Braised Pork Chops with Porcini, Tomatoes, and Cream (Marcella Hazan)
Braised Pork Chops with Tomatoes, Cream, and Porcini Mushrooms is a classic Italian dish made with pork chops, dried porcini, fresh mushrooms, tomatoes, cream, white wine, and vegetable oil. It’s built in distinct stages before coming together at the end.
In this version from Marcella Hazan, the pork chops are first browned, then simmered with wine, tomatoes, cream, and the chopped porcini. While that cooks, the porcini soaking liquid is reduced on its own, and the fresh mushrooms are sautéed separately until their moisture cooks off.
Both are added back at the end, once the pork is tender. The mushroom flavor stays more direct, and the sauce doesn’t take on excess liquid from the fresh mushrooms.
The result is tender pork in a sauce that sits between a braise and a cream sauce, with the porcini giving it a deeper, more defined flavor and a small amount of parsley added at the end.
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About this Recipe
This dish comes together differently than most braises. Instead of building everything in one pot, the mushroom components are handled separately and added later.
The porcini soaking liquid is reduced on its own until it’s more concentrated, then worked back into the dish. At the same time, the fresh mushrooms are cooked until their liquid evaporates before they’re added to the pan.
That separation matters. The sauce doesn’t get diluted, and the mushroom flavor stays more defined.
The pork chops cook slowly in the tomato and cream base until tender, then everything is brought together at the end. The final texture is thicker than a typical braise, but not as heavy as a cream sauce.
Ingredients
- Pork chops
- Dried porcini mushrooms
- Fresh white mushrooms
- Canned whole peeled tomatoes
- Heavy cream
- Dry white wine (I like Soave)
- Onion
- Vegetable oil
- Parsley
- Salt and pepper
Ingredient Notes
1. Pork Chops
Use chops with some fat for better flavor and texture. Thicker cuts hold up better during the longer cooking time.
2. Dried Porcini Mushrooms
Reconstitute by soaking in warm water until softened, then chop. Strain and reserve the soaking liquid, then reduce it by about half before adding it to the sauce. This step concentrates the porcini and adds depth that carries through the dish.
3. Fresh Mushrooms
Use white or cremini mushrooms. They cook down into the sauce but still hold their shape, adding texture alongside the porcini.
The Recipe
Braised Pork Chops with Tomatoes, Cream, and Porcini Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 lbs pork chops, ¾" thick
- ½ cup dry white wine (ex: Soave)
- ½ cup canned peeled tomatoes, drained and cut up
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 oz dried porcini mushrooms, reconstituted and chopped
- filtered water from the mushrooms
- ½ lb fresh mushrooms (white or cremini), sliced
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- In a large, heavy-bottomed sauté pan, add 2 tbsp vegetable oil and turn the heat to medium.
- When the oil is hot, add the pork chops and brown on one side, then the other.
- Add the white wine and simmer it for 15-20 seconds, scraping any browning residue from the bottom of the pan.
- Add the tomatoes, cream, salt pepper, and the chopped reconstituted porcini mushrooms.
- Turn the heat down to low and simmer, with the lid of the pan slightly ajar.
- Cook for 45 minutes, turning the chops from time to time, until they are fork-tender.
- While they cook, put the filtered water from the reconstituted porcini mushrooms in a small sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Boil it down to about ⅓ cup.
- In another sauté pan, add the remaining 2 tbsp oil and turn the heat to medium.
- When the oil is hot, add the sliced fresh mushrooms and stir frequently, adding salt and pepper.
- When the liquid from the fresh mushrooms has boiled away, add the reduced porcini water and continue to stir until all of that liquid has boiled away. Remove from the heat.
- When the pork chops are fork-tender, add the cooked mushrooms to the pan. Turn the chops a few times, cover, and continue cooking for another 5-8 minutes over medium-low heat.
- Transfer everything to a warm platter and serve immediately.
Notes
Cooking Tip: Keeping the Mushroom Flavor Intact
Handle the porcini liquid and fresh mushrooms separately so neither adds extra moisture to the sauce.
After the mushrooms have cooked off their own liquid, add the reduced porcini liquid to the pan and let it cook down again before everything is brought together.
This keeps the base concentrated and lets the mushroom flavor come through more clearly without loosening the sauce.
Serve With
- Polenta
- Rice
- Roasted potatoes
- Crusty bread
- Simple greens
Wine Pairing: Barbera
Barbera works well here because of the tomato and cream.
Its acidity keeps the sauce in balance, and it has enough structure to stand up to the porcini and pork without feeling heavy.
Serve slightly below room temperature.
To explore more Barbera styles and pairing ideas, visit the full guide below.
This gives you a deeper, more layered way to serve pork chops, with the porcini and tomato carrying most of the flavor and the cream softening it just enough.
It’s a fuller, more developed dish than most pork chop recipes, closer to the depth you’d expect from red meat, but without the heaviness.
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