Pork Piccata with lemon and Capers

Pork Piccata with lemon and Capers is a deliciously simple Italian-American classic dish made from tender pork tenderloin slices that have been simply seasoned with kosher salt, freshly ground peppercorns, dredged in all-purpose flour, then sautéed in a combination of authentic olive oil and unsalted butter. The pan drippings are used to make the delicious sauce by adding chicken broth, white table wine, lemon juice, and capers.

Every time I look at the prices of quality veal at the market anymore I just want to cry. I eat chicken so often, I really am not feeling the Chicken Picatta idea today. Then it hit me I remembered my grandmother telling me that during the late 30’s and 40’s they often used pork cuts to make piccata. Which is perfect since my favorite market has pork tenderloin roasts on special. The real origin of the dish Piccata remains unsolved; by many. It is not a dish easily found in authentic Italian restaurants around Italy and seldom is found in homes in Italy. Piccata may be difficult to pinpoint due to lemon and butter being used in many classic Italian sauces that may have different names in different regions of Italy.

Many trusted authorities on food history; think that the name veal piccata may have come from Italian-Americans in the United States during the 1930s; like many other notorious Italian-American recipes such as the beloved chicken parmesan and pasta primavera Americans love to devour.

Personally, I have to tell you whether Piccata has direct Italian roots or Italian-American roots it’s one of my go-to classic recipes from my grandmother. You can’t go wrong with this classic dish in about 15-20 minutes from start to finish; Picatta is ready to share with your dinner guests or family.

Pork Piccata with Capers

• 1-3 pound tenderloin roast thinly sliced
• coarse kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 and 1/2 cups of All-purpose flour
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 6 tablespoons of authentic  extra-virgin olive oil
• juice of 4  fresh lemons
• 2/3 of a cup chicken stock
• splash of white table wine
• Spanish capers, rinsed
• fresh parsley, chopped
• fresh slices of lemon optional

Directions 

1. You will need to either have your butcher slice your tenderloin roast into thin slices before you bring home, or slice the tenderloin roast yourself using a very sharp knife into 1/2 of an inch thick slices.
2. Season the thinly sliced and lightly pounded pork tenderloin slices with coarse kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.
3. Dredge the pork tenderloin slices in the all-purpose flour and shake off the excess all-purpose flour.
4. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 2 tablespoons of authentic olive oil.
5. When the unsalted butter and authentic olive oil start to lightly bubble or sizzle, add 3 pieces of dredged pork tenderloin and cook for about 5 minutes.
6. When pork is browned, flip and cook the other side of pork tenderloin for 5 minutes. Remove the pork from metal skillet and transfer to a serving platter.
7. Melt 2 more tablespoons butter and add another 2 tablespoons olive oil.
8. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add the other 3 pieces of pork tenderloin and brown both sides using the same method as above. Remove the cooked pork tenderloin from the heat and add pork tenderloin to the serving platter.
9. Continue the above process with last 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter and 2 tablespoons of authentic olive oil till all the pork tenderloin slices are done.
10. Add the freshly squeezed lemon juice, chicken stock, splash of white table wine, and the Spanish capers to the metal skillet.
11. Return to the stove and bring to a light boil, scraping up browned bits from the metal skillet for extra flavor. Check for seasoning. Return all the cooked pork tenderloin slices to the metal skillet and simmer for about 4- 5 minutes.
12. Remove the pork tenderloin and place on a clean platter.
13. Add remaining 2 tablespoons of the unsalted butter to the sauce and whisk.
14. Pour the sauce over the pork tenderloin slices and garnish with fresh parsley and lemon slices.
15. Serve immediately