Smothered Pork Chops with Thyme

The one thing missing from this meal... bread to sop up all the gravy with.  The one night I don't have bread to go with our meal is the one night we really needed it!  The gravy for this dish was so delicious I think Chris and I could have just put it in a cup and slurped it up that way!  This gravy would go well with chicken too, so if you aren't big into pork, you can still enjoy the flavors of the gravy.  You could use bone in, skin on or boneless, skinless chicken breasts.  Either way, chicken or pork, this is one to add to your recipe box.

Now if you aren't a fan of onions or shallots, my suggestion would be to still use them per the directions and then strain the gravy before you serve it.  I think you need the flavor that the shallot/onion brings to this dish.  The original recipe for this called for onions, but I had a shallot instead, so I went ahead and used that.  Shallots have a pungent blend of garlic and onion flavor.  If you have never tried cooking with them, this is a good recipe to experiment with.  The shallots don't get that slimy texture that onions can tend to produce when cooked.  Beware, though, shallots can burn easily because of their high sugar content, so keep on eye on it at all times.  Burned shallots = icky gravy :)

Smothered Pork Chops with Thyme

Adapted from MyRecipes.com/Cooking Light 

Ingredients:

1 cup fat free, less sodium beef broth, divided

2 Tablespoons 2% milk

2 teaspoons all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 butterfly center cut pork chops (about 1 pound)

1/2 teaspoon paprika (I used Hungarian sweet paprika)

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

cooking spray

1 shallot, sliced thin (or half a small onion)

Directions:

Combine 1/4 cup broth, milk, flour, mustard, salt and pepper in a small bowl, stir with a whisk; set aside.

Sprinkle each side of the pork chops with paprika and thyme.  Heat a large non stick skillet over medium high heat.  Coat the pan with cooking spray.  Add the pork to the pan and saute for 2 minutes on each side. Remove from pan and cover.

Reduce heat to medium and add sliced shallots, saute about 4 minutes or until light golden brown.  Add remaining 3/4 cup broth and bring to a boil.  Let simmer for 2 minutes.  Add the milk mixture, stirring with a whisk.  Add pork back to the pan, turning to coat.  Reduce heat to low; let pork simmer for another 5-8 minutes or until the pork is no longer pink in the middle.  Enjoy!

(Nutritional Info:  145 calories, 5.5 grams fat, 17.2 grams protein, 5.8 grams carbohydrates, 475 mg sodium)