Pork Chops Alla Pizzaiola

Pork Chops all Pizzaiola is the perfect din for a weeknight. It may not be easy to pronounce, but is totally easy to make.

The dish requires few ingredients, and all are items that I usually have on hand.

Pizzaiola means "in pizza style." Usually, steak is the meat of choice, but we don't eat a lot of red meat up in here so this recipe works for us.

The recipe calls for bone-in pork chops, but I often use boneless. It works just fine with either.

If you don't have Herbes de Provence on hand, you could easily substitute Italian seasoning.

This is super nice to serve with rice and a big salad or sautéed spinach. It's also easy to double, which is what I usually do.

Pork Chops alla Pizzaiola
(4 servings)
From "Giada's Family Dinners" by Giada DeLaurentiis

3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
4-inch-thick bone-in center-cut pork loin chops (about 12 ounces each)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
2 tsp. Herbes de Provence
1/2 tsp. crushed dried red pepper flakes, or more to taste
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Heat 2 Tbsp. of the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle the pork chops with salt and pepper. Add 2 pork chops to the skillet and cook until they are browned and an instant read meat thermometer inserted horizontally into the chop registers 160 degrees Fahrenheit, 4 to 5 minutes per side.

Transfer the pork chops to a plate and tent with foil to keep them warm. Repeat with the remaining 2 pork chops, adding more oil to the pan as needed.

Add the onions to the same skillet and saute over medium heat until crisp-tender, about five minutes.

Add the tomatoes with their juices, herbes de Provence and 1/2 tsp. of red pepper flakes. Cover and simmer until the flavors blend and the juices thicken slightly, stirring occasionally, about 18 minutes. Season the sauce to taste with salt and more red pepper flakes if you like it spicier. Return the pork chops and any accumulated juices from the plate to the skillet and turn the pork chops to coat with the sauce. Heat until warmed through, a minute or so; do not overcook the chops.

Place one pork chop on each plate. Spoon the sauce over the pork chops. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Please note: The Jersey Girl used thick boneless pork chops instead of bone-in chops.

Stop and Make a Lovely Puffy Pancake

Ahhhh, a proper breakfast.

It's such a luxury to sit down to homemade pancakes or fluffy scrambled eggs when your kid(s) are school age and weekends are chockful of schlepping to this field or that practice. Honestly, I don't know how all y'all do it with more than one offspring in 10 activities every freaking day of the week. God bless.

These days, I do cherish an action-free Saturday when I can rock out an amazing breakfast spread. On Sundays, this momma works.  So, if a fancy schmancy brunch is happening here chances are it is a Saturday.

This Dutch Baby Pancake - aka the Gigantic Fluffy Pancake (that's what me and my little guy call it) - is a total win. The recipe is from "Cravings" by Chrissy Teigen. If you like to read cookbooks like novels (cover to cover), buy this book. It's hysterical. And most of the recipes I've made have rocked. (I wasn't a fan of the mushroom soup. It was the texture. Sorry, Chrissy.)

The Dutch Baby, though. Baby, this one is a keeper. You mix it all up in the blender. It's cooked in one pan. Popped in the oven. Meanwhile, you can down your coffee while it cooks up and you try to interact with people before noon. Eek. (My night owl habits will never die despite trying to act like a responsible bright-eyed and bushy-tailed momma. Deal with it.)

When you unveil the cooked Dutch Baby from the oven, it is a like a magnificent disformed thang of delicious beauty.

The visual and the smell are astounding. For reals. It will deflate slightly upon cooling.

You can serve this dish with a bunch of fruit. Whipped cream and syrup are fab too. We like it with powdered sugar and strawberries. Really, whatever floats your boat!

Here ya go:

Dutch Baby Pancake
From "Cravings"
By Chrissy Teigen
Serves 4

1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
4 large eggs
1 cup whole milk, at room temperature
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
4 Tbsp. (1/2 stick) butter melted, plus softened butter for serving
Pancake syrup
Powdered sugar, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a blender, combine the flour, eggs, milk, salt and 2 tablespoons of the melted butter and blend until smooth with no lumps, 20 to 30 seconds.

In a 10-inch cast-iron skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter over high heat until foamy. Add the batter and immediately put the skillet in the oven. Bake until the outside of the pancake is puffed and a deep golden color (it will puff up in a bit of a crazy, disorganized way, so don't worry), 17 to 18 minutes.

Remove from the oven, slather with the softened butter and cut into quarters.  Pour syrup over the pancake slices and dust with powdered sugar.

Pasta e Fagioli

This cold dreary March is proving we still need some comfort food. The perfect solution: Pasta e Fagioli.

For best results, let it simmer for a long time. Give it like 45 minutes. And most importantly, cook the pasta in a separate pot of water. That way, all the wonderful broth isn't soaked up by the spongelike qualities of teeny tiny pasta.

Pancetta is an Italian bacon. In my opinion, it's not as fatty and bacony as American bacon. You can purchase it at Italian grocery stores, but even my good ole' Shoprite carries it. I like to buy a pound of it sliced and store it in the freezer. I just take out a couple of slices when I need them for a dish.

Pasta e fagioli is fabulous topped with a drizzle of olive oil and a bit of parmigiano. Serve with bread and vino, of course!

Pasta e Fagioli
Makes 8 servings

1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 slices pancetta, chopped
1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, minced
1 tsp dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 onion, finely chopped
2 small carrots, finely chopped
1 celery rib, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
1 19 ounce can Cento cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes

1 inch piece of Parmigiano cheese rind (optional)
4 cups low-salt chicken broth
4 cups water
1 cup ditalini, tubetti or elbow pasta

In a large soup pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add pancetta. Stir frequently and cook until lightly browned. With a slotted spoon, remove pancetta to a small dish.

To the soup pot, add onion, carrots and celery. Stir to coat in oil. Add, rosemary, thyme, bay leaf and salt and pepper. Cook for 5-7 minutes. Add garlic. Cook for another minute or two.

Add cannellini beans, diced tomatoes, broth and water. Return pancetta to pot. Add parmigiano cheese rind, if using. Stir. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer. Cook partially covered for 45 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Fill a separate small pot with water. Bring to a boil and add salt. Cook pasta as directed on package instructions. Drain pasta.

Once soup has finished cooking after 45 minutes, add pasta.

Serve in bowls topped with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of grated parmigiano cheese.

Please note: You may need to add more water if you would like the soup more brothy.