Sunday, January 21, 2007

Braised pork chops

This is a delicious and easy meal that cooks up in one pan.

Ingredients:

7 or 8 center cut pork chops, bone-in
1 can of diced tomatoes
2 onions, sliced thin
1 green pepper, diced
1 cup beef broth
1 tsp. dried thyme
2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
4 Tablespoons of good quality olive oil
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Salt and pepper the chops.

In a large skillet that has a cover, add 2 Tbs of olive oil and lightly brown the pork chops in two batches. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add remaining olive oil and over medium heat, saute the onions, peppers, garlic and thyme until the onions are translucent. Add the tomatoes, vinegar, beef broth, salt and pepper and the pork chops. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to a simmer. This should simmer for at least 1 1/2 hours or until the chops are tender. You can certainly do this in the oven at 350 degrees... or try it in a pressure cooker for about 35 minutes with a slow release of pressure.

Delicious served with mashed potatoes, rice or noodles. I served it with broccoli rabe sauted in garlic and olive oil.