Whenever I visited my family in Cebu, I would cook these pork chops for them. They are very simple to make and require only five ingredients: onions, garlic, butter, pork chops and chopped herbs for garnish. The flavour is savoury yet delicate; saute brings out the natural flavour of the meat, balanced by the light butter sauce. If you don't eat pork, you can substitute the meat with chicken breast fillet.
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Serves: 3-4
Ingredients:
3-4 pork chops
1 can of button mushrooms, sliced
1 head of garlic, minced
1 small onion, thinly sliced and chopped
2.5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup chopped herbs (basil, parsley or thyme)
Salt and pepper, to taste
1. Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet at medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes until liquified. Toss in onions and garlic, stir slowly until golden brown. Add button mushrooms and saute for 4-5 minutes.
Button mushrooms from a can should already have a high amount of sodium, to preserve them, so once you mix this in with the onions, garlic and butter, you don't need to sprinkle salt anymore. However, if you are using fresh mushrooms, feel free to sprinkle half a teaspoon of sea salt or pink Himalayan salt into the sauté.
2. Place pork chops evenly on top of mixture and cook until browned on both sides, about 15 minutes, turning once, while sprinkling black pepper on both sides. To make sure the meat has been evenly cooked, pierce the middle with a fork and if it feels a bit springy but goes in easily with only transparent fat oozing out, it's ready to cook.
3. Turn off heat and toss in chopped herbs to cook in the natural juices and butter sauce. Transfer to a plate and serve.