Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon ground Aleppo pepper*
• 1 tablespoon Hungarian sweet paprika
• 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons whole Malabar black peppercorns, freshly ground**
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
• 4 kurobuta/Berkshire bone-in rib pork chops (1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inches thick; 10 to 12 ounces each)
• 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• Braised Bacon, Pomegranate, and Pine Nut Relish

Instructions

1. Mix Aleppo pepper, paprika, coarse salt, ground Malabar pepper, and fresh sage in small bowl. Brush pork on both sides with 2 tablespoons oil. Sprinkle generously with all of spice mixture; press to adhere. Spread flour on plate. Dredge pork in flour; shake off excess.
2. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork and cook until brown, 3 minutes per side. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until instant-read thermometer inserted into center of pork registers 145°F, about 10 minutes.
3. Serve pork with Braised Bacon, Pomegranate, and Pine Nut Relish.
4. *Ground Aleppo pepper from Syria has a moderate heat level and tastes slightly sweet. It is available at some specialty foods stores and by mail from Surfas (310-559-4770; surfasonline.com).
5. **Malabar peppercorns, from the coast of western India, are especially pungent and zesty. They are available in the spice section of some supermarkets and by mail from The Spice Hunter(800-444-3061; spicehunter.com).