The Mauro of the Story

If you follow me, you know that I love me some giardiniera, a giardinfluencer, if you will. With that being said, when Jeff Mauro sent me a sampling of his Mauro Provisions giardiniera and new Honey G relish, I knew I had to come strong with a Sunday sandwich.

"The Mauro of the Story" starts with a dry brined pork chop that's pounded thin, breaded. and fried in some of the reserved giardiniera oil until golden and crisp. It's then topped with the sweet and spicy Honey G relish, charred lemon dressed rapini, grated pecorino romano, and giardiniera mayo on a freshly baked french roll. It's a beautifully balanced sandwich that's crispy, spicy, a touch sweet, and the lemon dressed greens bring a little bitter and acidic notes to the party.

Giardiniera is used in three ways and the moral of this story is...giardiniera rocks, have fun with it.

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Ingredients:

2 boneless pork chops

1 cup AP flour

1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

1/2 cup italian breadcrumbs

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried rosemary

2 beaten eggs

1 bunch rapini (stems trimmed)

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup freshly grated pecorino romano

3 tbsp Mauro Provisions Honey G

2 tbsp Mauro Provisions Medium Giardiniera

1 cup drained giardiniera oil

1/2 cup mayo

1 french roll

1. Giardiniera Mayo

Mince medium giardiniera and mix with mayo. Season with salt to taste.

2. Breaded Pork Chops

Pound pork chops until thin and season with salt. Let dry brine for 15 minutes. Set up a three step breading station consisting AP flour seasoned with a pinch of salt and pepper, eggs, and both bread crumbs seasoned with the dried herbs. Bread your pork chops and shallow fry in the giardiniera oil until golden brown, about three minutes per side. Immediately season with salt and let rest on a wire rack.

3. Charred Rapini

Blanch rapini in salted boiling water for 2 minutes. Place in an ice bath to stop cooking and dry completely. Quick sear rapini on a grill, in a pizza oven, or in a hot pan until slightly charred. Place in a bowl and toss in olive oil, lemon juice, and salt.

4. Sandwich Build

Slice french roll in half, leaving a hinge. Spread giardiniera mayo evenly on both sides. Add fried pork chops and spread each chop with Honey G relish. Top with rapini and finish with pecorino romano.