A New Favorite Recipe

This recipe has quickly become one of my favorites. It cooks in the crock pot, which I love. It smells delicious as it cooks, which makes me happy all day. And best of all - it tastes even better than it smells! It's definitely a southern dish. Those are the best, if you ask me. It's soul food. Comfort food. Stick-to-your-ribs food.

Slow Cooker Pork Chops and Field Peas

Southern Living, February 2010

Click HERE to see the recipe on the Southern Living Site

Ingredients:

1 (16 oz) package frozen field peas and snaps, thawed

1 1/2 tsp dry mustard

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder

6 (1 inch thick) pork chops (or however many your family eats)

1/2 cup all purpose flour

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 large sweet onion, sliced

1 (10 1/2 oz) can condensed chicken broth

Directions:

1. Lightly grease your slow cooker, or spray it with PAM.

2. Put (thawed) peas in slow cooker.

3. Sprinkle both sides of pork chops with mixture of mustard, salt, and garlic powder.

4. Dredge pork in flour.

5. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook pork, in batches, in hot oil 3-4 minutes on each side, or just until browned. Transfer pork to slow cooker. Reserve drippings in skillet.

6. Saute onion in hot drippings over medium-high heat 6 to 7 minutes, or until tender. Add chicken broth, and cook 2 minutes, stirring to loosen particles from bottom of skillet.

7. Spoon onion mixture over pork in slow cooker.

8. Cover and cook on LOW 6 hours.

** One thing I've discovered is that you really do not need to leave it it in the crockpot for more than 6 hours. I tend to put things in the crockpot at 9am, thinking it doesn't matter if they cook longer than it says in the recipe. Sometimes they cook til 6 or 6:30, which doesn't usually matter, but in this case, it does. Stick to the 6 hour cooking time. Otherwise, the pork gets too done, and the peas are a little over-cooked as well.

This meal is excellent. I like to serve it with rice and Dave's Cornbread, which is the best cornbread I've ever tasted. Maybe I'll share that recipe with you in the future. I have to check with my source to make sure I'm allowed. (wink)

Now, go get you some pork chops and throw 'em in the crockpot. And don't skip the frying part. It adds so much to the flavor. Trust me.