CHOPS****Milk-Braised Pork Chops

By Unblond1

18/10/14 - We both liked this. I served it beside some instant polenta.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil or duck or goose fat
• 2 boneless butterfly pork loin chops from Tarini's, halved
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 large onion, chopped
• 1 small carrot, chopped
• 1 celery rib, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 teaspoon anchovy paste
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 cup chicken stock or low-sodium broth
• 2 thyme sprigs
• 1 rosemary sprig
• 1 sage sprig
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon soft butter

Details

Servings 3
Cooking time 180mins
Adapted from foodandwine.com

Preparation

Step 1

In a heavy saucepan, heat the olive oil or fat until shimmering. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper and add them to the pan. Cook over moderately high heat, turning once, until golden, about 7 minutes total. Transfer the chops to a plate.

Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, anchovy paste and a generous pinch each of salt and pepper to the pan and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until the vegetables just start to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and deglaze the pan. Add the stock, herbs and 1 cup of the milk and bring to a simmer. Return the pork chops to the pan, cover and braise over very low heat until tender, about 2 hours, turning once halfway through (The milk will curdle, but that will be fixed later.)

Transfer the pork chops to a plate and cover with foil. Spoon about half the braising liquid and vegetables into a blender, (You don't need it all) discarding the bay leaves, thyme sprigs and rosemary and puree the vegetable sauce until smooth. Alternately, put into a large measuring cup and use the immersion blender.

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over moderately high heat. Whisk in the flour and cook until bubbling. Whisk in the strained sauce and the remaining 1/4 cup of milk; cook over moderate heat, whisking, until the gravy is thickened and no floury taste remains, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve over the chops. (I added a tablespoon or two of heavy cream just before serving. )