Dinner Shaken, Not Stirred - Dirty Martini Pork Chops

This recipe started in Northport, Long Island, then went to Tuscany, and ended up in New Castle. Most people on Long Island associate Dirty Martini Pork Chops with Robke’s Country Inn in New York, where one of the restaurant’s signature items and spawned countless copycat recipes.

What’s interesting is that the original Robke’s version is not actually a “dirty martini” sauce in the literal sense. Despite the name, the liquids it traditionally relies more on are white wine or red wine vinegar. We’re bringing in the cocktail aspect with gin and vermouth.

I’ve been wanting to play with this dish for a while, but after a week in Tuscany, I came home with olive trees still rattling around in my head. They were everywhere. Lining roads.  Framing vineyards. Standing quietly beside stone farmhouses and churchyards. I loved it and wasn’t ready to leave Italy behind just yet. Truth be told, I’m still not. (That’s fair warning for some Tuscan-style recipes to come).

INGREDIENTS

4 boneless pork chops, pounded or sliced thin

1 cup panko breadcrumbs

½ cup grated Locatelli Romano cheese

1/2 cup AP flour

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

Salt and pepper to taste

2 eggs, beaten

Olive oil for frying

2 tablespoons butter

¼ cup gin

¼ cup dry vermouth

½ cup sliced green olives

2 tablespoons olive brine

2 tablespoons sliced cherry peppers

METHOD

Combine panko, Locatelli and Italian seasoning in a shallow bowl.

Season pork chops lightly with salt and pepper.

Dip chops into the flour, then the beaten eggs, then coat thoroughly with the breadcrumb mixture.

Heat a generous layer of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Fry chops until golden brown and cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove and keep warm.

Reduce heat to medium. Add butter to the skillet.

Carefully add gin and vermouth, scraping up any browned bits from the pan.

Stir in olives, olive brine and cherry peppers.

Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until slightly reduced.

Spoon a bit of the dirty martini sauce over the pork chops and sprinkle a bit of the cheese on top. Serve immediately.

James Bond would be proud. If he’d been Italian.

Speaking of brine, I added some to the warm just-cooked potatoes for the salad I was going to serve with this. Try that!