Braised Pork Chops with Two Red Wines

I think this is from The New York Time Cookbook, but I am not sure. Mom gave it to me as a photocopy when I asked to know how to cook this dish, and there are no page headers on the copy. At any rate, it is delicious. I like it best with roasted new potatoes. Peas, in my opinion, do not go well with it, but wax beans do, very much so.

The recipe says, "The two wines required here are Marsala and a young red, a mixture that combines the aromatic intensity of the first with the vivacious sharpness of the second. For the red wine, your preference should go to a Piedmontese Barbera or a Valpolicella or any young red from Central Italy, such as a non-riserva Chianti. It would be appropriate to serve the same wine with the chops."

For those of us who can't afford that, red cooking wine works well enough, as does Marsala from the grocery store. I remember people being impressed and awed I could cook something beyond pasta and jar-sauce, let alone something like this. Basically, if it tastes good and is eaten with friends and good conversation, who cares if you spent under $15 on the bottle of wine?

Below, the comments in brackets are mine.

Braised Pork Chops with Two Red Wines

Ingredients

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil {Actually, I always use extra virgin. I see no point in using anything less.}
4 pork loin chops, preferably bottom loin, 3/4 inch thick. {Pound if necessary.}
Flour, spread on a plate
1 tsp garlic chopped fine {I usually use a bit more than this, but then, I like garlic bread strong enough to tingle.}
1 tbsp tomato paste, dissolved in a mixture of 1/2 cup dry Marsala and 1/2 cup dry young red wine (see remarks above).
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill {Or freshly ground. Man, if this dish weren't so tasty I'd be annoyed at the hoity-toityness of it.}
1/4 tsp fennel seeds {Do not crush! Leave them whole.}
1 tbsp chopped parsley {For some odd reason it seemed to taste better with curled than flat parsley.}

To Cook:

• Choose a saute pan that can later contain all the chops without overlapping. Put in the oil and turn the heat to medium. When the oil becomes hot, turn the chops on both sides in the flour and shake off excess flour, and slip them into the pan. Cook the chops to a rich brown on both sides, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes per side.

not done yet..finish after some sleep.