Anniversary Food: Herbed Pork Chops with Wine

There are three meals/restaurants that are important to my relationship with Neil:

1. On our first date we had sushi at Sakura Blue.
2. On our second date (which was New Year's Eve) we got carry-out from Vietnam Kitchen. It was my first time eating there and it rocked my world.
3. The first time we cooked together we made herbed pork chops with wine.

Our third anniversary was yesterday, and of course we had to commemorate it with food. We didn't really feel like sushi, but we couldn't decide between fixing the pork chops together and getting food from Vietnam Kitchen. So we decided to fix the pork chops on Friday and go to Vietnam Kitchen on Saturday; a two-day anniversary food extravaganza.

Herbed Pork Chops with Wine
1 tsp dried leaf sage, crumbled
1 tsp dried rosemary
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 1-inch pork chops
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
3/4 cup dry white wine

Combine sage, rosemary, garlic, salt, and pepper. Press the mixture into the sides of the chops. Over medium heat in a large skillet, melt butter and oil. Brown cops on both sides, turning gently with tongs. Remove chops and pour off most of the drippings. And 1/2 cup wine and boil. Return chops to pan. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer until chops are tender when pressed with tip of knife, 25-30 minutes. Remove chops, add remaining wine to skillet, and quickly boil down to syrupy glaze. Pour over chops.

Every time I make this I amazed at how simple and delicious it is. The simplicity amazes me because the first time we cooked it together it seemed like a huge, complicated production. I can't imagine what it was that we had so much trouble with. It's not even really a good meal to cook together because there's not much for more than one person to do. It's really quite quick and easy.

We traditionally serve this with baked sweet potatoes and some manner of crusty bread dipped in herby olive oil. Friday we picked up a garlic and tomato focaccia at Liquor Barn that was great with this. We cooked and served this dish with a bottle of Lindemans chardonnay that was leftover from a party.

The wonderful thing about this meal, and about food in general, really, is its ability to transport you another place and time. Every time I fix these pork chops I'm reminded of my little yellow kitchen on St. James Court where Neil and I were just starting to figure out cooking and each other. These pork chops remind me of falling in love.

As it turned out, yesterday, which was our actual anniversary, I was not really in the mood for Vietnam Kitchen (probably because we ate there with friends just last week). So instead we walked around the corner to Jockamo's for a delicious pignolata pizza and a couple of beers. Not the fanciest of anniversary dinners by any means, but it was really exactly what I wanted; great pizza and beer with my boyfriend in the heart of our beloved Germantown. It was a very nice anniversary dinner indeed.

Today we're picking up my mom and going on a food field trip. If you know me and Neil, or if you're a foodie living in the Louisville area, I bet you can guess where we're going. I'll be sure to blog about our adventure when we get home.