The first Monday of the New Year. Jeff back at work, Sawyer back in Arizona for school and my new chapter as a homemaker begins in earnest. So we might as kick things off with a bang! In the spirit of the South and the fried foods we have been enjoying in our new POWER XL Air Fryer I present to you a classic dinner–fried pork chops, green beans simmered with smoked pork hocks and homemade-ish macaroni and cheese. I fried these chops the old school way–more on that in a bit.
Early in the afternoon I removed 2 small smoked pork hocks from my freezer and put them in the bottom of my small Le Creuset stock pot along with some rough chopped sweet onion and EVOO. I love that you can buy smoked pork hocks anytime here–one of the many benefits of living in the South. I had a hard time finding this kind of stuff in Colorado–collard greens were impossible!
I stirred the hocks with the onion and EVOO and browned them up a bit before adding a bag of fresh green beans–remove the stringy ends before cooking–just snap them off. I can remember sitting at my Mom’s table and snapping pounds of beans that she would buy at a roadside farm stand not far from our house. They had the BEST tomatoes.
Add enough chicken broth or stock to cover the beans and bring to a boil. I used a basic store brand of chicken broth. Then reduce the heat to simmer and cover. Let cook for 2-3 hours and enjoy the savory smells in your house–all these candles stores are selling—no one needs them if they cook. Just an observation.
An hour before dinner I took out a box of macaroni and cheese–I am partial to the shells and cheese, any brand. Cook the pasta according to the directions and drain. Add some of the processed cheese–I use about a 1/3 of it and toss the rest of it. I also add a generous spoonful of butter, a healthy splash of milk (or cream), a little cream cheese, a little sour cream, and parmesan cheese. Mix that together and add salt and pepper. Pour into an oven proof casserole and top with fresh grated cheese. I had a small wedge of this deliciously smooth New Zealand cheddar that I grated on top. Pop that into a 375 oven and allow to bake until bubbly golden brown. About 30-45 minutes.
For the chops, bone-in is best but tonight I used thin boneless chops that cook quickly and easily. Heat 2-3 tablespoons of canola oil over medium-medium high heat. While the oil is heating, put 1 cup of flour into a plastic gallon size bag–salt and pepper both sides of the chops and shake each chop in the flour. When the oil is hot, place the chops in a single layer in the pan and allow to fry undisturbed until the edges brown, turn once and cook for 5-10 minutes more until the chop is golden brown. Remove to a platter and drain on parchment paper.
Just your basic Monday mac & cheese with fried pork chops and and green beans. There were no leftovers from this meal. One of the tricks I use to cook the way I like to with butter and fat and salt and sugar is to intentionally not make too much food. I like to make just enough for the 3 or 4 of us to have a portion controlled dinner.
According to Sav, “this dinner is bomb Mom.”
The Casa Kitchen 
