Portuguese Pork Chops and Potatoes

I already have another version of this recipe up on my blog but Portuguese cooking as with many other ethnic dishes, is all about places, people and different parts of the country.



I haven't really been making Portuguese food lately and I've been craving it and missing it like crazy, so I've decided that the next two week menu will be a trip of sorts, down memory lane for me.  Appetizers, Main Dishes, Desserts, you name it.  Hope you're up for it.

Here's just a little preview of the kind of food I'll be serving to the family and to you, if you wish to try.

Minho (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈmiɲu]) is an historical province of Portugal. It was established as an official province in 1936 and dissolved in 1976. It consisted of 23 municipalities, with its capital in the city of Braga. Today, the area would include the districts of Braga and Viana do Castelo. Minho has substantial Celtic influences and shares many cultural traits with neighbouring Galicia in Spain. The region was part of the Roman Province and early medieval Kingdom of Gallaecia. Historical remains of Celtic Minho include Briteiros Iron Age Hillfort, the largest Gallaecian native stronghold in the Entre Douro e Minho region, in North Portugal.

Costeletas de Porco a moda do Minho

Pork chops prepared in the traditional Minho way

Ingredients:
Pork Chops
Garlic
Bay Leaf
Salt
White Wine
Onion
Olive oil
Bacon, thinly sliced

Potatoes for frying
Parsley


I like doing this in the morning so it has a few hours for the flavors to really sink in, but you can also do it an hour or so before cooking.  I put the pork chops in a bowl and add the spices, garlic, bay leaf, salt and the white wine.

Chop the potatoes into cubes OR you can use baby potatoes if you wish.  Fry them until nice and golden, set aside.

In a skillet, add a little bit of olive oil, fry the pork chops on both sides until nice and brown.  (do NOT throw out the marinade, keep that you're going to need it).  Once the chops are cooked, remove them and keep them warm.

Add the sliced onion and the bacon to the skillet and cook until bacon is done but not crispy.  Add the marinade to the skillet and allow to simmer for about 5 minutes.

At this point, you're going to add the fried potatoes and let them cook for a minute or so, just to soak in all that good gravy.

Right before you serve, you can add the pork chops to the skillet too so they can warm up a bit more.

I like to serve mine all together in one dish and sprinkled with parsley.  Enjoy!