Pork Chops Lyonnaise

The Toddster is a real fan of pork chops, yes he is. I admit to a certain fondness for them myself. When I was much, much younger and attending Secretarial School, there was a catering school in the same school and the students at the catering school would cook lunches for everyone. One of my favourite days was always the days they did pork chops . . . They were always cooked to perfection, tender and juicy and they came with pan fries and carrots. Yummo!



My mother tried hard, bless her heart . . . but her pork chops always came out a tad bit hard and dry. I think she was afraid that she would poison us all if she didn't cook them enough. We ate them anyways and we always kinda enjoyed them, even if they weren't cooked to perfection. She used to make really good gravy with them and that more than made up for it.



This recipe here today is a bit of a French speciality. I know . . . this is the English Kitchen, but in truth we are so close to the continent and the average Brit today is so well travelled that a bit of foreign stuff always makes it's way into our cuisine. We usually put our own twist on it though . . .



Like todays recipe . . . which in France is usually made with chicken joints . . . but why not the other white meat??? Pork goes very well with onions and mustard . . . Thyme and Pork are a marriage made in heaven . . . and with the crispy bread crumbs . . . well, these are almost like breaded pork chops. Who doesn't like breaded chops!!



I served these with some roasted winter vegetables and sauteed cabbage. They went down a real treat. They were cooked to perfection in the time allotted. My chops were about 3/4 inch thick. I do hope you will give this a try. They'd go well with mashed potatoes too . . . or some herby buttered new potatoes. A nice tossed salad would also be a great addition to the meal.

And some applesauce certainly would not go amiss . . . truly divine.



*Pork Chops Lyonnaise*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

This dish is normally made with chicken, but why not make it with the other white meat??? Why not indeed! I served this with some roasted winter vegetables and cabbage.

4 (7 ounce) pork chops, bone in, rind removed and trimmed of all but a very
thin edging of fat
fine seasalt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
40g unsalted butter (2 3/4 TBS)
2 medium brown skinned onions, peeled and finely chopped
1 1/2 TBS Dijon mustard
1 tsp dried thyme leaves
45g of soft fresh white bread crumbs (3/4 cup)

Season the chops well on both sides. Melt 15g (scant TBS) of the butter in a large skillet. Quickly brown the chops over medium heat, taking care not to burn the butter. Transfer the browned chops to a shallow oven-proof casserole dish.

Add the onions along with the remainder of the butter. Cook over very low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes, until really soft, taking care not to allow them to colour. Stir in the mustard and thyme leaves.

Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5.

Spread the onion mixture over the top of the browned chops, spreading it on thickly and dividing it equally amongst the chops. Divide the bread crumbs as well, pressing an equal amount down onto the top of the onion mixture on each chop.

Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes, until cooked through and the juices run clear. Serve hot.

Note: This recipe is very easily adjusted to serve less people or more if you wish.



Not the best picture in the world, but very easy and delicious, over in The Cottage today, Oven Beef Stew!