Pork-n-Pasta

Men love meat and my husband is no exception.  I however, could take two bites of a nice ribeye every few months and be A-ok.  Well, you can't make ribeye every night and there are only so many ways to make chicken - so bring on the pork.  Our local grocer does a nice job of cutting good portioned pork chops and making them available almost every night of the week and this makes both Chuck and I very happy because of the following recipe.  

Parmesan Crusted Pork with Asparagus, Basil & Feta Pasta

For Pork Chops

4 – medium thickness Pork Chops

1 – egg (Beaten well for coating chops)

¾ - 1 cup grated parmesan cheese

½ cup Panko bread crumbs

2 Tbs Italian Seasoning (for Bread Crumbs)

Salts & Pepper

For Pasta

Ziti or Penne Pasta

6-7 spears of asparagus, trimmed and cut into thirds

Handful Fresh basil – confetti sliced  

Fresh Thyme – 1-2 tablespoons

Feta Crumbles

Extra Grated Parmesan

EVOO & drizzle of pasta water

Pat Pork Chops dry, season both sides with salt and pepper.  Beat egg in a dish until frothy, this will be used for coating chops.  Place panko, parm, seasonings in a bowl and blend together. 

Dip pork chops in egg and heavily coat both sides.  Immediately dip into bread crumb and cheese mixture heavily coating bold sides.  Shake off excess and set on plate.  Chill in fridge until 30 minutes prior to cooking.

When you are ready to cook the chops, pre-heat a large skillet with EVOO on medium heat.  Place 4 chops into the pan and sear about 6-7 minutes.  Flip and sear another 6 minutes.  Now, this all depends on the thickness...you do not want dry pork, ick.  

When you flip the chops, place your pasta is boiling water and cook according to al dente directions.  Once the pork has seared on the final side, place in a 325 degree oven and keep warm. 

One minute prior to the pasta being al dente, place your asparagus into the boiling pot with the pasta.  Cook and then drain into a colander.

Drizzle EVOO into the pot where you cooked the pasta and place the pasta and asparagus back into the pot, add fresh basil, thyme, S&P, crumbled feta and parm.  Stir until well blended, add pasta water if needed to moisten pasta.

Take chops out of oven, place on paper towel to drain.  Plate with pasta and top with fresh parsley.  Enjoy!