Pork Chop Italiano
This recipe was inspired by a combination of this recipe, from AllRecipes.com, and the ingredients lounging in my fridge (I must’ve been out of tomatoes!). My approach is kind of a cross between a pan-roasted pork chop and a stir-fry, with a tasty buttery broth.
Same same, but different.
I’m a huge fan of cooking things in the oven. I suspect it’s carryover from working in restaurants, but I like to have a hot oven ready to take whatever I throw in it. See, when cooking something in a pan, an enormous amount of direct heat is from only one side The other exposed side is getting small amounts of ambient heat, but... mostly, it’s just sitting around being warm. Getting food in a hot pan, then throwing that hot pan into the oven is a great way to get a nice seared color on one side, but additionally getting heat all around the food, from the top, bottom and all the sides. It’s faster and more even. Right up my alley!
(It should also be said that these are some of the reasons people love my food, but hate it when I cook in their homes... I get everything all smoky and greasy!)
Anywhooo... I load this all up in a hot pan (or two), then throw them in the oven to cook. Halfway through, I stir and flip the chops. Finally, I remove the pans, remove the chops and let them rest, while I hit the pan with some wine, a bit of chicken broth and finally... thicken it up with some nourishing butter.
FANTASTIC!
Same same, but different.
I’m a huge fan of cooking things in the oven. I suspect it’s carryover from working in restaurants, but I like to have a hot oven ready to take whatever I throw in it. See, when cooking something in a pan, an enormous amount of direct heat is from only one side The other exposed side is getting small amounts of ambient heat, but... mostly, it’s just sitting around being warm. Getting food in a hot pan, then throwing that hot pan into the oven is a great way to get a nice seared color on one side, but additionally getting heat all around the food, from the top, bottom and all the sides. It’s faster and more even. Right up my alley!
(It should also be said that these are some of the reasons people love my food, but hate it when I cook in their homes... I get everything all smoky and greasy!)
Anywhooo... I load this all up in a hot pan (or two), then throw them in the oven to cook. Halfway through, I stir and flip the chops. Finally, I remove the pans, remove the chops and let them rest, while I hit the pan with some wine, a bit of chicken broth and finally... thicken it up with some nourishing butter.
FANTASTIC!
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time15 mins
Total Time30 mins
Servings: 4 Servings
Calories: 1123.23kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh butter divided
- 1 small yellow bell pepper seeded and sliced thin
- 1 small red bell pepper seeded and sliced thin
- 1/2 lb cremini or button mushrooms quartered
- 4 whole artichoke hearts in oil cut into 8 wedges, each
- 1 small red onion thin sliced
- 2 each garlic cloves minced
- 4 8-oz thick cut pork chops
- 1/2 cup Italian white wine (like Pinot Grigio)
- 1 cup chicken stock or broth
- 1 tbsp fresh oregano chopped
- salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 F (232 C).
- Melt 2 tbsp (30 mL) of the butter.
- In a large bowl, combine the bell peppers, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, onion and garlic with some salt, pepper and the melted butter. Mix so that the vegetables are seasoned and coated with melted butter. Set aside.
- Season the pork chops with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- I would do this in two large oven-proof sauté pans. If you crowd a hot pan with too many ingredients, it will cool the pan down so much so that it won’t be able to fry or sear your ingredients. Rather, the ingredients will just sit and somewhat ooze, as the water is slowly pooled out... creating a kind of colorless mud. We’re trying to maintain the high heat of the pan, so we get a nice sear on our pork chop without any seapage from the ingredients. So, roll up your sleeves and brace yourself for a moderately smoky kitchen! Place two large oven proof sauté pans on the stove, over high heat.
- Once the two pans are hot, place a tbsp (15 mL) of butter in one of the pans and quickly swirl it around. A little browning is ok, but don’t let it burn. Quickly place two of the pork chops into the bottom of the buttered pan. Try and place the pork chops in one half of the pan. In the other half of the pan, place one half of the vegetable mixture. Quickly repeat this process in the second pan.
- Once both pans contain all the vegetables and pork chops, place both pans inside the oven and shut the oven door.
- After about 5 minutes, hopefully the pork chops have a nice golden sear. Quickly flip the pork chops and do a swift impromptu stirring of the veggies. Then, put the pans back in the oven for about 5 to 7 more minutes (until almost the desired doneness or an internal temperature of 140 F [61 C]).
- When the pork chops are 95% of the way done, remove them from the oven and turn the oven off.
- Place the pork chops on a plate in a warm spot, to rest.
- Put the two pans (still containing the veggies) back on the stove over low heat. Pour 1/4 cup (60 mL) of white wine into each pan, deglazing the pan and swirling around the vegetables. Once the wine has simmered and removed much of the fond (the bits stuck to the pan), combine the veggies into one pan.
- Add the cup of hot chicken broth and bring up to a quick simmer.
- Cut the remaining half cup (120 mL) of fresh butter into roughly 16 cubes.
- By now, a pool of yummy pork juices has likely accumulated under the pork chops. Pour this liquid into the pan with the vegetables and chicken broth. Add the fresh oregano.
- Turn off the heat (if the heat is too high, the butter will break, rather than stir in nicely). Add 2 cubes of fresh butter to the hot pan and swirl the pan around over the warm stove top. Keep it moving and keep the melting butter cubes moving, melting and swirling around the broth. When the two cubes are 75% melted, add 2 more fresh butter cubes and continue to swirl around, making sure to never stop and let the butter melt in one spot. When THOSE two new cubes are 75% melted, add 2 more cubes. Continue this process until all the butter is incorporated, the broth is thick, cloudy, smooth and a bit shiny.
- Place each pork chop into a large bowl or a deep plate. Spoon a quarter of the vegetable mixture over each chop, then evenly distribute the buttered broth over the veggies... and serve!
Nutrition
Serving: 4g | Calories: 1123.23kcal | Carbohydrates: 9.83g | Protein: 37.8275g | Fat: 99.275g | Fiber: 2.745g