The first bite will have him or her proposing that’s just my initial warning to you if you intend to cook this for your date. It’s that good and best of all..easy! It’s divinely flavourful and restaurant-quality, no cap. This is the dish you pay GHC400 or more for but you can easily cook at home with everyday spices and ingredients.

Most of my Sunday evenings are usually like this; quiet, reflective and accompanied by a well-cooked meal paired with an excellent wine or a homemade mocktail. I would have sent my inquisitive, ever questioning daughter to my Mom’s for some Mommy time and settled in to dine in quiet. Before my evening decadence I would have done weekly grocery shopping for school week which affords me a bit of time to select choice meat parts at the Marina Supermarket. Today, I almost chose lamb cuts but I’m glad the attendant chose to ignore me despite my standing there for some minutes. Pork chops it is.

Pork chops are easily one of the easiest meats to cook. Once they are well marinated, they cook so beautifully and resonate with such tenderness with each bite. They are definitely a must-have in your freezer pantry for nights you want to treat yourself or surprise visiting guests or pop that question! For chicken wings, always have them on hand for the quickest cooking flavourful chicken part. Wings aren’t fussy like chicken breasts.

I used Asconi Agor a Moldovan red wine for this recipe. You can substitute and use any Carbernet Sauvignon red if you want but there is something mystical and aromatic about Asconi which you could miss out on so i wish you actually look for a bottle. It’s a beautiful dessert wine as well which you can serve after you are both sated. Quite a lovely wine!

If you are looking for something different to cook this coming weekend, then this it! Trust me on this! It’s simply so tender, enticingly delicious and simply sating!

Servings: 2 Prep Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: 50 minutes Total Time: 1hr

Ingredients:

For the dry spice rub

2 Pork chops

5 pieces of chicken wings

1 spoon curry powder

1 spoon chilli powder

1/2 spoon anise seed (nkitinkiti)

1 spoon salt

For The Braising Liquid

1/2 white onion chopped

2 cloves of garlic chopped

1/2 cup of water/chicken broth

1 cup of Asconi Agor

1/2 cup of Malt drink

2 bay leaves

2 springs of Rosemary leaves

Directions

Wash and pat meats dry with a kitchen towel
Season meat on all sides with all the dry spices and set aside.
Chop or slice onion and garlic.
Place a deep pan on fire over high heat with two tablespoons of vegetable oil . Place meats in the pan as soon as the oil is hot. Sear on both sides ( 2 minutes per side) till lightly browned not dark brown. Take out and set aside.
Cook garlic and onion in the same pan with no additional oil added for 2 minutes till lightly transparent. Add the water.
Pour in the red wine followed by the malt drink. Add bay leaves and fresh rosemary leaves.
Using a tong, place the meats back into the liquid. Cover to cook for 40 minutes over low heat. The liquid should be simmering and not boiling.
After 40 minutes, the braising liquid will have reduced and thickened. Taste and adjust for salt. If it’s not thickened enough, take out the meats and cook the liquid uncovered for a few minutes more.

Serve hot with your favorite side dish but absolutely try this with mashed potatoes/ yam balls or even Jollof rice 🥷🏾.

The aroma and flavour was primarily from the Moldovan red wine and it simply elevated the dish! The malt drink added a subtle sweetness to the meat which balanced perfectly with the heat from the spices.

Try this recipe and tag me on Instagram (@oyooquartey) with a detailed caption on your experience!

Watch the video on how to make this divine meal!

@oyooquartey This is your sign to learn how to braise meats 😁 . Trust me when i say they'll accept your proposal if you cook this restaurant quality dish ! The full recipe is on my blog link in my bio . #accramommy #recipes #tiktokfood #ghanatiktokers🇬🇭🇬🇭🇬🇭 #tiktokmom #foodies #ghanafoodies #foodlover #mommyblogger #ghanamoms ♬ Calm background music with acoustic guitar and saxophone(1288148) - ame