I’ve mentioned my fondness for “La Cucina Italiana” magazine before. The 83 year old magazine got its start in Italy in 1929. The US edition is a Johnny-come-lately by comparison. It launched here late in 2007. The magazine has an American editor named Michael Wilson who somehow makes every issue like a trip to Italy. And it maintains its Italian-ness by keeping the recipe titles in Italian and translating them in much smaller type below. Somehow that adds to the feeling that this is truly Italian cooking. Features about various regions of Italy make for a good read. Ingredient features like the current issue’s one on Italian Beer introduce you to the people behind the brews. And two more, one on beans, the other on strawberries, give you more than enough ways to put authentic recipes on your table. This “La Cucina” even takes you outside the kitchen door with “Start an Italian Garden”. But hands down, one of my favorite sections is called “In Cucina” (In the Kitchen). That’s where you’ll find “Cooking School” which gives you an in-depth understanding of cooking techniques. But it’s “Cooking by the Clock” that inevitably turns me on. Today’s post is no exception.
For years I’ve wondered why anyone would buy those thin, small, boneless pieces of pork called cutlets of even pork chops. Why would anyone choose those over a big 1 ½ to 2 inch pork chop as thick as a steak? So I stuck to the tried and true and bought two chops that were not as thick as my preferred ‘Pork Steak’. They were frenched and under an inch thick. Following the recipe, when I pounded them down to the correct thickness, 1/3 inch, the bones detached themselves from the pork so in essence I was working with the recipe recommended ‘cutlets’. Of course they were larger and each required every slice of prosciutto called for in the original recipe for 6 servings.
1/4 cup pine nuts
Finely chop together nuts, raisins and capers. In a bowl, stir together nut mixture, cheese and parsley.
In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons butter and garlic over medium-high heat. In 2 batches, cook cutlets 2 minutes per side, then transfer to a cutting board, laying cutlets flat.
Sprinkle nut mixture over cutlets, then wrap each cutlet with 1 slice prosciutto.
Meanwhile, toss greens with oil, vinegar and pinch salt. Serve pork with greens as garnish.
Nice, I try to make pork chops at least once a week- this is a nice change
Thanks Andy, I think this is really a keeper–wonderful flavor and the 'wrapping' seems to keep the pork tender. All best, Monte
Monte, I made this dish last night. It was delicious! And couldn’t have been easier. The funny thing was that when I pulled the cutlets out of the pan to transfer to the oven, I was thinking that the timing was too long and that they were going to be overdone. They were perfect.
It's always so nice when I get a comment like this one and I thank you for it. I try hard to make sure the cooking times are correct and so I hope you'll approach the next recipe with more confidence and about the cooking times. Again, thanks so much for commenting and I invite everyone to do so more often. Monte