Pork Chops with Honey and Anise

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The day after I came back from Tunisia, I had bacon for breakfast, pork barbecue for lunch and was craving pork chops for dinner. We didn’t participate in Ramadan while we were there, but not having pork for two weeks was difficult enough. You simply can’t take the pork away from the Filipino.

When pork chops look firm and fresh at the butcher’s, I can’t help but pick them up. Add some honey for a little bit of sweet, sticky taste, and a little oyster sauce to make them salty, and they evoke autumn–in that Chinese sort of way. I scraped the leftover bits of marinade from the pan and tossed a bunch of boiled baby bok choy with it to make a vegetable side dish.

Ingredients:
4 pork chops
about 8 tbsps honey
4 whole star anise
3 tbsps oyster sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
dried chili flakes
black peppercorns
salt

1. Make marinade. Whisk together the honey and the oyster sauce in a small bowl. Add anise, garlic, peppercorns and chili flakes. Season with some salt. Using a spatula, rub the marinade onto the pork chops on both sides. Set aside for at least an hour or refrigerate overnight.
2. When ready to cook, preheat the oven 350º. Bake for about twelve minutes per side. The marinade burns easily, so check on the chops often to make sure that you do not overcook the meat.

Related post/s:
How about pork chops with honey and whiskey
Or pork chops with rye-bread stuffing

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Where to eat in Boston: Centre Street Cafe

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It was a little too warm for fall in Boston, so we decided to take our time and walk to Centre Street to eat brunch. We joined the queue outside Centre Street Cafe when we arrived. We probably waited for half an hour, but our coffees from J.P. Licks a few stores down kept us alert and patient. By the time we were seated, we were famished. We also had a wedding to go to in a couple of hours, so despite the appetizing menu, I was able to control myself from ordering a whole plate of bacon and eggs. We split two dishes: an arugula salad with goat cheese and walnuts, and the Amish breakfast which consisted of a poached egg, melted cheese, roasted butternut squash and potatoes. They touted some of their ingredients as organic, and I have to say that we had a satisfying first meal that didn’t weigh us down.

Is the wait worth it during busy brunch times? Perhaps. There were more people waiting behind us. But a girl who waits four hours for a table shouldn’t be dispensing any advice.

Centre Street Cafe is on Centre Street, #669A, in Jamaica Plain, Boston.

Related post/s:
Head of the Charles photos on Flickr
Waiting four hours for a Fergus Henderson table at The Spotted Pig

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