Growing up, pork chops, or pork loin chops, to be specific, were something we had at least two times a week. I remember coming into the kitchen to find the sink filled with pink liquid, and my mom yelling “Don’t ya’ll get anything in my pork chops!” (To this day, I’m still not sure why she didn’t use a large plastic bowl, but she’d just say “It tastes better in the sink.”) Typically, pork chops in the South were shallow fried or baked, often topped with a brown gravy with onions made from the fat from the chops.
Years later while researching Middle Eastern cooking I stumbled across a dish that sounded so interesting because olives, Years later, while researching Middle Eastern cooking, I stumbled across a dish that sounded so interesting because olives, lemons and turmeric weren’t something we’d combine during those times. (Lemon was something served with seafood, sweet tea or lemonade; olives were something for salads, pizzas, or cocktails; and turmeric(?) — we don’t know her!)
I should point out that in the Middle East, this dish would typically be made with poultry, lamb, goat, or beef. (Pork isn’t widely used, due to religious reasons.)
I was pleasantly surprised when I tasted this dish because of the brightness of the lemon, combined with the earthiness of the turmeric, and how well it played off the richness of the butter and the saltiness of the olives. Truly a great way to take a somewhat humdrum weekly dinner and change it into something mouthwatering.
Notice: The included does not contain the olives, but they will be included in the editorial re-shoot.
