Like Rachel Ray, I love a 30-minute meal. I don’t mind the chopping, the dicing, the peeling…the prep work. But when a recipe has so many steps that I’m stuck in the kitchen for an hour or more, I get a little wary of the recipe, because let’s face it, sometimes we’re hungry and we want to eat…now! A 30-minute dinner like this one that looks like it took longer and tastes like you’re a professional chef, is a keeper for a weekday or an busy day of the week when you want to eat well but not take forever to get to the eating part.

This recipe is a little different for a lot of homecooyks because it encourages using a skillet that is NOT non-stick. Calphalon is my best friend, the easiest pans to clean due to the non-stick coating. However, in this recipe you want those little browned bits that are left from sautéing the pork chops to add flavor to your sauce. Make sure to scrape loose these browned bits so they dissolve into the creamy sauce. I used my cast-iron skillet but any stainless steel pan works too.

Pork Chops with Roasted Red Pepper Cream Sauce
Recipe from: Epicurious, 2015

Serves: 2

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 bone-in rib or center-cut pork chops, about 1 in thick
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1/4 onion, sliced thin
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 (6 oz) jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
• 1 tsp. light brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil

Directions:

1) Pat chops dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.

2) Heat oil in large skillet over med-high heat until just smoking.

3) Add chops and cook until well browned and meat registers 145ºF about 5 min per side. Transfer to serving platter and tent with foil.

4) Add onion to empty skillet and cook until softened, about 5 min. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

5) Stir in broth, cream, roasted peppers and sugar and simmer, scraping up any browned bits with wooden spoon until sauce is slightly thickened about 5 minutes. Off heat add any accumulated pork juices back to pan and stir in basil. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon over chops and serve.