Cooking Thursday

(Photo from MarthaStewart.com)

Today I want to talk about a recipe that completely changed my opinion of the pork chop. Prior to this recipe, I had lukewarm feelings at best. Enter the Loveless Cafe and their book, "Southern Country Cooking from the Loveless Cafe," via Martha Stewart (2007), and my thoughts regarding the boring pork chop have been permanently altered. This is a regular menu option now.

Braised Pork Chops
(Serves 6)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons canola oil
Six 6-ounce boneless center-cut pork chops, trimmed of any fat
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
2 tablespoons light-brown sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire or soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic salt
Sprigs fresh parsley, for garnish


Directions

1. Heat oil in a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Brown pork chops on all sides, 2 to 3 minutes per side.

2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together mustard, vinegar, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic salt with 1/3 cup water. Pour over pork chops. Reduce heat, cover, and cook until tender, about 1 hour.

3. Transfer pork to a serving platter. Raise heat to medium-high and cook sauce until thickened, about 5 minutes. Pour sauce over pork chops; garnish with parsley and serve immediately.

We have found that using pork cutlets works best, and Skip swears by the trick of searing the pork with a cold pan (i.e., do not heat the pan first, but turn the burner on once the chops are in place). Also, any time "an hour" increment of time is listed in a recipe, I tend to shy away from the recipe as a weeknight option. However, I cannot stress enough that steps 1 and 2 take approximately five minutes, maximum. Then, you put the lid on the pan and literally walk away for an hour.

Give it a try.