Breaded Pork Chop Panini Bliss

I typically make these breaded pork chops for dinner, so I make enough breading to bread 6 pork chops (12 pieces after butterflying them), and then turn them into delicious sandwiches the next day! But you can easily adjust the amount of breading accordingly.

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, 12 halves): 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 into 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 Tablespoons of olive oil in a sauté pan on medium-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.

For the Aioli (makes about a cup):

Chop up the garlic or put it through a garlic press. Put in a mortar and pestle with the sea salt and grind into a paste. Put in a medium-sized bowl and whisk in the 2 egg yolks (**) and lemon juice. Slowly add the 1/2 cup of olive oil and the vegetable oil. Add it just a bit at a time, whisking constantly. It should turn out thick and creamy, like the consistency of mayonnaise.

For assembly:
With a serrated knife, cut the dome off the ciabatta roll to create a flat top. 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 the top half of the 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 the process for the other side.

Cut sandwich in half and prepare for breaded pork……..bliss.

** 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. If you are concerned, you can use store bought mayonnaise mixed with the garlic and sea salt as an option to the egg yolks.