Old World Meets New World

I am always adding new cookbooks to my already very large and varied cookbook collection.  I just got a new one a couple of days ago.  And the new one is …. A Spanish cookbook called The New Spanish Cookbook, Bites, Feasts, and Drinks.  Hmmmmmm.  Imagine that.  I like Spanish foods.  Who would have figured that one out?  My first recipe out of my new treasure was “Chuleta de Puerco con Piperrade Picante” or pork chops with peppers.  It sounds so plain and boring in English.  It has a lot more pizzazz in Spanish.  The funny thing though, is I have been making a dish very similar to this for many years, not knowing it was originally a Spanish dish from Spain.  I just made it because I like it.

The pork dish is from Spain, which we all know as the old world.  The wine was a chardonnay from Chile, which is part of the new world.  They blended together very well and made for a perfect choice for dinner.  I also served the meal with my zucchini cheese bread over rice with corn.  Pork and Pumpkin Empanadas Larry decided we needed more vegetables and added … more corn.  I couldn’t eat the corn, which is also an import from the new world, so again, old meets new.  I was already to full.  My tummy was very happy and satisfied.

Piperrada sauce is a Spanish pepper sauce, originally from the Basque area of Spain,  that has gone beyond Spanish restaurants and is now found in many places all over the world.  Peppers, onions and garlic are the key ingredients to this sauce, and then anything goes from there.  Often a piperrada sauce is served over ham and with eggs, but as you can see, it’s not just for or juevos y jamon, or ham and eggs, any more.

Pork Chops With Peppers

1 each red, yellow and orange pepper, seeded and sliced thin

3 TBSP olive oil

salt & Pepper to taste

1 yellow onion, sliced thin or 1-2 large shallots, sliced thin

2 TBSP garlic

1 tsp each fresh oregano and thyme, chopped fine – although dried is fine too

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup pickled peppers, sliced thin, with the juice

1 TBSP capers, with some of their juice

butter

For the Pork Chops

4 thick cut pork chops

salt & pepper to taste

dried thyme and oregano

garlic

olive oil

 

Marinate the pork chops in all of the above ingredients for at least 30-60 minutes before cooking.  You can pay fry them or grill them.  I grilled them, which added a bit of a smoky flavor as well.

Combine the all the peppers and their juices, onions, and garlic and then saute in olive oil for about 7 minutes or until they are tender.

Once the vegetables are tender, add the wine and continue to cook for another 5 or so minutes, or until the liquid is reduced to about half.  Then add the capers and seasonings.

Add the fresh herbs at this  point and mix thoroughly into the sauce.  If you are using dried herbs, you can add them at any time.  Add the butter and swirl the skillet around so the butter is evenly distributed throughout the sauce.  Serve over the cooked pork and enjoy like the Spanish do, with a glass or two of a good wine.  !Desfruitas!