Pan-Seared Pork Chops with Blackberry Pan Sauce

Berries go beautifully with meats, and their dark fruit flavors echo those in our Merlot.
Ingredients
4 pork chops, about 3/4-inch thick
1 1/4 teaspoons coarse kosher salt, divided, or more to taste
5/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided, or more to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 shallots, diced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1/3 cup dry red wine
1 1/2 cups blackberries, divided
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Instructions
Sprinkle the chops on both sides with 1 teaspoon of the salt and 1/2 teaspoon of the pepper.
In a large skillet over medium heat, warm the oil. Add the chops and cook until cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chops to plates or a platter and let rest for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the drippings from the skillet and return it to medium-high heat. Add the shallots, rosemary, remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and remaining 1/8 teaspoon of pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots are tender, about 1 minute. Stir in the wine and 1 cup of the blackberries, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the skillet, and cook until the liquid is reduced to a thin layer, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat, add the butter, and stir until it melts and most of the berries have broken up. Add more salt and pepper to taste.
Spoon the sauce over the chops. Garnish with the remaining 1/2 cup of blackberries and serve hot.
Copyright Jill Silverman Hough. All rights reserved. www.jillhough.com