Photo by Annaliese Bischoff
Provenance of Dish
With a debt to Marcella Hazan’s Pork Chop with Tomatoes, Cream and Porcini Mushrooms, my recipe reduces the meat, increases the diversity of mushrooms, and maintains the richness of the sauce....with some healthy changes.
Recipe
Ingredients
Two pork chops, center loin, bone-in (@1 lb.)
Kosher salt, to taste
Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
Olive oil for cooking
1 cup dry white wine, divided
¾ cup crushed stewed tomatoes
¼ cup light cream (original recipe calls for heavy whipping cream and twice as much)
1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, reconstituted in water and minced, and 1/2 cup of their reserved liquid
10 ounces of oyster mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
10 ounces of cremini mushrooms, cleaned and thinly sliced (with just a bit of the bottom stems snipped off)
A bed of wilted spinach and cooked couscous, farro or rice for plating
Instructions
• Pat the pork chops dry with paper towels and season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
• In a large skillet, coat the bottom with oil and heat to medium high. Then add the pork chops. Cook until brown on one side and turn over to brown the other side. Add half the wine to the pan to deglaze it. Add the tomatoes, cream, and porcini mushrooms. Simmer gently for 30-45 minutes until the meat is tender.
• In another large skillet heat, coat the bottom with oil and heat to medium high. Then add the sliced oyster and cremini mushrooms with a pinch of salt and pepper. After the mushrooms have released their liquid, pour the reserved porcini liquid through a strainer into the pan. Stir and cook until there is no liquid left in the pan. Take off heat.
• Add the cooked oyster and cremini mushrooms to the porcini and chops on medium heat. Add the remaining wine and cook until that reduces by about half.
• Serve on a bed of wilted spinach and rice, farro, or couscous.