Simple Pork Chops Jamie Oliver Food

THE BEST PORK CHOPS WITH FRESH BAY SALT, CRACKLING AND SQUASHED PURPLE POTATOES

Steps:

• I have to be honest - once you've eaten pork in Italy you have to really look around for anything as fine over here. You see, we've become attracted to breeds of pigs that grow very fast to be butchered and sold on ASAP, whereas our old farming methods used breeds that are now considered rare. They take longer to grow to maturity, which gives the meat a fantastic depth of flavour and plenty of snowy white, waxy fat that just melts in the pan. Once you've tried that, everything else comes second best.
• Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6. Parboil your potatoes in salted boiling water for around 15 minutes until tender, then drain. Score the pork skin, season it and put it in a hot roasting tray with a drizzle of olive oil. As it begins to crisp up, add your potatoes and thyme. Toss once or twice (making sure the crackling ends up on top of the potatoes so it crisps up even more) and put in the oven for around 15 minutes until cooked.
• Meanwhile, pound up your fennel seeds and bay leaves in a pestle and mortar with 2 tablespoons of salt until you have a fine green moist paste. Shake this through a sieve into a bowl - this will stop it from sticking together in lumps. Pat your pork chops with a little oil - this will stop them sticking to the pan. Season the pork chops on both sides with the herb salt and keep any excess to use another day. Preheat your griddle pan until really hot. Don't add any extra oil to the pan - if you do it will start to smoke. Add your pork chops, and cook for around 3-4 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of the pork. Try to avoid the temptation to overcook them. Once cooked allow to rest for about 4 minutes.
• Heat a little pan and add the cider and mustard. Bring to the boil, then reduce by half and add the crème fraîche. Bring back to the boil and reduce again until the sauce thickens, then remove from the heat. Add the butter and shake the pan around a bit so the sauce thickens and shines. Season to taste.
• Serve up the potatoes - I like to bash up half of them so they kind of smash and crumble - with the pork, a lovely piece of crackling and any resting juices from the meat. Drizzle over the cider sauce and eat - what a pleasure. Nice with a simple green salad and a pint of cider.

SIMPLE PORK CHOPS - JAMIE OLIVER

Steps:

• Score the fat at the edge of the chops at 1/2" intervals. Sprinkle both sides of each chop with salt and pepper. Stick a large sage leaf to the meat over the "eye" of the chop; press in firmly.
• Pour olive oil into a hot non-stick skillet. Add chops, sage side down. Apply the remaining sage leaves to the now upper side of the chops.
• Place skillet in a preheated 425F (220C) oven for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown, turning once half way through. Remove to a plate.
• Pour fat out of pan. Deglaze with lemon juice and drizzle over chops.

ROASTED CARROTS AND BEETS WITH THE JUICIEST PORK CHOPS

Steps:

• Carrots and beets are particularly good when roasted as it brings out their natural sugars. The best advice I can give you is about flavoring them. A few smashed garlic cloves, a woody herb like rosemary, thyme, sage or bay, and a splash of vinegar, or squeezed lemon or orange juice, can accentuate their natural flavor.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Put the carrots into a large pot and the beets into another, and add enough water to cover them. Season with salt and bring to a boil. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes until just tender, then drain and place in separate bowls. Peel the beets, and cut any larger carrots and beets in half or into quarters. Smaller ones can stay whole.
• Now add the flavorings while the vegetables are still hot. Toss the carrots with half the smashed garlic and a glug of olive oil, then lightly season. Add the orange juice and the thyme leaves and toss again. Mix the beets with the rest of the garlic, the rosemary, balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper. You can now put the vegetables either into separate ovenproof dishes, or together on a large roasting pan with the carrots in 1 half of the pan and the beets in the other. Place in the middle of the preheated oven and roast for around 1/2 hour or until golden.
• While the carrots and beets are cooking, lay the chops on a board and score through the skin and the streaky-looking part of the meat. This will give you lovely crackling.
• Firmly press a sage leaf onto the eye meat on both sides of each chop. Season with salt and pepper.
• When the vegetables start to color, heat a large ovenproof frying pan or small roasting pan on the burner, add a good glug of olive oil and put in the chops. As soon as you've got nice color on 1 side, turn the chops over and place the pan in the oven for 10 minutes, or until the chops are crisp on the outside and just cooked through and juicy in the middle. Remove the chops to a warmed plate. Pour most of the fat out of the pan and add a squeeze of lemon juice to it. Stir and scrape the lovely sticky bits off the bottom and drizzle all over the chops. Remove the carrots and beets from the oven - they should be nice and sticky by now. Serve them with the chops and a glass of wine.
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PORK WITH PEACHES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C/gas 7).
• Score the skin of the pork through the fat, the incisions should be about 1 centimeter apart. Turn over. Make a pocket for the stuffing by cutting an incision at an angle, about 3 inches (7.5 centimeters) deep in the center of the streaky part of the loin, working away from the eye meat. Starting slightly in from the side of the meat, slowly slice along the loin not quite to the end, this will ensure your stuffing won't fall out.
• Chop half the thyme with 1 clove of garlic and scrunch together with the butter, 1 tin of peaches, and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Push the butter into the pocket and pat back into shape. Lay the pancetta, bacon or Parma ham over the pork, leaving the skin side uncovered, and tie up firmly with 3 to 4 pieces of string.
• Place skin-side up in a roasting tray with the remaining peaches, the garlic cloves, thyme, and half of the white wine. Roast for around 1 hour until the skin is crisp and golden.
• When ready, remove the pork and peaches to a plate and leave to rest for 15 minutes whilst you finish the sauce. To do this, remove most of the fat from the roasting tray, then place the tray over a high heat. Squash the cooked garlic and add 1 tablespoon of flour. Stir and add the rest of the wine with a glass of water or stock. Simmer and leave to reduce for a few minutes. Strain and add any extra juices from the rested pork. Check the seasoning and consistency and serve drizzled over the sliced pork.

