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Health & Fitness

Eat a Peach

What do Pepsi, pork, and peaches have in common? Read this to find out!

 

It’s the name of the first Allman Brothers album I owned, and remains one of my favorites. But “Eat a Peach Day” on August 21st is about really doing that, not the making of the album—although you may enjoy playing it for background music while making the dish in this post.

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Grilled peaches made a big culinary splash a few years ago. They graced the covers of gads of cooking magazines and appeared on menus in restaurants with lots of stars. I know they are trendy, but I still prefer my peaches fresh. Both grilled and fresh peaches go especially well with pork.

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Pepsi does, too, but not as a companion beverage. It may sound odd, but using it as a glaze brings a pleasantly familiar flavor to the chops in the following dish, and they pair well with either type of peaches.

 

 

 

Applewood-Smoke Grilled Pork Chops

Applewood chips impart a bacon-like flavor to meats without the fat or calories. Earth’s Finest makes a good brand and can be found in many supermarkets.

  

Ingredients

·      1 C Applewood Smoking Chips

·      1 Fresh Peach

·      8 oz Pepsi (or the cola of your choice)

·      1 Tbs Garlic Paste

·      4 1/4”-thick Loin-Cut Pork Chops

·      Salt and Pepper to taste

 

Preparation

·      Prepare Applewood chips for grill according to package directions.

·      Heat Grill.

·      Peel and seed peach, and slice it into 12 wedges. Set slices aside.

·      Blend Pepsi and garlic paste in a 2-quart saucepan and bring to a boil.

·      Immediately reduce heat to low and continue to cook mixture, stirring frequently, until it reduces to a thick glaze, about 10 minutes.

·      Sprinkle both sides of chops with salt and pepper.

·      Brush both sides of chops with glaze.

·      Once chips are smoking on a hot grill, sear chops over direct heat, about 1 minute per side.

·      Then, brush tops with more glaze and cook 2 minutes longer. Flip, brush with glaze, and cook 1-2 minutes more.

·      Serve chops hot topped with 3 peach slices each.

 

I usually serve the chops on a bed of brown rice along with a crunchy salad. But when I feel especially decadent I go for the gusto and pair them with a gnocchi in cheese sauce (sans the bacon,) or skillet-browned gnocchi. Find those recipes in previous posts or here

 

Enjoy Eat a Peach Day, and if you make this recipe, let me know how you like it! Check out some other easy recipes.

 

Photos courtesy of Easy Weekly Meals

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