Fennel & Swiss Chard Pork Chops
Cook Time: ~20 Minutes
This dish combines two things that simply belong with pork; fennel and fried eggs. Preparation is limited to running a knife through a few vegetables and seasoning a pork chop, which takes less than five minutes, and everything is thrown into a single pan.
The fennel’s mild anise flavour is enhanced by a pinch of Chinese five spice, and later softened with a hit of white wine vinegar and butter. The result is a soft bed of flavourful vegetables, a succulent buttery pork chop, and the proverbial cherry on the cake, which in this context is a golden, runny, fried egg.
Serves: 2
Prep: ~5 minutes
Cook: ~10 minutes
Ingredients
Pork chops with bone (2)
Fennel bulb
Swiss chard (~125g)
3-4 spring onions
2x eggs
knob of butter
Fennel seeds (~2 tsp)
Chinese five spice (~1/2 tsp)
White wine vinegar (~2 tsp)
Olive oil (~2 tbsp)
Salt & ground black pepper
Notes
Serving Size: I usually serve this as a light lunch or dinner for two. If you are hungry, you could easily replicate this recipe with two chops each, and it will work just as well. Moreover, you could serve four people with one chop each, and add a touch more vegetables.
Equipment
Large pan
Mise En Place
Wash and slice the spring onions into ~2cm pieces. Do the same for the Swiss chard but cut it into ~4cm pieces.
Cut the stalk off the fennel and save the ferns for dressing. Slice in half, lengthways, and remove the core. Proceed to cut thin strips of fennel, lengthways.
Heavily season the pork chops with salt and ground black pepper.
The Cook
A a tablespoon of oil to the pan, and bring to medium heat. Throw in your fennel and spring onions for a minute and then add the chard. Cook for ~5 minutes, mixing routinely, or until everything is soft and the fennel is golden brown. After that, add the Chinese five spices and fennel seeds and cook for another minute.
Remove the vegetables from the pan and set aside. Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan and bring to a high heat. Cook the pork chops for ~3 minutes on each side. One minute before the second side is done, melt your knob of butter in the pan and baste the chops for the last minute.
Reintroduce your vegetables to the pan, alongside two teaspoons of white wine vinegar. Let the liquids bubble for a minute or two, shaking the pan thoroughly. Let the chops rest for a minute or two on a chopping board; while they rest fry up two eggs, and sprinkle on some chilli flakes.
To serve, lay down a bed of vegetables, topped with a pork chop and a golden runny fried egg. As a last finishing touch, scatter some fennel ferns.
If you attempt this dish, let me know how it goes, and if you variate the recipe in any way. This newsletter relies upon word of mouth, so if you know someone who would enjoy this recipe please share it.
Thanks for reading,
Conor