Pork Chops Braised in Fresh Tomato Sauce

I've had a day full of ranting and raving about nothing and everything--Why is Lana del Rey famous? Can't Pitchfork be peer reviewed? Why are women not allowed to breast feed on facebook? Why is Errol Morris so awesome?

That last thought comes as I watch the Thin Blue Line, which if you haven't seen yet I HIGHLY recommend. I also HIGHLY recommend these pork chops braised in fresh tomato sauce from this wonderful book pictured below:

I left cooking until late in the evening, after running around to the radio station and the pool, and though I left Julia's recipe open on the counter and my chops defrosted and ready to roll, I was HUNGRY. I had this bombbbb goat cheese from the USA (thank u carolyn, sorry u didn't get any...), but no crackers. NO CRACKERS. So I prepped the chops and then trolled around the kitchen looking in every possible crevice, knowing in my brain that their was nothing but believing with my stomach that I would make those crackers manifest.



Most of the time when I'm hungry I become both a two year old child and a zombie, shuffling and grunting from the fridge to the cabinet and growing increasingly angry when I rediscover my lack of options, and rediscover, and REDISCOVEGRRRRR!!

BUT! I had a stroke of genius, or rather a memory thanks to Boompah (my grandpa) who was one hell of a cook and ALWAYS had these amazing little homemade crackers in which he took some sliced bread, slathered it in butter and toasted them. Literally. The. Best.

So I took a note from Boompah and it was a class act, just like him! I used multi-grain bread instead of his standard rye (NYC blasphemy!) but with my maddeningly delicious goat cheese it was perfect.

Cotes de Porc Robert [Pork Chops Braised in Fresh Tomato Sauce]

via Mastering the Art of French Cooking

6 pork chops 

2-3 Tbs bacon fat 

A heavy fire-proof casserole

2 tbs butter

1 cup mined onions

1 tbs flour

1 lb ripe tomatoes (1 1/2 cups)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp sage or thyme

1 large garlic glove smashed

1 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup brown stock

1-2 Tbs tomato paste

Preheat oven to 325 deg.

First, ya gotta brown these puppies in the bacon fat over medium heat, about 2-3 minutes on each side, then remove the chops to a platter and drain the browning fat out of the pan. Add in the butter and then the onions...ah onions, they always make me cry. Mince 'em.

Let the minced onions cook over low heat for 10 minutes, then add 1 Tbs of flour and let it cook another 2 minutes. Add in the tomatoes and the seasoning, cover and cook for 5 minutes. 

Add in the white wine and broth and simmer for 10 minutes. Correct seasoning and then add the tomato paste to deepen the flavor of the sauce. 

                                                     

Put some salt and pepper on the chops and lay them in the casserole dish (as you can see I used a skillet instead) and baste with the sauce. Cover and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes. 

Take out of the oven, take out the chops and boil the sauce a bit longer to thicken and skim oil off the top. Cover the chops with sauce and some parsley if its handy!