When placed on a large shallow bowl, this dish looks quite decadent. It says, "Hello there, its winter. Linger over this food and then go curl up on the couch with a blanket in front of the fire. Bring that last bit of wine with you." Though it requires a little bit of attention, it's not all that difficult to make. Its hearty and warm and satisfying.
The most challenging piece, as in many dishes, is cooking the meat so its still nice and juicy and not too dry. This will take some trial and error depending on the thickness of the cut (or the accessibility of an excellent meat thermometer - ours is not so good), but even if you overshoot, the sauce is creamy and will make up for it.
**This recipe has been adapted from "Pork chops braised with garlic & white beans" in Wine & Food by Joshua Wesson.
Notes:
- Instead of mashing the beans with a fork, you can stick the beans straight in the blender. This makes for a creamier sauce and fewer bean casings in the sauce which affect the texture of the dish.
- This recipe is great with a side of mashed potatoes, or better yet on a bed of mashed potatoes to soak up some of the extra sauce.
Braised Pork Chops
Ingredients
- 4 center cut pork chops, about 1 inch thick
- salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoon olive oil, plus more if needed
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 6 carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 head garlic, peeled, with bottoms cut off
- 4 fresh sage leaves
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 cans white beans, drained and rinsed
- red pepper flakes, to taste
Instructions
- Season the pork chops with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Place in a dutch oven and sear both sides on medium high heat with a couple tablespoons of olive oil, about 3 minutes on each side. Remove and place on a separate plate.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- On the stove, lower the heat to medium low and add the onion, carrots, garlic, and a pinch of red pepper flakes (or more to taste) for 4 -5 minutes, adding additional olive oil if needed. Stir well, scraping off any brown bits at the bottom.
- Add the sage leaves and the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Remove from heat.
- Add the pork chops back to the dutch oven, cover, and place in the oven for 10 minutes.
- While it's in the oven, open the first can of white beans, drain, rinse, and set aside. Open the second can of white beans, drain, rinse, and place in a bowl. Mash up the beans in the bowl with the back of the fork until it becomes a paste.
- Take the pot out of the oven, add the whole and mashed beans and return to the oven without the top. Cook for an additional 10-15 minutes.
- Serve the pork chops in large shallow bowls covered in extra sauce.
