Pork Chops Osso Buco

Dear Friend,
I'm glad you are going to spend a few minutes with me. I hope to make it worth your while. I promised you a recipe for our version of Pork Chops Osso Buco. By the way, "we" is my husband and I. He is a great cook. He is an adventurous cook and really enjoys his food. It makes cooking fun - and eating too. We hadn't cooked with Fennel often, but this recipe calls for Fennel and I think part of the gentle, slightly mysterious flavor is because of the fennel. I am including a link to the magazine - Cusine At Home which is where the original version of this recipe is. The version you see here is ours - quite different from the one in the magazine.
This recipe takes about 30 minutes to prepare and 1 hour to cook.
Much chopping can be done in advance.

I used a large, heavy deep pan (Dutch oven) to sear the pork chops in and then baked them in the oven in the same pan. Could use an oven proof skillet.

Season, dredge, and sear:
3 or 4 1 " thick, rib-end, bone-in pork chops
1/4 cup flour
3 T. olive oil
salt and pepper
When chops are browned on each side, remove them and use the same pan to do the following.

Saute the following in a little olive oil for about 5 minutes
1 cup onions, diced
1/2 cup fennel bulb, cored and diced
1/2 cup carrots, diced
1/2 cup celery, diced
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
4 anchovey fillets minced or 2 t. anchovey paste
2 strips orance peel
2 bay leaves
1/4 t. red pepper flakes
1/4 t. kosher or sea salt

Deglaze this with 1/3 cup dry white wine reducing the liquid by about half.

Stir in:
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes with juice
1 cup beef broth - we used a powdered broth mix - but a moist one, Tones
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 T. vinegar
Bring this to a simmer then

Put the pork chops back in, put cover on pan, and put the whole thing in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes and then turn the pork chops over and put back in the oven for 30 minutes more. Total cooking time in the oven is 1 hour.

We reduced the amount of fennel and anchovey paste (or anchovies) from the original recipe, and we didn't make the Gremolata. We simplified. Perhaps not a true Ossa Buco - but absolutely wonderful anyway. The original recipe is in this month's magazine on-line.

Next week I will include a 4 ingredient recipe for a decadent hot cheese dip and a few words and pictures from a trip my husband and I took to Tennesse, Pennsylvania and Kansas. We drove from here to those states, sampling bar-b-q several places along the way, and attended a huge antique car show and sale in Hershey Pennsylvania. It was October and the leaves were gorgeous. If you enjoy beautiful cars, you would enjoy the American Car Club of America (AACA) meet in Hershey Pennsylvania in October. . It takes place when the leaves are at their peak or close to it.
http://www.cusineathome.com

I'm grateful for all the photographs I've taken through the years. I can remember Colorado, Vermont, and California better than I would if I didn't have the pictures to look at. Writing this blog brings back fond memories.

Take care,

Maggiegladyoucame