Octoberfest Pork Chops with Ricotta Spaetzle and Bavarian Roasted Beet Salad

Beets

4 medium or 3 large beets

1 medium onion, chopped

5 slices bacon, chopped

¾ cup white vinegar

1½ teaspoons caraway seed, toasted

Salt and Pepper to taste

Pork

4 bone-in pork chops

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper

1 large onion, sliced (about ⅓-inch rings)

1 bottle (12 ounces) dark beer, preferably Becks

1¼ cups white vinegar

¾ cup brown sugar

1½ teaspoons caraway seed, toasted

1½ teaspoons Nielsen-Massey Vanilla Extract

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

Ricotta Spaetzle

3 cups flour

1½ teaspoons salt

1½ cups water

1 egg

⅓ cup ricotta cheese

For the beets: Peel and take off stem and root ends of beets. Toss beets with olive oil and salt and pepper. Place onto a foil lined shallow pan. Roast beets at 350 degrees until a knife easily pierces, about 1 hour. Cool completely. Slice beets into matchstick julienne cuts. Place into a bowl and set aside. In 10 inch saute pan, cook chopped bacon over medium-high heat until browned. Add chopped onion to bacon and cook until onion browns. Stir in vinegar and caraway and cook until it reduces slightly, about 2 to 3 minutes. Toss with beets; set aside.

For the pork chops: Salt and pepper pork chops on both sides. In 12-inch stainless steel skillet, heat oil over medium high heat until hot. Add pork chops and saute until well-browned, about 4 minutes. Turn pork and saute other side, about 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer pork to a plate. Add onion to skillet and cook until translucent.

Combine remaining pork ingredients in a bowl. Whisk until combined — add to skillet with onions. Stir to combine while scraping fond from bottom of skillet. Add back pork chops and any accumulated juices on the plate. Cover and cook over medium low heat for 25 minutes. Pork should be cooked to 145 degrees. Remove pork chops to a plate again. Cook sauce uncovered whisking constantly until it reduces by half and becomes thick and shiny. Add back pork chops with accumulated juices, coating pork chops with sauce.

For the spaetzle: In an 8-quart stock pot, bring 6 quarts water to a boil; add 1 tablespoon salt.

Sift flour and mix with salt. In separate bowl, whisk the water, egg, and ricotta cheese. Combine wet ingredients to dry and mix well; batter should not be too thin or too thick; it should break from the spoon and resemble a very wet bread dough. Using a spaetzle grater, grate dough over boiling water (alternately, press dough through holes of a colander). The spaetzle will rise to the top of the water when almost done. Cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer cooked spaetzle to a bowl and keep warm. Continue with remaining spaetzle dough.

To serve: Spoon spaetzle onto a plate. Spoon sauce from pork onto spaetzle and top with a pork chop. Serve beet salad on side.

Serves four.

Mary Beth Riley