Giada's Kitchen: New Italian Favorites (22 page)

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over high heat. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper and brown for about 4 minutes per side. Remove the pork from the pan, cover loosely with foil, and set aside.

Add the fennel, shallots, and ⅓ cup of the chopped parsley to the same skillet and cook over medium heat until the fennel is beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the wine. Using a wooden spoon, scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Stir in the tomatoes, then return the pork to the pan, nestling the chops among the fennel and tomatoes so they are mostly submerged in the pan juices. Cook until the fennel is tender and the pork is done, 12 to 15 minutes.

Transfer the pork to a serving dish. To finish the sauce, add the lemon zest, the remaining ⅓ cup of chopped parsley, the capers, and ¾ teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Spoon over the pork chops and serve immediately.

Pork is a very popular meat in Italy, but it is eaten more often in the form of sausage or cured. It wasn’t until I started to work as a private chef that I realized what a fixture pork chops are on American tables. This is my Italian take on an American classic, pork chops and applesauce; the onions cook down to a jam-like condiment.

4 to 6 servings

To make the onion marmellata,
place a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and the onions. Stir to combine and cook until starting to sizzle, about 2 minutes, then add the remaining marmellata ingredients. Reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and cook over low heat for 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes to scrape up any brown bits. The onions should have a soft, jam-like consistency and a deep mahogany color.

Once the marmellata is simmering, season the pork chops: Combine the rosemary, thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Using your fingers, work all the ingredients together until well combined. Rub the herb mixture over the pork chops. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 90 minutes.

About 20 minutes before the onions are finished, remove the pork chops from the refrigerator. Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. When hot, grill the pork chops to medium, about 7 minutes per side depending on their thickness or 9 to 10 minutes for well done. To serve, spoon the onion marmellata over the pork chops. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley. Serve immediately.

Few things are easier to make for a group than a roasted pork loin, but sometimes it can be a little bland. Gilding the sliced meat with a bit of mellow, garlicky sauce ensures your Sunday roast will have plenty of flavor and adds moistness as well.

6 to 8 servings

Preheat the oven to 475°F.

To make the roasted garlic,
cut the heads of garlic in half crosswise. Place the garlic halves on a sheet of foil, drizzle them with the olive oil, and sprinkle with salt. Fold the foil up and around the garlic halves, making sure they stay upright. Seal the foil into an airtight package. Roast until the garlic cloves are golden and soft, about 60 minutes. Keep the garlic in the foil and cool slightly.

Thirty minutes after the garlic has started roasting, place the pork loin in a medium, heavy roasting pan. Season on all sides with salt and pepper. Roast the pork along with the garlic until an instant-read thermometer registers 140 to 145°F, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove the roasting pan from the oven, tent the pork with foil, and let rest for 15 minutes.

To make the vinaigrette,
open the garlic packets and squeeze the roasted garlic cloves into a blender, squeezing the base of each garlic half. Add the parsley and balsamic vinegar and pulse until blended. Drizzle the oil into the blender while the machine is running. Add the sugar, salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons water and blend until incorporated.

Slice the pork into ¾-inch-thick slices and transfer to a serving platter. Drizzle some of the vinaigrette over the pork and pass the remaining vinaigrette alongside in a small dish.

I first had oil-poached fish in Napa Valley and loved the way this cooking method kept the fish so moist; you can’t really dry it out. You could prepare halibut or just about any other mild white fish this way. Be sure to use a mix of olive and vegetable oils to poach the fish; if you use 100 percent olive oil it will become too bitter. This is another really good-looking dish, with lots of pretty colors.

4 servings

To make the pesto,
bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the broccoli rabe and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer the cooked broccoli rabe to a large bowl of ice water and let cool, about 3 minutes. Shake off the excess water and transfer to a food processor. Add the garlic, walnuts, honey, salt, and pepper and process until very smooth. With the machine running, gradually pour in the extra-virgin olive oil. Transfer the pesto to a small bowl and stir in the Parmesan. Cover and set aside.

To poach the fish,
combine the olive oil and vegetable oil in a Dutch oven or large, deep saucepan big enough to hold the fish in a single layer. Using a deep-fry thermometer, heat the oil to 200°F over medium-low heat. Reduce the heat to low to sustain the 200°F temperature. Season the fish with salt and pepper. Gently place the fish in the oil, making sure it is submerged. Poach the fish until just cooked through, 6 to 7 minutes.

Place about ½ cup of broccoli rabe pesto on each serving plate and gently smooth it out to make a bed for the fish. Using a slotted fish spatula, gently transfer the cooked fish from the poaching oil to the serving plate, placing the fish on top of the bed of pesto. Serve immediately.

This is something like a chunky seafood stew, but it’s lighter thanks to a bigger dose of veggies and herbs. You can make this with any fish you like in place of the shrimp.

4 servings

Start by marinating the shrimp. Place the garlic, rosemary, extra-virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Add the shrimp and toss until the shrimp are well coated with the mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 1½ hours.