Start to finish: 50 minutes (20 active)
Servings: 4
4 teaspoons Creole Spice Mix (recipe below) or store-bought creole spice mix, divided
Four 1 1/4 to 1 1/2-inch thick bone-in pork chops (about 10 to 12 ounces each)
1/4 cup vegetable oil, divided
1 cup thinly sliced onion
3/4 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper
3/4 cup thinly sliced green bell pepper
1/3 cup thinly sliced celery
1 cup medium chopped cherry or plum tomatoes
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons Creole (whole grain) mustard
Kosher salt and black pepper
Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of the spice mix all over each chop, coating it well. Marinate the chops, covered, for at least 1 hour and preferably, 6 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Pat the chops dry. In a large skillet heat half the oil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, add 2 of the chops, cook them until nicely seared about 1 1/2 minutes a side and transfer them to a rimmed sheet pan. (Reduce the heat if the spice mix starts to color too much in the pan.) Add the remaining chops and sear them, transferring them to the sheet pan. Bake the chops on the middle shelf of the oven until they reach an internal temperature of 140 F, about 5 minutes. Transfer them to a plate and cover loosely with foil.
Add the remaining oil and the onions to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is golden, about 5 minutes. Add the peppers and celery and cook, covered, stirring occasionally until they are tender, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally until the tomato is softened, about 4 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring 1 minute.
Add the chicken broth, bring it to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer it for 2 minutes. Stir in the mustard and salt and pepper to taste.
Add the chops and any juices from the plate to the skillet and cook gently, turning the chops until they are warmed, about 1 minute. Transfer the chops to each of four plates and top each one with a mound of the pepper mixture.
CREOLE SPICE MIX
Makes a scant 3 tablespoons
2 teaspoons hot paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
3/4 teaspoon cayenne
3/4 teaspoon oregano
3/4 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
In a small bowl combine all the ingredients and stir well.
Nutritional information per serving: 429 calories; 242 calories from fat; 27 g fat (4 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 107 mg cholesterol; 425 mg sodium; 8 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 2 g sugar; 36 g protein.
Sara Moulton, Associated Press
