Pork Chops with Tomato Sauce

Pork chops - simmered in tomato sauce and served with pasta. It's a simple dish but giving it the time it deserves is what is essential. You must use bone-in pork chops for this dish. Please don't use boneless loin chops. Find the best bone-in pork chops you can - it will be worth it. There is so much more flavour when you leave the bone in cuts of meat, especially for long simmered dishes like this one. The chops I use are the T-Bone steak equivalent to pork - they contain a bit of the tenderloin on the chop. After they simmer for so long, they are fork tender and delicious.

4 thick pork chops, bone-in, such as center cut loin chops
sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground
3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
½ cup onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
½ cup white wine
1 (24 oz) can puréed San Marzano tomatoes
½ tsp. red hot chili pepper
1 tsp. dried oregano

To Serve:
freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C/140°C fan, Gas Mark 3).

Season the chops on both sides well with salt and pepper. Heat 1 Tbsp. of the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Brown the chops in two batches. You want a nice golden brown crust on both sides. Don't move them for a few minutes, to make sure you have a nice browning going on and then you can flip them.

Remove from the pot and lower heat. Do not wipe out pot. Add 2 Tbsp. of the olive oil and the onion and cook gently for about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Increase heat to medium high, add the white wine and cook for about 3 minutes, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pot.

Add the puréed tomatoes, chili pepper, oregano and a little salt and pepper. Place chops back in pot, making sure to coat the ones on top in the tomato sauce if they are not fully submerged. Don't worry if they are not totally covered by the tomato sauce because you will rotate them halfway through the cooking. Cover the pot and place in the oven and cook for about 1 hour.

Remove the pot and carefully remove the chops to rotate them - the top ones go on the bottom and the ones that were on the bottom can go on top. Place cover back on and cook for one more hour. Check for doneness. This will depend on how thick your chops are and what cut you used. They should be very tender. When I use extra thick chops, I will cook them for almost 3 hours. If they are not tender, you can cook for another 20 minutes and keep checking the tenderness. Check for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if you like.

To serve, I take a ladelful or two of the sauce and toss with the pasta in a serving bowl. The chops with the rest of the sauce goes in a different serving bowl. People can serve themselves and add as much sauce to their pasta as they like. Serve with lots of grated Parmesan cheese if desired.

Cook's Notes:

• This sauce can be served with up to about one pound of pasta.
• The cooking time for these pork chops will depend on the thickness of the chops you use. Adjust accordingly.