Red Wine Fennel Roasted Pork Chops

Recommend pairing with this Italian Tuscany region red wine.  It really compliments the wonderful flavor of the fennel and wine infused pork chop.

Ingredients:

•  4 well marbled pork chops 5-6oz each
•  1 tsp kosher salt, plus more as needed
•  1 tsp cracked pepper
•  4 Tbsp olive oil
•  1 large fennel bulb (thinly sliced)
•  3 garlic cloves (minced)
•  2 Tbsp fresh parsley (minced)
•  Zest and juice of 1 orange
•  1/2 tsp fennel seeds

•  1 cup dry red wine 

Cooking instructions:

First, season both sides of your pork chops with the salt & pepper and set them aside.

Next, put 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat and sear the chops until they’re golden brown (this should take around 2 to 3 minutes per side). When you’re happy with the pork chops, remove them from the pan and set aside.

Pour the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil into the pan, once it’s hot, add your sliced fennel and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until it begins to wilt.

Next, add the garlic, parsley, orange zest, juice and fennel seeds. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the sliced fennel is tender and the mixture is fragrant.

Return the pork chops to your pan and add 3/4 cup wine, reducing the heat to low. Simmer everything, turning the chops from time to time to ensure even cooking and coating with the wine. Keep simmering until the wine has almost completely evaporated and the pork has reached 145F at its thickest part. Then, remove them from the pan and set them aside and cover.

Add the remaining 1/4 cup red wine to your pan, and let it cook down and reduce until it becomes syrupy.

Lastly, pour the wine-fennel mixture over the pork and serve immediately with your favorite sides.