My brother fancies himself a gourmet cook, but rather than disagree with his delusion, I usually just nod and let him go about blissfully concocting his latest comestible contrivance. I must admit, though, that he does usually deliver on his culinary creations, but the kitchen devastation left in his wake requires HazMat-like intervention to clean and reassemble.
However, one such dish was so good that I did what all male siblings unabashedly do: I claimed it for my very own. And today I’ll share that recipe with you and tell you what wines to pair with it. This recipe is actually a knock-off of a famous Italian dish called Cotoletta alla Milanese (or Veal Milanese). Today’s dish, Pork Milanese, substitutes pork chops for veal and is not only delicious, but significantly less expensive to prepare. My brother’s version (see photo) features a bone-in pork tomahawk, but my recommendation is to use bone-in, center cut pork chops that are equally delicious, much less expensive and readily available at most grocery stores.
Pork Milanese – Molto Bene!
Another advantage of Pork Milanese is that it can be paired with both white and red wines. White Italian wines such as Verdicchio from the Marche region or Arneis from northern Italy would be excellent choices. Try 2023 Bisci Verdicchio di Matellica ($20) or 2023 Michele Chiarlo Le Madri Roero Arneis ($28). Lighter styled reds such as pinot noir or Sangiovese will work well too with this dish. Try 2022 La Crema Anderson Valley Pinot Noir ($25) or 2023 Antinori Peppoli Chianti Classico ($26).
Pork
Milanese
Ingredients
Four
bone-in
center
cut
pork
chops
–
half
inch
or
less
One
cup
flour
One
teaspoon
of
Kosher
salt
and
ground
black
pepper
Two
large
eggs
One
cup
panko
or
other
breadcrumbs
Four
ounces
of
grated
parmesan
cheese
(Reggiano
if
possible)
Two
ounces
extra
virgin
olive
oil
Four
sage
leaves
and
four
sliced
lemon
rounds
Preparation
Place
the
pieces
of
pork
between
sheets
of
plastic
wrap
Use
a
meat
mallet
and
pound
the
pork
into
¼-inch
thick
cutlets
Whisk
the
flour,
salt,
and
pepper
together
in
a
small
bowl
Stir
and
beat
the
eggs
in
a
separate
bowl
Combine
breadcrumbs
and
cheese
in
another
bowl
Dredge
chops:
first
in
flour,
next
in
eggs
and
then
finish
in
breadcrumbs
Heat
olive
oil
in
a
large
skillet,
sauté
sage
leaves
for
30
seconds
and
remove
from
pan
Pan-fry
the
breaded
cutlets
until
each
side
is
golden
brown
Add
sage
leaves
to
each
cutlet
and
serve
with
fresh
lemon
rounds
John Brown is also a novelist. His latest book – Augie’s Wine –is now available to order online or at his website wordsbyjohnbrown.com. His first two books– Augie’s War and Augie’s World – are also available online and at bookstores around the state. You can find out more about his novels, and review all of his archived Vines & Vittles columns at wordsbyjohnbrown.com