo, though you won’t get the same smoky taste. You can also buy dried, crushed chipotles from Seasoned Pioneers in the UK. Or if you don’t like spicy food, you can just leave out chilies altogether.

4 medium (1 lb/450 g) boiling potatoes or Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1/2‑inch cubes
1 onion, cut into 1/4‑inch slices
2 lb (1 kg) boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1‑inch pieces
1 x 28 oz (or 2 x 400 g) cans of chopped tomatoes (preferably fire-roasted if you can get them)
3 or 4 canned chipotle chiles en adobo, seeded and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 tablespoon chipotle canning sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 oz (100 g) chorizo, cut into small pieces (optional)
flour or corn toritllas, to serve
feta cheese, crumbled, to serve
2 large avocados, pitted and cubed, to serve
sour cream or natural yogurt, to serve
fresh cilantro, chopped, to serve

Spread the potatoes over the bottom of a slow cooker* and top with the sliced onions, then the pork. In a large bowl, mix the undrained tomatoes with the chillies, chipotle canning sauce, Worcestershire, oregano, garlic and salt. Pour the mixture evenly over the pork, onions and potatoes (don’t stir — keep everything in layers). Cover and cook on high for 6 hours or low for 8 hours.

When you’re ready to eat, fry the optional chorizo in a skillet over a medium heat for about 5 minutes. Uncover the pork tinga and spoon off any fat that might have accumulated on top. Add in the chorizo, then stir everything together, breaking the pork into small pieces that are suitable for tacos. Serve with warm corn tortillas, feta cheese, avocados, sour cream or yogurt and a sprinkling of fresh chopped cilantro to make soft tacos.

*Note: If you don’t have a slow cooker, lay the pork in a medium-large heavy pot, preferably a Dutch oven, and top with the potatoes and onions. Pour over the tomato mixture, cover with a lid and braise in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, until the pork is completely tender.

Fruit, Pork

Sausages Braised in Cider with Apples and Juniper

There’s been a lot of bad news about Ireland in the world media these past few months, but I’m determined to focus on the positives about my adopted country and there are plenty of them, including the vibrant food scene. One such Irish success story is L. Mulligan Grocer, a gastropub started by another food blogger, Seáneen of 9 Bean Row, in 2010 with her two partners. Open only since July, it’s already been named one of the top 100 restaurants in Dublin, got a great review in the Sunday Tribune and from Tom Doorley in the Daily Mail and has become the meeting place of choice for food bloggers in Dublin. Caroline and I didn’t have to think twice about where to have a dinner out to celebrate the launch of the Irish Food Bloggers Association — it was practically just assumed it would be Mulligan’s. At the IFBA launch dinner back in November, our menu — with a matching craft beer menu to complement each course — included potted crab with sourdough soldiers; bangers and mash with TJ Crowe’s free-range sausages with wholegrain mustard mash and O’Hara’s stout gravy; and toffee apple sundae with Cuinneog butterscotch, spiced apple, Kilbeggan cream and Murphy’s sea salt ice cream. In short, it’s the kind of place you wish was your local. Feeling inspired by the dinner at Mulligan’s and my orchard apple tour in October, I pulled out this recipe. Made with sausages from my local butcher, Irish cider and Irish apples, it was a perfect reminder of some of the things I love best about Ireland — good food made by good people.

Sausages Braised in Cider with Apples and Juniper
adapted from Delia’s How to Cook Book One by Delia Smith

Serves 4

Delia calls for Bramley and Cox’s apples, but if you can’t get those, use one each of any cooking apple and eating apple. And if you can’t find juniper berries, don’t worry about leaving them out, this is still worth making without them.

olive oil
8 to 10 large pork sausages, weighing about 1 lb (450 g)
2 onions, peeled and sliced into rings
8 oz (225 g) lean smoked bacon, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Bramley apple, cored and sliced into rings (unpeeled)
1 Cox’s apple, cored and sliced into rings (unpeeled)
1 tablespoon plain flour
2 cups (500 ml) dry cider (hard cider)
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
a few springs of fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon juniper berries, crushed slightly in a pestle and mortar or with the back of a spoon
salt and freshly ground black pepper
mashed potatoes, to serve

Heat a splash of olive oil in a large, heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat. As soon as it’s hot, fry the sausages until they are nicely browned on all sides, then transfer them to a plate and set aside. Add the onions and bacon to the frying pan and cook for about 10 minutes, until the onions have softened. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.

