Grilled Pork Chops With Fennel and Cherry Agrodolce
In Italian, “agro” means sour and “dolce” means sweet, making traditional agrodolce sauce a balanced combo of both tastes. The most basic of agrodolce sauces are a thickened mix of vinegar and honey, though most welcome additions like garlic, raisins and pine nuts. This recipe swaps out the raisins for dried cherries, which are rehydrated as the agrodolce cooks, and bring extra sour to the sauce with their sweet-tart flavor. The sauce can be made in a skillet directly on top of your grill grates, if desired, following after simply seasoned pork chops and wedges of fennel, which are grilled until crispy and caramelized. The pork chops, fennel and agrodolce are delicious served over warm polenta, mashed potatoes or even slices of grilled bread. If inspired, try using dried cranberries or golden raisins instead of dried cherries, swapping red wine vinegar for balsamic, or adding toasted pine nuts to the agrodolce.
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