Pork Chops with Lemon-Caper Sauce

After reading the printed version, I received multiple emails from The New York Times about this dish. Sam Sifton was over the moon about this recipe and the book, Toni Tipton-Martin’s Jubilee: Recipes from Two Centuries of African-American Cooking. He described the book as “excellent and invaluable” and noted that this was his favorite recipe in it. I had to try it.

I agreed with Sam Sifton. 🙂 Lemon-caper sauce is incredible! This wonderful dish was prepared very quickly and was packed with flavor. Tipton-Martin learned the sauce technique that elevates these smothered pork chops from restaurateur B. Smith.

I added additional flour to the sauce to make it more of a gravy. We used fresh bread to mop up all of the remaining sauce on our plates. I served the pork chops with sautéed spinach and roasted red and sweet potatoes on the side.

This recipe was adapted from Jubilee: Recipes from Two Centuries of African-American Cooking, via The New York Times, contributed by Sam Sifton. I slightly modified the proportions.

Yield: Serves 4 to 5

• 4 bone-in pork chops (about 8 ounces each) (I used 5 boneless pork chops)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
• 2 T olive oil
• 4 T unsalted butter, divided
• 1 very small shallot, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
• 2 T all-purpose flour
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 2 T drained capers
• 2 T minced fresh parsley, plus more for garnish
• 1 tsp freshly grated lemon zest, plus 2 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
• hot sauce, optional

1. Dry the chops with paper towels, and season aggressively with salt, pepper and the thyme.
2. Swirl the olive oil into a large skillet, and heat over medium until the oil begins to shimmer.
3. Add chops, and cook until well browned on each side and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer chops to a plate, and cover to keep warm.
4. Drain most of the fat from the skillet, then melt 2 tablespoons of butter in it over medium heat until sizzling.
5. Add the shallot and garlic, and sauté until the aromatics soften, reducing the heat if necessary, about 1 minute.
6. Sprinkle in the flour, and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.
7. Whisk in the wine and chicken stock, raise heat to high and bring the liquid to a boil, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Reduce heat to medium-high and cook, uncovered, until the liquid is reduced by half, 7 to 10 minutes.
8. Stir in the capers, parsley, lemon zest and juice and hot sauce to taste (if you’re using it)(I omitted it), and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes.
9. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter until it’s melted and the sauce looks smooth.
10. Nestle the pork chops into the sauce, and allow them to warm up for a couple of minutes, then serve, pouring sauce over each pork chop to taste.
11. Garnish with more fresh parsley.

Pappardelle with Mashed Peas and Pecorino

When I received the May issue of Martha Stewart Living, I earmarked every pea recipe- they all sounded so delicious!! I picked this buttery, sweet, rich, and easy dish to try first. (We also can’t eat enough pappardelle in my house!) My son declared that it was “addictive.” 🙂 It was absolutely DELICIOUS. This recipe was adapted from Martha Stewart Living.

Yield: Serves 4 to 6

• 3 cups shelled green peas (from 3 pounds in pods), or 3 cups frozen peas, thawed
• coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large shallot, minced
• 1 pound pappardelle, tagliatelle, or fettuccine
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup finely grated Pecorino Romano

1. Blanch fresh peas in a large pot of salted boiling water until bright green and just tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a colander with a slotted spoon. (If using frozen peas, skip this step.)
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium. Add shallot and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3 minutes. Add peas and lightly mash with the back of a spoon. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Meanwhile, return pot of water to a boil and cook pasta until al dente, according to package instructions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water; drain. (I put a measuring cup in my colander so that I don’t forget to reserve the pasta water!)
4. Add pasta to skillet and cook, tossing to coat with pea mixture. Add butter and 1/2 cup pasta water; toss to evenly coat (adding more water if necessary). Top with cheese, season with pepper, and serve.

One Year Ago:

• Raw Baby Red Kale Salad with Chiles & Pecorino

Two Years Ago:

• Linguine with Asparagus Pesto
• Fresh Fettuccine with Peas, Garlic, & Ricotta Salata
• Fresh Whole Wheat-Egg Pasta Dough