Grams Made Pork Chops with Mustard-Caper Sauce

Grams had a great weekend. We did a little shopping on Saturday and went to Chili's for dinner. Today after church we went to Denny's for breakfast and then we decided to the movies.

We saw Red, which has an amazing cast -- Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman, Mary-Louise Parker. But in my humble opinion John Malcovich stole the show. Nobody plays a crazy person better than him. The movie was fast paced and very entertaining. I want to be Helen Mirren when I grow up. She's so elegant and beautiful.

We came home and caught up on our television shows and both of us took nice, long naps. When we woke up it was late and I had to think of something quick for dinner. I had some wafer-thin pork chops in the freezer so I took them out and looked for a recipe that would be quick. I found one at Food and Wine that was easily modified for what I wanted and I had all the ingredients in my cupboard. You can find the original recipe here.

Here's my version of Pork Chops with Mustard-Caper Sauce.

1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
8 thin-sliced boneless pork chops
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 can low-sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup drained capers
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary
2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper, add them to the skillet and cook over moderately high heat until browned. Transfer the pork chops to a large plate and cover loosely with foil.

Add the stock, capers and chopped rosemary to the skillet and boil until reduced to 3/4 cup, about 5 minutes. Return the pork chops to the pan and simmer until cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer the pork chops to 4 plates. Whisk the mustard and butter into the sauce and season with salt and pepper. Pour the mustard-caper sauce over the chops and serve.

I served it with green beans, baked sweet potato fries, and a green salad. It was one of my best ever quick meals.

Grams Made Chicken Saltimbocca

A couple of years ago when our son married, Grams and Grandad got off very easy. All we really had to do was host the rehearsal dinner. We chose Buca di Beppo, a fabulous Italian restaurant in Houston. The atmosphere is casual and the food is incredible! It's the perfect place for a rehearsal dinner.

The highlight of the meal for me was Chicken Saltimbocca. Since then I've tried this dish in several other restaurants. None of them has measured up to the Buca di Beppo version. I found a couple of "copycat" versions on the internet. I combined several of them and made a few alterations. It's much easier than I expected and came out remarkably similar to Buca's dish.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 thin slices of Prosciutto ham
1 tablespoon ground sage
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 all-purpose flour
1 small can artichoke hearts, quartered
a handful of capers
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon butter
salt & pepper to taste

Rub chicken breasts with sage. Place sliced Prosciutto on top of the chicken and pound it into the breast until the thickness of the chicken measures 3/8 inch.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a skillet. Dredge the chicken/Prosciutto in flour to coat lightly. Place in heated oil, Prosciutto site down. Brown one side, turn and brown the other side (about 3 minutes per side). Remove chicken from pan to a large platter. Drain off excess oil and deglaze skillet with white wine. Add artichokes, lemon juice, cream and butter. Cook until sauce is thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pour sauce over chicken breasts and top with capers.