I know, that phrase is so synergisticly, dot.com, mid-90's but in this case it's literally appropriate. First, I first made this recipe in the mid-90's. Secondly, the recipe came off of a box.
Yes, the original recipe was one I read on a box of Rice A Roni, the San Francisco treat when I was first learning to cook for my new found family of four. We loved it back then but haven't had it in over a decade, because my tastes and skill have evolved.
Tonight I had some boneless pork chops and thought to myself, "Who says I can't make the recipe evolve too?"
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Fiesta Pork Chops
Source: Hallucinogenically adapted from Rice A Roni. Or maybe it was Kraft macaroni and cheese. Maybe it was Ramen Noodles. Oh hell, it doesn't matter at this point. I'm blogging about a recipe I made from a box 15+ years ago.
Ingredients
4 ea boneless pork chops, 1" thick
Southwestern Pork Rub
1 Tbsp chili powder
3/4 tsp cumin, toasted
3/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp oregano, dried
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp red pepper, ground
1/4 tsp granulated garlic
1 1/2 cups long grain rice
1 ea onion, medium, finely diced
1 ea jalapeno, seeded, finely diced
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 Tbsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup frozen sweet peas (feel free to sub corn or 1/2 cup of each)
Mix the rub ingredients and apply the rub to the thick chops.
Preheat a cast iron skillet in the oven at 400f, remove to medium high heat on the stove top and then add a few tablespoons of oil. Brown pork chops on both sides.
TIP: I seared mine on a preheated cast iron griddle to get some nice grid marks before browning, but you can just brown them in a skillet. Remove chops to a plate, keeping oil in skillet.
Add the rice, onion, and pepper to the skillet and saute for 3-4 minutes. Stir in chicken stock, tomato sauce, cumin, salt, pepper, and peas and bring to a boil.
Return chops to the pan, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 25 minutes. About 1/2 way through cooking, stir rice around a bit.
Fluff rice with a fork, put lid back on, kill the heat and let rest for 10 minutes uncovered.
While you only need to brown the chops in the skillet, I wanted grid marks so I used a HOT griddle first. 1 minute, turn 90 degrees another minute. Flip, 1 minute, turn 90 degrees, another minute.
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Then I finished off browning them in the skillet.
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You KNOW you have thick chops when
1) you have to brown the edges of the chops and....
2) the chops can stand on their sides on their own.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaofm9d-FqRAUJ2r9R74oUezuB63RUlB4DR550E0wgWl025mG0b37PYcJOyvJg-q-ybeM6StSjZM7CmVuwZ0qZVAVETg1u3bmR-12qsr_7CvMJKcb2uASFGfYfmXoZwZDXBSqoI5cXka7N/s400/DSC_0093+resized.jpg)
Does this look like a fun hot tub or what?
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We served them up by simply putting the skillet mid-table and surrounded it with slices of southwestern cheese bread.
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Oh yeah, this was good, very good. It disappeared quickly.
Do you recall a recipe that came off of a box many, many years ago? If so, have you tried re-imagining, re-inventing it with your cooking skills these days?