Slow Cooker Pork Chops with Mushrooms and Carrots

Last Spring I asked my family what vegetables THEY wanted to plant in our garden.  I really wanted eggplant, Ben chose green beans and Courtney wanted to plant carrots.  We've planted carrots in the past with moderate success and we seem to get a little better at our carrot farming ever year.  This year, we ended up with a bumper crop of delicious, crisp, beautiful carrots. 

Faced with an abundance of fresh carrots in my refrigerator, I've had to come up with some create ways to use them.  We like them best when they're fresh, cut into sticks and dipped in ranch dressing but one family can only eat so many carrots sticks.  

My family isn't crazy about cooked carrots (and by that I mean that they refuse to eat them) so this recipe for Slow Cooker Pork Chops with Mushrooms and Carrots was a risk. My hope was that my family would be more open to the idea of cooked carrots since they were grown in our own garden.  Turns out - it doesn't matter where the carrots are grown - they're still less than thrilled with the idea of a cooked carrot.  

We loved the pork chops in this recipe - the noodles - delicious - the sauce - amazing - the carrots - crisp and delicious.  (My opinion about the carrots is all my own and not necessarily shared by my family.)  The key is to cut the carrots into large enough pieces so that they maintain some of their crispness and don't get soft and soggy.  

Slow Cooker Pork Chops with Mushrooms and Carrots
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
3 Tablespoons flour
3/4 pounds carrots, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces
1/2 pound shitake mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 thyme sprigs
2 oregano sprigs
1 Tablespoon olive oil
4 pork chops
3/4 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup white wine
6 ounces uncooked egg noodles
2 Tablespoons heavy cream
2 fresh thyme leaves
​

Combine chicken stock, vinegar and flour in a slow cooker.  

Stir in carrots, mushrooms, onion, garlic, thyme and oregano. 

Heat oil in skillet.  Sprinkle pork chops with salt and pepper.  Add to pan and cook 2 minutes on each side. 

Remove chops and add wine to skillet.  Cook while scraping browned bits from pan.  

Place pork chops over carrots and pour wine sauce over pork.  Cook on low 7 hours.  

Cook egg noodles according to package directions.  

Remove pork from slow cooker.  Add cream, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper to cooker.  

Let pork chops rest for 5 minutes. 

​Stir in cooked egg noodles. 

Divide noodle mixture between 4 plates.  Top with a pork chop and sprinkle with thyme.  

Despite the negative comments I heard about the cooked carrots - I would call this meal a success.  The mushroom, white wine, cream sauce is absolutely, lick the plate - delicious.  It really is - THAT good.  I love this recipe and I hope that you do too.  

Ciao!

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