Dinner Diary: 7/09/10 -- Seared & Simmered Kurobuta Pork Chops

• Sautéed Bordeaux Spinach with Garlic
• Roasted Asparagus
• Baked Sweet Potato
• Seared & Simmered Bone-In Kurobuta Pork Chops

So far this Dinner Diary exercise has been good for me. It's reminding me that I need to strive for variety and the new.

It's easy to cook pork chops for dinner, but how can I make them a little bit different, a little more exciting -- besides adding a cup of cream?

I'll get you that recipe some time in the fall.

I like to flip through Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything for new ideas. He does suggest that you will find out how to cook everything in his massive tome. I feel like every time I open it, I am challenging him.

It's fun!

A good pan sauce or frankly any kind of sauce can help jazz things up. And sauces are what have been on my mind of late.

I don't typically simmer pork chops, but this recipe produced very moist and juicy results, and leaves you with a rather nice pan sauce to dribble over.

This is what Bittman suggests (along with eight other ideas), and what I served last Friday night. Really simple, straightforward and satisfying. The super-high-quality Kurobuta pork chops from McCall's in Los Feliz guaranteed a fabulous dish.

Seared & Simmered Pork Chops

4 pork chops, about 1 inch thick

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 teaspoon minced garlic or 2 tablespoons minced shallot, onion, or scallion (I used garlic)

1/2 cup chicken, beef, or vegetable stock or water

1 tablespoon butter or more olive oil (I used butter)

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice or vinegar (I used lemon juice)

Chopped parsley for garnish

Sprinkle the chops with salt and pepper. Put a large skillet over medium-high heat for 2 or 3 minutes. Add the olive oil; as soon as the first wisps of smoke rise from the oil, add the chops and turn the heat to high. Brown the chops on both sides, approximately 4 minutes total.

Reduce the heat to medium. Add the wine and garlic and cook, turning the chops once or twice, until the wine is all but evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add the stock, turn the heat down to low, cover, and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, turning the chops once or twice, until they are tender but not dry. When done, they will be firm to the touch, their juices will run just slightly pink, and when you cut into them, the color will be rosy at first glance but quickly turn pale.

Transfer the chops to a platter. If the pan juices are very thin, cook, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan, until the liquid is reduced slightly. If they are scarce (unlikely), add another 1/2 cup of stock or water; cook, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan, until the liquid is reduced slightly. Then stir in the butter or a few drops of oil over medium heat; add the lemon juice, pour over the chops, garnish with parsley, and serve.