Mama's Cracker Pork Chops and Onion Rice
Growing up I don’t remember designated food nights with my
parents such as Meatloaf Monday or Chicken Thursday. From what I recollect, in
the morning my mom would see what was in the freezer and pull something out
that she wanted to make... simple as that. There are a few staples that she
made almost every night, but that’s for another time. I promise I’ll share
soon... I have to tell you that my mom and grandmother are the inspiration for
my love of food. So many happy memories of being in the kitchen with them,
watching them create a plate of good food. The kitchen was the heart of our
home. Everyone – me, my mom, aunts, and cousins would be chopping, mixing,
stirring while the men my dad and uncles would usually be in front of the TV
watching some sort of ballgame. The smells were divine, my cousins and I would
be chomping at the bit to eat.
So, to this week’s entry... it’s dedicated to my Mom, who
was a marvelous cook. Shirley Ann... This is for you. Did I tell you she was a wonderful cook? I swear I could taste the love she had for us
in every bite. My mom was raised on a
farm in Missouri, although she was very glamorous and sophisticated. Her style
of cooking was passed down by my grandmother Flora Bell. It was comfort food
with style. Let me tell you Paula Deen has nothing on these women.
One of my most favorite meals my mom made for my dad and I
was her Cracker Pork Chops and Onion Rice dishes. Simple, fairly easy to
prepare and the result is fall off the bone goodness with a mixture of wondrous
rice. I have a friend that likes to
give me grief about Mid-westerners' no knowing how to cook, that only people from
New York know how to cook good food. I personally think he is wrong, but he is
entitled to his own opinion.
To start with the pork chops the recipe is just a few simple
ingredients, pork chops, chicken stock, eggs and saltine crackers. That’s is,
of course with the addition of oil to cook, my mom always used canola oil, but
now I tend to cook with Olive Oil.
I start with center cut bone-in pork chops. They have the
right amount of fat to meat ratio and I think the marrow in the bone infuses
that extra flavoring that boneless meats just can’t. I think the cracker crust is the magic
ingredient for this dish... I do a combination of fine and course cracker meal
in the blender. As a side note, I have tried the salt-free version, but I find
that it makes the dish a bit bland. The added plus, no additional salt! Another secret to a successful and succulent
pork chop is the browning process... you have to get a good brown crust on the
meat. Dipping in the beaten egg first, then the cracker meal and finally in the
medium-to-medium high heat. I find the cooking time is about 3 minutes on each
side. Once you have browned all the chops, the next step is to place them in a Pyrex
dish and pour about half of the can of chicken broth over the chops. Cover with
aluminum foil and bake in 350° oven for about 40 minutes. Last ten minutes,
pull the aluminum foil to reduce the broth for a bubbling deeper finish. 
Cracker Pork Chops:
Ingredients:
4 Center
Cut Pork Chops
2 Eggs –
beaten
2 C. Cracker
Crumbs – blend of fine and course textures
1/2 to 2/3 C. Chicken
Stock or broth
2 T. Olive Oil
Directions:
Dip chops in beaten eggs. Then cover with cracker crumbs,
and brown until an umber color. Place browned pork chops in Pyrex dish and pour
chicken stock over meat. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350° for 45
minutes. Last ten minutes, remove foil and finish.
Okay, there’s the thing about this dish... The cooking
process and the elementary ingredients make this dish incredibly tender; it
just falls off the bone. It’s juicy, extremely tender and “Just that Good”! I
can’t explain it, but with every bite, I am back at the dining room table with
my mom and dad.
Alright, the other dish that makes this one memorable meal
is the rice dish. There’s no real name for it, my mom always called it rice, I
call it Onion Rice, only because there are four ingredients... cup of Jasmine
Rice, one can of Campbell’s French Onion Soup, one can of Campbell’s Beef Consume
and a tablespoon of butter. That’s it! These four ingredients build a side dish
that is comforting, warming and deep with flavor. My mom use to use a whole
stick of butter, but my husband suggested that I cut down to make it less oily.
That’s not an enticing description I know, but honestly, you can’t have the
pork chop dish without this rice dish. No other carb dish will suffice. The dishes meld into a plate full of
down-home comfort. The recipe is below.
Shirley’s Onion Rice
Ingredients:
1 can Campbell’s Beef Consume
1 C. Jasmine
Rice
1 T. Butter
Directions:
Combine ingredients in a cover dish.
Stir once and bake at 350° for one hour - Told you it was simple!
Any vegetable will do, for this particular meal, I made broccoli
with a pat of butter and squeeze of lemon. The citrus adds a little zest to the
alluring meat and rice dish.
As a child, I drank ice milk with my dinner, but now that I’m
“grown-up”, a nice glass of Chardonnay elevates this Midwestern meal to an
elaborate dinner. I uncorked one of my new favorites, Seth Cripe’s Lola
Chardonnay from Saint Helena, California. Seth is a friend of mine and I was
excited to try his newest grape elixir.
I hope that you will try this dish with your family and
friends. My wish is that this
meal will become one of your favorites and staples as it is for me.
As I always say, “It’s Just that Good”! - SRQ Foodie
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