Braised Pork Chops and Roasted Cauliflower with Gremolata Bread Crumbs

Mmmm crunchy gremolata bread crumbs...

Marshal Mike hates cauliflower - he even asked the produce girl at the supermarket to hide it from me. She just laughed awkwardly and continued stocking the produce. Score 1 for me!

I knew I had to try this recipe for roasted cauliflower, which says that it will convert the non-believers. While MM will certainly not go out in search of cauliflower, he did manage to eat about half of the amount I put on his plate. I would have roasted it even longer, but the pork was done and I didn't want it to get cold. I halved the recipe, but absentmindedly zested a whole lemon, so the resulting gremolata bread crumbs were a little overwhelmingly lemon, but they still tasted fantastic.

The pork recipe is from the Williams-Sonoma Essentials of Italian Cooking cookbook and is pretty good. The orange juice was certainly unexpected, but it worked (I halved this recipe, too).

Braised Pork Chops
Makes 6 servings

4 pork loin chops, each about 1 inch thick
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup dry Marsala wine
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
Grated zest of 1 orange (I couldn't find any acceptable oranges so I omitted this)

1. Pat the pork chops dry with paper towels (I also trim off a little of the excess fat). Sprinkle the chops with salt and pepper. In a large frying pan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the chops and cook, turning once, until browned on both sides, about 10 minutes total. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to cook until the chops are tender but still pale pink and juicy when cut into the center with a knife, about 15 minutes. (Mine were practically done after the first 10 minutes, so watch them carefully.) Transfer to a plate and tent with foil.

2. Add the Marsala to the pan and raise the heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring, until the wine is reduced and slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Add the orange juice and bring to a simmer. Return the chops to the pan and sprinkle with the orange zest. Cook, basting the chops with the pan juices, for 2 minutes.

3. Transfer the chops to a warmed platter or warmed plates, spoon the sauce over the top, and serve.