Just as the Italians surprised me with their approach to the grill, so did the French. One of their secrets? A dry marinade. Use it to tenderize pork or lamb chops or cubes for a kebob.
This marinade is from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Per pound of meat: one teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, a tiny crumbled bay leaf, and that wonderfully pungent aromatic: dried sage. I like half a teaspoon of the stuff.
Sprinkle it on both sides of thin pork chops, and let it sit for at least an hour in the fridge. Let the chops come to room temperature, and grill on high for 2-3 minutes a side. Terrifically flavorful.
Goes with anything: potato salad, hummus, pasta salad, etc, etc. Oh yeah, and a nice crisp bottle of cold rose. Of course if you start with the rose it won't really matter how much you charred those chops.
