I haven’t cooked much with pork in this blog and so I decided to get some pork chops from my butcher and think up a recipe. I am really happy to be working with Bannerman Butcher, based in Aberdeenshire. Chris is a fourth generation butcher and the business has been running since the 1920s. The great thing about them is all their meat is sourced as close by as possible and unlike some butchers in Aberdeen, all meat is Scottish. They also deliver all over Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire. Find them on Facebook where you can place your meat order.
This pork dish is inspired by Spanish flavours, bringing a touch of summer to a dish that still has the comfort of winter. I have created a crust made of spicy chorizo sausage and sundried tomatoes, adding something a little different to the pork chop. Served with colourful and healthy roasted vegetables, it is a guilt-free dinner. I’ve also added paprika roasted chickpeas for earthiness and a bit of a bite. When cooking pork chops, treat them as you would a steak. Overcooking renders them tough and inedible. To ensure this doesn’t happen, remove from the fridge an hour before use and don’t feel the need to cook all the way through. A little pink in the middle is perfectly safe and will keep the chops succulent and tender.
Let me know if you give this recipe a go!
RECIPE
Serves 2 (easily doubled)
Difficulty Level: Home Cook
Ingredients:
For the pork:
- 2 large pork chops (I got delicious, thick chops from Bannerman Butcher)
- 70g chorizo, diced
- 6 sundried tomatoes, drained of any oil
- Salt and Pepper
- Olive oil
For the roasted vegetables:
- 1 Pepper, cut into thick slices
- 1 courgette, thickly sliced
- 1/2 aubergine, cut into thick slices
- 1 red onion, peeled and quartered
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- Salt and Pepper
- Olive oil
For the chickpeas:
- 1 tin of chickpeas, drained
- 1 tablespoon paprika (any kind works, i used Smoked paprika)
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
For the basil oil:
- 10 basil leaves
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
Method:
- Remove the pork chops from the fridge around an hour before cooking them.
2. Heat the oven to 160C. Prepare all the vegetables and place in a large roasting tin. Mix in the crushed garlic clove, a glug of olive oil and a grind of salt and black pepper. Roast for around 25-30 minutes until cooked through.3. 10 minutes into the vegetable cooking time, drain the chickpeas well and pat dry with kitchen paper. (Save the chickpea water- they can be substituted for egg whites in baking- recipe coming soon)4. Toss the chickpeas with a drizzle of olive oil, a little salt and pepper and the oregano and paprika. Roast in the oven for around 15 minutes or more if you want them crispy. 5. Fry the chorizo (without any oil) for a couple of minutes over a medium heat until softened. Remove from the heat and place in a food processor or use a hand blender. Add the sundried tomatoes and whizz to a paste. 6. When the vegetables and chickpeas have just five minutes left, drizzle the pork chops with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Heat a frying pan over a high heat and sear on both sides for 2 minutes until browned nicely. Spread both chops with the paste (on both sides, or just one side) and place in the oven (either in the pan if it is ovenproof, or in a seperate dish) to cook through for 3 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the pork chops to rest in the dish for a few minutes, until the vegetables and chickpeas are ready.7. Optional but nice: make a basil oil. In a pestle and mortar, bash the oil and basil leaves together until you have a green oil. 8. Serve the chorizo and sundried tomato covered pork chops on top of the roasted vegetables and crisped chickpeas, drizzle with basil oil if using and sprinkle over a few basil leaves. Enjoy!
Tips
- The chorizo and sundried tomato paste would also work really well as a stuffing for chicken or a topping for fish such as cod.
- Roast the chickpeas along with the vegetables (place in the dish after 10 minutes) if you aren’t worried about them crisping up- saves on washing up!
- Don’t overcook the pork chops!!
