Pork Chops with Apples and Onions

Start at the market. Look for pork chops with good fat around the edges and a blush of pink through the meat. Bone-in chops from a farmer who raises pigs properly will taste like pork used to taste, before industrial farming bred the flavor out. Ask questions. Know your source.

The apples matter just as much. You want firm fall varieties that hold their shape when cooked: Honeycrisp for sweetness, Braeburn for balance, Granny Smith if you like a sharper edge. These should be local, picked recently, still crisp when you bite in. Out-of-season apples shipped from cold storage will turn to mush.

This is peasant cooking at its best. A single pan. Ingredients that belong together because they ripen together. The pork gives its fat to the apples and onions. The cider and vinegar cut the richness. The thyme ties everything to the garden. You are not doing much here, and that is the point. When the ingredients are right, your job is to get out of the way.