MAIN COURSES COOKED IN ADVANCE

During the past month we have had three different sets of out-of-town company. I have barely gotten the sheets washed, pressed and put back on the beds in the guest room before a new group has pulled into the driveway. I love entertaining weekend and overnight guests, but cooking three meals a day for a group can be a challenge. As a result, I`ve adopted the philosophy that during such visits meals should not require so much time that I miss out on talking and relaxing with our friends.

For this spring`s round of visitors, I decided to choose main courses that can be completely cooked in advance and need only be reheated at serving time. The fork-tender pork chops simmered with tomatoes, red peppers and onions featured below fall into that genre. They are based on a recipe for a pork stew created by the late Simone (Simca) Beck, a French cooking teacher and author extraordinaire. Her recipe was made with cubes of pork, chopped onions, carrots and tomatoes, all simmered in a little beef stock with seasonings of curry, basil and tiny hot peppers called pili-pili. I hadn`t made the dish in years, but I remembered clearly that the flavors worked perfectly together and that the stewed pork could be made ahead and that it tasted even better when reheated.

At the market I bought some thick, boneless pork chops and decided to simmer them with some of the robust seasonings in the Simca original. After sauteing the meat, I cooked onions and carrots and also added sweet red peppers to the pan. I kept the seasonings of basil and curry but used red pepper flakes for a hot accent. Then I added some tomatoes, a large amount of chicken stock and white wine, which was not included in the French version. After the pork chops had simmered in this mixture for a little over an hour, they were perfectly tender and the juices had melded into a chunky and delectable sauce.

Last week I made these pork chops two days before company arrived and, at dinner time, reheated the dish and served the chops with saffron-scented rice and a baby spinach salad tossed in a wine vinaigrette dressing. I bought some delicious ice cream from a local dairy and spice cookies from a nearby bakery to complete the meal.

This menu won rave reviews, but, more important, I was completely rested when we all sat down to the table and was ready to catch up with my friends.

PORK CHOPS SIMMERED WITH TOMATOES, RED PEPPERS AND ONIONS

6 boneless, center-cut pork chops, about 1 inch thick, trimmed of excess fat (total 2 to 2 1/4 pounds)

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, chopped (1 1/2 cups)

2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice

1 large sweet red pepper, stem, membranes, seeds removed, and pepper cut into 1-inch squares

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon dried basil

1 teaspoon curry powder

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 sprigs flat-leaf parsley plus 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped parsley for garnish

1 (28-ounce) can Italian-style tomatoes, drained and coarsely chopped

4 cups reduced-sodium chicken stock

1/2 cup dry white wine

Pat pork chops dry with paper towels, then salt and pepper them generously on both sides. Heat oil in large, heavy, nonreactive skillet over medium heat until hot. Add chops and saute until browned well, about 3 minutes per side. Remove chops to drain on paper towels.

Add onion, carrots and sweet red pepper to skillet and cook, stirring, until vegetables are softened slightly, 4 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook and stir 1 minute more. Add basil, curry powder, red pepper flakes, parsley sprigs, tomatoes, stock and wine. Return chops to skillet. Bring mixture to a simmer. Lower heat and cook, covered, until meat is fork-tender, about 1 hour and 20 minutes. (Pork chops can be prepared 2 days ahead to this point. Cool, cover and refrigerate. Reheat when needed.)

Remove lid, bring mixture to a simmer and cook another 10 to 15 minutes until liquids are reduced to a slightly thicker, more saucelike consistency. Taste sauce and season with additional salt and pepper if needed. Discard parsley sprigs.

To serve, arrange chops on serving platter and nap with sauce. Sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped parsley. Makes 6 servings.

(Betty Rosbottom is a cooking school director and author of ``American Favorites,`` Chapters.)

(c) 2001, Betty Rosbottom. Distributed by the Los Angeles Times Syndicate International, a division of Tribune Media Services.

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Author: Betty Rosbottom