Pan-Grilled Pork Chops with Grilled Pineapple Salsa

Today, I had several "firsts."  

1.  I cooked something using the fresh juice of a lime.

2.  I minced a jalapeno (but I sorta-kinda cheated, but you don't care that much)

3.  I pan-fried fruit. 

But before I expound upon these firsts, let me celebrate a very real victory I had today.  To others, it's probably not a big deal, but for me, it's worth mentioning. 

Clutter is my nemesis. It's so bad, I think it's genetic.  It's not like I'm a hoarder, or even a pack-ract for that matter; for me, it's an issue of setting up a workable system that streamlines the shutff that enters my house and my life.  Once I have a system in place, I'm good.  Developing said system is what catches me off guard. 

For example, I have a system for my mail.  The Mr. thinks it's a slightly organized representation of paper chaos, but the fact remains that my bills are now paid on time, and all our social invitations are available at my fingertips. 

It looks like this:

Bills and invitations come in, I open them, see that my last payment posted to the account, shred the old statement, and store the new bill/statement in the correct date-slot. And on, and on, and on...

So anyway, the point is, I have a system in place for my mail.  As a result, I have an easier time conquering the clutter-demons brought by the mailman.  However, when the mailman started bringing magazines, I had an organizational hiccup.  With the best of intentions, I saved each magazine, hoping to someday try the yummy recipes published on those pages.  But before long, I was suddenly forming piles of magazines-- on the coffee table, on the kitchen counter, in the computer room-- if you're clutter-prone like me, you know that piles are dangerous.  Noticing these tell-tale signs, I knew I needed to act fast and get the magazines under control.

After heeding the advice of my more organizationally-inclined friends, I implemented this system for magazines:

1.  New issue comes in the mail.

2.  As I browse, I dog-ear the pages with recipes I want to try someday.  This issue stays out on the coffee table for all to enjoy.

3.  Next issue comes in the mail-- I take the last issue and tear out all the recipes I marked.  These go in a "To Try" file that I now have in my kitchen.  (I have a real Recipe Box, but I like to save that for my "tried and true" recipes).  The old issue then gets recycled, and the newest issue takes its place on the coffee table.

4.  And the cycle continues! Taa-Daah!!

Once I try a recipe from the "To Try" file, I've committed myself to one of two things:  I'll either make a card for it and put it in my Recipe Box, or I will throw it away. 



So what was the big victory?



Tonight, I pulled a recipe from the "to Try" file:  I proved to myself that I didn't need to hang on to the whole magazine, and I knew exactly where to find the recipe I tore out last month.  If you're a natural-born clutter-killer, you're not impressed.  It's okay though, because there are probably a few others out there that need these basic stream-lining tips spelled out for them-- just like I needed it.

And now for the recipe...

Source:  Cooking Light (April, 2010)

Ingredients:

4 pork chops

1 T, and 2 tsp. fresh lime juice, divided

4 slices of pineapple (1/2" thick)

1  medium red onion, cut into 1/2" think slices

1 T minced jalapeno-- Since I already had a jar of sliced jalapenos, I just scooped a tablespoon of these onto my cutting board, then diced them up.  There, confession over.

Salt and Pepper

Directions:

1.  Combine pork and 1 T. of lime juice; let stand for 10 minutes.

2.  Heat grill pan over medium-high heat.  (I do not own a grill pan-- just 2 skillets. Since I wanted a little bit of a sear to the food, I opted for the stainless steel skillet.)

3.  Coat pan with cooking spray.  (Don't use cooking spray on stainless-- I used a little bit of olive oil). Add pineapple and onion; cook on each side for 4 minutes, or till onion is tender.

4. Coarsely chop pineapple and onion; combine in a medium bowl with remaining 2 tsp. of lime juice, jalapeno, and 1/8 tsp. of salt. 

5.  Sprinkle pork chops with 1/2 tsp. of salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper (I used less than this... don't like to over-season meat).

6.  Heat grill pan over medium-high heat (Again, I only have the skillet.) Add pork, and cook on each side for 4 minutes, or till done.

Verdict: I liked it, but too adventurous for The Mr.

He loves pineapple, but wasn't crazy about the fact that it was hot.  Like pineapple on pizza, it just didn't feel right to him.  I must agree, the texture of the pineapple took a couple of bites to overcome.  If I had had a grill pan available, that may have altered the texture of the fruit for the better.  Nonetheless, the flavors were great together, but I don't know that I'll be making this again for the two of us.