Servings: 2 Prep: 10 mins Cook: 10 mins Total: 20 mins
It’s always interesting to me the way ideas come about and clash into other ideas. This idea came about as a way to use a breaded pork cutlet as a base for a pizza. Ultimately, the plan was to suggest a variety of toppings, from pepperoni, to Hawaiian, to a Meat Lovers’ Supreme. I considered listing a vegetarian topping, then realized how silly that would be and considered dusting it with bacon bits.
To illustrate the point, I decided to go simple and bare bones, using just a small amount of fresh mozzarella on the top. I didn’t want to overload it, opting instead to leave the creativity to you.
Then, however, when I pulled it out of the oven, I looked at it and … instantly I realized that I’d just made Chicken Parmesan, but … with Pork. I didn’t mean to, but when I was done, it was undeniable. I needed me some Squaghetti! Having none lying around, I decided to go back to the pizza idea and pretend that was my plan, all along.
I dug up my big pizza peel, put the pork on it and took some photos.
Pork Pizza Parmesan Margarita! Just like they make back in Italy!
Pork Pizza Parmesan Margherita
Print RateIngredients
- 12 oz boneless pork loin
- 2/3 cup pork rinds (fried skin)
- 1/3 cup almond flour
- 2/3 cup grated or shaved parmesan cheese divided
- 1 tbsp fresh oregano chopped
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 lb fresh mozzarella sliced
- 1/4 cup no sugar added pizza sauce
- 8 leaves fresh basil washed and hand torn or sliced
- salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 F (232 C).
- Place two large nonstick oven-proof sauté pans on the stove over medium heat. Allow them to preheat.
- Pulverize the pork rinds in a food processor, to make a crumb or powder.
- Add half of the cheese (1/3rd cup [80 mL]) and almond flour to the pork rinds. Process in the processor long enough to have a nice breading. Don’t go too long, or else it’ll start to clump. Pour the mixture into something like a pie pan or a large wide plate.
- Chop the oregano and add to the breading mixture, with a little salt and pepper. Stir in to combine. Set aside.
- Place each pork slice between two sheets of plastic wrap. With a mallet, the bottom of a pot, the back of a knife, or your kid’s soccer cleats, pound the pork into thin wide sheets of pork. The pork should have a diameter of about 7 to 8 inches (18 cm).
- Remove the top sheet of plastic and season the pork with a little salt and pepper. Dredge the pork in the breading to get a nice coating. Let it sit in there for a minute. The salt will pull some of the moisture from the pork and soak into the breading, acting a bit like glue.
- While the pork sits in the breading, put 2 tbsp (30 mL) of olive oil in the base of each pan. Swirl it around.
- Quickly and gently move the pork from the breading pan to the sauté pans. Lay the pork in the pan down and away from yourself, in case there is any hot fat splashes, it splashes AWAY from you. Let the pork cook and get a nice brown crust on one side.
- Once the bottoms are golden, it’s good to flip the pork over, to cook the other side.
- Immediately spread 2 tbsp (30 mL) of pizza sauce over the top of each cutlet. Then, sprinkle the remaining parmesan, followed by placing your fresh mozzarella slices on the pork.
- Place each pan in the oven to cook for about 90 seconds. Really, we just want enough heat to warm and soften the mozzarella. Too much heat will cause it to release all of its water and you’ll just have a big tasty mess. After 1 to 2 minutes, the pork will be cooked and the cheese softened and warmed.
- Remove from the oven and top with a few hand torn fresh basil leaves. Enjoy!
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* Learn More: More about this recipe and nutrition …