By Misty I.

Here I am with some of my part-Portuguese girlfriends. Although I haven’t made the following recipe for them, I’m betting they would like it!

The people of Portugal have an amazing culinary heritage. Probably because they were master navigators of the sea and traveled all over the world. It is well-documented that 16th-century Portuguese merchants introduced the tempura method to Japan. I know right?! Don’t believe me? Google it!

In Lisbon, a “must-see” is the Monument of the Discoveries (Padrão dos Descobrimentos) which I visited in 2007. It pays homage to famous Portuguese navigators like Vasco de Gama, cartographers, and mathematicians who made contributions to the nautical sciences.

This recipe is an ode to my Portuguese heritage and my mouth waters as I write about these pork chops!

If you didn’t already know, many Portuguese people love anything with vinegar. My Honoka’a grandparents would even add vinegar (and Hawaiian chili pepper) to our Thanksgiving turkey! Once you’ve had flavorful turkey like that, everything else pales in comparison.

This “only easy” sauce for pork chops uses…yup…vinegar! The pork chops are just pan-fried and I know the sauce sounds pretty basic, but I’m hoping you’ll try it one night soon.

Misty’s Portuguese Style Pork Chops

Ingredients:

1 “family-sized” tray of fresh bone-in pork chops (about 8 chops)
1-1 ½ C. all-purpose flour (approx. for dredging)
2 C. vegetable oil (approx. for frying)
2 Tbsp. butter

Sauce Ingredients:

½ C. vinegar (white or apple-cider)
1 C. shoyu (Club Brand)
¼ tsp. pepper (or more)

Method:

1. Salt and pepper each chop and dredge in flour.
2. Heat pan with oil and butter(!) over medium heat.
3. Fry pork chops (about 4-5 minutes per side)
4. Combine vinegar, shoyu and pepper in a bowl to make the sauce.
5. Serve sauce in small dipping bowls with pork chops.

Healthier Method:

1. Grill the pork chops on a hibachi and serve with sauce.

Salt and pepper each chop and dredge in flour.

Heat pan with oil and butter(!) over medium heat. No, I wasn’t camping when I made this. I prefer to fry everything outside to make clean-up easier.

Fry pork chops (about 4-5 minutes per side.) Drain on paper towel.

Combine vinegar, shoyu, and pepper in a bowl to make the sauce. Serve sauce in small dipping bowls with pork chops. That’s it. Only easy!