A Taste of Tuscany

Well...sort of... This recipe has a Tuscan flair but I am certain it wouldn't live up to an actual meal in Tuscany. While I have never been (this is on my bucket list), I do know that the food in Italy is wonderful. I went last year and made it to Florence which is basically "right there" but didn't get to the Tuscan countryside. The incredible thing about the food in Italy is that the dishes seem much simpler than the "Italian" dishes we make here but they are simply amazing there. A little olive oil here and there and voila, you have this superbly flavored meal. My mouth waters just thinking about their florentine steaks and cannellini beans. But for now, my kitchen will have to do.

This recipe looks and smells great and is also low calorie. It was pretty tasty, however next time, I would use thinner pork chops or at least pound them down some. I felt like the ones we used were too thick to really absorb all the flavor. But give it a try yourself and let me know how it turns out!

Tuscan Pork Chops
Source: Southern Living Cookbook

Ingredients:
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. pepper
4 boneless pork chops
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 to 4 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup chicken broth
3 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
2 Tbsp capers

Steps:

Combine first 3 ingredients in a shallow dish; dredge pork in flour mixture.

Cook pork in hot oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until golden brown (about 2-3 minutes each side at least.) Remove chops from the skillet.

Add garlic and saute 1 minute. Add vinegar and broth, stir to loosen particles from the bottom of the skillet; stir in tomatoes and capers. Return pork to skillet and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer at least 5 minutes or until pork is done.  Serve chops with sauce.

Makes 4 servings.