SERVES 2

Pork is a versatile meat, but we prefer to cook it simply—as in this recipe.

2 lemons
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
6 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 bunch leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
Salt and fresly ground black pepper
2 pork rib chops, each about 1 1/2'' thick
6 pitted prunes
2 granny smith apples
1 tbsp. butter, melted
1 tsp. sugar

1. Squeeze juice from lemons and place both juice and lemons in a medium roasting pan. Add oil, garlic, and parsley. Season marinade with salt and pepper and mix well.

2. Prick pork chops several times with a fork, then add them to marinade, turning to coat evenly. Cover and set aside in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours.

3. Preheat oven to 475°. Remove pork chops from refrigerator and discard marinade. Place prunes in a small bowl, cover with hot water, and set aside until soft, about 10 minutes, then drain. Slice the top from each apple and discard. Remove and discard apple cores.

4. Arrange pork chops and apples in a large cast-iron pan. Stuff each apple with three prunes. Pour butter over apples, then sprinkle with sugar and roast apples and pork chops for 25 minutes. Remove pan from oven. Preheat broiler. Transfer apples to a platter and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. Brown pork chops under broiler on one side for about 3 minutes. Remove chops from oven and allow to rest for about 5 minutes, then serve with apples.