A fabulous pork marinade recipe from Greece
According to Greek mythology Athens was once under the rule of Aegeus and his son Theseus. After Aegeus had died, Theseus journeyed to Athens to declare the kingdom as his legacy. He held that position until he retired to live on an island. There, he was murdered by Lycomedes. Then, the goddess Athena and Poseidon, god of the ocean, resolved to claim the magnificent city as their own. The two deities weren't above using force to get what they wanted. Instead of fighting, Athena conceived of a plan as to which of them would win the city of Athens. It was decided that whoever presented the city with the finest gift would win. Cecrops was named the designated arbitrator and his verdict would be final. Poseidon was first. He raised his mighty trident and smashed it into the earth. Thus, an exquisite azure spring emerged and began to flow, but alas, the spring was nothing but salt-water. Athena knelt and planted an olive tree in the ground. This bequeathed to the Athenians olives, oil, and wood. Cecrops judged Athena's the better gift, and as the winner, she promptly named the city after herself.
Ingredients:
4 boneless pork sirloin chops
Marinade:
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup lemon juice
2 tsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp lemon zest
2 tsp dried Greek oregano
2 tsp minced fresh garlic
½ tsp pepper
Directions:
In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients except pork chops. Set aside. Trim visible fat from the sirloin chops and put them in a zip-lock bag. Pour marinade over pork chops and refrigerate for about 6 hours, turning occasionally, if possible.
Remove pork chops from the refrigerator and allow to return to room temperature. Preheat grill or stove top grill pan for 5 minutes or so.
To form grill marks, arrange pork chops on the diagonal to the grids, rotating 45° when the first grill marks become visible. Rule of thumb: rotate chops every three minutes.
Cook pork chops for eleven minutes on an outdoor grill, or stove-top grill. If you are cooking on a George Forman™ type of grill, cooking will take about six minutes. The chops are ready when they are lightly browned and squishy-firm to the touch. Serve with coleslaw or a colorful vegetable.
