Sunday Pork Chops

This was a recipe I clipped from a magazine because I thought it looked interesting. It was interesting, and it was also delicious. 

Pork Chops with Tomato and Feta

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup thinly sliced onion
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
Black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 - 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
2 pork chops, about 1" thick
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Heat oven to 350°. Cook onion in oil in an ovenproof skillet for about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, garlic, and seasonings and cook for another few minutes. Stir in the vinegar, then transfer to a bowl. In the same skillet, brown the pork chops for a few minutes on each side, then transfer to oven and bake for about 15 minutes, or until thermometer registers 145°. To serve, top each pork chop with half the tomato mixture and half the feta cheese.

This next recipe I found why looking for something to dress up pork chops and oven rice. The sauce was too thin and had too much lemon for our tastes, but it's worth trying again with some adjustments. I read 1/4 cup lemon juice, when it must have meant the juice from 1/4 of a lemon.

Pork Chops in Lemon Cream Sauce

1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
4 boneless pork chops
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tbsp flour (use leftover flour from dredging pork chops) - next time try using 1/4 cup
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup lemon juice - next time try using 1 Tablespoon
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
4 sprigs fresh thyme (leaves only) - I used 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning and season generously with salt and pepper. Dredge pork chops thoroughly in flour mixture.

Brown pork chops in some melted butter. Remove from pan and set aside.

Melt butter; add minced garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes on medium heat. Add flour to the butter mixture and start pouring in wine while still on medium heat - about 1 minute. Next squeeze lemon into the pan, add chicken stock and heavy cream. Add fresh thyme and Italian seasoning, season with salt and pepper (to taste). Simmer for 2-3 minutes. Taste the sauce and add more seasoning, if necessary.

Reduce heat to low and return pork chops to pan. Depending on the thickness of your pork chops, you might just need to heat them up a bit to make sure they are done. Drizzle some of the sauce over pork chops and reheat on low for 2-3 minutes or until pork chops are done.

We had the leftovers later in the week with instant mashed potatoes instead of rice. That's quick and easy as well!

Korean Barbecued Pork Chops

I just topped some pork chops with the sauce leftover from our Fried Cauliflower. They were delicious!

Pork Chops with Apples and Onions

I had some leftover sweet potatoes and wanted to serve pork chops with them. My internet search reminded me that apples and onions are a great combination with pork, and I followed a couple of different suggestions and added fresh rosemary and a touch of balsamic vinegar while cooking them. Dinner was delicious.

Pork Chops with Onions and Marmalade

This is basically a variation of the recipe above. Cook a bunch of onions in olive oil, then brown the pork chops. Remove the pork, stir in a dash of Dijon mustard and a fair amount of orange marmalade (an excellent use of this condiment). Return the pork chops to the pan and cook until done, then serve.