As far as I was concerned, pork chops were the driest, most tasteless pieces of meat one can possibly eat. That coming from someone who cannot live without pork is a BIG thing indeed.
When I told the LAM how much I hated pork chop, he said he would cook them for me. The way his mother did. Poached in milk.
MILK?!?!?!?!
Worse. Pork cooked in MILK?!?!?!?
I was flabbergasted. I swore I would hate it. The entire concept was just so bizzare, I worried about how I actually would have to taste the darn thing when he finished cooking it.
ARGH!
But I did take a bite. Then another, and another. And before I knew it, I had finished an entire pork chop. And I LOVED every bite.
There is no taste of the milk. But what the milk did was to tenderise the pork. And made it tasty.
DAMN TASTY.
Seriously. Go make this. And it would change how you look at pork chops.
Since the LAM was busy and I was hankering for pork chops, I made them myself last night. Here's how I did it.
To start, I seasoned both sides of the pork chops liberally with salt and coarsely grounded black pepper. This is the only seasoning the chops will get, so be generous.
I heated a large skillet, added some olive oil and a knob of butter. I only have unsalted butter. If you are using salted butter, then go easy on the salt in the previous step.
Into the hot oil, I added the pork chops. I seared both sides until they turned golden brown.
Then I transferred the chops into a Dutch oven.
I covered the Dutch oven with the lid. And baked the pork chops.
At the end of the cooking process, the milk will have evaporated. Or was absorbed by the pork. I have no idea.
And I really don't care.
Because I was simply too busy eating mine.
BLISS.
RECIPE
Pork Chop Poached in Milk (Serves 2)
Adapted from recipe by my MIL, Margaret Gale
Ingredients:
2 pieces pork chop
Salt and coarsely grounded black pepper, to taste
1 1/2 cups milk - I used low-fat milk
1 tsp mustard powder
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
20g butter
Method:
1. Season pork chop on both sides liberally with salt and pepper.
2. Heat oil and melt butter in skillet.
3. Sear pork chop on both sides until they turn golden brown. Transfer to a Dutch oven.
4. Bake at 180C for about 1 hour.
5. Serve hot, with a salad, or rice, or pasta.
I had this today..replace the mustard powder with mixed herbs and add some worcester sauce..it was a big hit! My kids who dislike pork except char siew, roasted pork and sweet and sour pork were fighting over the last piece. Thanks for sharing this recipe!!
ReplyDeleteThat is wonderful!!! I am going to tell my MIL and this would make her day! Thank you for sharing with me! :D
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