TRAY BAKED PORK CHOPS WITH HERBEY POTATOES, PARSNIPS AND PEARS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place a large tray in the oven to heat while you prepare your vegetables. Wash and slice the parsnips into quarters lengthwise then slice the scrubbed potatoes into 1/2-inch thick pieces and wash and slice into quarters lengthwise and add to the roasting tray. Dry them with kitchen paper, then place the parsnips, pears, and potatoes in a bowl and coat lightly with olive oil. Add some chopped or pounded thyme, all the garlic cloves, salt and pepper. Then place in the hot tray to cook in the oven for 5 minutes.
• While the vegetables are in the oven, rub some thyme, lemon zest and seasoning onto the chops. Then place them in the tray with the parsnips and potatoes and add the pears. Cook for around 30 minutes until the meat is tender and the vegetables are golden.

MY MOORISH PORK CHOPS

Steps:

• To make the chops: Pound most of your oregano leaves with a small pinch of salt and pepper in a pestle and mortar. Roughly chop the raisins, then add them to the pestle and mortar with a splash or 2 of sherry and a splash of extra-virgin olive oil. Muddle everything together to make a paste, then put to one side for a minute. Lay each pork chop in front of you so the side with the fat is farthest away. Carefully insert a knife into the side nearest you and move it around to make a pocket inside. Use your fingers to fill each pocket with the raisin paste. Cook's Note: To see what I mean, go to www.jamieoliver.com/how-to.
• To make the beans: Fry the strips of fat from your pata negra or bacon in a medium pan on a high heat for a few minutes, then add the offcuts (or bacon) and a drizzle of olive oil. Stir in the chopped onion and pepper, then turn the heat down and cook for about 5 more minutes, or until the vegetables have softened. Roughly chop your rosemary leaves and add those to the pan along with your bay leaves. Add the beans to the pan with 1 1/2 cups/350 ml water. Stir, then leave to tick away for about 20 minutes. Keep an eye on the beans and add a splash more water if they look dry. Get a barbecue or griddle pan really hot. Rub some olive oil and a good pinch of salt and pepper all over the pork chops. Put them on the very hot side of your barbecue and sear them for 2 to 3 minutes on each side to get some good colour going, then move them to the gentler side of the barbecue so they can cook slowly. If you're using a griddle pan, turn the heat down to medium-low and cook for a further 10 minutes, turning occasionally.
• Meanwhile, finely chop the stalks of the Swiss chard and add them to the pan with the beans. Roughly chop the leaves and add them to the pan for the last minute or 2 of cooking so as not to lose the flavour. Taste the beans and season with salt and pepper. Cook for a few more minutes if you want to achieve a thicker consistency. Divide the beans evenly among 4 plates and lay a pork chop over each. Sprinkle over the reserved oregano leaves, finish with a drizzle of olive oil and serve.

SIMPLE TIME PORK CHOPS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
• Place pork chops in a baking pan. Spread 1 teaspoon of butter over each chop, then spread 1 teaspoon of mayonnaise over butter. Season each one with seasoning salt, pepper and parsley. Sprinkle 1/4 cup cheese over the top of each pork chop.
• Bake 35 minutes in preheated oven, or until the internal temperature of the chops has reached 145 degrees F (63 degrees C).