Keeping it simple this week with a flavorful Mediterranean pork chops dish! This quick and delicious meal will take you less than 30 minutes, and all the ingredients can be found at your local grocery store too. How easy is that? Keep reading and you'll be racing to the shops pretty soon 😉
sponsored by De iuliis Wines, Hunter Valley
Ingredients Needed
Everything to make this delicious Mediterranean pork chops dish can be found at your local store so there really is no excuse to not whip this up!
- pork chops - boneless work best so you can flatten them and get them cooked quickly too
- olives - black, kalamata olives are my fave for this dish
- tomatoes - semi-sundried work best in my opinion for their beautifully concentrated flavour
- red onion - just a few tbsp of finely diced to add a little sharpness to the salsa
- garlic - is 1 clove ever enough? Crushed is the way forward here
- parsley - chopped flat-leaf, helps add a little freshness and colour to the dish
- lemon juice - adds some bright acidity
Oh, and don't forget a bottle of wine to enjoy when cooking and eating the meal. Check out my suggestion below!
Sundried Tomato Salsa
This delicious and simple Mediterranean salsa is a great one to have up your sleeve, or in your pocket if you prefer 😉
It's quick to make, easy to find ingredients and works superbly with any cut of pork, chicken, vegetables or even a more meaty fish like tuna!
Slice up the ingredients, toss to combine and in a matter of minutes, you are whisked away to the Mediterranean!
Preparing The Pork
Also, just like the delicious salsa above, the pork is super simple to prepare and make. Heck, I reckon even Mrs AnotherFoodBlogger could whip this one up! Mediterranean pork chops here we go......
Start by rolling up your sleeves and exhaling! We are about to take some anger issues out on our pork and it's gonna feel GREAT!
Place the pork on a chopping board that's lined with clingfilm and place another layer of clingfilm on top. Now, find your weapon of choice - mallet, rolling pin, frying pan or maybe even your fists. Give the pork a good bash and flatten her out until she is somewhere around .5-1cm thick.
Season generously, sear/cook in a hot pan and allow the pork to rest for a couple minutes before serving
Simple!
Wine Pairing
If you have been following my site and/or my insta you will notice I am partial to a glass (read bottle) or two of wine with dinner! Here is my suggestion for this delicious Mediterranean pork chops dish!
De iuliis wines - yep, you and I have both stumbled and stuttered over reading that out loud. What I can say though is you won't struggle to enjoy a glass of their delicious 2022 Special release pinot noir.
Firstly, you may be wondering why it's called a 'special release'. This term is given to one-off wines that are made and exclusive at the cellar door and to wine club members. It gives the team at the winery something fun to play around with for us to enjoy.
I paired this wine with my Mediterranean pork chops recipe and I couldn't have been happier tucking into this the other night! It is a light-bodied, fruit-forward pinot that is drinking great for something so young but will defo go a few years in the cellar. Think cherries, raspberries, a little stewed fruit and some forest floor notes too. This was a match made in heaven - if I do say so myself!
Ingredients
- 4 pork chops
- salt
- oil
Salsa
- 1 clove garlic
- 300 g sundried tomatoes
- 10 black olives
- 1 tbsp capers
- 2 tbsp chopped red onion
- 3 tbsp oil from sundried tomato jar
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Essential Tools
- Chef Knives
- Chopping board
- Clingfilm
- Mallet/weight/saucepan
- tongs
- frying pan
- mixing bowl
Instructions
Salsa
- Chop the sundried tomatoes & olives. Prepare the remaining ingredients as described in the recipe card
- Add all the ingredients to a bowl and toss to combine
Pork
- Line your chopping board with cling film and place a pork chop on top with another layer of cling film on top
- Using a heavy weight, rolling pin, saucepan or your fists smash the pork until it’s about 1cm thick
- Season generously and sear in a hot cast iron pan for approx. 2mins per side
- Allow to rest for 2-3mins before serving
- Serve with some mashed potatoes or salad of your choice
Notes
Tips/Tricks
- the salsa can be prepared in advance and so can the smashing of the pork so it’s a great dish to serve quickly at a dinner party
- always rest your meat before serving
- not a pork fan? Try serving this with a pounded chicken breast instead
- to get a good sear make sure your pan is good and hot before adding your meat – otherwise, it’ll just steam it and you won’t get that nice crust/sear
we don't eat pork but i like the flavours you have used here. i guess i could use chicken instead 🙂
100% you could use chicken - give it a go and let me know how you get on!