• 6 to 8 bone-in pork chops
  • 1/2 bottle of a good quality Savignon Blanc
  • 1/2 cup Portuguese or Spanish olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons onion powder
  • 2 tablespoons fresh red crushed pepper or Pimento Moida
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

My dad makes the most flavorful marinated pork. He has used diffenrt cuts of pork with thsi marinade, but tonight I used chops. Dad has even made tehis in a crockpot whcih is super easy naa helpful particluarly during the week or on a busy weekend!

This Portuguese-style dish uses fresh red crushed pepper called Pimento Moida. Pimento Moida is a seasoning used in many Portuguese dishes. In my cookbook, You Never Cook Alone, I recall memories of my grandmother and father canning red crushed peppers.

“One of the canned goods found in my grandmothers’ basement kitchen was “Pimento Moida” or crushed red pepper. The crushed red pepper was what gave this dish its unique spicy flavor. Once a year my parents would help my grandmother can the peppers.  On that day children were not allowed in the house. A sign that read “Do Not Enter-Canning Peppers” would be taped onto my grandmother’s front door.

The heat from the peppers was so intense that anyone who helped with the canning had to wear gloves and mask their faces. If you weren’t careful you could badly burn your eyes, skin and throat. When the canning was completed, Vavo’s shelves would be full of beautiful red glass jars filled with Pimento Moida. Today I have my fresh red crushed pepper shipped to me from my hometown of Fall River, Massachusetts.

I have substituted dried red pepper flakes for Pimento Moida when in a pinch. When doing so, I use a fraction of what I would use with the wet mixture.”

The pork is best when allowed to marinate, but I have also utilized thsi recipe when in a pinch with less time.

1. In a bowl combine white wine, olive oil, garlic, onion powder, red crushed pepper, and salt.

2. Place pork chops in the bowl, cover with plastic and marinate in the refrigerator for an hour or longer.

3. Place two tablespoons of olive oil in a saute pan. Heat your pan over medium high heat. Add pork chops and sear the outside. You are trying to cook the pork through. Only sear to seal in the juices.

4. Pour the rest of the marinade over the pork, cover and lower the heat to simmer.

5. Cook for at least 30 minutes.

Enjoy!