7

Pork chops & lamb
curryAll props
stylist’s own.

2 large pork cutlets (about

2cm thick), fat cap and

skin on

1 tbsp olive oil

2 corella pears, cut into

wedges

50 gm butter

½ cup (loosely packed) sage

25 gm roasted hazelnuts,

coarsely chopped

Pear and frisée salad

(optional), to serve

BRINE

325 gm coarse sea salt

150 gm caster sugar

10 black peppercorns

2 thyme sprigs

Pork chops with

hazelnut and sage

SERVES 4 // PREP TIME 25 MINS

// COOK 35 MINS (PLUS BRINING,

CHILLING)

You don’t have to brine pork

chops, but when you do

it seasons the meat more

deeply and helps them retain

moisture throughout cooking.

Try this dish with a pear and

frisée salad dressed with

mustard and red wine vinegar

on the side. Begin this recipe a

day ahead to brine the pork.

1 For brine, combine salt, sugar

and 800ml water in a large

saucepan and bring to the boil,

stirring to dissolve. Remove from

heat, add peppercorns, thyme

and 900ml water. Cool, then

refrigerate until chilled (1 hour).

2 Score skin of pork cutlets at

3cm intervals, place cutlets in a

non-reactive container with brine

and refrigerate for 6 hours or

overnight. (Alternatively, place

in two snap-lock bags, fill with

brine and seal well before

refrigerating.) Drain (discard

brine), pat dry and refrigerate

uncovered to dry out (1 hour).

3 Preheat oven to 200°C.

Place a sheet of baking paper

in a large ovenproof frying pan

over high heat. Add oil and

pork, skin-side down, and

cook, rotating to colour all the

skin, until skin starts to crackle

(2-3 minutes). Remove paper,

then turn pork and cook, turning

once, until golden (1-2 minutes

each side). Add pear wedges to

pan, then transfer pan to oven

and roast until pork is cooked

to your liking (10-12 minutes for

medium-well). Transfer pork and

pear to a plate, cover loosely

with foiland rest for 5 minutes.

4 Tip pan juices into a heatproof

bowl, then add butter to pan

and swirl over high heat until

nut-brown (2-3 minutes). Add

sage and hazelnuts and cook,

tossing occasionally, until sage

is crisp (1-2 minutes). Return

reserved pan juices to pan and

stir to combine. Spoon sauce

over pork and pear wedges

and serve with salad.

Drink suggestionrustic

farmhouse cider.➤