Broiled Horsey Chops with Savory Apples, A Meal For Your Man

What a weekend it's been, once again I am a proud Tia (auntie) of a beautiful baby boy! And yesterday my gorgeous little sister celebrated her birthday. Felicidades (congratulations) to both of my beautiful and wonderful sisters, I love you guys. Plus tomorrow is Valentine's day, an anniversary of sorts for my hubby and I. Because of the holiday everywhere you look you see sweets and dessert ideas for that special someone. But you can't just eat cookies and chocolate, you've got to make him a special meal he will love. This recipe is guaranteed to satisfy any man in your life! How can I guarantee this to you? Well, a wonderful man created this recipe, my husband. He is a fantastic cook and he taught me many things about cooking and also introduced me to world cuisine and to many "exotic" ingredient (like in this dish). I say exotic because to an immigrant Mexican girl horseradish IS exotic. I don't recall my mother ever making us tacos or tamales with horseradish... nope don't think so. Maybe we should try that sometime, you never know.

In our previous flat we had a large kitchen in which we used to cook together. It was our way of catching up and a great opportunity for me to learn his recipes. Our current kitchen is smaller than a closet, so nowadays I do the majority of the cooking. Not because he doesn't like to cook, but because it's my way of paying him back for all of those years he cooked. Ok, maybe it's also because he can't get enough of the Mexican food that I cook :) Sometimes we'll both squeeze into our tiny kitchen to cook together and I love it. Cooking with your special someone is something that I highly recommend, it is fun and a great way to let go of the day's stress.

Horsey Pork Chops Ingredients:
Bone-in pork chops, I make 2 per person
prepared horseradish, use as much as you like
salt
ground black pepper
vegetable oil to lightly coat

TIP* to prevent too much mess in the oven, cover a baking sheet with aluminuim foil and place right underneath the oven rack with the pork chops. Then just remove after broiling is done or easy cleanup.*
1. Preheat broiler for 10 minutes, Pat dry the pork chops and brush with a little bit of vegetable oil. Rub the pork chops with a little bit of salt and black pepper on both sides. Place the pork chops directly on oven rack right underneath broiler. Cook for 10 minutes then flip and continue cooking for another 10 minutes. Pour some prepared horseradish onto a small bowl. Use a spoon to spread a thick layer of horseradish ontop of each pork chop. Slide the coated pork chops back under the broiler and cook until the horseradish is dark and charred. Check on them often to prevent smoking and burning. **For more tips on broiling times and distance please read this article : Grilling and Broiling Pork on recipetips.com. **

My husband says he got the idea for these pork chops from his mom's pork roast that is rubbed with a little bit of horseradish coating. The name Horsey Chops, it seems that he got the inspiration from Arby's Horsey sauce. Typically we serve it with mashed potatoes and steamed Brussels sprouts. This last time I made the Horsey Chops I decided to serve them with some savory baked apples, and it was a great combination of flavors.

Savory Baked Apples Ingredients:
3 small apples, (I used a local variety of Jonagold)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tbsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tbsp. ghee (clarified butter) or 1 tbsp. sunflower oil

1. Preheat oven to 200C or 392F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or baking mat then set aside. Core the apples and cut into even sized wedges. Mix all ingredients until apple wedges are well coated with the spices and oil. Spread the apple wedges on a baking sheet, bake in the center of the oven for 10 minutes or until tender.

This meal is super easy to make, fast, you won't have to wash many dishes, inexpensive, and so delicious. You could call it the perfect meal for your man but you'll also love it. Delicious enough for a special occasion and easy enough for any night of the week.