lazy days

​The hot, humid weather makes one very lackadaisical. People desire foods which are light and perhaps cold and no one wants to cook. I’m very lucky in that our house has central air conditioning and I don’t mind cooking, no matter what the weather is. Recently I dug out a recipe that I haven’t make in a while; it’s the perfect summertime recipe. The recipe is grilled teriyaki pork chops with pineapple papaya relish. It’s a recipe from Gourmet Magazine, May 1994.
 
I went down to Pastosa in Manasquan and picked up to two, one-inch thick pork chops for $3.99/lb. For my relish, I turned to Delicious Orchards* for the pineapple ($2.99 for a whole pineapple), papaya ($5.99 each), green pepper ($1.49/lb.), Vidalia onion ($1.29/lb.) and a jalapeño pepper ($1.99/lb.). The balance of the ingredients for both the pork chop marinade were fresh ginger and garlic, which I keep on hand and mint from my garden.

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The relish was prepared a day ahead and refrigerated. I neglected to read the part of the recipe that called for marinating the meat overnight.However, once I got home from a mid-morning stop at Pastosa, I prepared the marinade and the pork chops in the liquid for more than 4 hours.
 
The pork chops were grilled outside for approximate 7-8 minutes per side. I gave my husband an instant read meat thermometer to check the temperature so that the pork chops weren’t over cooked. He did a great job as the meat was tender and moist. The marinade permeated the meat and infused plenty of flavor. I was a little worried about the relish as my husband had some misgiving about the garlic and mint that was in the relish. However, it was a nice complement to the meat. So, if you like the flavor of teriyaki, whether it be chicken or pork, try this recipe. I made a full recipe of the relish so I have plenty of leftovers. I can see this relish accompanying grilled chicken or even fish.
 
*prices for Delicious Orchards are from their Personal Shopping web page and are subject to change.