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Mississippi Smothered Pork Cutlets

Source of Recipe

From "Pig: King of the Southern Table" by James Villas


Recipe Introduction

"Pork, poultry, and game dishes smothered in onions are popular all over the South, but nowhere will you find the concept more elevated almost to an art than in the state of Mississippi, where, sometimes, the 'smothering' is intensified by preparing a dish in a black cast-iron skillet and covering the ingredients with a weighted plate. There, it's unheard of to serve a smothered pork dish that has no gravy, and only onions that are soft and golden (never in the least burnt) are acceptable. A delectable variation I once experienced (at a diner in Jackson) that you might want to try involved adding about half a cup of seedless golden raisins to the onions during the final baking. Pork chops, steaks, and country-style ribs are also delicious prepared in this manner, and there's no better way to tame the snappy flavor of sautéed pork liver than by smothering it with sweet onions."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ One 1 ½-pound pork tenderloin
â—¦ 2 tablespoons butter
â—¦ 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
â—¦ 1 ½ cups beef broth
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon minced fresh sage leaves
â—¦ Tabasco sauce to taste
â—¦ 1 cup all-purpose flour for dredging
â—¦ â…› teaspoon dry mustard
â—¦ Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
â—¦ 8 tablespoons lard
â—¦ 3 large onions, thinly sliced
â—¦ 1 celery rib, finely chopped
â—¦ 2 cloves garlic, minced


Recipe

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Cut the pork tenderloin widthwise into ½-inch-thick cutlets; on a flat surface, pound the cutlets slightly with a mallet or heavy skillet and set aside.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over moderate heat, add the 2 tablespoons of flour, and whisk till lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the broth, sage, and Tabasco, stir well, remove from the heat, and set aside.

On a plate, combine the 1 cup of flour, mustard, and salt and pepper, mix well, and dredge the cutlets in the mixture. In a large, heavy skillet, melt 4 tablespoons of the lard over moderate heat, add the cutlets, brown on both sides, and transfer to a large baking dish. Add the remaining lard to the skillet, add the onions, celery, and garlic, stir till the onions are just golden, about 8 minutes, and spoon the vegetables over the cutlets.

Pour off all fat from the skillet, add the broth from the saucepan, and stir for 1 minute, scraping bits from the bottom of the skillet. Pour the gravy over the cutlets and onions, cover the dish tightly with a lid or aluminum foil, and bake for 30 minutes. Serve hot.

Makes 4 to 6 servings