This quick weeknight dinner for two from Carla Lalli Music’s That Sounds So Good feels like a fancy plate you’d order at the bar of a perfect neighborhood restaurant. The salt-and-sugar combo helps the pork chop quickly achieve a golden brown crust, and doing everything in the same skillet imparts a ton of flavor to the onion and radicchio as well. Grab Carla’s new book, That Sounds So Good, out now.
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Ingredients
2 servings
2
tsp. sugar
2
tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt, plus more
1
lb. 1″-thick bone-in pork rib chops
4
Tbsp. grapeseed or vegetable oil, divided
1
small onion, thinly sliced crosswise, separated into rings
1
head of Treviso radicchio or other radicchio (12–14 oz.), coarsely chopped
1
lemon, halved
Honey (for drizzling)
Flaky sea salt
Dijon mustard (for serving)
Preparation
Step 1
Combine sugar and 2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt in a small bowl. Lightly pound pork chops with a meat mallet, rolling pin, or the heel of your hand to ½” thick. Pat chops dry; season all over with salt mixture.
Step 2
Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high 2 minutes. Add 3 Tbsp. oil, followed by pork chops. Cook chops, pressing down to ensure good contact with pan and turning every minute, until very well browned and charred in spots and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 135°, 5–7 minutes. (Chops will still be a little pink inside; if you prefer yours well-done, cook another minute or two.) Transfer chops to a large plate and let rest 10 minutes.
Step 3
While the chops are resting, carefully pour off fat from skillet and wipe out any burnt bits. Heat remaining 1 Tbsp. oil in skillet over medium. Add onion and season with kosher salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until floppy and lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Working in batches, add radicchio, tossing and letting it wilt slightly before adding more; season with kosher salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until radicchio is wilted and tender with just a little bite in the thickest ribs, about 3 minutes. Squeeze in juice from a lemon half; toss to combine. Transfer radicchio mixture to a platter and drizzle a little honey over.
Step 4
To serve, carve meat away from pork chop bones and slice against the grain; arrange on platter alongside radicchio. Drizzle any accumulated juices over meat and season with sea salt. Serve with Dijon for dragging pork through and remaining lemon half for squeezing over.
Reprinted from ‘That Sounds So Good’ by Carla Lalli Music. Copyright 2021 by Carla Lalli Music. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.
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