Pasta con sugo di Salvia e bisteca di Maiale (Sage sauce with Pork chops)

What a wonderful way to inaugurate the growing season. Fresh sage is in abundance in my garden.  Several handfuls is all you need for this intensely flavored sauce, where sage is the main ingredient.   A few extra sprigs is all you need to serve this wonderful dish.  I like to put some fresh in a vase right on the table. 

Ingredients:  2 handfuls of fresh Sage ( you will be discarding the sage in the sauce before serving, so it's best to leave them whole so you can remove them later)

4 pork chops about 1/4 inch thick with bone in

2 cloves of garlic (optional, discard after flavoring oil)

3 tablespoons olive oil

one teaspoon of sea salt

one teaspoon of black pepper

2 cups tomato sauce (freshly jarred or canned, plain, cut up with their juice or pureed in the the blender)

1/2 cup of white wine

Method:  Heat a large skillet of olive oil in a pan.  Add your garlic until fragrant and discard.  At this point add your sage and cook in the oil until soft and fragrant.  Do not fry.  If you do not have enough fresh sage, you may used dry, add about a teaspoon.  Add your meat directly to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes on each side.  Make sure they are golden.  Place your water for your pasta on to boil. Add your tomatoes,  1/2 cup of white wine and let reduce.  Add a few sprigs of fresh sage and keep cooking for about 10 more minutes. In the meantime, cook your pasta.  You will notice a ring of oil will separate from your tomatoes.   Remove your meat from the pan and continue to let your sauce reduce 5 more minutes.  Remove the used, wet sage leaves from the sauce. Set you meat aside in a serving dish.

Grate some Parmigiano cheese to your liking.

I like to use Bucatini Pasta for this dish.  You may use Penne.  Really anything tubular in shape will do, as you want the Pasta to trap the sauce inside, creating great flavor. 

Serve these great Pork Chops with some Crusty Italian bread as a second course.

Always remove your pasta when al dente, drain well and toss with this wonderful, fragrant sauce.  A great way to begin the Spring Season. 

Sprinkle with Parmigiano Reggiano and serve.  Buon Appetito!