Pork Chops With Mushroom Sauce - Polish Style

Witamy!
Polish cuisine goes way beyond our favorite comfort foods such as pierogi, cabbage rolls, or kielbasa.  In fact, the favorite meat in Poland has always been pork and the most common way to serve it has been in the form of chops.

The pork we get in our grocery stores today has been specially bred to be extra lean but with that comes less flavor than back in the day.  So care must be taken to not overcook it and to add great flavors.  A little mushroom sauce on the side is a great way to go.  If you make some extra sauce, it’ll be great over mashed potatoes or over egg noodles – both of which pair very well with the pork chops.  Add your favorite vegetables for more color on the plate. 

6 boneless pork loin chops, about 1 inch thick
6 tablespoons seasoned flour
2 large eggs, lightly beaten with salt & pepper to taste
1 cup bread crumbs
½ cup bacon drippings or vegetable oil

Trim most of the fat off the chops and pound them down on both sides to about one half inch thick.  Roll them in flour. Dip in the egg mixture and roll them in breadcrumbs.  Press the bread crumbs into the pork for an even coating.  Brown them on both sides over medium heat.

 Transfer to a large baking dish and bake in your oven at 325 ° F for 15 minutes.  They will be done if slightly pink (when you cut a small slit to check) or if they reach an internal temperature of 150° F on your instant-read meat thermometer.  Pour a little mushroom sauce over each, just before serving.  Pair with sauerkraut, or red cabbage salad, and mashed or boiled potatoes.  A hearty red wine, Polish beer or cold  vodka shots will take this meal over the top!  

Quick Mushroom Sauce
2 cups sliced mushrooms – darker varieties have more flavor
1 large onion, chopped
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoon flour
1½ cups light cream or half and half
Salt and white pepper to taste

Sauté the mushrooms and onion in hot butter until just golden. Slowly add the flour while stirring.  Simmer for 3 to 5 minutes until well blended.  Gradually add the cream while stirring constantly.  Cover and simmer for five minutes and voila, you’re done.  Easy, right?  Note:  For extra mushroom flavor, you can substitute a quarter cup of reconstituted dried mushrooms.                                                                                      image from polki.pl                                                 
                                                                                               
Smacznego!