Add the fennel, scallions and parsley, then toss to combine.

To the bowl with the spice mix, whisk in the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and the remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm. Taste and season with salt and black pepper. Add the butter and whisk until incorporated, then stir in 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. With the pan still over medium-high, add ¼ cup water and scrape up any browned bits. Transfer to a platter and tent with foil. Flip and cook until the centers reach 135☏, another 3 to 4 minutes. Add the chops and cook until well browned on the bottom, 3 to 5 minutes. In a 12-inch skillet over medium-high, heat 2 tablespoons of oil until barely smoking. Sprinkle the remainder onto both sides of the pork chops, then rub the seasonings into the meat. Measure ½ teaspoon into a medium bowl and set aside. Process to a fine powder, about 10 seconds.

In a spice grinder, combine 1½ teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, the rosemary, fennel seeds and pepper flakes. To balance the richness of the pork, we top it with a bright, quick salad of parsley, scallions and sliced fennel bulb, simply dressed with more lemon juice, extra-virgin olive oil and the remainder of the spice blend. We finish the chops with a simple lemon-accented, butter-enriched pan sauce. A blend of rosemary, fennel seed, red pepper flakes, salt and black pepper, blitzed in a spice grinder to a fine powder, seasons the meat with herbaceous flavor.

To further streamline the cooking, we narrowed the ingredients to those best suited for searing on the stovetop. Rather than overnight cooking, these pork chops are ready in just over half an hour. Instead, we kept the signature flavors in mind for this recipe from our book “Tuesday Nights Mediterranean,” which features weeknight-friendly meals from the region. The laborious roast, clearly, is off the table for midweek dinner. The enchanting smell is porchetta, a delicious homage to whole-hog cooking that’s as revered as barbecue in the American South. At weekly markets across central Italy, ancient town squares fill with the aromas of spit-roasted pork slathered in rosemary, fennel pollen and garlic.

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