Dish with Pork Chop, Minas-style
(click to enlarge)

Pork Chops, Minas-style


Brazil   -   Costeleta de Porco à Mineira
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 4 ea
**
1-3/4 hrs
No		 A dish from Minas Gerais state, where recipes are usually simple and meaty. The amounts given will marinate about 4 pork chops. See also Comments

4
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2
2
2
1/3
1/4
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T
cl
t
t
t
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Pork Chops (1)  
-- Marinade
Lime Juice
Garlic
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
-- Garnish
Cheiro Verde (2)
Lime Wedges
-- Serve With
Collard Greens (3)  
Rice, Steamed
Prep   -   (1-1/4 hr - 10 min work)
  1. Cut through the fat band of the PORK CHOPS at 1 inch intervals so it will not bend the meat as it shrinks.
  2. Squeeze LIME JUICE. Crush GARLIC and chop fine. Mix together all Marinade items.
  3. Massage Marinade into Pork Chops and set aside for an hour at room temperature.
  4. For Garnish, chop CHEIRO VERDE and cut Lime Wedges.
Run   -   (10 min each)
  1. In a skillet, heat 1/16 inch Oil and fry Pork Chops until nicely browned all over. See also Note-4 and Note-5.
  2. Serve hot, garnished with Parsley and Lime Wedges. In Brazil these would be served with Collards and Rice.
NOTES:

  1. Pork Chops:

      These should be largish and fairly thick with a significant band of fat around the edge. See also Comments. This recipe can also be used for Loin Steaks and more flavorful parts of the pig appropriately cut. The photo example was a chop 1 inch thick (measured at the bone) weighing 10 ounces.

  2. Cheiro Verde:

      This is Brazil's all purpose garnish and herb ingredient. It's just Scallions and Parsley, chopped small and mixed in equal quantity. For details see our recipe Cheiro Verdi.

  3. Collard Greens:

      [Couve Mineira Refogada]   This is an almost essential side dish in Brazil for any rich or meaty main dish. Fortunately, it's very easy to make by our recipe Collard Greens, and can be made even days ahead as it reheats just fine.

  4. Cooking Pork

      Trichinosis and Tapeworm have been eliminated from commercially produced, USDA inspected pigs, so a little pink (usually up near the bones) is not a problem - Unless you are eating a free range pig. Today, most cases of trichinosis are from under-cooked bear and walrus.

  5. Comments:

      The pattern recipe fried the chops in a grill pan and finished them in a preheated 400°F/200°C oven for 10 minutes to cook them through and get a more even browning. Here in sunny Southern California we don't fire up an oven unless we really need to (especially not for a 10 minute job). The photo example was pan fried in a skillet. Note that if you pan fry several in sequence, each one will brown faster than the one before, so turn the heat a little lower so they will cook through before they get too brown.
  6. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste

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