Meanwhile, place a casserole pot (a.k.a. Dutch oven) or large heavy-bottomed pot onto a medium heat. Add a splash of olive oil, and when it’s hot, add the apple rings and brown them on both sides, which will take 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sausages, followed by the bacon, onion and garlic, then sprinkle the flour in to soak up the juices, stirring it gently with a wooden spoon. Next add the cider and cider vinegar a little at a time, stirring after each addition. Add the thyme, bay leaves and crushed juniper berries and season with salt and pepper, but not too much salt because of the bacon. Put the lid on and simmer very gently on the lowest possible heat for 1 hour. Serve with mashed potatoes.

Entertaining, Fruit, Pork

Pan-roasted Pork Chops with Cranberries and Swiss Chard

I am ashamed to admit that despite living in a state where cranberries are the state fruit and number one produce export, I’ve never cooked with fresh cranberries.  Because I’m not a fan of cranberry sauce, a Thanksgiving staple here in the United States, I generally tend to ignore the bags of cranberries piled high in the produce section each November. But this year, the tiny ruby red berries looked too attractive to bypass, so on a whim I bought a single humble bag and vowed to try out some new recipes.

After a successful batch of cranberry applesauce, I tried this pork chop recipe out on my brother, Michael, for his birthday dinner. Normally I don’t test drive new recipes on dinner guests, especially on their birthdays, but Michael, bless his heart, never leaves a morsel on his plate, can be talked into second and third helpings, and always thanks me “for the best dinner” even if it wasn’t my best, or even close. Lucky for Michael and the rest of us, the pork chop cranberry experiment was successful. The sauce is complex and savory, balanced nicely with the garlicky Swiss chard and the simply roasted chop. I served the dish with salad and quinoa pilaf but a crusty baguette and glass of red wine would be just as good.

Pan-roasted Pork Chops with Cranberries and Red Swiss Chard
adapted from Gourmet, November 2001

Serves 4

for the Swiss chard:
2 medium shallots, minced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 lb (450 g) red Swiss chard, stems and center ribs cut out and chopped together, leaves coarsely chopped separately

for the pork chops:
4 x 1 1/4‑inch-thick rib pork chops
1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

for the sauce:
2 medium shallots, minced
1/2 cup (120 ml) dry red wine
5 oz (150 g) fresh or thawed frozen cranberries
3/4 cup (180 ml) chicken stock or broth
3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried, crumbled
2 tablespoons (30 g) unsalted butter

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).

To prepare the Swiss chard, cook the shallots and garlic in butter in an ovenproof 12-inch heavy skillet over a moderate heat, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the chard stems and center ribs and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the chard leaves and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until tender, 6 to 7 minutes. Season the chard with salt and pepper, then transfer it to a bowl, cover the bowl with a lid or foil (to keep the chard warm), and wipe out the skillet.

Pat the pork chops dry and season them with salt and pepper. Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil in the skillet over a moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown the chops, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast the chops until an instant-read thermometer inserted horizontally 2 inches into the meat registers 155°F, 7 to 9 minutes. Transfer the chops with tongs to a platter, leaving the fat in the skillet, and cover the chops loosely with foil to keep warm.

Make the sauce by sauteing the shallots in the fat remaining in the skillet over a moderately high heat, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and deglaze by boiling over a high heat, scraping up any brown bits, until reduced by half. Add the cranberries and stock and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries begin to burst, about 2 minutes. Stir in the brown sugar and thyme and simmer, stirring, until the berries are collapsed, about 3 more minutes. Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the butter until incorporated, then season with salt and pepper.

To assemble the dish, divide the chard among 4 plates and top with the chops, then spoon the sauce over.