Pork Chops with Fennel, Pepper and Onions

& Charred Bread with Tomato

Featured Cocktail: Frozen G&T

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

4 bone in pork chops about 1-1 ¼ inch thick

Salt and pepper

2 t fennel seed or 1 t each fennel seed and pollen

3 T olive oil

1 bulb fennel, quarter, core on angle and thinly slice

1 red pepper and 2 cubanelle peppers or 1 green bell, seed thinly slice

1 large or 2 medium red or white onion, thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced or chopped

1 T Calabrian chili paste or 1 t chili flakes

½ cup red vermouth

½ cup chicken bone broth, stock or broth

1 loaf ciabatta, split

1 ripe large heirloom tomato or beefsteak tomato

EVOO, for drizzling

Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling

Directions:

Take chill off chops and pat dry and turn on broiler.

Place a heavy cast iron skillet on stove and get hot over medium low heat.

Season chops with salt, pepper and fennel and prep fennel, peppers and onion.  Turn heat up on cast iron skillet with 2 T olive oil over medium to medium-high heat and brown chops on both sides and edge about 7 minutes, remove, add 1 turn more of oil and add the fennel first, toss 2 minutes, add peppers and onions, salt and pepper and cook 4-5 minutes to tender crisp over medium heat, add garlic, chili paste, toss a minute, add vermouth and stock and slide pork back in and smother with the mixture, reduce heat to warm or low and cook 2-3 minutes more.   

Char bread and rub with halved tomato squishing it into charred surface, dress with EVOO and season with flaky salt, cut into chunks.

Serve bread alongside chops and fennel, peppers and onions.

Frozen G&T:

Gin, Simple Syrup, Fresh Lime Juice, Tonic Ice Cubes, Blender, served in rocks glass with straw