I’ve been blogging for well over a year now and while I feel like I’m in a pretty good groove, there are definitely things I want to improve upon. One of my biggest challenges is striking a better balance with the recipes I post. I swear, we really do eat meals around here and not just sweets, but you’d never know it reading my blog. I am going to make a conscious effort to start planning our weekly meals to break out of the rut we’re in of constantly eating the same things over and over. Hopefully over the next few months we’ll try lots of new dishes and I’ll get to share them here!
First up, pork chops. They’re pretty much at the bottom of the list of meats I look to buy when I go grocery shopping. I feel like no matter how I cook them, they always end up dry and boring. However, Shane specifically requested them recently so I picked them up at the store and began looking for recipe ideas. Let me tell you – this one is a winner!! It comes courtesy of one of my favorite Food Network chefs, Giada. This is a perfect weeknight meal – it really only requires a can of diced tomatoes, an onion and a few spices. Turns out a couple of simple ingredients is all you need to make a delicious sauce! The red pepper flakes add a little heat to this fresh and flavorful sauce, which pairs perfectly with the pork chops.
By Tracey
Pork Chops alla Pizzaiola
from FoodNetwork.com (Giada De Laurentiis)
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 (1-inch thick) bone-in pork loin center-cut chops (about 12 ounces each) (I used boneless)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 small onion, thinly sliced
- 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes, in juice
- 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
- 1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes, or more to taste
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
Directions:
Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle the pork chops with salt and pepper. Add the pork chops to the skillet and cook until they are brown and an instant-read meat thermometer inserted horizontally into the pork registers 160 degrees F, about 3 minutes per side (mine took longer than 3 minutes per side). Transfer the pork chops to a plate and tent with foil to keep them warm.
Add the onion to the same skillet and saute over medium heat until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juices, herbes de Provence, and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes. Cover and simmer until the flavors blend and the juices thicken slightly, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Season the sauce, to taste, with salt and more red pepper flakes. Return the pork chops and any accumulated juices from the plate to the skillet and turn the pork chops to coat with the sauce.
Place 1 pork chop on each plate. Spoon the sauce over the pork chops. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve.
