Pork Chops with Tangy Mushrooms

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I find one thick pork chop to satisfy two people, so for three people, I will cook two chops. Depending on the size of the chops, how much cheese you ate before dinner (a lot, probably), you still may have leftovers, but I can say with 100% confidence that sliced, cold pork eaten out of a storage container makes for an excellent mid-day snack. I ate this with a big lemony salad and some orzo that was cooked like pasta then stirred with some butter, cracked pepper and parmesan like a cacio e pepe. You can find that recipe in Nothing Fancy (“Tiny Pasta with Black Pepper and Pecorino”). There was also wine on ice.

YIELD — Serves 3 (or 2 with leftovers)

 

Ingredients

  • 2 1”–1.25” thick bone-in pork chops, about 1 ¾ pounds

  • Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 tablespoon neutral oil (grapeseed, vegetable, canola)

  • 12 ounces mushrooms, such as oyster, shiitake, chanterelle, maitake, cremini, cut or torn into large bite-sized pieces (they’ll shrink as they cook, so leave them larger than you think)

  • 1 tablespoon white wine, red wine or rice wine vinegar, plus more if you like

  • 1 cup mixed tender herbs, whatever you can find really (parsley, cilantro, dill, mint, tarragon), left spriggy and leafy or coarsely chopped

  • Olive oil, for drizzling

Directions

  1. Heat oil in a large (large enough to comfortably fit two pork chops), preferably cast iron skillet over medium–high heat. Sear pork chops on one side until deeply browned, 3–4 minutes or so (give it an additional minute or two if you insist on welldone pork). Flip and repeat on the other side for an additional 3–4 minutes. If the fat cap is noticeably thick, prop the chops up on that side to brown and render the fat a few minutes.

  2. Transfer chops to a cutting board to rest while you cook the mushrooms.

  3. Add the mushrooms to the skillet and season again with salt and pepper (no need to add additional fat, the glory of the pork). Toss them to coat and let them cook without disturbing so they get nicely browned, 4 or 5 minutes (this will depend on the size of your skillet and the type of mushroom. For example, a cremini will take longer to brown because they tend to have a higher water content than say, a maitake mushroom). Remove from the heat and add the vinegar, stirring to coat. Taste a mushroom, add more vinegar if you like.

  4. Slice the pork chop (or serve it whole with a knife and fork and let whoever is eating it cut it however they please) and transfer to a plate or platter (or leave it on the cutting board). Add the herbs to the mushrooms, toss briefly and scatter over the pork. Drizzle with olive oil and any juices that you left behind on the cutting board.

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