Better late than never. This is what I made my boyfriend and I for dinner last night. It looks more complicated than it is! I promise! And SOOOO delicious! My only criticisms are that I wouldn't put the onions in the sauce raw, (For those who like raw onions, you would probably be fine to toss them in raw, I'm a really sauteed or caramelized onions kinda gal.) and next time I want to make my own cream sauce instead of using creamed soups as the base of the sauce.
I started by pre-heating my oven to 350f. Different ovens may vary in cooking times and temps so use whatever temp you would usually put a casserole in at. Then I grabbed a package of four Pork Chops and a casserole dish. To be honest I didn't pay much attention to what cut the chops were, I just grabbed the ones that seemed like the best deal. I think I paid around $5 for these. Normally I buy thinner chops that have a slight fat cap on one side, rather than these which had a vein of fat running through them. These ones turned out very tasty none the less.
Next I put about a level tablespoon of minced Garlic on top of each piece of meat. Again, you can adjust this amount according to your preference. We currently buy our Garlic already minced in a jar because we use so much of it. In the spring we will be starting a new veggie garden and Garlic is definitely on the list of things to grow this year. :)
Ok, maybe it was more than a tablespoon... lol Like I said, we like our Garlic in this house! I took a small Vidalia Onion (Sweet Onion) and diced it, as well as about 1 cup of Button Mushrooms (also diced) and sprinkled them over the chops and around them.
Next came fresh Dill. Another thing my BF and I both love! I diced quite a bit of it. I'm not sure how much exactly, maybe around 1/3 of a bunch? Once it was chopped up fine I sprinkled it over the diced Onions & Mushrooms. Feel free to use however much Dill you like.
Next came the cream sauce. Now I will say one thing, I do prefer to make my own cream sauce from scratch, but sometimes that's a lot of effort when you cook for as many people as I do on a daily basis! So in this case I used Campbells Creamed soups as the base sauce. Three cans. One was Cream of Mushroom & Garlic, as well as a Cream of Broccoli & Cheddar and a regular Cream of Broccoli. I mixed these together and poured it over everything in the casserole dish and spread it around with a spatula. First pic is the cans of soup mixed together, second is after I had put the sauce over the chops.
And into the oven they went! They were left in the oven for about an hour, but they probably could have stayed in longer and turned out even more tender. Next time. :)
Once the chops had been in the oven for about 45 mins, I set to work on the veggies. I diced another small Vidalia Onion and sauteed it in a little olive oil until it started to brown up a bit.
Next I added the rest of the package of Button Mushrooms, sliced this time. And sauteed them with the onions for a few minutes. I'm gonna be honest and tell you that I got sidetracked at this point and let them cook longer than I intended to and forgot to take a pic for you. So I made sure to get one after I had added Sweet Red Peppers, julienned (sliced into thin strips), and let those saute for a few minutes.
Next I took a part bag of Brussels Sprouts, probably about 3 cups, (If you don't like them, by all means, add whatever vegetables you do like! :) ), shredded them, and added them to the pan. I should mention that I did add more olive oil in small amounts to the pan as the veggies (especially the mushrooms) started to soak it up. Just to make sure nothing burned.
I let them saute a few more minutes, added a tiny bit of water to the pan, covered it with a lid for about 3 minutes and they were done. :)
I removed the veggies from the burner and set them aside to pull the chops out of the oven. I couldn't get a good picture of the whole casserole dish but I did manage to get a close-up of the sauce itself when it came out of the oven.
Yum!! If you're not sure whether you've left it in long enough or not, check for bubbles. If the middle isn't bubbling when you pull it out, it's probably not done. Another quick tip, depending on the size of casserole dish you are using and the amount of ingredients you use, the sauce very well might bubble over the sides of the dish. To prevent it from getting all over the elements and bottom of your oven, put the casserole dish on a baking sheet to catch any sauce that bubbles over.
Once it's finished you should have a very tasty meal on your hands! Feel free to make some sort of starch as another side if you wish as well. :) I used the veggies as a base but you can serve it however you like!
Bon Appetite!
~Kay
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