Welp, the little taste of spring came and went! It will be back, I still have faith! But for now, to take the chill out, I decided to break out the pressure cooker again and make these incredibly tender pork loin chops with a nice mushroom cream gravy! And to make things even easier, I dug out the last of the holiday leftovers from the freezer to make one heck of an easy, but delicious, cold-weather supper! The sweet potatoes and stuffing thawed and reheated beautifully, and I was so glad to be able to use them up and enjoy them again! Even the last of the marshmallows got used up!
The make-ahead mashed potatoes didn’t survive, though. We thought about cremation, but the smell would be horrific. So this sloopy goop was poured down the old garbage disposal and pulverized. In a decent manner with a quick ceremony, of course. 😉
But everything else was supremely delicious! And my pork chops, I’m telling’ ya, are so tender they melt in your mouth. Especially with the icing on the cake, the cherry on top, the sparkling tiara – – the mushroom cream gravy! This turned out to be wonderful Sunday dinner, served at noon just like we’ve done since we were both kids.
I guess it’s a midwestern-slash-southern thang. We have “dinner” on Sundays at noon. And an evening meal is called “supper”. 😀 (Or leftovers, lol!) 😉 And a favorite “supper” is breakfast food! While breakfast can be served any time of day, lunch is always lunch….unless it’s “linner”, which is lunch food served in the afternoon when you’ve had too much breakfast and then supper is skipped.
Sound confusing? 😀 Well, at least this recipe is simple, easy, and quick to make! 😉
You simply just brown your chops, (any kind will work), toss in a few onions and some garlic, add the liquid, place on the lid, and let it rock for 15 minutes! I just let the pressure drop on it’s own accord while I get the other sides prepared or reheated, so there’s no rush.
Then you just keep the chops warm while you reduce the juice, add the mushrooms, and whisk in the rest to thicken. Simple. 😉
But soooo, so very good! These are literally drool-worthy! And you can even use light sour cream or greek yogurt no problem to save on fat and calories!
Be sure to add lots of pepper, though. Lots and lots of pepper. 😉 The more the better! Just add in stages, though, because like they say, you can always add but you can’t take it back out. (I don’t think there’s such a thing as too much pepper, though. 😉 )
You really can’t mess this up, either. If it’s too thick, just adda little milk. If it’s too thin, just stir in a little cornstarch slurry. Wah-lah. Fixed! (You may have to re-thicken that way if you have leftovers and the gravy thins out the next day.)
So, I hope this gets you in the mood to clear out the freezer, use or lose those holiday leftovers, and make these delicious loin chops to go with! You won’t be disappointed! Have a great day all!! 😀
Also pictured are:
Maple, Butterscotch & Cinnamon Sweet Potatoes with Pecans & Marshmallows
Holiday Apple Sausage Stuffing with Bacon, Mushrooms, Pecans, & Dried Craisins ‘n Pomegranates
FALL-APART TENDER PORK LOIN CHOPS with MUSHROOM GRAVY
4-6 servings
3 Tbl. canola or vegetable oil, more if needed
6 boneless pork loin chops or 4 larger pork chops with or without bones (2 lbs.), trimming fat is optional
coarse ground black pepper
1/2 of an onion, chopped
1 tsp. minced garlic, fresh or jarred
2 tsp. Superior Touch Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base dissolved in 1 1/2 cups water
8 oz. fresh mushrooms, button or cremini, sliced
1 Tbl. butter
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 1/4 cups sour cream
2 Tbl. chopped parsley
lots of pepper
salt to taste
DIRECTIONS:
Add oil to pressure cooker and get very hot over medium-high heat. Have a plate next to you. Pepper chops well, and sear the chops, as many as will fit at a time comfortably, in hot oil until golden browned on both sides. Remove to plate as you go along until all are seared. Turn heat down to low for just a bit, place chops back into cooker, and add onions, garlic and prepared chicken bouillon.
Place lid on according to directions, and turn heat back up to medium. When pressure builds and regulator starts to rock, set timer for 15 minutes and turn down heat just a bit until regulator is at a nice, steady rock. When time is up, turn off heat, and slowly move cooker to a cool spot on the stove to rest. Just let the pressure drop on it’s own accord. 15-20 minutes. When safe to open, open lid carefully, it’ll be hot inside. Watch out for steam.
Remove chops to an oven-safe plate or dish, or small baking sheet, cover, and keep warm in a low oven.
Scrape bits off the bottom of cooker and heat over medium-high until boiling. Boil for 10 minutes to reduce.
Add mushrooms and butter, and turn heat down to medium-low. Cook for 5 minutes.
Whisk in soup and get hot, turning heat up a little. Whisk in sour cream and parsley. Heat just until heated through, do not boil or it could curdle.
Taste for saltiness, and add salt and pepper to taste. (Be sure to add lots of pepper.)
Serve hot mushroom cream gravy over chops. Garnish with more finely chopped parsley if desired.
*If you have leftover gravy and it’s thin the next day, just mix 1-2 Tbl. cornstarch (depending on how thick you like it and how much you have left) with 1-2 Tbl. COLD water. (Equal amounts.) Heat gravy in a saucepan to hot but not boiling, and slowly stir in “cornstarch slurry”. It will thicken immediately. Heat and stir for one minute.
