Pan-Roasted Pork Chop Encebollado with Rosemary Scented Bananas | Eric Ripert

I’m curious about having bananas with pan-roasted pork chops. Eric Ripert recalls the flavor of “La Fiesta” in Puerto Rico where whole roast pig and banana leaves are part of the overall theme. Therefore, it’s not far fetched to see a dish of seared pork chops with onions and scented bananas as he envisions it. Fittingly festive, especially when you feel like eating, dancing and partying. We might have to tone down the scale of get-togethers this season in view of the pandemic. However, the food we serve can be expansive!

I don’t often do pork chops because, more often than not, they turn out dry. So I stay away from it until I find a reason to believe the outcome can be different in this round. To ensure the pork chops are moist and tender, I pre-soak them in buttermilk.

Meanwhile, I make the compound butter knowing that it will add tons of flavor. (It was a hit when I last made a three-garlic butter.) Eric Ripert brings together layers of flavor with shallots, parsley ( I use scallion) and lemon, plus seasonings in the butter. I don’t mind having extra helpings of this in the fridge at all times.

After that, pan-searing pork chops on the stove over medium heat is fairly straightforward. I’ve found the technical assistance from an instant thermometer to be indispensable. The pork should be cooked until the internal temperature reads 155°F. Later, cooking onion in pork drippings makes perfect sense. It may take some time to soften the onion, but the flavor of caramelized onion is hard to resist.

Now the unfamiliar: browning whole bananas in butter in a non-stick pan. It turns out to be much easier than I thought. One flip of the wrist to turn the whole banana when the first side turns golden brown is all it takes. (Consider using greener and stiffer bananas for the ease of turning them over). I have fun doing it!

The pan-roasted pork chop encebollado with rosemary scented bananas is so easy and fun to put together. It’s tasty, coherent and festive that I won’t mind going whole hog — anytime any day!

Print Recipe

Pan Roasted Pork Chop Encebollado with Rosemary Scented Bananas

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 4 8-ounce, bone-in pork chops
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 medium Spanish onions, peeled, halved and sliced
• 8-12 ripe, yellow baby (Niño) bananas, peeled and left whole
• 2 tablespoons butter
• ¼ cup rosemary leaves, picked from stem
• Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 slices of maître d’butter (see recipe below)
• 2 fresh lemons cut in half
• MAîTRE D’HOTEL BUTTER (¼ Pound):
• ¼ pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoons shallot, peeled and minced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon lemon zest
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• freshly ground pepper

Instructions

1

Heat 2 large pans over medium heat with 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in each pan. Season the pork chops on both sides with salt and pepper. Add 2 pork chops to each pan, and cook over medium heat until the pork has a nice crust. Flip and repeat for the other side. The pork should be cooked until the internal temperature reads 155 degrees. Remove from the pan and allow to rest. Add the onions to the pans with the pork drippings cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until they are light brown and tender. Season with salt and pepper.

2

Heat a large, non-stick pan over medium-low heat. Add two tablespoons of butter and the whole bananas to the pan. Cook over medium-low heat, making sure not to burn the butter. Once the first side of the bananas becomes golden brown, flip them all and add the rosemary to the pan. Continue cooking until the other sides are golden brown and the bananas are tender. Season with salt and pepper.

3

Lay out 4 plates. Put one pork chop on each plate and cover with sautéed onions and a pat of maître d’hotel butter on the top. Serve the bananas on the side, garnishing with the rosemary and pan juices. Place half of a fresh lemon on each plate for squeezing over the pork chop, onions and bananas just before eating.

4

For Maître d’Hotel Butter (¼ Pound):

5

Place the butter in a bowl stir until creamy with a rubber spatula. Add the shallots, parsley, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and a pinch of freshly ground pepper to the butter and mix well.

6

Transfer the butter to a sheet of plastic and roll into a cylinder. Store in the refrigerator until it is firm ready to use. Slice the butter in 1/8 inch slices, removing the plastic around for each portion. You can slice the butter while it is still in the plastic, leaving any remaining of the roll wrapped for another use. The butter will keep when wrapped and refrigerated for one week.

Notes

http://www.aveceric.com/all-recipes/pan-roasted-pork-chop-encebollado-with-rosemary-scented-bananas