Chop Chop

Spiced Pork Chop


This is a Gordon Ramsey recipe n you could not imagine how these spices lift up the full flavor of the pork chops while not overpowering the sweetness of the meat. I think it works best with quality Iberico chops with bone as it could be served "à point". Balance off the spices with crushed sweet potatoes.

serves 4

4 pork loin chops with bone, about 300g each

(US or Iberico recommended)

Spices

½-1 tsp mild chilli powder

1 tsp sweet paprika

3 tbsp olive oil

A few thyme sprigs

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

5-6 star anise, lightly smashed

1 tsp coriander seeds, lightly crushed    

• Pre-heat the oven to 180˚C.
• Mix the chilli powder, paprika, pinch salt and pepper with the olive oil. Add the thyme, garlic, star anise and coriander seeds. 
• Coat the chops with the spices and leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes or in the fridge overnight.
• Sear the chops in a hot pan with a little olive oil until golden. Transfer to the oven and bake, uncovered, for about 15 minutes until the meat is just firm when lightly pressed. 
• When cooked, leave the chops to rest in a warm place for 10 minutes.

Crushed Sweet Potatoes

3 large sweet potatoes, about 350g ( butternut squash recommended) Chicken stock, enough to cover the potatoes

1 shallot, peeled and finely chopped

bunch of sage leaves and coriander, roughly chopped

• Bring a pot of chicken stock to the boil. 
• Peel and cut the sweet potatoes into 1½ cm slices. Add to the chicken stock and cook for 7-8 minutes until almost tender when pierced with a skewer (they should be just slightly undercooked at this stage). Drain and refresh under running cold water. Dice the par-cooked potatoes and set aside.
• Sauté briefly the shallots and chopped garlic in a pan with hot oil until they start to caramelize, then tip in the sweet potatoes and toss to mix. Season lightly and cook and stir occasionally for 5-6 minutes. 
• Lightly crush the potatoes and finish with the chopped sage and coriander.

To serve, spoon the mash onto plates and place a pork chop on top. Drizzle juice of the pork chops on top and CHOP!

Tips: It is important to rest the meat for a few minutes before cutting it to have the full juicy tenderness of the meat.

Simply Divine for a Dinner Party!

Delmarva Crab Cakes

Homemade spiced, crisped while plumped Dungeness crab cakes! Totally Speechless!

serve 6 

Crab Cakes

2 large live Dungeness crabs (1 pound lump crabmeat)

½ cup bread crumbs

¼ cup mayonnaise

1 large egg, beaten

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 scallion, finely chopped

½ tsp Worcestershire sauce

½ tsp Delmarva seasoning

vegetable oil for deep-frying

Delmarva Seasoning 

(quantity of 3 tbsp)

2 tsp salt

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp celery seed

1 tsp dry mustard

1 tsp sweet paprika

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp ground bay leaf

¼ tsp ground cloves

¼ tsp ground all spice

¼ tsp ground ginger

¼ tsp grated nutmeg

¼ tsp ground cardamom

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

Cucumber Tartar

 1 cup of cucumber cubes in small dice, peeled and seeded

pinch of sea salt

½ cup mayonnaise

1 scallion, finely chopped

2 tsp capers

1 tsp anchovy paste

• Steam the crabs as a whole for 20mins. Leave the crab cooled down then refrigerate for at least 2 -3 hours so the meat will stay firm and plump. Detach all crabmeat from the body, legs and claws as much and in big pieces as possible. Set aside.
• Mix bread crumbs, mayonnaise, egg, Dijon, scallion, Worcestershire sauce and Delmarva seasoning altogether in a bowl. Fold in the crabmeat and the roe (if preferred).
• With wet hands, form the crabmeat mixture into 3 inches wide and ¾ inch high crab cakes. Coat each crab cakes with extra bread crumbs.
• Deep-fry the crab cakes with ½ inche of vegetable oil by turning once until light golden colored. Place crab cakes onto paper towels to drain.

Serve hot with tartar and some greens with vinaigrette.

Bonjour!

Super Runny Omelette
What could we possibly ask for more by pampering yourself with a wonderful happy breakfast on the weekends. If you like your omelette a bit runny, we are on the same page!

4 eggs

few rashes of bacon / pork sausages

brown button mushrooms, sliced

2 medium sized tomatoes, skinned, deseeded and diced

bunch of basils, roughly chopped

parmesan, grated

10g demi sel butter

olive oil

salt n pepper to season

2 slice of thick toasts

• Whisk eggs in a bowl. Season with pinch of salt.
• Pan-fry the bacons / sausages till lightly browned and crispy, on the outside (sausage).
• Skin, deseed and dice the tomatoes. In a separate pan over medium heat, tip in the diced tomatoes with splash of olive oil, pinch of salt and sugar. Cook for about 1 minute until the tomatoes are just soft then fold in the chopped basils. Set aside.
• Thickly slice the mushrooms. Sauté with 5g of butter and olive oil over a non-stick pan. Season with salt n pepper. Stir occasionally or shake the pan to flip the mushrooms to cook on both sides. Once the surface look glossy and brown, remove from fire and set aside.
• Meanwhile, grill the think toast with olive oil.
• In a non-stick medium heat pan, put in 5g of butter and a splash of olive oil. Without browning the butter, pour in the eggs and immediately shake the pan and use a spatula to slightly break n stir the eggs. When the eggs are set at the bottom but still runny in the body, take the pan off the heat.  Fold in the mushrooms, tomatoes with basils and a handful of grated parmesan and leave them cooked in the omelette over the heat for another 10-15 seconds. Off the fire and pour the omelette onto the plate while folding the omelette in half.

Serve immediately with a few rashes of bacons and a nice thick slice of grilled toast. What a wonderful beginning of a break!