French Country Pork Chops

French country cooking favors wholesome, locally grown produce, farm fresh meats and straight from the earth ingredients. It's no wonder why this style of cooking goes hand in hand with most Paleo recipes. This recipe is an adaptation of a traditional savory French one pot dish. Feel free to experiment with a variety of Paleo sides to truly make this dish your own.

Ingredients:
2 pounds fresh center cut boneless pork chops
1 large sweet onion chopped
3 cloves fresh garlic minced
1 (15oz) can all natural diced tomatoes
1 cup fresh sliced mushrooms
2 cups fresh sliced carrots
1 tablespoon all natural tomato paste
1 cup dry red wine
1 cup all natural gluten free chicken stock
3 tablespoons gluten and preservative free Dijon mustard
Herbs de Provence (3-4 tablespoons)
1 large sweet potato
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Method:
1.) Place onions, carrots, mushrooms, diced tomatoes and chicken stock in a large cooking pot. Cover and turn heat to medium high.
2.) Meanwhile, pat pork chops dry and season generously with herbs de provence (about 3 tablespoons), sea salt and black pepper.
3.) Heat 1 tablespoon of EVOO in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Sear pork chops on each side until lightly brown (about 4 minutes per side). Remove from skillet and place in large cooking pot with onions and vegetables.
4.) Once pork chops are cooked, add minced garlic to skillet and cook for 2 minutes or until lightly brown. Add wine to skillet and continue cooking for 2 more minutes, scraping up brown bits with a wooden spoon. Add wine and garlic sauce to large pot with pork chops. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 45 minutes or until pork chops are very tender.
5.) Serve with skillet coconut oil fried sweet potatoes. (*See previous recipe).

Bone-in Pork Chops with Bacon Apple Walnut Relish

Bone-in pork chops have an extraordinary flavor that can not be matched by boneless chops.  With the additional topping of onions and garlic caramelized in bacon fat with apples, walnuts and celery, this is not your average shake and bake pork chop recipe.  This dish is not only simple to master, but amazing in presentation and taste!

Ingredients:
4 bone-in 1 in thick pork chops
3-4 pieces of nitrate free bacon
3 garlic cloves
1/2 onion
1/4 cup organic walnuts chopped
1 large or 2 small stalks of celery diced
1 large apple (Fuji or Honeycrisp)

Method:
1.) Season both sides of pork chops with sweet Spanish paprika, sea salt, garlic powder and fresh coarse ground black pepper.  Leave on plate for 30 minutes prior to cooking.
2.) In the mean time, cook bacon in cast iron until crisp and remove from skillet.  Add onions to bacon fat and cook for 5 minutes over medium heat.  Add in celery and cook 3 minutes.
3.) Add garlic and walnuts to skillet and cook 4 more minutes or until onions start to caramelize.  Be careful not to burn garlic or walnuts.  Add apple to skillet, toss and remove from heat.
4.) Remove onion apple mixture from cast iron and wipe out skillet.
5.) Add 1 teaspoon EV coconut oil to skillet on med-high heat.  Once hot, add pork chops.  Cook for 5-7 minutes on each side or until chops life easily from skillet.
6.) Add onion apple relish on top of pork chops and place under broiler (500 degrees).
7.) Broil 2 minutes then rotate skillet and broil 2 more minutes or until pork chops are done.  Be careful not to burn relish or over cook pork chops. (There should be a nice golden brown crust over the pork chops and relish).
8.) Remove from broiler and let rest 5-8 minutes.  Serve with a salad, sweet potatoes, or pureed winter squash (recipe to come).