Drunken Pork Chops And Beetroot Marinated In Olive Oil

When I was a child, I remember nonna often saying: ‘eat if you want to grow’.
But I ate very little. And I didn’t grow very tall.

As I have written in other posts, I did not realize how fortunate I was to be nourished with love and knowledge and refused foods that I have now rediscovered and eat with pleasure.

Among these was Zuppa Imperiale, passatelli in brodo, unbelievable, even tiramisù.
But there was one dish that I disliked more than any other: the steak.
I remember having to chew each bite again and again, endlessly prolonging the torment.
I haven’t had children to spare the punishment of a tough steak, but I’m sure I would have. Still today, I rarely cook the classic steak and, when I do, I try to enhance the dish.

Drunken pork chops are the right idea to introduce into the weekly menu: cheap, quick and tasty. I suggest to serve them with a fresh side dish of boiled beetroot marinated in olive oil with the scent of lemon.

Drunken pork chops (or Braciole ubriache).

Nonna was an excellent cook, but when she made steak, she didn’t have the touch to make it tasty. I didn’t get a chance to ask her why, but over time, I became convinced that probably she didn’t like cooking it.

It only takes a few tricks to make steak or braciola cooked in the pan tasty.
A light flouring or a citrus marinade are two quick ways to elevate an otherwise anonymous dish. Or turn the steak into a perfect pocket (portafoglio) to fill with whatever you like: cheese, cooked ham, mushrooms. A filling that changes with the seasons and tastes.

In this recipe, drunken pork braciole (chops), a glass of white wine and a few laurel leaves are all you need to cook.

I have chosen fragrant white wine but, if you prefer, use red wine.
The dried or fresh laurel leaves can be replaced with the scent of two cloves of garlic, put in and removed, or chopped rosemary or parsley.

Don’t forget to season the meat with mustard before cooking.

Marinated beetroot.

After boiling a couple of beetroots, cut them into cubes and put the vegetables in a bowl with salt, olive oil, the juice of one lemon and grated zest.
Stir and cover with oil and vegetable stock.

You can marinate for an hour or overnight (in the fridge and covered), depending on how much time you have available. If you are in a hurry, marinate the beetroot before cooking the braciole.

Without further delay, here is the recipe.
Buona cucina, Monica

Food Tips.

If the chop is thick, just beat it to make it thinner.

You can also cook it in the oven, just flour the chops to make them softer.

You can shorten the preparation time using pre-cooked beetroot.

Drunken Pork Chops And Beetroot Marinated In Olive Oil

serves 2
Ingredients

pork chops with the bone, 2
laurel leaves, fresh or dried, 2 or 3
white wine, 1 glass
vegetable or meat stock, 1/2 l
cooked beetroots, about 250 g
juice and zest of 1 organic lemon
olive oil and salt to taste
mustard powder to taste

Directions

Beetroot

If they are not already cooked and cut into cubes, proceed with cooking – in boiling salted water – and cutting, then rinse under running water and place in a bowl.

Season with olive oil, salt, lemon juice, add a little grated zest and mix.

Then add plenty of oil and half of the stock to cover the beetroot.
Cover and leave for as long as the steak is cooked.
Better still for an hour or overnight (in the fridge and covering the container).

Drunken Pork Chops

Massage the chops with mustard powder and fine salt (without exaggerating, especially salt), on both sides and leave to rest for a few minutes.

If you don’t have mustard powder you can omit it or massage it with mustard cream.

Grease the bottom of the pan with olive oil, place chops in it and pour in the wine.

Cook uncovered over a high heat for 5 minutes, then add a few ladles of stock, cover and cook on lower heat for about 15 minutes.

After this time, remove the lid and reduce the sauce.
If you see that there is still too much sauce, remove the braciole from the pan, allow the sauce to reduce a little and then put again the meat in the pan and finish cooking on a high heat for a few minutes.

Serve the pork chops hot with the marinated beetroots (drain the vegetables from the marinade without discarding the liquid and use it for other preparations, such as dressing a salad or making a risotto).

For Meat Lovers:

Roast-beef al limone, l’arrosto che non mi piaceva

Carré di maiale glassato e le cose che amo fare