Mandarin Pork Chops

Easter. The first one without him.

I was up at four-thirty, same as last year. Ham in the oven at five. The house filled with the smell of brown sugar and cloves. But the house was quiet in a way it wasn't last year, because last year Earl was in the recliner, and the recliner made sounds — his breathing, his shifting, the creak of it when he reached for his water. Now the recliner is silent. I don't sit in it. Nobody sits in it. It's an altar.

Denise came at six with Monique and Robert. Kayla came at seven. Patricia and Wayne arrived at ten with Brittany, Darnell, and Alexis. Fifteen people instead of twenty-four. The plywood table stayed in the garage. The regular table was enough. That hurt more than anything — not needing the extra table. The family fits now. I don't want it to fit. I want it to overflow.

I said grace. I said, "Lord, we come to this table with one chair empty and our hearts full of the man who sat in it. We thank you for forty-three years of Earl Henderson. We thank you for the food that sustains us and the love that outlasts everything, even death. We thank you for this family, smaller today but not lesser. Never lesser. Amen."

Patricia cried. Kayla held my hand. Darnell — quiet Darnell, who says less than any Henderson I've ever known — he stood up and said, "To Granddaddy." And everyone raised their glasses of sweet tea and said, "To Granddaddy," and it was the most beautiful toast I've ever witnessed at my own table.

The food was good. Not perfect — the ham was slightly dry, which I blame on grief because grief dehydrates everything, including pork — but the dressing was Mama's and the greens were mine and the deviled eggs were right. Kayla made the sweet potato pie. It was her first solo attempt and it was close — so close — to Mama's recipe. She'll get there. She has time.

After everyone left, I washed the dishes alone. I washed Earl's plate — the one I set for him, the one nobody used — and I held it under the water and I let the tears come because the kitchen is the one place where I can cry and call it steam.

Now go on and feed somebody.

The ham I’ll make again someday — when I’m ready, when it doesn’t feel like a test. But for the next table, whether it’s Mother’s Day or a Sunday when someone just needs feeding, I’m turning to these Mandarin Pork Chops: bright with citrus, warm with sweetness, and quick enough that you’re not standing over a stove at four-thirty in the morning carrying too much. Earl always said the best food was the kind that didn’t make you suffer to get it on the table. He was right about most things.

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

4 bone-in pork loin chops (about 3/4 inch thick)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 can (11 oz) mandarin oranges, drained, juice reserved
1/4 cup orange marmalade
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons cold water
Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Season the chops. Pat pork chops dry with paper towels. Season both sides evenly with salt and pepper.
Sear the pork. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork chops and cook 4–5 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through (internal temperature of 145°F). Transfer to a plate and tent loosely with foil.
Build the sauce. Reduce heat to medium. To the same skillet, add the reserved mandarin orange juice, marmalade, soy sauce, cider vinegar, and ground ginger. Stir to combine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
Thicken the glaze. In a small bowl, whisk cornstarch and cold water until smooth. Pour into the skillet and stir constantly until the sauce thickens, about 2 minutes.
Finish with oranges. Gently stir in the drained mandarin orange segments. Return pork chops to the skillet and spoon sauce over them. Heat through for 1–2 minutes.
Serve. Plate chops and spoon extra sauce over the top. Garnish with parsley if desired. Serve with rice or mashed potatoes to catch every bit of that glaze.

Nutrition (per serving)

Mandarin Pork Chops — For the Next Table We Set Together