Smothered Mediterranean Pork Chops, Karen’s Salad, And Posting Philosophy Addendum

Our kids, Rhett and Beth, gave us some special Iberico Pork from Spain’s Campo Grande for last years Christmas and we are just eating the first of it. From the web: “Known as the "Wagyu of pork," Ibérico pork is a premium meat from black Iberian pigs native to the Iberian Peninsula."  Renowned for its rich marbling, buttery texture, and nutty flavor, it is sourced from humanely raised animals with a traditional diet of grass and acorns.” For this meal, I selected a four-bone rack of pork chops which I cut into individual chops.  I looked around and found several recipes but smothered meat and pork is always a favorite of ours so I used the recipe for Smothered Mediterranean Pork Chops from the “A Labour Of Life” blog.  

Smothered Mediterranean Pork Chops

Ingredients:

4 bone-in pork chops

Tiger seasoning and pepper, to taste

Sea salt and black pepper to taste

¼ c. extra virgin olive oil divided

2 T. fresh lemon juice

2 cloves fresh garlic minced

1 t. dried oregano

½ t. dried thyme

¼ c. halved pitted Kalamata olives

1 c. halved grape tomatoes

3 oz. Feta cheese crumbled

½ medium red onion thinly sliced

1 T. fresh parsley chopped

Instructions:

Remove the pork rack from the package, cut into four chops, and pat dry with paper towels. (I did this earlier in the day and let them hang out in the fridge but you can do everything at cooking time)

An hour before cooking, remove the chops from the fridge and season both sides of each chop with the Tiger and black pepper, as desired. Set aside.  (No Jaccard so we could test their tenderness)

Whisk together two tablespoons olive oil with the fresh lemon juice, garlic, oregano, and thyme in a large bowl. Add the Kalamata olives, tomatoes, and Feta cheese and toss to combine. Set aside.

When ready to cook, add one tablespoon olive oil to a large nonstick skillet set over medium heat.

Add the  onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens and starts to develop some color, approximately 4-5 minutes.

Add the remaining olive oil and the seasoned pork chops to the skillet cooking until the chops are golden brown on each side with an internal temperature of 125F.  Remove to a plate, cover, and keep warm.

The onions were getting too done so I removed them and when some chops were getting done early, I stacked them.

Pour the seasoned tomato and Feta mixture into the skillet, cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 2 minutes, or until the tomatoes and olives are warmed through and the Feta starts to melt.

Nestle the chops back in the pan, top with some sauce and cook to an internal temp of 138F.

Plate and top with the sauce.

Karen’s Salad

To go with the pork, I decided Karens recent post on her “Backroads Journal” blog for THE SALAD THAT CHANGED MY HUSBAND’S MIND was close enough to Mediterranean to use it.  Cindy made the salad and adapted it a little for our taste.

Karen’s Salad – adapted from Backroads Journal

Ingredients:

Big handful of home grown asparagus (the last for this year)

1 can (15 oz) chickpeas cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (Bev not a chickpea fan).

1 cup sweet corn kernels (fresh off the cob or thawed frozen corn)

1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise

1 large ripe avocado, diced

salad greens, a large handful (we used the romaine we had on hand)

3 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

For the Honey-Lemon Vinaigrette

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

zest of 1/2 lemon

1 teaspoon honey (or more to taste)

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions:

Blanch the Asparagus: Bring a small pot of salted water to a boil. Drop in the asparagus pieces and cook for 60 to 90 seconds until vibrant green but still crisp. Drain immediately and plunge into ice water to stop the cooking. Pat dry.

Whisk the Dressing: In a small bowl or jar, combine the olive oil, fresh lemon juice, honey, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper. You can add a little of the cheese, if you wish. Whisk vigorously until the dressing is completely smooth and emulsified.

Toss the Base: In a large salad bowl, combine the blanched asparagus, rinsed beans, sweet corn, halved tomatoes and greens.  Pour the honey-lemon vinaigrette over the top and toss thoroughly to coat.

The Final Touch: Right before serving, gently fold in the diced avocado and crumbled Gorgonzola cheese so they hold their shape and creamy texture. Serve immediately!

This is my plate.

The Verdict: 

We really enjoyed both dishes except by following the original recipe, I got the chops a little more done than I like them (Bev thought they were perfect) so I revised the recipe as shown above to reduced the chances of it happening again.

Posting Addendum

Bev has been after me for a while to eat more meals out and reduce the number of messes we have to clean up at home but so far I’ve still been wanting to cook.  When Cindy and her friend recently returned from a 10-day cruise from Vancouver, CAN to Seward, AK, we welcomed them home with a meal of grilled chicken, twice baked potato, and salad.  While the meal was good and Cindy did most of the clean-up (it’s hard on her back) we still had a pretty big mess and once again Bev said that we should eat out more and since my cooking urge has been waning, I finally agreed.  I told her I would prefer to eat breakfast at home most of the time then cook a couple of (hopefully special) suppers a week (we only eat two meals/day) and either go out or reheat leftovers the rest of the time.  So, you will likely see less posts on my blog for home cooked meals and more for restaurant visits.

Photos can be slightly enlarged by clicking on them and the blue words are links.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

Larry

6/12/25 event date