Pork chops smothered with Mushrooms in Madeira Sauce

Ingredients:

1 lb button mushrooms, rinsed, dried, and thickly sliced
1 T olive oil
Twist or two of kosher salt
4 (3/4 – 1 inch thick) pork loin chops
A few twists of salt
1/4 t white pepper
1 T butter
1 T olive oil
1 large shallot, minced
3/4 cup Madeira
1 T fresh parsley, finely chopped or 1 t dried
Several shakes of ground white pepper

Optional seasonings for pork or sauce: garlic, onion powder, and thyme

Spoon Mage™ Note:

You may use boneless or bone-in chops. The bone-in will take a couple minutes longer to cook than the boneless.

The important part of pan sautéing pork is to remove the chop from the pan when the insides are still pink. Pork dries out when cooked to well. Don’t worry. The old rule about fully cooking pork is no longer a necessary rule to protect your health. Modern pig raising and processing laws have changed all that. A touch of pink at the center is perfect.

If you prefer to go by temperature (painful to do with pan browned chops unless you remove them from the pan first), the center should be about 135°F before tenting. The temp will then rise when placed under foil to a nice 140-145° F, which is just right.

I don’t use much salt and find it unnecessary. If you like more salt, go right ahead and enjoy more. Add it to the pork before cooking and/or to the sauce.

Directions:

browned mushrooms

Prep the mushrooms. Set a pan over medium high heat and add the olive oil. When the pan is hot, add the sliced mushrooms. Give them a nice stir so that the olive oil is evenly distributed. Sprinkle with a twist of salt.

Stir infrequently until the mushrooms first give up their liquid and finally turn a beautiful brown. You will need to turn a few that will insist that only one side of the slice will touch the pan. Remove the pretty things to a bowl and set aside.

You can do this while the pork is resting, or before. I prefer to do it beforehand to keep things a little calmer in the kitchen. If you are young and spry, brown the mushrooms while the chops rest.

Remove some of the excess fat from the chops and pat them dry with a paper towel.

Salt and pepper the chops to taste and allow them to set for 30 minutes outside of the refrigerator. Room temperature meat cooks more evenly. If you have cats, I suggest putting the plate in the microwave. Experience talking here.

Set a pan over medium high heat. Add the olive oil and butter. When the butter melts, sizzles, and just starts to brown, add the pork chops.

Turn the chops with tongs every two minutes. This can be splattery business, so wear an apron.

Boneless chops will take about 8 minutes total. Bone in and thicker boneless chops will take 2-4 minutes longer. Thin chops will cook very quickly. Monitor the meat carefully. This is not the time to answer the phone.

mushrooms simmering in a seasoned Madeira reduction

When the meat feels moderately firm when pressed in the center, and if, when you make a small slice in the center of the thickest chop you see that the meat is no longer raw in appearance, but is a beautiful pink, remove them to a plate and tent loosely with foil.

With the pan still on medium high heat, add the shallots to the remaining fat and browned pork bits and stir well, scraping up browned bits.

Add the Madeira and let it bubble for a minute to reduce.

Add the parsley and white pepper. Stir frequently for another minute.

Pour the mushrooms into a pretty bowl and serve with the pork, either to the side or on top of the meat.