Pork Scaloppini with Blueberry-Red Wine Reduction

Sweet, fresh blueberries are just the thing to take a mellow red wine reduction to an even tastier level. The sauce cooks down lusciously dark and rich, and a bit of butter swirled in at the end provides a silky finish.

Scaloppini is one of the quickest and easiest ways to cook pork. Start with relatively thin, boneless, center-cut chops (about 1/3-inch thick) and pound to about 1/8-inch thick. Give them a little dusting in flour and sear in a hot, heavy skillet for just a few minutes. Plate, drizzle with sauce, serve. Done.

For another scaloppini idea, check out Chicken Scaloppini with Broccoli Rabe Skillet.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1 tbsp finely chopped red onion
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 2/3 cup dry red wine
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 4 4-oz boneless pork chops, pounded to 1/8-inch thick
• flour, for dredging

Wine, Berries, and Onion

Thinly Pounded Pork Chop 

Ready to Flour

Preparation

1. Heat a small saucepan over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the onion and sauté 2 minutes.
2. Add the blueberries and cook, gently mashing, 2 minutes. (Use the back of a spoon or a potato masher to mash the berries.)
3. Add the wine and vinegar and bring to a simmer, continuing to mash the berries. Simmer until the sauce reduces by half, about 10 minutes. (Note: It’s ok if there are still small pieces of blueberries in the sauce.)
4. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter. Season with salt and pepper.

Onion in Oil 

Blueberries Beginning to Cook 

Wine and Vinegar Added 

You can use a potato masher to mash the blueberries

Sauce Beginning to Reduce

Blueberry-Red Wine Reduction

1. Meanwhile, heat a large, heavy skillet over medium heat and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
2. Dredge the chops in flour and season with salt and pepper. Place in the skillet and cook until golden brown and just cooked through, 2-3 minutes per side.

Chops Beginning to Cook 

Cooked Pork Chops

Plate the chops and drizzle with sauce. Pass remaining sauce at the table.

Pork Scaloppini with Blueberry-Red Wine Reduction

Grilled Pizza Margherita with Pancetta

Grilling pizza turns an already favorite food into something even more special. The key to making fresh dough easy to work with on the grill? Make small pies!

Medium- or large-sized pizza dough can be unwieldy and a little difficult to keep from sticking on one side and burning on the other if the fire and timing (and luck) aren’t exactly right. Simply cut your dough into small pieces, roll them out to about seven- or eight-inch diameter pies, and you’re ready to go. For this recipe, I had a 14-ounce dough, which I cut into three pieces, and those pieces rolled out to just under eight-inch diameter. (Don't worry about perfect circles—they don't happen.)

The smaller pies make positioning and shifting on the grill much easier—you can turn them with a single spatula.

When you’re grilling pizza, it’s also important to keep the toppings to a minimum. They need to get hot (and the cheese to melt) in the short amount of time it takes to grill the dough before it chars. If you’re including a topping that needs time to cook (as the pancetta here), do that first. (Since I already had the grill fired up, I cooked the meat in a cast-iron skillet on it. Of course, you can cook it on the stovetop instead.)

Traditional pizza margherita includes only tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil. I added the pancetta to make it a little heartier dish to serve three.

If you don’t already have your favorite fresh pizza dough recipe, here’s the one I used: Pizza with Prosciutto, Red Onion, and Fresh Tomatoes.

Serves 3

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil, plus more for brushing
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
• sea salt
• flour, for dusting
• 14-oz fresh pizza dough, cut into 3 equal pieces
• 1/4 lb thinly sliced pancetta
• 4 oz fresh mozzarella (from an 8-oz ball), thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil

Cut Dough into Pieces

Sliced Mozzarella

Preparation

1. Light a grill for medium heat.
2. Heat a small saucepan over medium-low heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the garlic and sauté 1 minute.
3. Add the crushed tomatoes and season with salt. Cook, stirring a few times, until slightly thickened and reduced by about 1/4, 10-12 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

Garlic in Oil 

Reduced Tomato Sauce

1. Lightly flour a large cutting board. Place each piece of dough on the board and roll into about an 8-inch circle. Cover with a clean kitchen towel until ready to grill.

Roll out the Dough

1. Brush a cast-iron skillet with olive oil and heat on the grill. Add the pancetta and cook until just beginning to crisp in places, 10 minutes. Transfer the pancetta to a plate and remove the skillet from the grill.
2. Brush the topsides of the dough with oil. Grill oil-side down until lightly charred, 3-4 minutes. (Shift the position of the pieces about halfway through to allow even browning.) Tip: Brush any remaining flour from the board and keep it handy by the grill. 
3. Transfer the dough grilled-side down back to the cutting board. Brush the topsides with oil and turn each over. Spread each with tomato sauce and top with mozzarella slices. Divide the cooked pancetta on top of the cheese.
4. Place the pizzas back on the grill and grill until browned and crisp on the bottom, 3-4 minutes, shifting positions halfway through. 

