Pork Scaloppini with Raspberry-Orange Sauce and Roasted Asparagus

Scaloppini is a simple, easy dish to prepare, but it also can be a bit elegant and visually appealing—not to mention delicious. While it’s commonly made with veal, scaloppini is also made with pork, and these small, boneless chops are light, tender, and done in about six minutes.

Since the pork is simply floured and seasoned with salt and pepper before frying (a bit limited on flavor by itself), scaloppini is typically accompanied by a sweet, savory, or herbal sauce. I chose to go sweet and tart for this sauce, with fresh raspberries and fresh orange to top the chops with a bright, bold, fruity drizzle.

The key to (and meaning of) scaloppini is thinness: pound the chops to about 1/8-inch thickness and don’t overcook them. The meat is not only thin but tender, and it should stay that way. Two to three minutes per side is plenty of time.

Thinly Pounded Pork Chops

We all know asparagus is a fairly delicate, quick-cooking vegetable—that’s why it pairs well with quick-cooking scaloppini. Of the many ways to cook asparagus, roasting it brings out some of its deepest, earthiest flavors. 

It doesn’t take long, and the seasoning is simple: a little olive oil, salt, and pepper. Because they’re roasted, thicker stalks of asparagus work well in this dish since they stand up better to a high temperature. They should end up tender and browned, not mushy.

Ingredients

For the Sauce and Pork

• 1 naval orange
• 1 cup fresh raspberries
• 2 tbsp raspberry preserves
• 1 tsp white sugar
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 4-oz boneless pork chops, pounded to 1/8-inch thickness
• flour, for dredging

For the Asparagus

• 12 stalks of thick asparagus spears, about 8 inches long each
• olive oil, for drizzling
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper 

Preparation

For the Sauce and Pork

1. Remove several strips of zest (outer orange part only) from the orange and finely chop enough for 1 tablespoon.

Chopped Orange Zest

1. Combine the raspberries, raspberry preserves, and sugar in a small saucepan over low heat. Squeeze the juice of the zested orange into the pan (a little less than 1/4 cup).

Raspberry Sauce Beginning to Cook

1. Cook slowly, stirring often and mashing the raspberries as they cook, about 15 minutes, until slightly thickened.
2. Remove from the heat and stir in the chopped orange zest. Season with salt and pepper and keep warm while the pork cooks.

Cooked Raspberry Sauce

Raspberry-Orange Sauce

1. Heat a large, nonstick skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil.
2. Dredge the chops in flour and season with salt and pepper. Place in the skillet and fry 2-3 minutes per side, until golden brown on the outside and just cooked through.

Pork Halfway Cooked 

Cooked Pork Chops

For the Asparagus

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 
2. Toss the asparagus spears with oil, salt, and pepper and spread on the baking sheet. Roast 8-9 minutes (depending on thickness), turning once halfway through, until tender and slightly browned. 

Asparagus Ready to Roast

Roasted Asparagus

To serve, place 1 pork chop on each of 4 plates. Dvide the roasted asparagus alongside and drizzle both the pork and asparagus with raspberry-orange sauce.