Brined Pork Chops in a Marinara Sauce

 

 

Hello Everyone. I hope this new year has been good to you.  I know we are just two weeks in but I must say, so far so good. For the past few months I had been feeling adrift, just not satisfied with things. I almost could not put my finger on what was causing extreme discord in my life.  I just knew I was not happy and something needed to change. Have you ever experienced the feeling like you are just standing still and everything is just passing you? That was what I was experiencing so I made a couple of changes and I have also come to a decision. Why not blog again? I used to love blogging. It helped me come out of my shell and interact with the world, even if only in a digital manner. I have been super active on Instagram for the past year and shared photos of my creations but have not sat down and written a recipe nor have I been trying a lot of new ones. Like my life, my cooking hit a rut. Blogging and sharing with you has always brought me joy. So I decided to go back to basics and do it again.

I'm Back!!!

I am going to try and blog once a week maybe if I have time or if I am feeling extra creative, twice a week. I do not want to force it or make myself do it. If I did, I would suck all of the joy right back out of it. In my opinion blogging should be a relaxing and fun thing to do and an escape. I also plan on learning new things while blogging. I want to become a better editor and also revamp the blog. It will take a bit but hopefully not too long. I need to learn how to do these things first. I think the first thing will be photo editing. Please excuse these photos. They are definitely easier to retouch on your phone. Anyway, long enough ramble.

So let's get to it.

I wanted to share a recipe with you all and I hope you give it a try. The recipe is really easy and while it takes a bit of time, it is not difficult. It is definitely worth it. The pork chop came out juicy and succulent, the marinara sauce was an added bonus and the melted cheese took it to the next level. So good, so tasty. You need it in your life. Give it a try and do not be afraid to let me know what you think.

               Brined Pork Chops in a Marinara Sauce

 

Ingredients

 

Quick Brine

 

1. 1/4 c sea salt
2. 3 T sugar
3. 1 T Black Pepper
4. 1 T Thyme
5. 4 c water

 

Directions

 

• Mix the salt, sugar, black pepper, and thyme in 2 cups of water. Bring to the point of almost boiling and take off heat.
• Stir until everything is dissolved and add the other 2 cups of water.
• Let it cool to room temperature before adding the chops.
• Make sure the chops are submerged an in the shallow dish and cover with plastic wrap.
• Put in fridge at let it sit for at least an hour to an hour and a half.
• When done with the brine, rinse off the chops and pat them dry
• Season them with salt, pepper, garlic and thyme and set aside.

 

Pork Chops in Marinara Sauce

 

Ingredients

1. 2 Pork chops
2. 6 T olive oil
3. 3 garlic cloves
4. 1 small onion sliced
5. 1 c sliced mushrooms
6. 14 oz. can crushed tomatoes
7. 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
8. 1 tsp. basil
9. 2 T butter
10. 2 slices of pepper jack cheese
11. splash of white wine
12. salt and pepper to taste

 

* I dipped the pork chops in flour and breading to give it a crust.

I used 2/3 c of a/p flour with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. I used 1/2 tsp. of each seasoning mixed in the flour. I then dipped the chops into an egg bath and then followed it with bread crumbs.

 

Directions for Chops in Marinara Sauce

 

• Heat 3 T of olive oil in a pan. Add the breaded pork chops and cook on each side for 3minutes to give a golden crust.
• Add the other 3 T of olive oil and then add the onions and cook until they begin to soften.
• Add the mushrooms and sauté for a minute before adding the garlic. Sprinkle salt and pepper on the vegetables.
•  
• 
  Cook until garlic becomes fragrant and then add the splash of white wine to deglaze the pan.
• Scrape all of the flavor off the bottom of the pan and cook until the wine reduces.
• Add the butter, crushed tomatoes and the seasoning to the pan and simmer for 10 minutes with the lid on the pan.
• 
  Return the pork chops to the pan and top with sauce and vegetables. Cover with lid and cook for another 10 minutes or until the pork chops are done.
• Add the cheese to top of the pork chops and melt.
• Serve on mashed potatoes or pasta if you like.
• So good!! 

 

 



 

Again, please excuse the photos. I promise they will get better.

I hope you have a great week and until we meet again.