Alsatian pork chops

Ingredients:

• 500g boneless pork chops, 1 level tsp salt, 40g fine flour (or Graham flour or oatmeal flour) and 40g butter (or 3 tbsp oil)
• for the gravy: 1/2 tsp Kecskeméti tomato paste, 1 level tsp flour, a pinch of ground caraway seed, 1/2 tsp all purpose savoury seasoning powder, 1/2 tsp Univer mild Piros Arany
• for the cabbage: 100g meaty bacon, 40g butter or 4 tbsp oil, 1 small onion or 1 tsp Univer onion paste, 1kg sour cabbage, 100ml tasty white wine, 1/2 tsp ground caraway seed
• to top: a pair of hot dog sausages, 20g butter or 1 tbsp oil

1. Cut the pork chops into 4 thicker or 8 thinner slices, pound gently, cut across tendons and sides, salt. Coat the slices in flour, roast in hot butter (or oil) on both sides for 2-3 minutes and then transfer the slices into a pan. 

2. Make a gravy out of the fat remaining in the frying pan: braise the tomato purée and the flour in it for 1 minute and then add 200ml of water. Season with caraway and the all purpose savoury seasoning powder, add mild Piros Arany, boil for 2 minutes, filter onto the meat and then simmer away under a lid for some 25 minutes.

3. Fine-dice the bacon and slightly render it in butter (oil). Clean and chop the onion and add it to the bacon. Braise for 4-5 minutes, add the sour cabbage (if too sour, rinse first; indeed, you may even chop it finer). Add salt – mind you, the sour cabbage is already salted – and caraway, cover and cook with the lid on for 45-50 minutes, until tender. If necessary, add a little wine to prevent sticking and burning at the bottom of the pan. 

4. Remove the skin of the hot dog sausages, slice, braise on the molten butter (oil). Serve placing the chops on the plate first top with gravy, then the cabbage, then the hot dog sausage slices – we did not serve it this conventional way for the sake of the photo.