Smothered Pork Chops

One of our best meals during our vacation in Europe were German dishes.  Even though, Disneyland is not known for their great foods but dining at King Ludwig's Castle at Disney was a great experience!  Glad we gave it a chance after contemplating the list of their menu for few minutes.  Another delicious dining experience we had was in Germany itself.  In fact, it was very good that we went back the following evening to try different dishes they offered.  The last one I had, which to this day is still vivid in my mind was a pork dish with creamy sauce.  Boy, it was delish!!!  I was mesmerized by the dish that I was unaware to jot down the name of it, unfortunately.

The recipe I'm sharing today reminds me of that German dish.  It may not be the exact recipe and it literally has a different name but it's close enough and the flavor is actually very good, as well.


Ingredients

4 bone-in pork chops (about 3/4 inch thick)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoons onion powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 buttermilk
chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish (I used cilantro since it's what I had)


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; 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.  Remove the pork chops from 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.  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 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.


Yield: 4 servings

Recipe Courtesy: Tyler Florence, Food Network  (with Sweetpea's modification to suit our taste)