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Smothered Skillet Pork Chops

Source of Recipe

From "The Southerner's Cookbook" from the editors of Garden & Gun


Recipe Introduction

"Long before whiskey even twinkled in anyone's eye, much less tinkled in a glass, Madeira was the South's drink of choice. The sweet, brandy-spiked wine mellowed and matured on the long, hot voyage from its home, a Portuguese island off the coast of Morocco, to colonial port cities like New Orleans and Charleston. It died off after a blight decimated the vines in 1851, but in recent years it has seen a revival. To describe quality Madeira's flavor as caramel is an understatement—it's both sweet and savory with the added acid edge of ethanol. Those qualities are a natural pairing for pork, here amplified with buttery, golden chanterelles, freshly harvested from Southern woodlands in summer. This simple weeknight skillet dinner tastes like a long, Sunday-supper labor of culinary love."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 4 center-cut bone-in pork chops
â—¦ Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
â—¦ 2 tablespoons olive oil
â—¦ 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
â—¦ 1 small leek, white and light green parts only, diced (about ½ cup)
â—¦ 1 large shallot, diced
â—¦ 1 large clove garlic, minced
â—¦ 4 ounces chanterelle mushrooms, stemmed and sliced (if not available, you can substitute a medley of gourmet mushrooms)
â—¦ 1 cup Madeira
â—¦ 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
â—¦ 3 sprigs fresh thyme


Recipe

Bring the pork to room temperature and season it lightly on both sides with salt and pepper. Place a large cast-iron skillet over high heat for 1 minute. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil and place the pork chops in the pan to sear for 2 to 3 minutes. Turn and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more to sear the other side. Transfer to a plate and reduce the heat to medium.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet along with the butter. As soon as the butter melts, add the leek and shallot and sauté for 1 minute. Add the garlic and mushrooms and sauté until lightly browned and the mushrooms have softened slightly, about 3 minutes.

Add the Madeira, vinegar, and thyme sprigs. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes, until reduced slightly. Return the pork chops and any accumulated juices to the pan. Spoon the sauce and mushrooms over the pork and cook for 1 minute more to warm through.

Serves 4