My
grandmother used to make a similar recipe, only she used pork shoulder steaks
which have quite a bit of fat on them. In
my version I cut down on the fat by using very lean boneless pork loin
chops. The chops are cooked very slowly
on very low heat. Beef stock is added at
20 minute intervals to keep the chops moist.
Take care to make sure there is liquid in the skillet at all times. However, do not completely submerge your chops
in liquid. The liquid should only come
half way up the chops. Do not speed up
the cooking process, or you will end up with a very dry chop! And finally cooked barley is added at the end
with additional beef broth …very tasty barley!
Note:
Cook your barley according to the package directions. You can even do this the day before, and
store it in a covered container in the refrigerator. This way the barley is ready when you are.
Enjoy!
Healthy
Ingredients:
- Boneless pork loin chops
- Unsalted, non-fat beef stock
-
Barley
Braised
Pork Loin Chops with Barley
Serves 5 - 6 people
¼
- ½ Tsp. Mrs. Dash Original Blend –
Seasoning Blend
½ Tsp.
Poultry seasoning
¼
Tsp. Ground black pepper
Dash
of Sea salt
6 (1/2
inch thick) Boneless pork loin chops
2
Tbls. Extra virgin olive oil
1
Large sweet onion, sliced into ¼ wide x 1 inch long slices
2
½ Cups Beef stock, fat free and unsalted; divided use
1
Tbls. Fresh thyme leaves, from about 5-6 stems (strip the leaves off and
discard stems)
2
Cups cooked barley
Heat
a 12-inch skillet (I recommend not using a non-stick skillet) on medium high
heat.
In
a small bowl, mix together the Mrs. Dash, poultry seasoning, pepper and sea
salt. Sprinkle the seasoning mixture on
both sides of the chops.
Add
olive oil to the hot skillet and swirl to coat the bottom. Add chops to the skillet and brown on both
sides (do not turn chops until they release from the bottom of the skillet). Remove chops to a plate, cover and set aside.
Turn
heat down to medium, add onions. Cook the
onions until they are translucent, taking care to turn often so they do not
burn.
Turn
the heat down to very low; add ½ cup beef stock and heat. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up all the brown
bits from bottom of the skillet. Add the
chops back in the skillet and sprinkle with thyme leaves. Cover and braise the chops for about 20
minutes.
After
20 minutes of cooking, turn chops over, stir the onions and add an additional ½
cup of beef stock. Cover and cook for
another 20 minutes. Do not let your skillet dry out; chops should be cooking in
liquid at all times! (If you feel the
liquid is evaporating too quickly, you are cooking at too high of a heat; turn
the heat down lower.) The chops are done
when they are very tender, and separate easily when cut.
Remove
chops to a dish; leaving the onions and stock in the skillet. Spoon about 5 tablespoons of the cooking
liquid from the skillet over the chops. Cover
and set aside.
Turn
heat up to medium high and add remaining cup of beef stock to the skillet; cook
until it reaches a boil. Turn heat down
to very low, add cooked barley, and heat through for about 5 - 8 minutes; stirring
often.
Serve
chops on top of the cooked barley. I suggest serving applesauce on the side. Applesauce and pork...seems as though they were made for each other.
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