Pancetta Beginning to Cook 

Cooked Pancetta

Dough Beginning to Grill

Halfway Through 

Brush the Other Side with Oil

Tomato and Cheese Layer

Pancetta Added 

Pizzas Beginning to Grill 

Grilled Pizzas

Basil Added 

Transfer the pizzas back to the cutting board and sprinkle with basil ribbons. Cut each into serving pieces and serve hot.

Grilled Pizza Margherita with Pancetta

Thai Beef and Basil with Rice Noodles

I usually include a variety of crunchy, savory vegetables in stir-fries, but this recipe is all about the meat, herbs, and sauce—thin slices of tender flank steak, lots of bright, floral basil and a bit of fresh mint, and a pleasantly sweet and spicy sauce that delivers delicious Thai flavor to every bite. Thai noodles add soft, chewy texture for a very satisfying (but not heavy) dinner for four.

Note: I used a large, deep skillet for this dish instead of a wok because—although there’s only one pound of beef—cutting the steak into very thin slices amounts to a whole lot of slices.

In turn, those slices can release a whole lot of liquid when beginning to cook. Stir-frying them in a wider pan allows the meat to spread out and the juices to absorb/evaporate more quickly. You can use a wok, of course, but the meat may sit there and steam for a few minutes before losing the liquid.  

Also note: With “regular” basil teeming in the garden, that’s what I used for this recipe. For a recipe using actual Thai basil (and a little info about it), see Thai Basil Pork with Carrot Slaw.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tbsp Thai red curry paste
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp tamari (or other soy sauce)
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 5 oz Thai rice noodle sticks
• 2 tbsp peanut oil
• 2 Thai chiles, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 small shallot, chopped
• 1 lb flank steak, cut across the grain into short, thin strips
• 2 cups fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 cup torn mint leaves
• lime wedges, for serving (optional)

Thai Red Curry Paste

Herbs and Vegetables

Preparation

1. Combine the first 5 ingredients (through lime juice) in a bowl, whisking well to dissolve the curry paste and sugar. Set aside.

Stir-Fry Sauce

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and remove from the heat. Add the noodles to the hot water, submerging completely. Let stand, covered, 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the noodles are soft but still a bit firm.
2. Meanwhile, heat a large, deep skillet (or wok) over medium-high heat and add the peanut oil, swirling to coat. Add the chiles, garlic, and shallot and stir-fry 1 minute, until very fragrant.
3. Add the beef and stir-fry until cooked through and most of the liquid has evaporated, 6-7 minutes.
4. Add the basil and mint and stir-fry until beginning to wilt, 20 seconds.
5. Re-whisk the sauce and add to the pan. Cook until hot throughout, 2-3 minutes.
6. Drain the noodles and add to the pan, tossing to combine with the sauce. 

Beef Beginning to Cook

Cooked Beef 

Basil and Mint Added

Wilted Herbs

Sauce Added

Divide the stir-fry among 4 shallow bowls and serve lime wedges on the side, if desired.

Thai Beef and Basil with Rice Noodles

Grilled Pork Chops with Maple-Bourbon Sauce

Meaty, bone-in pork chops beg for the grill. Don’t disappoint them and they won’t disappoint you. I think a sweet and salty marinade is a good way to get started—something like a brine to help seal in tenderness, but with less liquid and time. In this recipe, I used soy sauce in place of salt for a little extra flavor.

Speaking of flavor, the real kick is in the sauce. It’s rich, woodsy, sweet, buttery—all good. And fast: less than 10 minutes.

You may also like Grilled Pork Chops and Broccolini with Avocado Salsa and Tuscan-Style Grilled Pork Chops with Tomato-Caper Sauce.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp peppercorns (any color)
• 1/2 tsp dried red chile flakes
• 4 bone-in pork loin chops, about 1-inch thick
• olive oil, for rubbing
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
• 1 tbsp finely chopped shallot
• 3 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tbsp bourbon
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp finely chopped rosemary

Bone-In Pork Loin Chops 

Sauce Ingredients

Preparation

1. Place the water, soy sauce, brown sugar, peppercorns, and chile flakes in a heavy, sealable plastic bag. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Add the pork chops to the bag, seal, and turn several times to coat. Refrigerate 2-4 hours.
2. Light a grill for medium-high heat with space for off-heat grilling.
3. Remove the chops from the marinade and pat dry (discard the marinade). Rub both sides with oil and season with salt and pepper.
4. Grill until slightly charred and just cooked through, about 12 minutes total, turning 2 to 3 times. (Move the chops off-heat to finish.) Transfer to a platter and let rest 5 minutes.

Marinade Mixture 

Chops in Marinade 

Ready to Grill

Beginning to Grill 

After Turning 

Grilled Chops

1. Meanwhile, heat a small skillet or saucepan over medium-low heat. Add 1/2 tablespoon of butter, swirling to coat and. Add the shallot and cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
2. Add the maple syrup, bourbon, and mustard and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a light simmer, stirring frequently.
3. Simmer 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of butter and the rosemary.

Shallot Beginning to Cook 

Sauce Beginning to Cook

Maple-Bourbon Sauce

Spoon the sauce over the rested pork chops and serve.

Grilled Pork Chops with Maple-Bourbon Sauce