I have lost count of how many cook books Jamie Oliver has out there, and his new book “Veg” sounds sensational. I have his very first book from 2000 entitled “The Naked Chef” based on his series of TV shows on the BBC. At the time he was about 24 years old and a working chef at the renowned River Cafe in London. His simple and delicious recipe for pork chops from that first book works just as well today. A brief marinade in a mixture of garlic, lemon juice, thyme and oil, then cooked over high heat and served with spoonful of pesto.
The first time I made this I used a pork tenderloin sliced into 2-inch pieces and pounded into fairly thin medallions. Cooking them until slightly pink inside took a matter of minutes, and the pork really absorbed the marinade. Last night I tried it with the over sized chop he used in the recipe, and as it was a hot evening, tossed it on the grill. Sliced into thick slices, it was perfect for two.
1 handful of thyme, picked
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 clove of garlic
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 Tbs. olive oil
4 two-rib pork loin chops, or regular chops
1 recipe pesto (he uses a classic basil pesto recipe that I won’t include here)
Using a pestle and mortar pound, or very finely chop, the thyme with 1 tsp. of salt. When pulped, add the garlic and 1 tsp. of the black pepper and pound again. Stir in the lemon juice and zest and the olive oil. Smear the mixture over the chops and leave for at least 10 minutes.
Place the chops on a very hot griddle or in a hot frying pan(They make a bit of smoke, so get your fan on!). Try to get each side nicely charred and golden, but take care and don’t let them burn; if it looks as if they are getting too much colour, turn the heat down. They take about 8 minutes to cook at a medium high heat but it depends on how thick your chops are. Don’t overcook pork, it isn’t necessary and will only make the meat dry. Rest the chops for a few minutes, then spoon some pesto over them. Serves 4
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