Prosciutto-Wrapped Pork with Sage and Capers

Do you need an easy weeknight dinner idea for this week? This recipe comes from Curtis Stone and one of his cookbooks that I own called Relaxed Cooking with Curtis Stone. He is a very handsome Australian chef whose accent I L-O-V-E. (sorry Shaun!) He had a show on TLC called "Take Home Chef" where he would approach women in the food store, go home with them, and make a complete meal to surprise someone in their life. I'm sure you've seen it at some point or another. Want to know another fun fact about Curtis? He was named one of People magazine's Sexiest Men Alive in 2006. Hmm... I wonder why?

A man who can cook? There is nothing sexier than that.

Ingredients:
6 1/2-inch-thick boneless center-cut pork chops (4 ounces each)
1 tsp kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

6 slices prosciutto
3 tbsp olive oil
18 sage leaves
2-3 tbsp drained capers
1 tbsp unsalted butter
Zest and juice
of 2 lemons
1 6-ounce bag
baby spinach

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Season pork with salt and pepper and wrap a slice of prosciutto around each chop's center.

2. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large nonstick skillet over high  heat. Add chops and cook until golden brown and cooked through, 3-4 minutes on each side. Put on a plate to the side. Do not wipe out the skillet.

3. Add 1 tbsp oil and the sage leaves to the skillet and cook for 1 minute over medium-high heat; remove sage. Remove pan from heat and whisk in the capers, butter, lemon juice and zest. Add chops back to the pan to warm through and combine with the sauce.

4. At the same time, add spinach to another deep pan and cook until it has wilted, about 2 minutes. Combine spinach and sage in the same pan with the pork and sauce. Serves 4.
 
I served this dish with some roasted new potatoes dusted with salt and pepper. It was a great compliment to the pork and as a bonus you could dip them in the sauce! The capers and prosciutto added a tart saltiness to the pork chops. The lemon cut into that to mellow it out so it wasn't too overpowering. It was great to have the addition of spinach in this dinner - it really rounded out the whole meal. For something that came together so quickly in the kitchen, it really packs a ton of flavor! It's definitely a step-up from pork chops and applesauce.

Tutti Mangia!