Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Pork Chops Pizziaola

In an effort to get Steve to like pork chops I pulled out this recipe by Giada DeLaurentiis, which I thought would sort of mask that it's pork.  I had no such luck with Steve even though the pork wasn't dry at all (I'm giving up on him eating pork) but I really enjoyed it.  This is very similar to the Italian Chicken with Couscous that I make all the time.   I didn't really follow Giada's recipe exactly.  I added a lot to it but I will link her original recipe since it's what gave me the idea to make it this way.  Not sure if this is really pizziaola since I changed it up so much but I didn't know what else to call it.  You see how creative I was with naming my "Italian Chicken".  Haha! Feel free to follow the recipe as Giada has written it, try some or all of my changes or as always, do it your way. 

Pork Chops Pizziaola

Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 bone in center cut pork chops
1 can petite diced tomatoes
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 tsp. fresh thyme
1 tbsp. capers
10 kalamata olives, sliced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

Directions:

1.  Season pork on both sides with salt and pepper. Brown in olive oil until pork gets golden brown and pulls away from the pan without sticking.  Remove chops from pan and set aside.



2.  Reduce heat to medium low and add more oil (or even butter) if the pan seems dry.  Add onions, garlic and thyme.  When onions have softened turn heat up a little and add wine.  Use a wooden spoon to pick up all the browned bits that have stuck to the pan.  This is where all the flavor is.  I thought I took a picture of this but it's not there anymore!



3.  Add tomatoes, chicken broth, capers and olives and season with salt and pepper.  Put pork back into the pan with the sauce and pour in any accumulated juices.  Cover and let simmer for about 10 minutes, turning once and spooning the sauce on top.  Depending on the thickness of your pork chops you may need to cook them longer.  Cut into them to see that it's white inside (or slightly pink) or when the temperature reaches 160 degrees.  

I like to serve this (and my Italian Chicken) with pine nut couscous with the sauce spooned over it.  It's delicious!







18 comments:

Spryte said...

Yum!!! That looks sooooo good!!!

I wonder if you would have had better luck with Steve if you had used boneless pork chops?

Lynda said...

This looks delicious to me...to bad that Steve doesn't like pork- he doesn't know what he's missing!

RW @ TrueBeauty said...

Ok, I'm with Steve.....I'm not a pork chop fan :( But, and a BIG BUT...I think this recipe might change my mind!

Dajana said...

I have to say, that I'd prefer pork to beef any time.
This does look and sound great to me.
My mom would just add a few tablspoons of water and sour cream, after browning the chops, cover and cook shortly. I always loved it that way.

Dionne said...

I am seriously, seriously craving this right now. It looks AMAZING!

The Blonde Duck said...

Those look amazing! I love your pumpkin pancakes, by the way!

Jen_from_NJ said...

I love pork chops - so versatile! I love the addition of kalamata olives - yum!

teresa said...

oh great flavors, our family would love this!

girlichef said...

Oh, they look gorgeous!! That browning...yowza...so much beautiful fond on the pan. I would definitely enjoy this :D

Stacey Snacks said...

I never liked pork until I had a stuffed pork tenderloin.
Maybe we can get Steve to like that?

Lucy said...

Looking good!! Have you tried making as a "chicken pizziaola"?? It's wonderful!

Angelnina said...

Hi Michele, Just discovered your blog and I'm hooked! Great job :)
I am the grandchild of Sicilian immigrants, and I love the food!

Patti T. said...

Looks delish!

Bob said...

Awesome, I'll have Steve's pork chop! :D

angelninascottage.com said...

I wanted to add--These pork chops look like a dish Mark would love (in our family he is the pork chop lover), so I'm going to add this to my week's dinner menu.

Does Steve like pulled pork or pork roast?

Michele said...

Thank you everyone!

Spryte - I've made boneless pork chops and Steve claims they are too dry.

Jen - I add kalamata olives to everything!

Stacey - I tried it once but I am still willing to give that another shot.

Nina - Steve's had pulled pork and he's eaten it (very rare) but he doesn't love it. Give him prosciutto, pancetta or bacon and watch him gobble that up!

Culinary Alchemist said...

It looks absolutely delicious... If Steve ain't gonna eat it, I will gladly take it off his hands... :)

Danielle said...

aww, michele thats too bad that steve didn't like it. Well, we all know that it has nothing to do with the cooking of the dish. His taste buds are just "off" LOL. It looks wonderful!