Muddered Pork Chops

At least that’s what Daniel called them when he was 5 and this was his favorite meal.  Typically, I only smother when the weather is cold, because a rice and gravy can be pretty filling, but last night was stormy.  The damp chill made it a perfect night for this Cajun comfort food.  I’m a little nervous about backlash from my Louisiana family, and my grandmother might be looking down her nose at me from Heaven, because, once again, I do things a little differently.  It’s good, I promise!  And I’m totally kidding about my family coming after me.

These were actually inspired by Emeril’s smothered chops recipe, so they can’t be all bad, right?  Normally, I use boneless chops and cut them into bite sized pieces after cooking so we can make this a bowl meal, but I only had bone-in chops this time.  They still turned out awesome.

The best part of this recipe is that it is virtually impossible to screw up!  There have been times I’ve had to make it without celery, potatoes, green pepper or broth (used bullion instead) and it always turns out yummy!  Last night was no exception.  I was working like crazy, trying to finish before the power went out again during the storms, helping with homework and answering phone calls.  I realized that I had accidentally tripled the amount of flour, but saved it by adding extra olive oil.  I caught myself pouring in beef broth, but only after 2/3 of the can was already in the pot.  I doubled seasoned with Tony’s and Zatarain’s Blackened Seasoning, but this was a fantastically happy accident.  Somehow it ended up being one of the best ones I’ve made in a while.  Who knew?

You gotta’ love it when your kids say, “Hmm!  This is good!” like they are shocked you have it in you.

Smothered Pork Chops

Ingredients

• 6-8 thin cut pork chops
• 3 TBSP, or lots and lots of Emeril’s Essence Creole Seasoning (is it strange that the name of this kind of creeps me out), Tony Chachere’s or other Creole seasoning,
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• heaping 1/4 cup flour (in other words, not a level cup, 1-2 TBSP over)
• 1-2 large onions, chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 1/2 – 1 green pepper, chopped
• salt and black pepper to taste, or 1/2 tsp of each
• 1 TBSP minced garlic, or garlic powder
• 3-4 bay leaves
• 2 – 14.5 oz cans chicken broth
• 1 & 1/2 – 2 cups water
• 1 pound smoked sausage, cut into bite sized pieces
• 2 cups potatoes, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces
• cooked rice for serving

Directions

1. Season both sides of all the chops and rub them to get that flavor in there.
2. Heat your olive oil in a black pot or similar heavy duty pot on high heat and brown the chops for about 3 minutes per side.  Remove to a plate and keep warm.
3. Reduce heat to medium and add the flour, stirring constantly until you have a roux the color of coffee with a teaspoon of cream in it, about 5 minutes.
4. Add onions, celery, green pepper, salt and black pepper and cook in the roux, stirring constantly for 4-6 minutes, until veggies are soft.
5. Add the garlic, bay leaves, broth and water and bring to a boil.  I add an extra 2-3 TBSP of Tony’s or other Creole seasoning here, but season to your taste.
6. Put the chops back in and reduce heat to medium low, cover and simmer for 35-40 minutes.
7. Add the sausage and potatoes and return to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium low again and cook, uncovered for 30 minutes.
8. Remove the bay leaves and serve over rice.  Make tummies very happy.