By golly, you have a busy family. So try this tasty-hasty supper that features heat ’em and eat ’em Kassler pork chops. Where else are you going to find the slow-cooked flavour of ham combined wth the convenience of a pork chop? Better still, Kassler chops are the basis of a delicious meal for which you won’t have to go to the bother of opening a single can—boy howdy!Ingredients:
- 2 Kassler chops
- 10 brown button mushrooms, cut into thick slices
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 glass of white wine
- 1/2 cup sour cream or crème fraîche
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- pinch of ground nutmeg
- pinch of salt
- fresh cracked pepper
Procedure:
1) Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
2) Get a large frying pan on the stove over medium heat, for 5 minutes. Place the Kassler chops in the hot and dry pan.
3) Fry 4 minutes a side until nicely browned. Remove from the pan and place on a baking dish big enough to accommodate chops and sauce.
4) Add some oil and the mushrooms in one even layer to the frying pan. Leave them still so they have time to get nice and brown, about 3 minutes. Add the onions and toss it all about. Continue cooking until onions soften and start to caramelize.
5) Before you add the white wine, consider the relationship between heat and alcohol. Alcohol is flammable, especially at high heats. To lessen your chance of a surprise flambé, move the pan away from any open flames (gas stove) before adding the wine. (If the wine does ignite, extinguish it by placing a lid on top or just wait a couple of seconds for the flame to subside; it doesn’t take long for the alcohol to burn off.)
6) If it doesn’t ignite, continue cooking over medium heat until the boozy smell evaporates and the wine reduces by half.
7) Remove the pan from the heat and add the Dijon, sour cream (or crème fraîche) and nutmeg.
8) Pour the mixture directly onto the pork chops. Blap the whole mess into the oven for 10 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the chops are heated through.
9) Serve with simple boiled potatoes or just some good bread on the side for slopping up the sauce. Geez, that’s tasty!
Originally published in Swerve magazine on Feb.25.11.
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