Tuscan-Style Grilled Pork Chops with Tomato-Caper Sauce

I think Italian cuisine is one of the best (if not the best) at bringing the most flavors to a dish with the fewest—and simplest—ingredients. This recipe is an example. It was inspired by a variety of Tuscan-style dishes that highlight fresh herbs, a little oil and vinegar, and, of course, garlic.

The key here is marinating the grilled pork chops after they’ve cooked. Make a simple oil-vinegar dressing loaded with herbs and garlic, pour it on a platter, and turn the grilled chops in it before serving. The flavor goes straight to the plate.

I included an easy fresh tomato and caper sauce—with more garlic—to spoon over the marinated chops. Again, few ingredients, simple preparation, extraordinary flavor.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp olive oil, divided, plus more for rubbing and drizzling
• 2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley, divided
• 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp balsamic vinegar, divided
• 1 tbsp thinly sliced sage leaves
• 1 tbsp finely chopped rosemary
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped, divided
• 1-1/2 cups chopped tomatoes
• 1-1/2 tbsp capers, drained
• sea salt 
• freshly ground black pepper
• 4 8-oz bone-in pork loin chops, about 1 inch thick

Marinade and Sauce Ingredients 

Bone-In Loin Chops

Preparation

1. Light a grill for medium-high heat.
2. Combine 2 tablespoons oil, 1 tablespoon parsley, 1 tablespoon vinegar, sage, rosemary, and half the garlic in a small bowl. Set aside.
3. Heat a small saucepan over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon oil. Add the remaining half of the garlic and sauté 1 minute.
4. Add the tomatoes and capers and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the tomatoes break down and the sauce thickens, 5-6 minutes.
5. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon of parsley and remaining 1 teaspoon vinegar. Re-warm gently just before using.

Herb Mixture

Garlic in Oil

Tomato Mixture Beginning to Cook

Cooked Tomato Mixture

Tomato-Caper Sauce

1. Rub the pork chops with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill 5 minutes.
2. Turn and grill 4-5 minutes longer, or until done.
3. Pour the oil-vinegar mixture onto a platter. Transfer the chops to the platter and turn to coat in the mixture.

Chops Ready to Grill 

Chops Beginning to Grill

Grilled Chops

Herb Mixture Ready for Chops

Chops Turned in Marinade

Spoon a little tomato-caper sauce over each and serve right away.

Tuscan-Style Grilled Pork Chops with Tomato-Caper Sauce

Chicken Minestrone with Orzo

Take this warm, wholesome minestrone to the table and no one will be disappointed. Its rich flavors and meaty texture hide the fact that this is one light, fresh, and healthful soup. Cooks in about 30 minutes.

Minestrones typically include small pasta, and here I used a very small orzo—no. 74 size. What’s that number all about?

The story goes that non-Italian immigrants to America who landed jobs as pasta makers needed a convenient way to understand the size of the pasta to be made—without having to learn the names of hundreds of kinds of pasta. When you’re not proficient in a language, it’s easier to learn “make a no. 12” or “make a no. 74.” It worked and it stuck.

Most importantly here is that very small orzo is the way to go for the minestrone. This pasta puffs up several times its dry size when cooked, so a larger dry style can overwhelm the dish. If you can’t find no. 74 orzo, try macaroni, ditalini, or conchigliette (baby shells).

No. 74 Orzo

Note: This recipe makes fairly thick minestrone, including the puffiness of the orzo. (And if you make the soup several hours or a day ahead, the pasta will puff even more.) If you like a thinner minestrone, add more broth.

Tip: If you can't find cannellini beans, substitute great northern.

Also check out Minestrone with Italian Sausage and Red Kale. For seasonal versions, see Chicken Minestrone with Spring Vegetables and Summer Vegetable Minestrone.  

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb ground chicken
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced peeled carrot
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 2 celery ribs, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 28-oz can stewed tomatoes, with juice
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2-1/2 cups chicken broth
• 3/4 cup small orzo
• 1 15.5-oz can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Prepared Vegetables and Garlic

Cannellini Beans

Preparation

1. Heat a soup pot over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the ground chicken, carrot, onion, celery, and garlic and cook, stirring to crumble the chicken, until the vegetables begin to soften and the chicken is just cooked through, 7-8 minutes.
2. Add the tomatoes, with juice, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook 5 minutes, breaking up the tomatoes. 
3. Add the broth and orzo. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the pasta is tender, 10-12 minutes.
4. Stir the beans into the soup and cook until hot throughout, 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley. Taste for seasoning.

Chicken Mixture Beginning to Cook

Cooked Chicken Mixture

Tomatoes Added 

Broth and Orzo Added 

Cooked Minestrone

Divide the minestrone among 6 bowls and serve.

Chicken Minestrone with Orzo

Steak Tacos with Charred Tomato Salsa

Recipe updated May 2015

You don’t need to load up your tacos with lots of ingredients—just lots of flavor. Here, that flavor comes from succulent (and simple) grilled steaks and a rich, fresh salsa made with skillet-grilled vegetables.

Keep it simple by preparing everything on the grill. Give the cast-iron skillet time to heat up, then add the tomatoes, scallions, chiles, and pepper. Once charred, remove them, and the grill is ready for the steaks (or for the tortillas, if you’re giving them a little char too).

Tip: It’s good to warm the tortillas because heat makes them very pliable for folding. You can wrap a stack of them in foil and place the packet in a toaster oven at a low temperature for 8-10 minutes, depending on how many are in your stack. Or you can give the tortillas a very quick sear on the grill—very quick, as in 3-4 seconds per side over direct heat to get those nice little char marks.

For other taco ideas, check out Pulled-Chicken Tacos with Loaded Guacamole, Slow-Cooker Carnitas with Roasted Tomatillo Salsa, and Grilled Fish Tacos with Red Onion-Mango Slaw. 

