Recipe Thyme for some Grilled Pork and Apricots with Rice

[The Late Night Gourmet]

I don't normally think of posting a complete meal when I post a recipe, but this seemed natural. The rub on the pork is made with thyme, garlic, and oil; the rice is made with thyme, garlic, and butter. The taste plays somewhat differently in the rice vs. on the pork because of how the flavors are developed.

Somewhere, I have a big jar of rosemary. I couldn't find it, otherwise this would be a recipe using rosemary instead of thyme. To be honest, I'm happy I used the thyme here. And, the rosemary wasn't the only substitution I made. This is a riff on a pork-and-peaches recipe. But, having ripe apricots on hand made that decision for me.

Ingredients

For the Pork

1 pound boneless pork butt, trimmed of fat
5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon thyme
4 tablespoons oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste (I also used Montreal steak seasoning)
6 fresh apricots, skin on, cut in half and pitted
2 tablespoons butter, cut into dice

For the Rice

1 cup white rice
2 cups water
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon thyme
2 tablespoons butter
salt to taste

Directions

1. Heat up a cast iron pan to medium heat. Combine 5 cloves of minced garlic and 1 tablespoon of thyme with 3 tablespoons of oil.

2. Pound the pork to about 1/2" thick, ensuring uniform thickness as much as possible. Season pork aggressively with salt and pepper on both sides. I used a premixed Montreal steak seasoning.

3. If I had used a nice, lean pork chop, I would have said to spread the garlic-thyme mixture evenly on both sides. But, because trimming the pork left so many uneven pieces, I ended up rubbing the mixture all over the pork.

4. Brush the pan with the remaining oil. Arrange the pork in a single layer, surrounded by apricots. Place a bit of butter on top of each apricot.

5. While the pork cooks, bring water to a boil, then lower heat to medium-low. Add rice to the pot, then cover for 20 minutes. Remove from heat.

6. Melt butter in a large pan on medium heat, then add remaining garlic and 1 teaspoon of thyme, stirring continuously for 30 seconds. When the garlic browns somewhat, add rice and stir in thoroughly. Add salt and additional butter to taste.

7. Heat for 5 minutes, then remove the apricots to a side dish, covering with foil to keep the heat in. Continue cooking the pork for a few minutes, then flip over. Cook for a few more minutes or until it reaches desired doneness. Serve with apricots and rice.