Côtes de porc à la provençale

Pork chops braised in olive oil, tomatoes, garlic, olives and Provençal herbs: a simple, fragrant dish from the South of France, ideal for a warm, homely meal.

Serves: 4
Preparation: about 15 minutes
Cooking: about 40 minutes
Total time: about 55 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 pork chops, preferably cut slightly thicker
• 3 ripe tomatoes (approx. 400 g), diced
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 red pepper
• 1 onion
• 80 g black olives, pitted
• 100 ml dry white wine
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon dried Provençal herbs
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

• Pat the pork chops dry with kitchen paper and lightly season both sides with salt and pepper.
• Peel the onion and finely chop it.
• Peel the garlic and finely chop it.
• Prepare the pepper (remove the core and seeds) and cut into strips.
• Dice the tomatoes.
• Drain the olives and halve them if you like.

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a casserole over a medium-high heat.
2. Brown the pork chops on both sides until golden. Remove them from the pan and set aside.
3. Add the onion and garlic to the remaining fat and sweat gently for 3 minutes, without letting them colour.
4. Add the pepper strips and cook for another 5 minutes.
5. Add the diced tomatoes and the Provençal herbs.
6. Pour the dry white wine into the pan and stir well to loosen any browned bits from the bottom.
7. Let the sauce simmer gently for 5 minutes.
8. Return the browned pork chops to the pan, in the sauce.
9. Add the olives.
10. Put the lid on the pan and let the pork chops simmer gently for about 25 minutes, until the meat is cooked through and tender. Turn them over once halfway through.
11. If the sauce is still very thin at the end, let it reduce gently for the last 5–10 minutes without the lid.
12. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning with salt and freshly ground pepper if needed.
13. Serve the pork chops in warm deep plates, with the Provençal sauce and vegetables spooned over.
14. <