Pork Medallions with Rosemary Pear Sauce

Farm Fresh to You.  It’s the name of the company that now delivers a reasonable sized box of fresh fruit, vegetables, greens, nuts, and herbs to my front door every other Thursday.  What it does is forces me outside my comfort zone.  Do you ever feel like you are in a cooking rut, making the same things every week?  Then find a farm delivery service near you!  My box this week came complete with the following:

• (1) Acorn Squash
• (4) Fuji Apples
• (4) Bosc Pears
• (1) Ruby Grapefruit
• (2) Fuyu Persimmon
• (10) Satsuma Mandarin Oranges
• 1 lb Baby Bok Choy
• (1) Red Beet
• (1) Bunch of Spinach
• (1) Bunch of Carrots
• (1) Red Butter Lettuce

There are few things in this weeks box that I would NEVER consider buying at the store, probably wouldn’t even pick a recipe with them in it (acorn squash, beets, persimmon).  To my surprise this box has encouraged me to search for recipes by ingredient.  The results have been fantastic and I am hooked!

Want your own box of inspiration?  Simply google “farm box delivery (enter your city here)”.  I did a few tests and seems that most cities have a company similar to Los Angeles’ Farm Fresh to You.

How much does it cost?  My box which comes with quite a few items every other week is $31.50.  It’s not breaking the bank and honestly the quality is 4 times better than any produce I buy at the grocery store and most likely around the same price!  In my opinion it’s a win-win!

Today I wanted to share with you a recipe I made with my pears!  Enjoy!

Pork Medallions with Rosemary Pear Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 8 (4-ounce) pork chops/medallions
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup shallots
• 2 cups peeled, cored, and diced, firm-ripe pears
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons dry white wine
• 2 tablespoons Poire William or brandy
• 1 cup chicken stock
• fresh parsley, chopped for garnish

Directions

In a shallow dish, season the flour with paprika, salt, garlic powder, black pepper, onion powder, cayenne pepper, dried oregano and dried thyme. Lightly dust the pork medallions, shaking to remove any excess.

In a clean, large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. In batches, add the seasoned medallions and cook until golden on both sides, about 6 minutes. Remove and cover to keep warm.

Add the shallots to the pan and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the pears and rosemary and cook, stirring until starting to color and soften, about 2 minutes. Add the ginger, zest, wine, and brandy and bring to a boil, stirring to deglaze the pan. When the wine is reduced to by half, add the stock and cook until thickened and reduced by half to 2/3. Swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and add any accumulated juices from the resting pork. Stir and remove from the heat.

To serve, arrange 2 chops/medallions on top of each and spoon the sauce over the top. Garnish with the parsley.  Serve immediately.