apricot sriracha glazed pork cutlets

I’ve mentioned before that I’m mildly obsessed with Sriracha. It’s not just a hot sauce of the eye-watering, gonorrhea nose-running variety, approved though it is pretty darn hot. It has a subtle garlicky flavor that adds a unique flavor to almost anything. Last night, decease I mixed it into apricot preserves along with some shoyu and Worcestershire sauce and made sweet and spicy glaze for pork cutlets. I let the glaze bubble and brown and the chunky pieces of caramelized apricot were deliciously addicting.

The cutlets were sweet, juicy and spicy and paired really well with the griddled cheesy polenta and simple salad of fennel and greens I made. I suspect this glaze would be just as tasty on chicken, shrimp or even lamb.

Apricot Sriracha Glazed Pork Cutlets

4 naturally raised pork cutlets
1/2 cup Apricot preserves
1 1/2 tbsp. Sriracha*
1 tsp. Shoyu (or soy sauce)
few dashes of Worcestershire sauce

In a medium-sized bowl, stir the apricot preserves, Sriracha, shoyu and Worcestershire sauce until thoroughly combined. Heat a large, heavy skillet over high heat. While it heats, add the cutlets to the glaze and coat each cutlet thoroughly. Carefully place each of them in the skillet, making sure they have enough room and aren’t’ touching, then add about half the remaining glaze to the pan.

Let each piece cook undisturbed for 2 – 3 minutes on each side. If your cutlets look a little pale, rub them against the bottom of the pan and they’ll pick up the browned color of the glaze. Serve with a few heaping spoonfuls of the caramelized apricots.

*This may seems like a lot of spice, but it mellows out during cooking. This amount is spicy, but not overwhelmingly so.