Pork Chop Skillet

In browsing through a West Virginia themed cookbook recently, I came across a recipe that instantly brought me back to Lewis Avenue in St. Albans.  I loved most things my grandmother cooked but two very favorite dinners were her versions of swiss steak and a pork chop skillet dinner. Now, all these years later, here was a pork chop recipe appearing to have some of the same components I remember from my grandmother's recipe.

Sometimes I hesitate with pork dishes because the meat can rapidly dry, winding up tasting like tough cardboard. The good news about this recipe is that, in addition to being ridiculously easy to put together,  the pork cutlets come out very moist and flavorful.  I was brought right back to family gatherings around the dining room table in St. Albans for Mam-maw's pork chop skillet. Now, I just have to keep looking through West Virginia cookbooks in the hope of finding her swiss steak recipe!

Pork Chop Skillet
from Best of the Best West Virginia

Ingredients:
4 loin chops
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
NOTE: I'm always grateful when actual amounts of seasonings are listed, rather than vague "season to taste" directions. That said, I didn't bother measuring the salt, pepper, and garlic powder I sprinkled on both sides of each chop.
2 cups chopped celery
1/2 cup sliced onion
1 medium apple, peeled and sliced
1 cup beef bouillon (I used more - closer to 1 1/2 cups)

Directions:
Sprinkle chops with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Brown the chops and then remove them from the pan. Add celery and onion slices to the now empty pan.  Cook these until slightly softened.
Arrange pork chops over vegetables and top with apple slices and bouillon. Cover skillet and simmer 45 minutes or until chops are tender.