Oink, Oink, Oink, I love pork.
We love pork and when it comes to cooking anything on the grill it is either pork, chicken or fish more often than beef; and of course when it comes to bar-b-q pork always wins.
Don’t you just love making comfort foods in the colder months. Most of you still have several months before the hot summer months are here and then you’re not wanting to heat your house with your ovens. I love the warmth that my oven puts off in the winter when I’m either baking bread or just have something yummy in the oven for dinner. We are in the low 70’s here today but this was still a comforting meal for a cool day. (Just wait until tomorrow and we will be down in the 40’s.)
Growing up, my mother would make the best fried pork chops, just the right amount of breading, browned to perfection and the coating did not separate from the meat. There would always be creamy mashed potatoes and of course peppered milk gravy made from the pan drippings. And, the best part of having these pork chops was getting to gnaw the meat off the bones when we finished the pork chop. Honestly, I could have eaten just a plate full of bones they were so good. One problem with ordering pork chops in a restaurant is that you wouldn’t dare pick up a bone and give it a good chew; maybe order a doggie bag and take them home for a snack the next day. You could always say you have a dog eagerly waiting at home.
(To make this a carb friendly meal: — dust your pork chops with almond flour instead of all purpose flour. For thickening the sauce use whatever you usually use instead of flour; like arrowroot. The potatoes can be substituted with either more mushrooms or some yellow squash.)
If you have a favorite pork recipe, please leave a comment below (under the three small pictures at the bottom). I’m always looking for new ways to do pork even though I have so many recipes I haven’t even tried yet.
Chops get a dredge in seasoned flour.
I mixed about a tablespoon butter with the olive oil and browned the chops 2-3 minutes on each side.
After removing the chops from the skillet add in the onions and saute for 2-3 minutes then toss in the crushed garlic clove for 1 minute more.
Put the chops on bottom top with the onions and I added potatoes. Cover with foil and bake.
While the chops are baking I make my carrot flowers. The bigger round the carrots the better. You will need a channel tool to make these.
Make 4-5 channels with the tool down the length of the carrot cutting as deep as you can.
Cut into about 1/4″ slices and there you have it — carrot flowers. I knew you would want to know how I made these once you saw them in the picture with the chops.
Making the sauce. The original recipe said to put the flour and water in a jar and shaking it. Everyone knows you should never do that because you will end up with a raw taste to your sauce/gravy.
Sour cream and mushrooms get added to the finished sauce.
Finished chops. You can add your sauce to cover or do what I did and Added the sauce after I had plated each chop.
Doesn’t the broccoli and carrot flowers make a great side dish. I steamed the carrots first, then the broccoli, then add a little butter and mixed them together with a little salt and pepper.
Country Pork Chops with Mushroom Sauce
(adapted from recipe at food.com)
(I halved the recipe using 3 chops)
- 8 pork chop (1 1/2-inch thick), center cut
- 1/2 c. flour
- 3 Tbsp. oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cups onion (2 medium) sliced ⅛-inch
- 10 ½ ounces canned chicken broth
- ¼ teaspoon ground thyme
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 Tbsp. shortening or oil
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- 2 cups mushroom (8 ounces) sliced ¼-inch fresh
- potatoes optional
- 1-8 oz. container sour cream or use light.
Heat the oven to 350°.
Put the flour in a pie plate and dredge each pork chop until all sides are covered.
Heat the oil in a 10" heavy skillet and brown pork chops over medium high heat (1-2 minutes per side.) Remove chops from pan and add in the sliced onions and 1 clove minced garlic and stir for 2-3 minutes.
Season chops with salt and pepper to taste; place chops in a 13 x 9" baking dish and cover with sautéed onions.
To the pan drippings add chicken broth, thyme and garlic powder; stir, deglazing the bits from the bottom of the skillet. Pour this mixture over the pork chops and onions. If you are using new potatoes or cubed potatoes, add them now. If you are mashing potatoes start them the last 30 minutes of baking time on the pork chops.
Cover with foil; bake for 60-70 minutes or until tender. Place on serving platter; keep warm.
In a 10" skillet heat 2 tablespoons of oil and add your flour and stir for a few minutes to brown a little. You want to get the raw flour taste out. Pour liquid from baking pan into 10" skillet. Cook over medium heat until mixture just comes to a boil (1 to 2 minutes). Add salt and pepper to taste. Add the mushrooms and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Reduce heat to low.
Stir in the sour cream and continue to cook, stirring constantly until heated through (1 to 2 minutes). Serve gravy over pork chop.
Serve with some good mashed potatoes (or mashed cauliflower) and carrot flowers.
