I knew this morning that I was making pork chops with a pumpkin sauce of some sorts.  It wasn’t until this afternoon that I figured apples should play a part, as well.  And Elizabeth brought me in some baby sweet potatoes from her garden.    Sweet and savory.  Mentally, dinner was done.

The weather is absolutely gorgeous.  Perfect for the contractors out there fixing the dry rot and the painters painting the house.  We could not have planned this any better.  But painters and contractors mean everything is in disarray.  And I hate disarray.  But somewhere out there, there is a grill – and a grill and beautiful weather means grilled pork chops with pumpkin and apples.  It’s a rule.

Pumpkin Apple Sauce

  • 1/2 cup shallots, chopped
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 2 small apples, cored and sliced
  • shot of dark rum
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Wilt shallots in a bit of olive oil.  Add apples and brown a bit.  Add sugar and spices.  Add pumpkin and rum.  Heat through.

Check thickness of sauce and add chicken broth to thin to desired consistency.

On the pork chop, I sprinkled a bit of garam masala, garlic, boonie pepper (for heat), and salt and pepper. Cumin and cinnamon in the pumpkin and apples called for a bit of an Indian flair.

I oven-roasted the sweet potatoes with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper.  They didn’t need anything else!  Steamed broccoli finished the plate.