Weekly Connections with Brian Lafontaine July 27, 2025
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by Jodi Squires Fitzgerald, RN, JD
This is a recipe from my favorite cookbook, the Modern Encyclopedia of Cooking by Meta Given, that was given to me a very long time ago. It was written in 1952 and I have it held together with adhesive tape and clear packing tape. The book has gotten a lot of use. — Jodi Squires Fitzgerald, RN, JD
5 thick rib pork chops (2 lb.)
1 tablespoon fat (solid shortening, lard or oil)
1 onion, sliced
2 cups canned tomatoes (1 can)
1 ½ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons flour
3-4 cups of hot boiled rice (1 cup raw)
Prepare your rice according to package directions.
Brown chops slowly on both sides in the fat in a heavy skillet. Remove chops from the pan.
Sauté the onion in the same pan. Add the chops, tomatoes and seasonings. Cover and simmer for 45-60 minutes, or until tender. Remove chops from the pan.
Mix the flour with ¼ cup cold water until you have a smooth slurry. Keeping the tomato mixture at a simmer, add the slurry to the tomato mixture, stirring constantly for 2 to 3 minutes, until it thickens.
Place cooked rice in center of platter and arrange the chops around the rice. Pour tomato sauce over the chops.
In the Kitchen series – Braised Spanish Pork Chops
Pork chops vary in size. You will notice that I made this recipe with two large pork chops. You will need a much larger pan than my 10-inch cast iron skillet to cook 5 chops. You will also need more tomatoes, probably two cans. Sadly, unlike pork chops which seem to have gotten bigger since the 1950s, cans of tomatoes are now typically 14.5 ounces instead of 16 ounces (2 cups). I made this recipe with one 14.5 ounce can of no salt added, fire roasted tomatoes.
Seasoning Note: I used tomatoes with no salt added. If your tomatoes already have salt on them, you should taste them before adding the salt as directed in the recipe. — EH Stafford, Managing Editor
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