Occasionally, you run across a combination of ingredients in a recipe and you say to yourself, " I can't, for the life of me, imagine what that would taste like". Or perhaps you think, "That's just too wierd!" Well, this is one of those. Nobody, in their right mind, would combine A-1 sauce, sweet pickles, mustard and dry onion soup. But guess what ...this recipe is one of my favorites. And, the sauce it creates is so savory and delicious, you could eat in on a chevy bumper and be happy. But, just to maintain a certain level of sanity here, let's start with pork chops.
I would be happy to give credit for this recipe, if I had any idea where I got it. And, I've fiddled with it so much over the years, that it doesn't really resemble the original any way. (The Kitchen Dwarf never met a recipe he didn't want to mess with.) By the way, I have threatened to use this recipe with chicken breasts, but just never go around to it. I'm pretty sure it would be delicious. If you decide to try that, make sure you reduce the cooking time or you'll end up with "chicken leather".
So here it is .....wierd and wonderful, Pork Chops with Mustard Sauce.
PORK CHOPS WITH MUSTARD SAUCE
10-12 pork chops (I would really recommend the cheaper cuts with a bit more fat,
rather than the expensive, center cut beauties. More flavor & tenderer)
4 T butter
12 green onion, finely chopped
6 large cloves of garlic, minced
2 T flour
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup water w/ packet of dry onion soup dissolved in it
4 T A-1 Sauce
4 tsp prepared mustard (don't use Dijon. I tried it. It doesn't work as well)
4 T chopped, sweet pickles (just the garden variety. ..nothing fancy)
2 T sour cream.
Generously sprinkle salt and pepper on the chops. Melt half the butter in a large skillet and brown the chops over relatively high heat on both sides. Reduce heat and cook about five minutes a side. (you may need to cook them a little bit longer, depending on the thickness of the chops. I use relatively thin ones so 5 minutes a side is enough. Also, depending on your skillet, you may need to brown them in batches. The Kitchen Dwarf ALWAYS cooks for at least four people so there are plenty of leftovers.)
Remove the chops to a platter and keep warm. Throw the garlic and onions into the pan and cook until slightly wilted. (Don't burn the garlic, please) Sprinkle in the flour and keep stirring the roux until it is just slightly turning brownish. (If it is too dry, just add a little more butter) Add the broth, the water and the A-1 and stir until it is smooth. Add the chops back and cook 5 minutes a side.
Remove the chops and keep warm. (I know, this gets tiresome but believe me, it's worth it.) Add the mustard and pickles and stir to blend. Turn the pan to low and add the remaining 2 T of butter and the sour cream, stir to blend.
At this point you can just pour the sauce over the chops and serve or, as I like to do, add the chops back to the pan and make sure they are thoroughly coated with the sauce and then serve.
Serve this with the rice of your choice. (A nutty brown rice works really well.)
Please let me know how you enjoy this recipe. I'll be back with more later.
