Pork chops with tomatoes, mushrooms and pistachio cream: an impulse purchase finally earns its place at dinner.
There are ingredients you buy because you need them, and ingredients you buy because they sound like a good idea.
Our jar of pistachio cream belonged to the second category. We bought it on a whim, brought it home, and had never used it. Buying interesting food, it turns out, is considerably easier than deciding what to do with it.
The answer finally came in the form of pork chops with tomatoes and mushrooms. These were familiar ingredients, but the pistachio cream offered the possibility of taking dinner somewhere new. There is something particularly satisfying about cooking with a purchase that has been waiting for its moment. It feels almost like being economical, provided you ignore whatever you paid for it.
The Jar That Started Dinner
The product we used was Gourmanity Pistachio Cream, an Italian sweetened pistachio spread. That distinction matters. This is not pure pistachio butter or an unsweetened paste, and substituting either would change the sauce.
A sweetened spread might seem an unlikely companion for pork chops. Yet pork has a long and happy relationship with sweet ingredients, from apples to fruit chutneys. Here, the pistachio cream joins earthy mushrooms and tomatoes in a sauce that takes a familiar skillet dinner in an unexpected direction.
You can find the Gourmanity Pistachio Cream we used on Amazon. Just click on the jar… As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
One Skillet Does the Work
The preparation is straightforward. First, brown the seasoned chops in olive oil and set them aside. The mushrooms go into the same skillet, where they pick up the browned bits left by the pork. Add garlic, then cherry tomatoes, and let the tomatoes soften before stirring in the pistachio cream over low heat.
The chops return to the skillet to finish cooking in the sauce. There is no need for a hard boil here; gentle heat gives you more control over both the sauce and the pork.
Serve with rice or crusty bread to make the most of what is left on the plate. A simple green salad would complete the meal without competing for attention.
Our impulse purchase had finally found its purpose. Unfortunately, that is precisely the sort of success that encourages me to buy another mysterious jar.
Pork chops with pistachio cream, mushrooms and tomatoes turn an impulse pantry purchase into a rich skillet dinner. Serve with rice or crusty bread.Pork Chops with Tomatoes, Mushrooms and Pistachio Cream
Ingredients
Directions
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