I mentioned a while ago that the Rockstar and I have gone Full Meat, now that we've found a local source of poultry, pork and beef that's grass-fed, raised and prepared in a safe and ethical manner.
Since then, one of our favorite dinners in the world are these absolutely sublime pork chops, which marinate dressed with our favorite herbs in a puddle of olive oil, and are then grilled (or pan-fried) to crispy, succulent perfection. They were great over the summer, but you could easily harmonize the rosemary, sage and fennel seeds in the herb mix with any number of fall or winter side dishes: think roasted potatoes, kale, baked yams, butternut squash soup or ravioli, or even some Thanksgiving stuffing.
(These are actually wild boar chops - we got curious at the butcher.
I much prefer the pork for this particular recipe.)
This recipe comes from a tiny jewel of a cookbook that I bought over 10 years ago: The Best of the Mediterranean, with recipes by Sandra Gluck. Every recipe I've tried has been amazing (we regularly make our hommos, Soup Au Pistou, and baba ghannouj according to this book's instructions), and the photography to accompany each page will make your mouth water. Apparently there was a series of these published by Collins Publishers (the best of China, France, India, Thailand, etc.) I wish I'd bought the whole series.
Please, promise me -- make these pork chops at least once this fall. You'll love them -- I promise.
Maiale Ai Ferri (grilled marinated porkchops)
Serves 4, or two hungry people
Four 6-oz pork loin chops (on the bone), about 3/4-inch thick
1.5 tsps dried sage, crumbled
1.5 tsps dried rosemary, crumbled
1.5 tsps coarse salt
1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
1/2 tsp sugar
1 bay leaf, crumbled (I use 2 leaves)
1/3 cup olive oil
**These are best if prepared in the morning, or the night before, so they have time to marinate. However, I"ve made them several times with only 20 minutes to marinate, and they are still delicious.
1. In a small bowl, combine the sage, rosemary, salt, fennel, sugar and bay leaf. Mix well. (I use a pestle to really grind up the fennel seeds and rosemary first.)
2. Rub the her mixture into both sides of each chop, and place the chops in a shallow pan or baking dish large enough to hold them in a single layer.
3. Pour the olive oil over the chops. Cover and refrigerate for several hours, or overnight.
4. Preheat the broiler, with the pan 4 inches from the heat. Broil the chops 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until browned and crisp. (I fry the chops in a large pan, draining off the excess oil before putting the meat in the pan. The same cooking time applies, but be sure to increase the cooking time if your chops are very thick.)

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