Surprise Pork Chops

This is one of those recipes that I went looking for recently because we had certain ingredients on Raconteur that I wanted to use.  I was rather skeptical, because of the cooking time, but didn't have the patience or the bandwidth to look further.  It's from southernfood.about.com. and we have now made it twice and it has earned a spot in the repertoire.  
You can see a double pile of onions on the cutting board because I also made Mark Bittman's rice pilaf to go with the chops; I'll include that recipe here too.  I find that I now use Bittman's How to Cook Everything - I have it on my iPhone - for many, many basics and variations on basics.  I don't have a Joy of Cooking on board, and there is no good electronic version (yet?), and so he has become my go-to.  One nice thing about his recipes is that he gives variations - often several - for many or most of them. 

Recipe: Pork Chops with Sour Cream

First prepared: aboard Raconteur in early 2012

6 pork chops, about 1/2 inch thick
salt and pepper
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
3 tablespoons butter
1 bay leaf
3/4 cup chicken broth or bouillon
1 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons sweet paprika (I used 1 teaspoon of Hungarian paprika and 1 teaspoon of Piment d'Espelette, to make it a bit spicier)

Sprinkle chops with salt and pepper. Sauté onion in butter until soft and golden; add minced garlic. Transfer to a bowl; set aside. Add pork chops to skillet; brown on all sides. Pour off excess fat, lower heat, then add cooked onions and garlic, bay leaf, and chicken broth to skillet with chops. Cover and cook over low heat for about 1 hour. (This was the scary part: A whole HOUR? But they turn out tender and delicious, and even still a little pink at the bone.) Transfer chops to a hot serving platter; keep hot. Cook pan juices over high heat until reduced to about half. Lower heat and add sour cream and paprika or paprika and Piment d'Espelette. Stirring constantly, cook until heated through, but do not boil. Pour over chops. Serves 4 to 6. 

Recipe: Rice Pilaf, simple form

First prepared: too long ago to remember

2 to 4 tablespoons butter or extra virgin olive oil (I used butter because the pork chop recipe uses butter; if the rice is to accompany something cooked in olive oil, then I would use that.  I have no idea if that matters at all.)

1 cup chopped onion

1 1/2 cups rice, preferably basmati

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 1/2 cups stock

Put 2 tablespoons of the butter or oil in a large, deep skillet with a lid over medium-high heat. When the butter is melted or the oil is hot, add the onion. Cook, stirring, until the onion softens, about 5 minutes.

Add the rice all at once, turn the heat down to medium, and stir until the rice is glossy, completely coated with butter or oil, and starting to color lightly, about 5 minutes. Season well with salt and pepper, then turn the heat down to low and add the stock all at once. Stir once or twice, then cover the pan.

Cook until most of the liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Turn the heat to the absolute minimum (if you have an electric stove, turn the heat off and let the pan sit on the burner) and let rest for another 15 to 30 minutes. Add the remaining butter or oil if you like and fluff with a fork. Taste and adjust the seasoning, fluff again and serve.