April 29, 2010 | Meat & Poultry

I’m easing myself back into the kitchen. I’m still a bit bummed to be back from Italy and missing that great food, and I don’t have my energy back yet, so I wanted something easy to make for dinner. I planted a new rosemary bush yesterday and a large branch broke off when I was planting it – inspiration struck!Start by chopping about 2 tablespoons of fresh rosemary.Add about 1/3 cup of balsamic vinegar to the rosemary.Toss in a few cloves of chopped garlic, then add about 1/3 cup olive oil plus some salt and pepper.Shake everything together well and then pour into a large Ziploc bag with the pork chops and refrigerate for a couple of hours to marinate them.Pat the chops dry (I forgot to do this and had a huge flare-up problem), then grill the chops on medium high heat for about 4-6 minutes per side depending on thickness. These chops are sweet-savory and taste perfect with some rosemary roasted potatoes. I promise to try to get in the kitchen more this week!

Rosemary Balsamic Pork Chops
Serves 4

4 pork chops (I prefer bone in for flavor)
2 tablespoons chopped rosemary
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Pat pork chops dry and place in a large Ziploc bag in a single layer. Combine all remaining ingredients together in a small covered container and shake well to combine. Pour marinade over pork and seal bag, pressing out air. Refrigerate for 1-3 hours to marinate. Pat chops dry and discard marinade. Grill over medium high heat for 4-6 minutes per side and let rest for a couple of minutes before serving.