Smothered Pork Chops

Adam and I offered to make dinner for his dad last evening so we formulated a plan, went to the grocery store and an hour later, dinner was served! This was the first meal Adam and I made together and I must say, he is one of the best sous chefs I've ever worked with ;)

After deciding we'll make pork chops, I began browsing the Food Network website for an easy and hearty preparation. I came across Tyler Florence's smothered pork chop recipe and thought it sounded very good for a Sunday dinner. After reading the reviews, I decided to add mushrooms, which isn't in Tyler's recipe. And, of course, I had to cook my chops longer than the time in the recipe. That possibly had to do with me not having a large enough fry pan and/or high enough heat. Either way, the pork was good - not too tough. I was sure to make enough extra gravy to eat with the brown rice I prepared. If I would have had more time, I think mashed potatoes would have been good with this gravy and pork too!

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons onion powder (didn't have any so omitted)
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne (I only used 1/2 teaspoon this time but will use closer to the entire teaspoon next time)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 pork chops, 3/4-inch thick, bone-in
1/4 cup olive oil

1 package of mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup buttermilk
Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish (didn't use)

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Put the flour in a shallow platter and add the onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly. Pat the pork chops dry with paper towels to remove any moisture and then dredge them in the seasoned flour, pressing flour on the chops and then shaking off the excess.

Heat a large saute pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat and coat with the oil. When the oil is nice and hot, lay the pork chops in the pan in a single layer and fry for 3 minutes on each side until golden brown.

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Remove the pork chops from the pan and cover with foil. Add mushrooms and brown for a few minutes. Remove and place in a bowl.

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Add a little more oil to the pan and add a little sprinkle of seasoned flour to the pan drippings.

Mix the flour into the fat to dissolve and then pour in the chicken broth in - I used a whisk. Let the liquid cook down for 5 minutes to reduce and thicken slightly. Stir in the buttermilk to make a creamy gravy and return the pork chops and mushrooms to the pan, covering them with the sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes until the pork is cooked through. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.

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Smothered Pork Chops with brown rice and steamed broccoli and asparagus

I didn't really measure how much seasoned flour I used but I used a generous amount, as well as more stock and buttermilk than called for, just so I had more gravy.