A taste of Italy

We didn’t eat a lot of meat while in Italy. We ordered a bunch of plates to share that represented the specialities of the area we were in. We had the obligatory bistecca alla Fiorentina—a 3 pound porterhouse steak that took about three days to digest. Unfortunately it was our most expensive meal and the most disappointing. The meal was fine, but the service really sucked. We found this small family run restaurant with mom in the kitchen and dad and son in the dining room. The food was simple, but well prepared and the service was both friendly and very professional. The first night we had these seared pork scallopini with porcini mushrooms. We ordered some risotto, spinach with garlic and chili, and sea bream. It was so delicious we came back the next night and tried some other dishes on the menu. We had pasta with every meal and decided that when we returned home we would keep our pasta simple and not add so many ingredients. We had the pork with polenta and spinach.

Pork scaloppini with mushrooms
4 boneless pork loin chops, about

4-6 oz. each

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup flour

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 lb. oyster mushrooms, sliced

1/4 cup white wine

1/4 cup 35 per cent cream

Fresh chopped parsley or chives

Pound the chops between two pieces of plastic wrap until 1/4-inch thick. Season pork well with salt and pepper. Put flour in large shallow bowl and lightly dredge chops, shaking off excess flour. Heat oil in large pan over medium-high heat. Sear chops 1-2 minutes per side until golden and crispy. Transfer pork to a plate and loosely cover with foil to keep warm. Add butter to the pan and when it starts to foam then add the mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are soft, season with salt and pepper and stir in wine. Bring to a boil and reduce wine slightly and stir in cream. Bring back to a boil and return pork to pan. Let cook for 10 minutes until pork is cooked and hot. Sprinkle with herbs.

Makes 4 servings.