So this recipe comes with a story. One of the first dinners I ate at my wifes house back when we were dating was pasta with meatballs and sausage
As I was eating, I came across chunks of soft meat in the sauce that were absolutely delicious
As it turns out my Mother in Law, or Grandma Mary, as she is affectionately known, would add left over meat like chicken or in this case pork chops to her sauce while it cooked for more flavor
Many years later while trying to think of something a little bit different for dinner I had an epiphany
Why not make the whole sauce with that delicious pork!
Thank you for the inspiration Grandma Mary!
You can make this sauce with boneless pork chops, pork stew meat or with bone in pork chops, which is what I chose to do here
An important note though, if using bone in you will have to dig through the sauce later on to remove the bones as the meat will fall right off of them
I’m starting off with 6 bone in pork chops seasoned with kosher salt and ground black pepper
Heat 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Sear your chops for 3-4 minutes per side
Once all the chops have been browned, remove them and set aside
Next we will start with some sauce basics
We will need 1 onion, 2 carrots, 1 celery stalk, 6 garlic cloves, 1/2 teaspoon each of kosher salt, ground black pepper, crushed red pepper and 2 bay leaves
You may be asking why carrots? Well, they act as a natural sweetener for the sauce and it also helps neutralize the acid in the tomatoes
Add the crushed red pepper flakes and bay leaves into the pot and cook for 2-3 minutes
This will toast them a little and release a lot more flavor and aroma
Chop the onions, celery and garlic
I like to use a peeler to shave the carrots down, then I give them a rough chop this way they pretty much just melt
Add your veggies to the pot and sprinkle them with some kosher salt and ground black pepper
Cook 5-6 minutes stirring occasionally
Next we will need 1 cup of dry red wine (like a Cabernet) and 6 ounces of tomato paste
Start deglazing the pan with the red wine
Bring it to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook 4-5 minutes while scraping up any browned bits off the bottom that were left by the chops
Next add in the tomato paste and stir to combine
Cook 1-2 minutes
Add in three 28 ounce cans of crushed tomatoes, 1 cup of water and 1 tablespoon of sugar and stir to combine
Add your pork back in, bring to a boil, reduce heat to a low simmer and cook for 2 hours or until the pork falls right of the bone
Make sure you pick all the bones out before serving
Serve this over 1 pound of your favorite pasta (cooked according to the directions for al dente), we used rotini
Top with some shredded parmesan cheese!
Enjoy!!!
Simply Sundays! ~ Pork Sauce
Ingredients
6 bone in pork chops
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt and ground black pepper
1 onion
2 carrots
1 stalk of celery
6 garlic cloves
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, ground black pepper and crushed red pepper
1 cup of dry red wine
6 ounce can of tomato paste
3 – 28 ounce cans of crushed tomatoes
1 cup of water
1 tablespoon of sugar
For serving
1 pound of pasta cooked al dente
shredded parmesan cheese
Directions
Season 6 bone in pork chops with kosher salt and ground black pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Sear your chops for 3-4 minutes per side. Once all the chops have been browned, remove them and set aside
Add the crushed red pepper flakes and bay leaves into the pot and cook for 2-3 minutes to release their aromatics
Chop the onions, celery and garlic. Shave the carrots down with a peeler, then I give them a rough chop this way they pretty much just melt down when cooking. Sprinkle the veggies with some kosher salt and ground black pepper. Cook 5-6 minutes stirring occasionally
Deglaze the pot with 1 cup of dry red wine. Bring it to a rapid simmer and cook 4-5 minutes while scraping up any browned bits off the bottom that were left by the chops
Next add in the tomato paste and stir to combine. Cook 1-2 minutes. Add in three 28 ounce cans of crushed tomatoes, 1 cup of water and 1 tablespoon of sugar and stir to combine. Add your pork back in, bring to a boil, reduce heat to a low simmer and cook for 2 hours or until the pork falls right of the bone. Make sure you pick all the bones out before serving
Serve with 1 pound of your favorite pasta cooked according to the packages directions for al dente
Tools used to make this recipe
Wilton Recipe Right 3 Piece Cookie Pan Set
Anchor Hocking 8 Cup Measuring Cup
© Simply Sundays 2016
All rights reserved
Love the cred to Grandma Mary 🙂