Fried Pork Loin with Arugula and Cherry Tomatoes

I think it’s time for alternative to pasta for a change, do you agree? Italian cuisine is not always about pasta however pasta is an important part as well. Italian cuisine also contains delicious meat dish recipes that you have probably never even heard of.

One of the more famous meat dishes is the costoletta alla milanese. Traditionally, this dish is made with a veal cutlet. Unfortunately in these parts of Idaho, I have not been able find veal, much less a veal cutlet. So, like good stewards of Italian cuisine, we improvised. For this recipe we used a bone-in pork loin that was about 2 inches thick. To reduce cooking time, we used a meat hammer to thin out the meat to about 1/2 an inch.

There are many varieties in making this dish such as using butter or using different types of spices. We preferred making this dish simple and bringing out the flavor of the pork instead of relying on the spices.

Overall the parsley, egg and breadcrumbs provide a delicious and balanced crunch that wasn’t too heavy on any particular flavors. The arugula and cherry tomatoes provided a nice and fresh balance of flavors in addition to the fried flavor.

This dish packs a caloric punch and is not for the faint of heart. Although it uses good oil and ingredients, it is still a fairly heavy dish and we recommend eating it as a stand-alone to keep the calories low.

Let us know what you think! Buon Appetito!

Fried Pork Loin with Arugula and Cherry Tomatoes

Recipe by Mamma Mia KitchenCourse: Meat DishesCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Medium

Servings

1

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

6

minutes

Calories

500

kcal

Total time

21

minutes

A delicious fried bone-in pork loin that is traditional to northern Italian cuisine particularly in the Lombardy region. The fried pork takes on a fresh twist with arugula and cherry tomatoes.

Ingredients

• 1 Pork loin chop with bone-in

• 1 egg

• 1 sprig of parsley

• 1 cup of bread crumbs

• Pinch of salt

• Pinch of pepper

• 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• Handful of arugula

• 5-6 cherry tomatoes sliced in half

Directions

• In a mixing bowl, crack the egg and beat it together.
• Chop the parsley and add it into the egg and add salt and pepper.
• Using a meat hammer, beat the pork until it flattens out.
• Dip the pork loin into the egg and then place it into the bread crumbs until the whole piece of pork is completely covered.
• In a frying pan, add the olive oil and heat it up on a medium-high heat.
• Fry the pork for 3 minutes on each side on a medium-high heat.
• Remove the fried pork from the pan and pat the excess oil dry.
• Sprinkle the arugula on top and add the sliced tomatoes.
• Buon Appetito!

Notes

• This recipe serving size is only for one person. Scale up as needed for multiple people.