Pressure: Recipe

Walking in the door a few minutes after 6:00 p.m. means anxious children, anxious mom, and an extra mess to clean! I find that the faster I work the more dishes I accumulate - oh well, can't think about that while trying to come up with a "dish." I had defrosted pork chops in the fridge and needed to cook them but I just could not fry them, again. Rushing through the kitchen was tough - should I try a mango emulsion? Nah, too labor intensive for mid-week; should I use the frozen shrimp somehow? Nah, use that another night for another meal; should I try Edamame and chunks of mango and avocado? Oh well, avocado was too soft (rotten, I suppose)...so you can see I was creating as I went along. And, as it usually does...it hit me!

This dish was so good. The sauce was amazing! The chops were tender and not too thick, simply perfect. I'm not a fan of thick pork chops - I find them to be tough, usually.

Now that I did all the work, you can benefit from the recipe. This was easy!!! And it was delicious!

Japanese-Italian Pork Chops
2 1/4 lb. pork loin rib end sliced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
salt
1/4 cup Dijon Mustard
1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes (loose, not in oil)
1/4 cup Extra Dry Vermouth
2/3 cup water-packed artichoke hearts, sliced (mine came from Trader Joe's - in a jar)

In a food processor combine mustard, soy sauce, garlic and sundried tomatoes until well pureed. Set aside.

In a large saute pan, heat oil over medium-high heat and slip in the chops. Sprinkle with salt. Cook about 4 minutes and then turn - cook another 3-4 minutes or until both sides are nicely browned. Remove chops to a plate and increase the heat. Add in the vermouth and scrape up the browned bits - let it come to a boil and then add the mustard mixture. Stir well and add back the pork chops. Turn the cops several times and spoon the mixture over them - cover the pan and let simmer about 4-5 minutes.

Remove the chops to a serving platter and slip in the artichokes. Turn several times and spoon over the chops.