Five-Spice Pistachio Pork

This isn't something I would normally have thought to make, but it's been almost a month since Christmas and I still had leftovers of the Five-Spice Pistachios I made. I'm writing the recipe to be made without having to actually make the pistachios, but I would recommend making some. They were wonderful!

My original idea was to use them to make a crust for fish, but I didn't have any fish in the freezer. I did, however, have boneless pork loin chops, so I ran with it.

Very simple ingredients. Boneless pork loin chops, the pistachios, some seasoning (I used Italian Romano from Spice Merchants), some garlic, and some egg whites to make the crust stick. You don't have to use whites... I wouldn't have if I didn't have some left from another recipe. A couple of beaten eggs will do just as well.

True to form, I put the red wine vinegar in there thinking I would use it for something. I did not. It was still sitting on the counter unopened when I served dinner. There should be a bottle of Chinese Five-Spice Powder in this picture, but it didn't occur to me since I'd already made the pistachios. You'll have that.

I ground the pistachios, Italian seasoning, and garlic in my mini chopper. You don't have to grind them very fine, just enough to make crumbs small enough to stick to the chops. I pulsed it for probably a minute. Then I poured some of the egg whites into a bowl and the pistachio mixture onto a plate. Off to the right where you can't see it is the aluminum pie plate ready for the chops once they're coated.

I dipped the chops in egg white, then dredged in the pistachio mixture. My chops were pretty thick, so I had to press some of the mixture onto the edges since I couldn't get them into it on the plate. It used almost all the pistachio mixture, but what little was left I pressed onto areas that weren't as coated. Then into the oven they went!

What came out about 35 minutes later was perfectly done (medium) pork chops with a crunchy, tasty crust. Really simple for a weeknight dinner, but something that could be served for company if you needed to. And the bonus for me was using up two leftover items I had just sitting around!

Five-Spice Pistachio Pork

Serves 2

1 cup pistachios, shelled
1 tablespoon Chinese five-spice powder
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (I used Italian-Romano from Saugatuck Spice Merchants)
2 boneless pork loin chops, fat trimmed
1/4 cup egg whites

Preheat oven to 400F; coat a shallow baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In a small chopper or food processor, combine pistachios, five-spice powder, garlic, and seasoning. Process until mixture forms crumbs. Pour mixture onto a plate.

Dip pork chops in egg whites, then dredge in pistachio mixture so all sides are coated. You may have to press it on with your hands. Place pork chops in prepared pan, and press additional pistachio mixture on as needed to completely coat.

Bake at 400F for 30-40 minutes, until internal temperature reaches 150F. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Serving Size: 229g

Calories: 356

Calories from Fat: 169

Total Fat: 18.8g

Saturated Fat: 3.0g

Trans Fat: 0.0g

Cholesterol: 84mg

Sodium: 258mg

Total Carbohydrates: 11.5g

Dietary Fiber: 3.6g

Sugars: 2.5g

Protein: 39.2g