Pork Chops in Marinara Sauce
I like creating something new in my kitchen, but sometimes I figure out a tasty recipe that’s a cinch to make and I just get stuck in a habit of making it regularly. In other words, new excitement has been leading to regularity. I decided to make an old family favorite to reignite the spark in my kitchen.
I’m not a big pork fan. I love a good banh mi, and ribs here or there, but that’s where my interest stops. Growing up, however, we had pork most Sunday’s at family dinner. My grandmother would make her usual marinara sauce (something I can make with my eyes closed and both hands tied behind my back), but she would a sometimes add fatty, bone-in pork chops and let them simmer low and slow for a few hours, cooking in the sauce while the sauce absorbs the delicious porkiness to make the usual Sunday meal a little more special.
I figured I’d give this a shot. Besides, cooking sauce on the weekend is great, because you have it for pasta and pizza for the rest of the week.
3 TBSP olive oil
5 large cloves garlic, minced
1 large shallot, thinly sliced or 1/2 cup diced onion
1 very ripe peach, diced into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 cup wine, your favorite
1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
1 28oz can whole or diced peeled tomatoes
1 cup cherry tomatoes
8 large button mushrooms cut into 1/4’s or 1/8’s depending on your own bite preference
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 TBSP fresh chopped basil
1 TBSP parsley
1 TBSP kosher salt
1/2 TBSP black pepper
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp sage
1 TBSP tomato paste
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2.5-3 lbs center cut, bone-in loin chops
Juice of 1 lemon
Like most Italian recipes, this one starts with a shit ton of garlic. If you can’t get a shit ton, a butt ton will do. Or five large cloves. Which ever works. In 2 TBSP of the olive oil over medium heat, warm the minced garlic cloves, the shallot or onion, which ever you decide to use, and the peach. You want to sweat the garlic and onions a little, but don’t allow them to brown. After about 5 minutes add the wine (because of the pork I used a white wine I like, but anything that’s good will work), and stir. Add the tomatoes, both canned and cherry, mushrooms, chicken stock, and the spices. Sprinkle in the salt, stir, and incorporate the tomato paste. Once the paste is dissolved into the rest of the mixture, toss in the parm and mix well. Congratulations: you got yourself some marinara. Also, just as a side note, you can make this as thin (for pizza) or as chunky (for anything else) as you want. Add green bell peppers or chunks of fresh tomato to cook down and swap the crushed canned tomatoes for a second can of whole. If you want a smoother sauce omit the mushrooms and do a second can of crushed.
I like making entrees over baking because baking is exact. Dinner is whatever the hell you want it to be.
Bring the stock pot of tomato magic up to a bubbling simmer. Then turn the heat to low, so the sauce is still very hot, but barely bubbling, and add the pork chops. Cook these on low for about 2-2 1/2 hours. You can sear them before hand, but I chose not to, simply because I was too lazy to dirty another pan. The slower you cook the chops the more juice they will retain.
After about two hours, or when the chops reach an internal temperature of 160-165 remove them from the pot. Add the lemon juice to the tomato sauce. Stir and taste; add any additional salt or pepper. And viola!
I served mine with penne & salad. Classic Italian dinner.
The Nerdy Foodie 