Pork Chops Pizzaiola Recipe
In the style of the pizza maker, these chops have a tomato sauce laced with garlic and oregano. Red wine and red chili give this dish pop. This sauce works with 10-12 ounce sirloin steaks as well, the protein used in the original versions of this Italian-American fave, but chops really balance the sauce well, adding a sweetness to the protein. Using charred fresh tomato gives this dish an update and makes a heavy-ish sauce traditionally made with paste and canned crushed tomatoes, a brightness with a smoky finish.
Serve with charred bread and a simple salad.
Recipe featured on Rachael Ray's Meals in Minutes.
Ingredients
- 3 pints cherry tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 bone-in pork chops 1 ¼ inches thick
- Salt and pepper
- 1 medium onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons fresh oregano or 2 t dried
- 1 cup red wine or ½ cup red vermouth
- 1 tablespoons Calabrian chili paste or 1 ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Directions
Preheat the oven to 500F with a rack at center-oven or turn on the boiler. Line a baking sheet with foil and parchment for easy cleaning. Add tomatoes to sheet pan, place in hot oven and blister 5 minutes, turn and blister and brown 5 minutes more. Place tomatoes in a bowl and mash into coarse sauce.
Finely chop onion and thinly slice garlic.
Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Pat chops dry and season with salt and pepper, add oil to pan, 2 turns, cook chops about 3 minutes on each side and brown the bone, remove to platter at about 155 on instant read thermometer as chops will go back into sauce for a couple of minutes, reduce heat a bit and add 1 turn of oil more. Add onions and season with salt, soften bit, 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, add garlic and oregano and wine and simmer to reduce by half, add the chili paste or flakes and crushed blistered tomatoes, combine, add basil, slide chops back in and cover with sauce, warm through then serve with charred bread.