Makes 8 tacos

Ingredients

• 1 pint grape tomatoes
• 2 scallions, cut into 3-inch pieces
• 1-2 hot chiles, such as serrano, fatalii, or jalapeño, stemmed
• 1/2 medium red bell pepper, cut into 2-inch pieces
• olive oil, for marinating and grilling
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
• 2 tsp fresh lime juice
• 2 8-oz rib-eye steaks, 1-inch thick
• 8 6-inch flour or white corn tortillas, warmed or lightly grilled
• guacamole, for serving (optional)

Salsa Ingredients 

Rib-Eye Steaks

Preparation

1. Prepare a grill for medium-high heat.
2. Place the tomatoes, scallions, chile(s), and bell pepper in a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat.
3. When the grill is ready, place a cast-iron skillet on it and warm 5 minutes. Add the tomato mixture to the skillet and sear until lightly charred, stirring several times, 4-5 minutes.
4. Carefully move the skillet to a heatproof surface. Transfer the vegetables to a cutting board and let cool. Chop to desired consistency (not too finely—chunky is good). Note: The tomatoes will release considerable juices. Drain off some of it, if desired.
5. Place the chopped vegetables in a bowl and stir in the garlic, cilantro, and lime juice. Re-season with salt and pepper and stir to combine. Set aside.

Ready to Char

Beginning to Char 

Charred Vegetables 

Ready to Chop 

Chopped Vegetables

Charred Tomato Salsa

1. Rub the steaks with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Rub the grill grate with oil and grill the steaks, turning once or twice, 4-5 minutes per side for medium (or until desired degree of doneness).
2. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 4 minutes. Slice thinly against the grain.

Ready to Grill 

Steaks Beginning to Grill

Grilled Steaks

Sliced Steak

Plate the steak and serve with salsa, tortillas, and guacamole, if desired.

Steak Tacos with Charred Tomato Salsa

Chicken Breasts with Pan-Seared Grapes

Raw grapes bring fruity sweetness to salads and desserts and sometimes show up on platters as meat garnishes. But these delectable vine fruits become much more than a garnish when seared in a hot skillet until the skins pop and become lightly charred in places. Now we’re talking caramelized goodness.

The key here is a hot, heavy skillet—cast-iron preferred. First, sear the chicken in butter and oil, then sear the grapes in the same skillet, scraping up those delicious little brown bits with the addition of wine and balsamic vinegar.

Red grapes, red wine, vinegar…sounds like a natural combination to me.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 4 6-oz boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, lightly pounded to even thickness
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups dark red (“black”) seedless grapes, rinsed
• 1 medium shallot, sliced into thin rings
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Rinsed Grapes 

Preparation

1. Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and butter, swirling to incorporate.
2. When the butter begins to sizzle, season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and sear until golden and just cooked through, 6-7 minutes per side, depending on thickness. Transfer to a plate.
3. Add the grapes to the skillet and sear until they begin to blister and the skins pop, stirring frequently and scraping up brown bits from the chicken, about 5 minutes. (As the grapes soften, use the edge of a spatula to cut larger ones in half.)
4. Reduce the heat to medium and add the shallot and red wine. Season with salt and pepper and cook until slightly reduced, 3-4 minutes.
5. Stir in the vinegar and re-season with salt and pepper, if desired.
6. Return the chicken to the pan and warm throughout, turning to coat.

Chicken Beginning to Sear 

Chicken after Turning 

Grapes Beginning to Sear 

Seared Grapes

Scrape up Brown Bits

Transfer the chicken and sauce to a platter and serve right away.

Chicken Breasts with Pan-Seared Grapes

Sweet-and-Sour Chicken with Apricot Glaze

Orange juice, honey, sugar, and apricot preserves combine to give this simple baked chicken its sweetness, while lemon, lime, and vinegar balance it with a touch of sourness. Both the marinade and the glaze include sweet and sour ingredients, resulting in a flavor-packed dish that’s citrusy, colorful, inviting, and sticky.

If you like sweet and sour sauces, check out another version at Thai Duck with Rice Noodles.

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the Chicken

• 1 naval orange
• 1 lemon
• 1 lime
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp sambal oelek (ground fresh chile paste)
• 2 tsp white sugar
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 3-lb chicken, cut into 8 pieces, skin removed

Chicken Ready to Marinate

For the Glaze

• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup apricot preserves
• 1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

For the Chicken

1. Remove the zest from the orange, lemon, and lime. (A vegetable peeler works well to remove it.) Finely chop the zest and place it in a large bowl.
2. Quarter the fruit and squeeze the juice of all three into the bowl. Add the oil, honey, sambal oelek, and sugar and season with salt and pepper. Whisk well to dissolve the sugar and combine the ingredients.
3. Place the chicken pieces in the marinade, submerging as much as possible. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and refrigerate 4 hours.

Zest the fruit with a vegetable peeler

Fruit Zest 

Ready for Marinade

Marinade 

Chicken in Marinade

1. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Line a large, shallow baking pan with parchment paper.
2. Remove the chicken from the marinade, letting all excess drip off. (Discard the marinade.) Place the pieces in the pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Roast the chicken until golden and cooked through, 45-50 minutes, turning once halfway through. Brush the chicken all over with the glaze (recipe follows) about 10 minutes before it’s done.

Chicken after 1st Turn 

Glazed Chicken

Transfer the chicken to a platter serve.

Sweet-and-Sour Chicken with Apricot Glaze

For the Glaze

1. Heat a small, nonstick saucepan or skillet over medium-low heat and add the butter. When the butter has melted, add the preserves and vinegar and cook, stirring frequently, until thickened, 10 minutes. 
2. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper.

Glaze Beginning to Cook

Apricot Glaze