The beloved black sheep of our family was Uncle Phillip, my mother’s brother. He was bigger than life, a raconteur, storyteller, lover of food and drink, an unabashed lady’s mab. Among his many amours was a lady named Margie who live in Harlem. She was a fabulous cook who loved making the dish given today. What we call Chuletas Guisada, and what she called, just Stewed Pork Chops. Whatever name you gave it, the dish, to us, was the best rendition of pork chops we’ve ever had.

At Margie’s   place, the accompaniment to this dish was always, steamed white rice. In most Nuyorican households, we would serve the chops with Spanish yellow rice. Your choice. If desired, you can serve it with potatoes, mashed or fried. Thar’s the beauty of this recipe; any good side dish will do. Enjoy.

CHULETAS GUISADAS
(Stewed Pork Chops)

Ingredients:

4 loin pork chops
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon dried Marjoram
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 (28-oz.) can plum tomatoes

Instructions:

  1. Rinse pork chops in cold running water and pat dry with paper towels.
  2.  In a cup or small bowl, mix salt, pepper, oregano and marjoram. Blend in olive oil and vinegar.
  3.  Rub each chop thoroughly with the seasoning
  4.  Place chops in a heavy skillet or frypan and brown over moderate heat on both sides (about 5 minutes per side).
  5.  Add onion, cover and cook about 5 minutes.
  6.  Add plum tomatoes and their liquid, and bring to a boil. Cover, lower heat and simmer for about 30-35 minutes.
    Yield: 4 servings.