One of my favorite recipes from my first book, Afield, is the smothered boar chops. Brined, dusted with flour and smothered in a copious amount of onions, I always loved the simplicity and texture of the quick-braised chops. Here, I'm adding in some green chiles and a touch of cumin and serving them with cheese grits and it's possibly even better than the original.

Serves 4

20-24 ounces boneless or bone-in loin chops, brined for 6 hours or seasoned with salt and pepper

1 cup all-purpose flour, divided

3 tbsp lard or butter

1 large white or yellow onion, thinly sliced

1 tsp cumin seed

2 cups chopped roasted Hatch green chile

2 quarts hog or chicken stock

Dredge the loin chops lightly in the flour, dusting off any excess. Reserve 3 tbsp of the flour and discard the rest.

Heat the lard or butter in a wide, lidded pot over medium heat.

Brown the loin chops on both sides until golden, then set aside. Immediately add the onions, cumin seed and a good pinch of salt and cook, stirring often, until translucent and soft, about 4 minutes. Stir in the 3 tbsp reserved flour and cook for another minute. Return the chops to the pot, along with the green chile and the stock. Bring to a simmer and cook for 1 hour, or until the chops are fork tender. Serve with cheese grits or rice.