PORK CHOPS + SPINACH & ARTICHOKES = ❤️
Maybe THE Most Satisfying One-Pan Pork Dinner?
We love a one-pan meal plan here at W4D, whether it’s a sheet pan dinner, a big ol’ Dutch oven, or a skillet… This week, we’re bringing you an easy-to-make, infinitely-customizable combo of 1 meat + 2 veg = Dinnah!
PAN-SEARED PORK CHOPS WITH CREAMED SPINACH AND ARTICHOKE HEARTS
EK: Some nights I just want to tuck into a simple, but delicious old-fashioned dinner. And when I’m in this kind of mood I think about pork chops.
AU: I like where you’re going… Smothered Pork Chops is one of my childhood favorites. My grandmother used to make them with cream of mushroom soup, canned mushrooms, and dried rosemary. Served over white rice, she’d spoon the extra “gravy” straight out of the giant electric skillet and I’d sop it up with a Sister Schubert dinner roll. I’ve tried making a new, “fresher” version of them and they’re just not the same as Mama’s!
EK: You can’t mess with Mama!!
As you know, I moved a couple of weeks ago, and I haven’t had a chance to have my gas line installed for my grill… So this pork chop is made indoors! Since they’re coming to connect my gas line tomorrow, it might be the last piece of meat that I cook indoors for the next few months! Summer Grilling is upon us!
I took out my trusty enameled cast iron “skillet” and made pork chops, nestled in creamed spinach and artichoke hearts.
A note about the “skillet” I’m using: It’s made by Le Creuset and is called everything from a Buffet Casserole, to a shallow Dutch Oven, to a braising pan. Whatever you call it, it’s a great all-around pan. I’ve had it for ages and it is great for one-pan dishes like this one, as well as side dishes and baking cornbread! It also looks great and doubles as a serving dish!
AU: I need another pan like a hole in the head, but I have been wanting the 3.5 quart Le Creuset “Braiser” forever—it seems like such a good all-in-one pan!
EK: It is! I really do use it for everything including this dish!
This is not a recipe that I’ve ever made before, but I saw frozen artichoke hearts at Whole Foods and all of a sudden I started craving them. That made me think about one of my favorite childhood casseroles which was layers of creamed spinach and artichoke hearts. It was a delicious “fancy” dish that showed up once a year at Christmas. To this day, I don’t know why I don’t make it more often because it truly is one of my favorite things to eat.
AU: One thing I always make around the holidays is Spinach-Artichoke Dip! a la Houston’s/Hillstone… this is giving me SPIN DIP VIBES AND I’M HERE FOR IT!
EK: Yep, and if you really want to channel the dip, feel free to serve these chops with a generous sprinkle of parmesan cheese—it would be amazing!
I decided to deconstruct the casserole and turn it into a one-pan meal with boneless center-cut pork chops. If you prefer chicken to pork, it would be equally great with chicken. After making it, I can imagine it with Italian sausage or shrimp as well!
The method is unbelievably simple. You brush the pork chops with olive oil and season with salt and pepper and then place them in the searing hot skillet.
As I mentioned, I am using an enameled cast-iron pan because elements of the sauce are acidic and that can impart a metallic taste to the food cooked in an uncoated cast iron pan. If you don’t have an enameled cast-iron skillet, you can use a traditional cast-iron skillet and add extra butter and olive oil to buffer the acid.
EK: Once the chops are nicely browned on each side remove them to a plate, cover, and set aside.
Now we’re going to make the artichokes and creamed spinach. I deglazed my pan with water but you could use chicken, veggie stock or white wine.
Add equal amounts of butter and olive oil to the same pan that you browned the pork chops in—don’t worry about any browned bits, it will only make the end dish taste better!
EK: Add your frozen artichoke hearts and a bit of butter and olive oil and sauté stirring occasionally until they become golden on the edges. This will take 8 to 10 minutes. When the artichoke hearts are browned on the edges and burnished on the flat side, they are done.
Next comes the flavor! I mix together all my big bold flavors—grated garlic, mustard and Pernod, lemon juice, and lemon zest—with a little water to thin out the sauce. I am a big fan of Pernod with in my creamed spinach. It is a French liqueur with notes of anise and coriander gives the spinach a lovely rounded flavor and is really good with artichokes as well. If you don’t have Pernod, you can use a Pastis like Ricard or even white wine to add a nice depth of flavor.
After the flavored liquid begins to bubble, I add the cream. You want the mixture to be a bit soupy because we’re going to be adding the spinach at the end which will bulk up the pan sauce.
Nestle the pork chops in with the artichokes so that they can finish cooking and re-warm.
When everything is hot and bubbly, I add the baby spinach and stir until it is wilted. And that’s all there is to it.
Dinner is served!
