Growing up, we had pork chops for dinner once a week. Mom pan-fried them with a Dijon glaze, and served them with sides of caramelized onions and her skin-on, chunky mashed potatoes.

Caramelized onions mixed into the mashed potatoes, by the way, generates an even better flavor experience greater than eating them separately.

Some caramelized onion tips:

 
Back to the pork chops:

We don’t often dine at restaurants that have pork chops on the menu; but when we do, we order them. Usually we’re disappointed because they’re:

 
So every few months, we treat ourselves to some Kurobuta* (Berkshire) porterhipork chops from Snake River Farms, and recreate Mom’s preparation.
 
 
TYPES OF PORK CHOPS

While boneless chops are easier to eat, bone-in chops (and steaks) cook up with more flavor. That’s because the meat close to the bone has more fat, which delivers more flavor. Chefs explain that the bone also engenders a juicier, more tender piece of meat.

Plus, you get a bone to gnaw on, if you so desire.

According to the National Pork Board, there are five types of pork chops. All are cut from the loin, at the top (back) of the pig:

 
Bone-In Versus Boneless

While boneless chops (New York/center cut) are easier to eat, bone-in chops (and steaks, the same for lamb and beef) cook up with more flavor. That’s because the meat close to the bone has more fat, which delivers more flavor. Chefs explain that the bone also engenders a juicier, more tender piece of meat.

Plus, you get a bone to gnaw on, if you so desire.
 
 
BUILDING FLAVOR FOR PORK CHOPS

Lately, we’ve sliced our way out of the box to try these preparations from Clemens Food Group, via Flavor & The Menu:

It’s just two simple steps:

1. MAKE A RUB

You can create any rub you like, but here’s one for starters:

Combine cardamom, cinnamon, cumin, sweet paprika and turmeric with olive oil. Massage into the pork, then finish with a squeeze of lemon.

2. PICK A CONDIMENT

Clemens calls these “flavor boosters,” which is the definition of condiment (actually, see the longer definition below).

[2] This bone-in chop (photo courtesy North End Cafe | Louisville).

[3] Yes, please: A sliced porkchop, a cube of pork belly, and a fresh fig and mesclun salad in the middle (at Due Forni | Las Vegas).

[4] A pork chop like mother made (photo courtesy Good Eggs).

[5] We don’t have pork chops often, but when we do, it’s Kurobuta, a superior grade of the Berkshire heritage breed (photo courtesy Lobel’s | NYC).

 
ABOUT CONDIMENTS

A condiment is an auxiliary food product that puts spark into food. It is a spice, sauce*, or preparation (chutney, horseradish, ketchup, mustard, relish, salsa, etc.) that is served with food to enhance its flavor.

There are sweet condiments, too. For example, fudge sauce, marshmallow creme, sprinkles and whipped cream ice cream make a plain scoop of ice cream taste better.

The word is first found in print in French around 1420, and descends from the Latin condimentum, spice, which sprang from the verb condre, to season.

Condiments add an easy flourish to the most basic foods. They can transform an everyday ham sandwich or roast chicken into something special (use some of those caramelized onions!).

Condiments are also evidence of pervasive fusion cuisine at its best. Indian chutneys, French mustards, Italian pestos and Spanish salsas, to name just a few, are often paired with American dishes from eggs, roasts, salads, and sandwiches to desserts with crème anglaise from the U.K., dulce de leche and red wine sauce from Italy and rose water from Turkey.

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*Kurobuta is a Japanese name for a certain quality of pork, from a certain breed of pig: the black pig. In the U.S., that pig is called the Berkshire, a heritage breed. Kurobuta is a higher quality than generic Berkshire. While all Kurobuta pork comes from Berkshire pigs, not all Berkshire pigs are Kurobata grade.
 

For the Thanksgiving dinner table, we have long used chocolate “place settings,” a [confusing] name given to a party favor presented at each place setting [of flatware and dishes].

For many who follow this tradition, the place setting is a chocolate turkey. Some people add a ribbon or a tag that substitutes for a name card.

A couple of years ago, thinking “We’re all sophisticated adults,” we chose bottles of artisan maple syrup instead. The universal response: “Where’s the chocolate turkey?”

This year we’re using boxed miniature turkeys from chocolatier Larry Burdick.

Each chocolate turkey has a center of dark chocolate ganache and toasted almonds for feathers. It is enrobed in either dark or milk chocolate.

It is presented in a lovely gift box with a satin ribbon, like an edible jewel.
 
 
GET YOURS AT BURDICKCHOCOLATE.COM.

You can also purchase boxes of four turkeys.

Burdick is one of the country’s great chocolatiers; so even when it’s not a holiday, treat yourself to some.
  

Tribali foods was launched by a holistic nutritionist and vegetarian who sought to add meat back into her diet. But she wanted “clean” meats.

That meant sourcing top organic cuts: grass-fed and grass-finished pastured beef, free-range chicken and humanely raised pork.

She then created versatile, minimally-processed patties and sliders, and seasoned them global flavor combinations: herbs, purées, spices and vegetables.

The line was then frozen but the meats cook up quickly: “ready to nourish” in minutes.

Tribali fits with popular eating plans such as the Mediterranean/Greek diet, the Keto diet, the Paleo diet and the Real Foods diet.

