French Country Pork Chops

So, I have a confession. When I saw all the veggie options laying out in front of me from my produce box from Space Girl Organics, I could only think of one thing: Julia Child. I secretly love that woman.  Haha, okay, so it’s not so much of a secret now! Well, then, I suppose that I should tell you that I like to talk like Julia Child when I’m cooking, especially about anything that has to do with butter, bacon or wine.

How? Well, it’s easy. You say something like “If you’re afraid of butter, use cream” while waving a wooden spoon around wildly in one hand while you have a glass of wine in the other.  “Always cook with wine, and sometimes put it in the food”!  That Julia was one smart lady.

One of my favorite Julia dishes is her classic Beef Bourguignon. The meat melts in your mouth with a wonderful tang from the tomatoes, the sweetness from the wine and the freshness from the delicious veggies and herbs! It’s hearty and rich and it makes you feel like your participating in something special by simply eating it.  But there are a lot of steps and it can take an afternoon to make. Don’t get me wrong– it’s totally worth it, but ain’t nobody got time for dat.

So I took inspiration for Julia’s Beef Bourguignon and I decided to make a dish with a lot of the same flavor base, but with only about an hour of cook time, plus it’s paleo friendly and gluten free! I hope you like it!

What You Need:

In a dutch oven, add the chopped vegetables with the diced tomatoes, chicken stock, tomato paste, garlic and dijon mustard (optional). Heat the dutch oven on the stove top until it starts to simmer, then cover and lower the heat.

In the meantime, heat a skillet (cast iron is awesome if you have it) on medium high heat with a bit of olive oil in the pan.  Wash and pat dry the pork chops. Seriously, pat them dry. It’s important to get a good crusty edge when you sear them.  Season generously with the Herbs de Provence and then salt and pepper.  Add the meat to the hot skillet and let them sear for 3-4 minutes per side. Remove them from the heat and add them to the simmer stew of vegetables. Be sure to push them down a bit so they are cradled into veggie tomato mixture.  Toss a stem or two of fresh rosemary in the pot for extra flavor, and pour in that wine!

Cover the dutch oven and let them cook for 45 minutes to an hour. The pork chops should be very tender, but not quite at that fall apart stage. But let’s just say that there should be no need for a knife. 😉  I like to serve this dish with mashed sweet potatoes to mop up all those yummy juices. Mmmm! Delicious!

originally posted on http://www.overthrowmartha.com/