Serbian Pork Chops

METHOD

• 1
  Preheat the oven to 160 °C.
• 2
  Cut both bell peppers into 0.5 cm thick strips. Halve both onions and then slice them into 0.5 cm thick pieces. Finely chop the garlic and chili pepper. Cut the bacon into 0.5 cm wide strips.
• 3
  Score the skin of the tomatoes with a small knife in a 1x1 cm cross at the top. Bring water to a boil in a saucepan, add no more than 2 tomatoes at a time to the boiling water and cook for 15–20 seconds. Then immediately transfer them to a bowl with ice water and let them cool. Peel the cooled tomatoes and cut them into sixths.
• 4
  Season the meat with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat oil in a casserole dish over medium heat and gradually brown the chops on all sides until golden, including the fatty edge.
• 5
  Set the browned meat aside on a plate. Add bacon to the casserole dish, increase the heat to above medium, and sauté for 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add both onions and sauté for another 1 minute. Add tomato paste, garlic, chili pepper, smoked paprika, and stir for half a minute.
• 6
  Add the chopped bell peppers, tomatoes, 300 ml of water, 3 pinches of salt, and 2 pinches of pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
• 7
  Return the browned chops to the casserole dish and pour the vegetable sauce over them, ensuring they are fully submerged. Cover the casserole dish with a lid and place it in the preheated oven for 80 minutes. Then remove the lid and bake uncovered for 40 minutes. Serve with steamed rice.