But more importantly to us (we eat every diet) is that everything is very flavorful and nutrient-dense. We try a lot of prepared foods, and most of them are under-seasoned, requiring that we add condiments, salt or other flavor boosters.

Tribali is perfectly seasoned—so much so that we were taken by delightful surprise and immediately made them a Top Pick Of The Week.
 
 
GOOD CITIZENSHIP

Animal welfare is a priority for Tribali; the supply chain is transparent.

The line is dairy-free, gluten-free, soy-free, CCOF Certified (organic), non-GMO Certified, Paleo-Certified, and Whole 30 Approved.

There are no binders, fillers or hormones. You can feel good about what you eat.

And what you’ll eat is so delicious!
 
 
THE TRIBALI LINE

There are options for breakfast, lunch and dinner—not to mention sliders with cocktails. The line currently includes:

 
Use them to make:

 
There are recipes on the website, all of which we want to make. We especially like the sliders that use baby portabella mushroom caps instead of mini-buns.
 
 
BUY THEM

[2] A yummy Thai burger with rice noodles and a red cabbage slaw. Add a bun if you like. We added Stonefire Naan, a soft Indian flatbread; roti also works*.

[3] Ready to dig in? This burger stack was created by Primal Gourmet.

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*Both of these flatbreads, of Indian origin, look similar. The difference: Roti is typically made from whole wheat flour and is cooked either on a tawa (a flat skillet) or in a tandoor, a cylindrical clay or metal oven. Naan is made from all-purpose white flour, is leavened with yeast, and then cooked in a tandoor.

Glass rimmers, available in every color in the rainbow.

Here’s a holiday gift idea for a baker: edible fancy sprinkles from Fancy Sprinkles, a well-named company.

Yes, it’s a bit of a niche product, but the right person will be tickled pink [sprinkles], or any colors you bestow.

We’ve never seen such assortments of creative sprinkles, including eight designs just for Christmas:

 
Each is a beautiful mix of colors and shapes: not your mother’s sprinkles!

The company has done a great job of putting together colors and shapes. Everything is mixed to order.

Use the sprinkles on:

 
The sprinkles are conversation-starter—so if conversation wanes at Thanksgiving, sprinkle the gold, orange and white Pumpkin Spice collection over the pumpkin pie or the rim of your pumpkintini.

Individual jars are $5 and up, depending on the complexity of the mix.

There are gift-boxed assortments from $15 to $32, and a “sprinkles club” with a different assortment each month, seasonally-themed.

>>TAKE A LOOK!<<

November 6th is National Nachos Day. The dish was invented by accent, when customers arrived at a restaurant after the kitchen had closed. The manager, named Nacho (the diminutive of Ignacio), threw together some ingredients in the fridge to feed the folks.

The rest is history (here’s a bit more on history of nachos): a favorite snack was born. They moved from Mexican restaurants to the mainstream.

Basic nachos are so easy to make; no wonder they’re a party favorite. At their most minimal, you need tortilla chips, cheddar cheese and salsa. The next step: avocado, beans and/or refried beans, chile, cilantro, corn kernels, jalapeños, scallions, sour cream.

From there, anything goes, as we’ll demonstrate in today’s tip.
 
 
BEYOND MEXICAN INGREDIENTS

Nachos are easily adaptable to regional American flavors like barbecue, corned beef, grilled shrimp and gumbo, local cheeses, horseradish, pot roast, southern-fried chicken, Wisconsin blue cheese.

It’s easy to go global, too, as more recent menu additions include nachos with Hawaiian, Indian, Italian, Japanese and other culinary influences.

While nacho traditionalists may roll their eyes, fearless foodies might delight to a plate of nachos with prosciutto and melted gorgonzola, tiny meat balls with Bolognese and parmesan atop crunchy tortilla chips, or fresh crab and béarnaise.

“It’s all in the build,” says Flavor & The Menu, a magazine and website where chefs check out national trends.

“Although nachos often look like a thrown-together pile of chips and toppings, the ones that move this trend forward are more thoughtful in [putting the ingredients together]. Not only does the balance need to be considered—between chips and cheese, savory and sweet, crunchy and soft—but the intention in the flavor play is also critical.”
 
 
THE GLOBAL NATIONAL NACHO SCENE

Flavor & The Menu took a look at how chefs around the country are interpreting nachos. You can create any of the ideas at home.

Make it today!

[1] Greek-style nachos with feta, olives and yogurt sauce at Meraki Greek Bistro in Miami (photo © Mission Foodservice).

[2] Indian lamb nachos with tamarind chutney at Chauhan Ale & Masala House in Nashville (photo © Plateline).

[3] Fried chicken nachos with pimento cheese sauce at Honey Butter in Chicago (photo © Tim Musho).

[4] Spicy chicken with the fixings on bacon-fried tortilla chips, at Party Fowl in Nashville (photo © Party Fowl).

[5] Poke nachos, fusing Hawaiian poke with seaweed, wasabi crema and wonton chips, at The Westin Princeville Kauai (photo © Westin Princeville).

[6] Portabella nachos with blue cheese and jalapeños atop blue corn tortilla chips (photo © Flavor & The Menu).

 
So let’s forget the black beans, cheddar and salsa for the moment. What’s your favorite fusion nacho?