I’m always looking for healthy main dishes that don’t take too much time or are easy to cook. These pork chops with piperade sauce that are partially cooked in the oven got rave reviews from the men in my family, particularly because of the juicy and tender result. While the recipe is time-consuming, it requires little hands-on attention.

Teresa Barrenechea was a Basque chef in New York for many years and ran two restaurants, both Marichu, in Manhattan and Westchester County during the 1980s and 1990s. This recipe comes from her 1998 cookbook, The Basque Table.

Piperade is a classic Basque stew made of tomatoes, bell peppers and onions that is usually served as a side dish to eggs, Basque jamon (ham) or in this case, pork chops. The piperade is responsible for keeping the pork chops juicy.

Baked Pork Chops with Piperade

Cook time: approximately 1 hour

1 tbsp. pork lard (optional)
1/2 c. olive oil (1/4 c. if you use the lard as well)
12 thin pork chops (about 2 pounds)
4 medium tomatoes or 5 small tomatoes, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 medium onion, diced
Salt
1 tsp. sugar
2 tbsp. minced flat leaf parsley

Take the chops out of the refrigerator and salt on both sides. Allow them to come to room temperature while you dice the vegetables. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a large, deep skillet, heat the lard or the olive oil over medium heat. Add some of the chops to the pan and cook them for about 1 minute on each side, until they are lightly browned. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer the chops to a large oven safe casserole dish, and brown the remaining chops in the same way. Put all the chops into the casserole.

Reduce the heat to medium low, and add the onions, tomatoes and bell pepper to the oil in the skillet. Cook the vegetables very slowly for about 30 minutes, until they are soft. Season them to taste with salt and sugar and then cook them for about 5 minutes longer, until the flavors blend.

Pour about half of the vegetables into a bowl and blend with an immersion blender, or put into a food mill or food processor. Blend until chunky, and then add back into the vegetables. Spoon the stew over the pork chops and bake them, uncovered, for about 20 minutes, until the chops are cooked through. Use a meat thermomenter to make sure they reach 145 degrees F. Allow to rest for 5 minutes and serve them with the garnished parsley.

Serve with a side of boiled, salted potatoes, roasted potatoes or French fries.