Recipe: Pork Chops with Apples and Parsnips a la Watson
This past summer, in collaboration with Bon Appetit, IBM released an app titled "Chef Watson with Bon Appetit," which allows home cooks to draw on the advanced cognitive capabilities of its Watson supercomputer, to create entirely new recipes, using novel combinations of flavors and textures.
The following recipe was created by Lauren Sandtorv in conjunction with Chef Watson.
Pork Chops with Apples and Parsnips a la Watson
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
4 Double Cut Pork Chops
3 apples (I used fuji), sliced in ¼-1/2 inch pieces
One and a half medium onions, thinly sliced
Three medium parsnips, peeled and chopped in one inch cubes
½ cup apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup chicken stock
2 ½ Tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons minced sage
2 teaspoons minced thyme
Salt and pepper
Olive Oil
Preparations:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F
In a large cast iron (or any ovenproof) skillet on medium high, add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan, add parsnips and cook until slightly browned, about two minutes, add onions and cook until they are beginning to soften and caramelize, another two to three minutes, add apples, salt and pepper and a one Tablespoon of butter. Cook until apples are softened, and the onions and parsnips are slightly browned and caramelized, about five minutes more, stirring occasionally. Set apple mixture aside in a small bowl and cover with tin foil.
Liberally season the pork chops with salt and pepper. Turn skillet to high and add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Place the pork chops in the pan and cook for about three minutes per side until the chops are golden brown. If the skillet does not easily fit all the chops at once, brown in batches. Transfer the pan and chops to the oven. Cook for 10 minutes.
Remove the chops from the skillet and set on a plate and tent the pork with foil. Put the skillet on the stovetop on a medium high flame and add vinegar. With a wooden spoon scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, add in chicken stock. Turn the heat to high and let the mixture reduce and cook down for about three minutes until slightly thickened. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, remaining butter, sage and thyme. Let the sauce cook through until the herbs and butter are incorporated, another minute.
Add the apple mixture back to the pan and stir to coat the pan sauce on the mixture. Nestle the pork chops in the pan.
Serve, enjoy!