Skip to main content
Recipes
November 2021

Pork Chop Cacciatore

By Anna Gass

4.2

(21)

Pork Chop Cacciatore recipe
Photograph by Julian Cousins, Food styling by Adriana Paschen

Cacciatore (meaning “hunter-style”) is an Italian wine-and-tomato-based braise traditionally prepared with whatever game was caught that day. This version from Heirloom Kitchen author Anna Francese Gass uses bone-in pork chops that are cooked quickly to keep them juicy, paired with a tangy-sweet cacciatore-inspired sauce. Serve with a loaf of crusty bread to sop up all the tomatoey goodness.

What you’ll need

Recipe information

  • Yield

    2 - 4 Servings

Ingredients

2

5–6-oz. bone-in pork rib chops

1½

tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 tsp. Morton kosher salt, plus more

Freshly ground black pepper

1

tsp. dried oregano

2

Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1

red bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, coarsely chopped

1

small onion, coarsely chopped

2

garlic cloves, smashed

1

Tbsp. double-concentrated tomato paste

¾

cup red wine

1

28-oz. can diced tomatoes

1

Tbsp. drained capers

2

sprigs oregano, plus leaves

Crusty bread (for serving)

Need to make a substitution?

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Pat pork chops dry with paper towels. Season on both sides with salt and pepper; sprinkle all over with dried oregano.

    Step 2

    Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Cook pork chops, undisturbed, until just starting to brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.

    Step 3

    Reduce heat to medium and add remaining 1 Tbsp. oil to pan. Cook bell pepper, onion, and garlic, stirring often with a wooden spoon, until onion is softened and golden, about 4 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring often, until vegetables are coated and paste is darkened slightly, about 1 minute. Add wine, scraping up any browned bits. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently until wine is reduced by a little more than half, about 5 minutes.

    Step 4

    Mix in diced tomatoes, capers, 2 oregano sprigs, and remaining 1½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 tsp. Morton kosher salt and cook, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until sauce is slightly thickened, 18–22 minutes.

    Step 5

    Nestle pork chops into sauce and add any juices that have collected on plate. Spoon a bit of sauce over pork and simmer gently until meat is cooked through and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 145°, 6–8 minutes.

    Step 6

    Divide chops and sauce between plates. (Cut meat from bones and thickly slice if dividing among 4.) Top with oregano and serve with bread.

Explore Bon AppétitDinnerPork ChopPorkMeatBraiseEasyDairy-FreeGluten-FreeNut-FreeItalianEuropeanBell PepperVegetableCanned TomatoTomato