Yesterday we took delivery of our meat order from the new butcher in town. Well, I say new, he’s actually been there a few months now but we’ve never used it, despite the numerous recommendations from family and friends. Since Paul happened to be walking past it yesterday morning he decided to pop in and have a look, a visit which resulted in our order. Amongst this order were some really nice thick, lean pork chops. But how do you cook them so they’re not boring, plain old, dried up pork chops? A quick search of the internet resulted in a fantastic find and today we are having Modena Style Pork Chops. Although the recipe I found was for four servings and I was only cooking for two, I have realised, through trial and error, that halving a sauce recipe doesn’t work for us since we both like plenty. For this reason, apart from the chops, I always stick to the full amounts given in the recipe. As this is such a simple recipe, requiring minimal ingredients and preparation to produce a mouthwatering feast of tender and succulent meat covered in a rich tomato, garlic and herb sauce, it went straight to the top of our favourites list.
I started by gathering my ingredients, which entails a trip to the garden to pick the fresh herbs; yes, this year I am even using all those herbs I keep planting. Herbs washed and prepared I crush the garlic; once I’ve rooted out the garlic press from the back of my very disorganised utensils drawer; and open my can of tomatoes. I tip some flour, which seems to get everywhere, onto a plate ready to coat the chops. Now it’s time to get cooking. I turn the heat up high and splash some oil into my go to large frying pan. When it starts to shimmer, I add a dollop of butter and stand mesmerised as it creates a sizzling foam. As the foam subsides I remember the chops. Dredged in flour and seasoned with a sprinkling of black pepper they are fried until the coating is crisp and golden. Next the herbs, garlic and tomatoes are chucked in and stirred before popping a lid on the pan and leaving it to simmer until the chops are cooked through. And that’s it.
Although Paul jokes about me following recipes, he also jokes that I am a lot like my mother, in that I will take a perfectly good recipe and substitute ingredients until it bears no resemblance to the original. Actually, I don’t, I just give it my personal twist. Since I find summer squash goes well with pork, today I decided to give this dish a bit of a boost by adding some of our homegrown courgettes towards the end of the cooking time. Once the everything was cooked through I removed the pork from the pan before stirring in some cooked casarecce pasta to coat it in the sauce before serving.
Very tasty it was too, with enough of the pasta left over for Netti to take to work for her supper that night.
Ingredients
- 1 tbls olive oil
- 2 tbls butter
- Pork loin chops, about 3/4 inch thick (1 per person)
- Flour, spread on a plate
- 6 fresh sage leaves, ripped into small pieces
- 1 fresh rosemary sprig, about 2 inches long
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or finely diced
- 1 can I chopped tomatoes
- freshly ground salt & pepper
Method
- Heat olive oil until shimmering in a large frying pan
- Lightly dredge each side of the pork chops with flour and shake off any excess. Season with salt & pepper.
- Add butter to the pan and when foam begins to subside put in pork chops and fry until coating is golden, about 2 minutes each side.
- Reduce heat to low and add sage, entire rosemary sprig and minced garlic. Try not to burn the garlic.
- Add the tomatoes and mix.
- Bring to a low simmer and cover the pan with lid. Leave the lid off slightly to reduce the sauce down.
- Simmer on low for 1 hour or until the pork is tender turning the chops from time to time.
- The sauce should become thick and full of flavour. If is too watery you can remove the pork and continue reducing the sauce until you get the required consistency.
- Spoon off the fat and pour sauce over chops.
- Garnish with fresh sage leaves.