Gourmet Pork Chops

This is my mum's recipe. It featured at any special family event. We joke about the originality or lack there of but it's only in jest as everyone loves it. A real crowd pleaser. The recipe has evolved over the years but this is the latest iteration. I hope I did it justice.

I served this with mash potato, red cabbage & apple and green beans. There are a lot of elements to this dish but keep going, it's worth it. Lip smackingly good.

Serves 2

Ingredients

Pork Chop Ingredients

2 pork chops

2 tbsp. curry powder

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. mixed herbs

1 tbsp. Dijon mustard

2 cloves garlic, minced

Salt & Pepper

Sauce

1 onion, finely diced

50g mushrooms, sliced

200ml sherry

200ml pouring cream

1 tbsp. curry paste

Salt & pepper

Mashed Potato Ingredients

2 large potatoes (russet potatoes are good as they are high in starch), quartered

50ml cream

50g butter

2 tbsp. salt

Pepper

Red Cabbage Ingredients

150g red cabbage, shredded

1/2 red onion, sliced thinly

1 tbsp. olive oil

1/2 tsp. allspice

1/2 red apple, cut into matchsticks or julienned

1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

1/2 black mustard seeds

Squeeze lemon juice

Green Beans

100g green beans, topped and tailed

1 clove garlic, minced

1 slice pancetta, crisped

1 shallot, finely diced

squeeze lemon juice

Method

1. Mix all the marinade ingredients in a bowl and smear over the pork chops. Cover with cling wrap and allow to marinade in the fridge for a couple of hours.

2. Boil water in a saucepan and add a squeeze of lemon juice. This helps keep the vibrant colour of the cabbage. Add the cabbage to the water. and simmer for 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.

3. Heat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.

4. Put the potatoes in a pot of salted water and bring to the boil. Boil the potatoes until they are fork tender, not al dente.

5. Heat a frying pan on a medium heat, add some olive oil. Allow to heat and then sauté the onion and mushrooms. Add the chops and brown on both sides. Remove from the pan and put them in an oven proof dish.

6. Add the curry paste to the pan and fry for a minute or two. Turn up the heat and add the sherry. Let it reduce by half. Take the pan off the heat momentarily and then slowly stir in the cream. Season with salt and pepper. Gently simmer for 2 minutes and the pour over the chops. Cover with tin foil and bake in the oven for 25 minutes.

7. Bring a small pot of salted water to the boil and parboil the green beans. Plunge the beans into an ice bath, remove and set aside.

8. Once the potatoes have boiled, add the butter, cream and seasoning and mash. If you like your mash super smooth, you can put it through a ricer or you can pass it through a sieve. Keep warm.

9. Heat a frying pan and add some olive oil. Allow to heat up and then add the onion and sauté until soft. Add the mustard seeds and allspice and cook for a minute or 2. Then add the cabbage and fry for 4 minutes. Add the apple and then the balsamic vinegar. Cook for 2 minutes. Keep warm.

10. Heat another pan, add some oil and allow to heat. Then add the shallots and sauté Add the garlic and fry for 2 minutes. Add the green beans and pancetta and heat through. Add the lemon juice just before saving.

11. Start plating everything up.