Country French Pork Chops with Orzo Pasta

The secret to good chops is letting them cook over low heat for a long time. Cooked too quickly, they will be tough, and cooking over too high heat will make them dry. Plan on at least an hour to prepare this meal, although most of it will be letting the chops simmer.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 loin chops, about ¾ inch thick
• 1 cup dry white wine such as Chardonnay
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• 1 can of diced tomatoes
• 1 small can sliced black olives
• 1 tablespoon of capers
• 1 tablespoon of Dijon style mustard
• Parsley for garnish
• 1 pound of orzo
• 2 cups of chopped summer squash such as zucchini or crookneck
• Salt and pepper

Preparation
Heat the olive oil in a skillet and add the garlic to brown.
Place the chops in the skillet and sear both sides.
Turn the heat to medium low and add the white wine and the bay leaf.
Simmer the chops over low heat for 35-40 minutes.
Ad the tomatoes, olives, capers, and mustard and continue to simmer for another 15-20 minutes.
Cook the orzo in boiling water according to package directions.
Drain the water into another pan and use it to cook the squash for 3 minutes, just until crisp tender.
Stir the squash into the orzo pasta and add salt and pepper to taste.
Remove the bay leaf from the pork chop pan.
Place the orzo on a plate and top with one pork chop and a spoonful of tomatoes.
Garnish with chopped parsley.