By The ISFA work continues — another kitchen table this week, another young family with numbers that might work. I sat across from a couple in Jasper County and laid out the grants and watched their faces change from fear to possibility, and the change is the thing I live for now.
Thursday was tater tot hotdish, because Thursday is always tater tot hotdish and the schedule doesn't change for anything — not pandemics, not loss, not the passage of years. The tater tots go in at 375 and come out golden and the family eats them and the eating is the Thursday and the Thursday is the structure and the structure holds. But I also made ham and bean soup earlier this week, because the kitchen doesn't only look backward. The kitchen grows.
January. The real winter. Dark and cold, the wind off the prairie personal in its grudge. We endure with soup and blankets and the belief that spring comes eventually. I made bread — sourdough from the starter named Marlene, the bread rising in a warm kitchen while Iowa does its worst outside.
There’s something about sitting across a kitchen table from people whose faces shift from fear to possibility that makes you want to come home and cook something that means it — something that says the cold outside is not the whole story. Valentine’s Day falls deep in January here, and filet mignon is a lovely idea, but these German pork chops are what I actually made: braised and savory and filling in the way that a dark prairie winter requires. The structure holds at the kitchen table too, and the people around it deserve a plate that knows what it’s doing.
German Pork Chops
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 35 minutes | Total Time: 45 minutes | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 4 bone-in pork chops (about 3/4 inch thick)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup sauerkraut, drained
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 cup dry white wine (or additional broth)
- 1 tablespoon brown mustard
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Season the chops. Pat pork chops dry with paper towels and season both sides with salt and pepper.
- Sear. Heat olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add pork chops and sear 3–4 minutes per side until golden brown. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Build the base. Reduce heat to medium. Add onion to the same pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.
- Add the braising liquid. Stir in sauerkraut, chicken broth, white wine, brown mustard, caraway seeds, and thyme. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Braise. Nestle the seared pork chops back into the pan. Spoon some of the sauerkraut mixture over the top. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook 20–25 minutes until pork is cooked through and tender (internal temperature of 145°F).
- Rest and serve. Remove from heat and let rest 5 minutes. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve directly from the pan with mashed potatoes, egg noodles, or crusty bread alongside.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 310 | Protein: 32g | Fat: 14g | Carbs: 8g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 620mg