Pork Chops Shepherd-Style

One of my favorite TV chefs is Lidia Bastianich. Her program is so much more than a cooking program in that she cooks from different regions of Italy and also takes you to the area. Often her daughter who is an art history professor appears on the program talking about that areas art and architecture. Her son, Joseph, also appears on the program from time to time and he owns wineries in Italy. His business partner is Mario Batali.

The recipe I am sharing today was one that came from Lidia's book, Lidia Cooks From The Heart of Italy. 

This particular recipe comes from the region of Calabria in Italy, a region in the most southern tip of the boot. It is surrounded by coastline and inland the terrain is very mountainous.

I love pork and this recipe uses nice thick pork chops. It was a very satisfying dinner and oh so delicious.

Pork Chops Shepherd-Style

serves 6

6 bone-in pork loin chops, about 1 inch thick, 6 to 8 ounces each

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2cup all-purpose flour, for dredging

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 medium onions, halved and thinly sliced (about 4 cups)

3 plump garlic cloves, sliced

6-ounce chunk provola or provolone, preferably imported from Italy

1 cup white wine

1/3 cup grated pecorino

Recommended Equipment: A heavy-bottomed ovenproof skillet or saute' pan, 12-inch diameter or wider.

Trim excess fat from the pork chops, leaving only a thin layer on the edges. Season both sides of the chops with 1 teaspoon of the salt. Spread the flour on a plate, and dredge the chops, lightly coating both sides.

Meanwhile, pour the olive oil in the skillet, and set it over medium heat. Shake excess flour from the chops, and lay them all in the skillet in one layer (depending on the size of your pan, you may have to snuggle them in). Gently brown the pork on the first side, about 4 minutes; turn the chops over and brown the second side, another 4 minutes. Remove the chops to a plate and keep warm.

Scatter the onions and garlic in the skillet, stir them around the pan, season with the remaining salt, and cover. Cook the onions slowly, stirring occasionally, and scraping the pan bottom to mix the crusty browned bits with the onion juices.

Meanwhile, if you'll be finishing the dish right away, set a rack in the middle of the oven and heat it to 400*. Slice the provola in 6 or more thick slices about the size of the pork chops.

After the onions have cooked for 15 minutes or so, and are quite tender and colored with the pan scrapings, uncover, and push them all to one side of the skillet. Lay the pork chops back in, one at a time, spooning a layer of soft onions on the top of each chop. When they're all in the pan, lay the provola slices over the onions.

Raise the heat, and when the meat is sizzling again, pour the wine into the skillet (in the spaces between the chops, not over them). Swirl the pan so the wine flows all through it, and bring to a boil. Sprinkle about a tablespoon of pecorino on each chop, then carefully move the skillet from the stove to the oven.

Bake the chops for 10 minutes or so, until the cheese toppings are bubbly and crusty. Carefully remove the skillet from the oven, and let the chops rest in it for a few minutes. To serve, lift out each chop with a spatula, keeping the cheese topping intact, set it on a dinner plate, and spoon some of the skillet juices and onions around it.

There are a lot of onions in this dish nestled in between the the pork chop and the cheese and I wasn't sure I would really like that but it was absolutely delicious. I will definitely prepare this recipe again.

I served this over a bed of fresh fettuccine simply pared with sliced tomatoes that had a drizzle of basil infused olive oil and  sprinkled with an Herbed Sea Salt. The wine sauce was amazing as well.

I served an Italian Chardonnay that I had also used in the dish. I think since Fall has arrived for most of the country, this would make an excellent Fall dinner.

I hope you will try this dish, it was simply delicious.