Monday, September 06, 2010

Marsala Pork Chops

Before sampling Williams-Sonoma's chapter on Sicilian cuisine, let me thank Buddy at Buddy's Cooking Adventures for following my blog!

There were many wonderful recipes in the Sicily chapter but the pork chops braised in Marsala had me at first glance. Marsala (I just read) is traditionally from western Sicily and generally thought of as a dessert wine. I find it more palatable for cooking opposed to drinking it straight out...way to sweet for my taste buds.



But the heavenly aroma of that Marsala hitting a sizzling pan of butter and mushrooms (pinching fingers together, raising them to the sky) delizioso!

I crossed regions and served a vegetable dish from Tuscany with the chops.....couldn't resist the fresh zucchini at the market.



Such natural and simple ingredients.........Olive oil, garlic and rosemary



Paired with fresh zucchini made a great side...no need to give you the recipe particulars...just chop and saute, measurements to your liking.



Here's the recipe for the Marsala chops.........on to Tuscany next! I hope you'll join me :-)


Braised Pork Chops

Ingredients needed..........

4 pork loin chops, 1 inch thick
Sea salt and ground pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup Marsala wine
½ cup orange juice

This is ever so easy…..sprinkle chops with salt and pepper. Warm the olive oil then add the chops…brown them on both sides, roughly 10 minutes per side, depending on your stove top. (My stove is awful. It doesn’t understand Low as a setting. Pathetic.)

Anyway, when they are just done, a bit pink inside when you slice in, put them aside and cover to keep warm.



Add Marsala to the pan and stir, cooking until it’s reduced. I didn’t read the directions all the way through as I was meant to do…and added the orange juice with the Marsala right away. It took longer to thicken since I’d done that but I can not say that the end result was any different.



Now you can put your chops on a plate and pour the glazed Marsala sauce over them. A sweetish blanket, coating each piece of pork. Oh my.



Kobe looks like he is perusing a menu!



See you in Tuscany later on.........
Ciao!


26 comments:

  1. Looks absolutely scrumptious Tina and I am more than ready for Tuscany!

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  2. I am cooking very often with Marsala wine. I love its flavor and meal tastes like heaven. i like your version very much.

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  3. love to cook with Marsala too, chicken esp ... like the orange in this recipe

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  4. Marsala is seriously one of my favorite dishes. It hits all of those comfort food notes. I've never done it with pork chops but this looks delicious.

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  5. Tina Marie - I love pork chops, and braising them in Marsala and orange juice sounds wonderful.

    Thanks also for checking up on me. Yes we have had a huge earthquake here. It has been a very scary time, but thankfully we are all safe and unhurt. I've just published a new post with some more information and a few photos you might be interested in http://bit.ly/c3gP2S

    Thanks again
    Sue

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  6. This is a beautiful dish. Good wine, great dish like this one, I would be set.

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  7. Love everything about this post; wonderful the way you explained it all with your photos. Marsala makes everything better.
    Rita

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  8. Ok Brenda, grab your passport!

    Katerina - Thanks, grab a plate and wine glass....there is more than enough :)

    Drick - the orange did add something that I liked very much. Nice change.

    Joanne - Since I posted this, I made it again but with tons of mushrooms!

    Sue - thank you, we do love the marsala for cooking. thank you for posting new photos. We were concerned for you and am happy you did not sustain any damage to your home :)

    Velva - I love to browse through these cookbooks and try new recipes, or variations on old ones. Thanks for the nice comment!

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  9. Rita - Thank you, I take lots of photos and hope I don't add too many. And you are v welcome :-)

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  10. My mouth is watering-I love pork chops and will definitely give this recipe a try.

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  11. Thanks Janie! I can't wait to try your zucchini dish.

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  12. I can imagine the sweetness that the marsala must add to the pork ... mmmm!!

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  13. Just coming back to say thank you for submitting this to Cookbook Sundays Tina. It still looks delicious! :o)

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