Pork Chops with Mushroom Sauce

Fall is a good time to try this recipe. This meal is rich, creamy, and filling for a cool, fall night. Plus, this was super easy to make and is a great recipe for a quick pork dinner. The other night my girlfriends and I were lamenting about easy meals, but unfortunate how so many of them that taste so good involve a can of soup. The irony is that yes, it involves a can of mushroom soup. It is quintessential 1970s recipe making at its peak involving one of the usual suspects: Campbell’s, Miracle Whip, Imperial Margarine…

Anyhow, here’s how it goes:
fry pork chops in a couple of tablespoons of butter mixed with a bit of oil (to prevent burning - don't think you need to do this if you use marg).
Once brown- remove to plate or corning ware dish and put in 1 large chopped onion and fry until soft. Add chopped mushrooms - around 2 cups I guess or you could add a can of mushrooms instead. fry until wilted add 1/4 cup flour to the top of the onions and stir around. add 1 can of cream of mushroom soup and some milk or cream to thin to desired consistency. Mom obviously adds cream.... it is much better with cream or even 3 % milk.

I started out trying to make this recipe with a modern twist. I wanted to use up some forest dried mushrooms I’ve had sitting in my cupboard and was trying desperately to avoid “the can”. I floured, salted and peppered my pork first. After browning the meat, I removed from the pain and added onions and deglazed with some cooking sherry. I made a rue and added my soaked dried mushrooms, some of their juice to enhance the flavor, and awaited the ultimate mushroom sauce taste test. In great anticipation I put the spoon to mouth only to taste and feel underwhelmed. I discovered I was longing, more like, yearning for the soup can mushroom sauce flavor after all. That was all I needed. I added good ol’ reliable Campbell’s and must say the result was a good old meets contemporary mix. Not quite like I remembered but veeeeerrrry close.

This is great served with rice or broad noodles or potatoes. I do; however, love the rice and mushroom sauce combo so much that I can just have the sauce and go straight to the carb and the fat (skip the meat). Bon appétit!