Off to HONG KONG!

Finals ended last Saturday, and this semester was the most brutal one yet. But, after spending a couple days at home, I'm packing once again and departing for Hong Kong and I couldn't be any more EXCITED. It's for the business school program at Georgetown, and even though I'll be taking courses and going to career workshops for five weeks, I'd be crazy not to take some time to appreciate the city's culture (food, food, food), right? What I'm looking forward to most: dimsum and street food. 

I did manage to cook up something from the leftovers in the fridge last night, and since I haven't posted any recipes in more than a month, I thought I'd finish this post before I got on the plane for a 15 hour flight. eeks. 

I personally think that caramellized onions taste good on anything but with these really thinly cut pork chops (simply seasoned), they became the star of the show. These take a long time to get to their beautiful mahogany color but boy, is it worth it. Don't throw out any that's left over! With a couple slices of baguette and a soft, meltable cheese, you can make some killer crostinis the next day. Add penne vodka with lots and lots of gooey shredded mozzarella and you have an easy feast.

Pork with Onion Marmellata

Ingredients

Onion Marmellata:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4 large onions, thinly sliced (about 3 pounds)
• 1/4 cup orange marmalade
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sugar (or more to taste)

Pork Chops:

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 to 6 pork chops
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions

For the onion marmellata, place a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and the onions. Stir to combine and cook until starting to sizzle, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients. Reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and cook over low heat for 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes to scrape up any brown bits. The onions should be a soft, jam-like consistency and a deep mahogany color.

Meanwhile, for the pork chops, combine the rosemary, thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Using your fingers, work all the ingredients together until well combined. Rub the herb mixture over the pork chops. Cover with plastic wrap and reserve in the refrigerator.

About 20 minutes before the onions are finished, remove the pork chops from the refrigerator. Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Grill the pork chops to medium, about 7 minutes a side depending on thickness. To serve, spoon the onion marmellata over the pork chops. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley. Serve immediately.