Serves a Crowd

Breaded Pork Chop Panini Bliss

June  5, 2010
4
3 Ratings
  • Serves 6
Author Notes

Our family recipe for breaded pork chops is mouth-watering-ly delicious. And what I MUST do the day after making them for dinner, is make breaded pork chop sandwiches. You could put just about anything on one of these sandwiches and it would be yummilicious.

But calling this one a leftover would be criminal. It’s the main event...... and it’s crazy good.

The breaded pork itself has amazing flavor.... lightly breaded, golden brown and crispy with the fresh parsley and romano cheese dancing on your tongue. That, combined with the homemade garlic-y aioli which just melts into the bread when grilled, the peppery arugula, and salty bite of the of the pecorino romano cheese layer, all on a crispy golden grilled ciabatta roll.......bliss.


littleclove

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • boneless pork chops (1 will make 2 sandwiches)
  • fresh ciabatta rolls (1 per sandwich)
  • fresh arugula
  • fresh pecorino romano cheese, 1/2 cup plus more for slicing
  • 4 eggs, (2 eggs, 2 yolks only)
  • fresh garlic, 1 clove
  • garlic powder, 1 teasp
  • freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1 tbsp
  • fresh Italian parsley, chopped, ½ cup
  • fresh breadcrumbs, (plain, not-seasoned) 2 cups
  • olive oil, ½ cup plus 2 tbsp
  • vegetable oil ½ cup
  • sea salt, 2 pinches
  • salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
Directions
  1. For the pork chops: Butterfly cut the pork chop into 2 pieces and trim any fat. Pound down so they spread out and there aren’t any thick spots. For the pork chop breading: (makes enough for about 6 pork chops) in a large mixing bowl, mix breadcrumbs, garlic powder, ½ cup pecorino romano, parsley, salt and pepper to taste. Crack two eggs into a separate bowl and whisk up until blended. Dip a piece of pork in the whisked egg to coat and immediately put into the breadcrumb mixture. Press down to coat the pork, and then flip to coat the other side. Let that rest on a plate and repeat with remaining pork. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a sauté pan on med-low heat. Cook breaded pork a couple of minutes per side until it’s golden brown and crispy. I cut into it at the thickest part to make sure it’s done (no pink). Lightly salt and set aside.
  2. For the Aioli (makes about a cup): Chop up the garlic or put through a garlic press. Put in a mortar and pestle with the sea salt and grind into a paste. Put in a med bowl and whisk in 2 egg yolks and lemon juice. SLOWLY add the olive oil and the vegetable oil. Just a bit at a time, whisking constantly. It should turn out thick and creamy, like the consistency of mayonnaise.
  3. With a serrated knife, cut the dome off the ciabatta roll to create a flat side. Carefully slice the ciabatta horizontally into 2 pieces. Brush each outer side with olive oil. Spread the aioli on each inner side. Lay the breaded pork on the bottom slice, and top with a few leaves of arugula and thin slices of pecorino romano to cover. Top with top ½ of ciabatta. Grill in panini press, or if you don’t have one of those but do have a grill pan (like me) put in grill pan, cover with parchment paper and then put a frying pan with 2 large cans of tomatoes in it on top. Press down. Flip sandwich and repeat. Cut sandwich in ½ and prepare for breaded pork....bliss. Not kidding. Note: For safety’s sake, raw egg is not recommended for infants, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems. To avoid the risk of salmonella, buy your eggs from a reputable source, and take care when separating the yolks and whites, so that the contents of the egg do not come in contact with the outer part of the shell. You can use store bought mayonnaise mixed with the garlic and sea salt as an option.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • lapadia
    lapadia
  • AntoniaJames
    AntoniaJames
  • littleclove
    littleclove

3 Reviews

lapadia August 12, 2010
Love this sandwich!
 
AntoniaJames June 8, 2010
Love this!!! Arugula + pecorino + garlic aioli, with the cutlet on a ciabbatta = Brilliant! ;o)
 
littleclove June 5, 2010
I'm trying to enter the pork sandwich contest, but not sure how to do that! Am I in? Or did I miss the deadline?