"MY PAN SIMMERED CHOPS"

Another one of my recipes. I wanted something different one day and devised this fast and simple and tasty meal. Pretty much all in one pan but great with a baked potato and you can put the simmered sauce on it instead of butter.

Ingredients.....

4 pork chops (any cut you like and trim all the fat off them)
3 large cans of chopped tomatoes or the equivalent of your own if you do them. STRAIN them! Get out all the juice as you don't need it. Simmering these will produce more juice. I prefer a lot of this tomato mixture that's made in the end as I love it on a baked potato.
2 chopped onions
a couple of cloves of minced fresh garlic (depends on your tastes)
2 tablespoons approx. of Italian spice mixture or use oregano, basil and thyme (about a couple of teaspoons each) I actually just throw it in so the measurements for the spices are approx.
1 teaspoon or so of paprika.
A little cayene spice too if you like or cajun spice. Up to you.
Fresh ground pepper.
(you do not need to add salt to this)

- You will need a deep pan for this. A regular frying pan won't do it, it will overflow when it starts to simmer. I have a large pot/pan. As large around as a large frying pan but about 3 inches high.

get your onions ready and all cut up.          this is a picture of most of your ingredients needed. Chops, onion, cans of diced tomatoes, clove of garlic, oil, celery. Plus you have spices.

trim all the fat off your chops. You do not need it. The fat on the chops willonly be soft, it will not crisp up like if you were to broil them.           Cut your celery stalks into 4's and then chop it up. This makes for nice small pieces of celery in the tomato mixture.

Next.. put your onions, celery, and such into the pan with a bit of olive oil in it (or vegetable oil) to simmer them for a bit. If you wish to saute the garlic first be my guest but watch it doesn't burn.

onions, celery, garlic, etc. put into pan with a bit of olive oil and simmer for a bit to soften it all. You don't have to do this too much as it will cook too.           Take your cans of tomatoes and strain them before using them. When you simmer this dinner it will create more juice, ample juice. Matter of fact I tend to strain it again after it's done.

- Once the onion/celery mixture is sauteed, pour the tomatoes in the pan. Then mix together with the onions, celery, Add the spices including the garlic if you haven't already sauteed the garlic. Remove some of this mixture to pour back on top of the chops once you put them in.

spices added to the tomatoes/celery/onion. I tend to cheat and use an Italian spice mixture and then my own fresh ground pepper, paprika, cajun spice and cayene pepper.           Here is the small amount of tomato mixture that's removed to use after the chops are in the pot. It's about 1/3rd of the mixture.

- now, you have everything in the pan but the chops. Time to get your hands dirty. Begin putting the chops in there. 4 will fit nicely. Once they are in then pour that bowl of the tomato mixture you took out over the chops covering them the best you can. When it starts to simmer it will bubble up so don't worry if it isn't perfect.

Here is a pic of the chops in the pot.           another shot of the chops in the pot before the tomato mixture goes on top.

- put it on medium heat and simmer them for 1 & a 1/2 hours. Check them now and then but they really do cook themselves with little running back and forth. Just make sure they are not boiling at a heavy rate. Once they are at a good rolling boil I turn them down to low, about 2 or 3. They will still simmer nicely.

Here is a pic of the chops covered in tomatoes in the pot.           once the dinner has cooked, I restrain the tomatoes. There is too much juice for my liking and I love this mixture over my baked potatoes.

- now that that is done, wash and scrub 4 potatoes and pop them in the oven for the same amount of time.

Finished recipe :-) These chops will literally fall off the bone they are so tender. This recipe also produces lots of sauce so there is plenty for each chop and the potatoes. These make great leftovers too. Use the tomato mixture to put on top of your baked potatoes instead of butter or sour cream. You'll love it. Serve with vegetable of your choice but mine is usually blached broccoli. Btw, this sauce freezes well too if you want to keep the leftover sauce for another time.

Finished and ready to eat

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