Pan-Roasted Pork Chops with Olives and Sambuca-Braised Fennel

Name: Pan-Roasted Pork Chops with Olives and Sambuca-Braised Fennel
Yield: serves 4
Ingredients: 3 medium fennel bulbs (about 1 pound), with fronds; 2 large yellow Spanish onions, thinly sliced (about 2 cups); 20 cloves thinly sliced garlic, about 1/2 cup; 1/2 cup Arbequina, Ligurian, Taggiasche, or Niçoise olives; 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil; 1 tablespoon kosher salt; 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 2 cups Sambuca; 1 cup Basic Chicken Stock (page 27); 1/2 cup kosher salt; 1/3 cup sugar; 4 9- to 10-ounce boneless pork chops (about 1 inch thick); 4 teaspoons Fennel Rub (page 242); 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil; 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) finishing-quality extra-virgin olive oil; 1/2 teaspoon fennel pollen

January 26, 2012

This is a simple, straightforward secondo whose flavor is 100 percent dependent on the quality of the pork you use. We use pork from heritage pigs, such as Berkshire and Red Wattle, which are the most moist and more flavorful than the pork you find at a conventional grocery store. Berkshire, also known as Kurobuta pork, is the variety most available to the consumer. You can get such pork at some butchers, at high-end grocery stores, and also by mail order from online sources. I guarantee you will find the difference in flavor worth the effort it takes to get it.

Recipe notes

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