Reggianito-Crusted Pork Chops

I’m not going to admit to having any New Year’s Resolutions for reasons I will keep to myself but that you may easily deduce on your own. However, I will say that if did have resolutions and there was going to be any way I was going to actually keep them — not just for the month of January, not just for the rest of winter, but indefinitely — it would certainly mean that in the evenings I would be arriving at my home, my living room, my chair, my cat, my boyfriend, and my kitchen a little bit later than I have been recently

Gym resolution, you suggest? Possibly, but not very original.

More fresh air resolution, you say? Not likely. I live in Los Angeles.

Driving home with a temperament that is more leisurely and tolerant of others on the road. Oh, you don’t know me at all, do you?

More library time, you guess? I have more than enough un-read books on my shelves to last me the rest of the year and beyond.

Volunteer work? Heh!

I already told you, you’re not going to get it out of me. Resolutions should be personal challenges you’ve really thought over in your head, not things you happily boast to all the world at 12:01 am on January 1. I suppose for some, you need the support of friends and family, and to those who are looking hopefully to making big personal strives this year, best of luck. I will say, in general, I’d like to be a more tolerant person, fight the urge to be such a night owl, and get myself into something of a better internal working order than I am right now — not that I’m in bad shape right now — but that’s one of the best times to strive for improvement – when the road isn’t as uphill as it might be in years to come.

And if I intend to keep any or all of these resolutions, I will arrive home later in the evenings, which means less time to cook. I nearly blew off a well-prepared dinner tonight in exchange for a thirty-second sandwich, which by the way, I do exceedingly well, and will soon begin incorporating into this site (you should have seen what I did with ciabatta bread today!), but I had this pork chop recipe up my sleeve along with a single lonely pork chop left in my fridge, so I went for it.

Total cook time = 20 minutes, with leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch, and that all-important easy clean-up that is ever so welcome when you’re sitting down to eat dinner at about 5 minutes before nine in the evening.

Reggianito-Crusted Pork Chops

• 4 (4-ounce) boneless loin pork chops
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 1/4 cup grated Reggianito cheese (Asiago works too, but Reggianito is a great substitute with a more agreeable pricetage – basically any hard cheese can be subbed in)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin oil
• 4 lemon wedges
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme (you will note from my pics I was lacking in thyme, as well as time, so paprika subbed in for me)

Place pork between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound to about 1/4 inch even thickness with a meat mallet or a heavy skillet, or if you’re like me and have a twenty pound cat… well, never mind. Just get it to 1/4 inch thick

Place the egg white in a bowl and, in another bowl, combine the panko, the cheese, the salt and pepper. Dip the pork chop in the egg white, than dredge in the panko mixture (in other words…drag around heavily until every bit is stuck onto it).

Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add pork chops and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. I always cut my chop in half to make sure it’s cooked all the way through. I’m sure there are more sophisticated ways to do check this, but I don’t know them.

Squeeze a lemon wedge over each pork chop, and sprinkle with the (non-existent) thyme. Four chops = four servings. I made it with butternut squash risotto and broccoli and ended up with leftovers. If you would like them, please e-mail me and I’ll send them right out to ya!

Tags: cheese, pork chop