Brown Butter Pork Chops With Walnut Romesco Sauce Recipes

WALNUT ROMESCO SAUCE

Steps:

• In a blender or food processor, whiz up all the romesco ingredients until thoroughly combined, but still slightly chunky. This can be made up and refrigerated up to 3 days in advance.

GRILLED PORK TENDERLOIN FILLED WITH WALNUT ROMESCO AND SERVED WITH CARAMELIZED DATE-SHALLOT SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a medium saute pan over high heat, until smoking. Saute the garlic, bell pepper, chiles, and bread cubes until lightly browned, about 2 minutes each. Stir in half of the walnuts. Remove each ingredient with a slotted spoon as it is done. Deglaze the pan with the vinegar. Place all sauteed ingredients and the deglazing liquid into a food processor and blend until smooth. Add the remaining walnuts, raisins and apricots and puree until smooth and thickened, season with salt and pepper.
• For the Grilled Pork Tenderloin: Preheat grill or oven to 400 degrees F. Season both sides of the pork tenderloin with salt and pepper. Spread a thin layer of the Walnut Remesco down the center, fold each side over the filling, and tie with butcher's twine. Brush each tenderloin with oil and grill for 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until just cooked through. If using oven, heat oil in a large ovenproof saute pan over high heat. Sear the meat on both sides, until golden brown, place in oven and roast for 10 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before slicing.
• For the Caramelized Date Sauce: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots and the sugar and cook until caramelized, about 5 to 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Increase the heat to medium-high. Add both wines and reduce the mixture to 1/4 cup. Add the dates, stock and molasses and continue cooking until reduced to 2 cups, and reaches the consistency of a slightly thick sauce, about 30 minutes, keep warm.
• To serve, slice tenderloin into 1-inch thick pieces and top with a little Remesco sauce and drizzle with date sauce.

CURED PORK CHOPS WITH SWEET POTATOES, BACON, AND ROMESCO

Steps:

• Submerge the pork chops completely in the brine, and refrigerate for 24 hours.
• Light the grill 30 to 40 minutes before you're ready to cook, and take the pork chops out of the refrigerator to bring them to room temperature. If they're wet from the brine, pat them dry with paper towels.
• When the coals are broken down, red, and glowing, brush the pork chops with the olive oil, and place them on the grill. Cook the pork chops 5 to 7 minutes on the first side (depending on how thick they are), rotating them a couple of times, until they're seared and have a nice color. Turn them over and cook another 4 to 5 minutes or so, rotating them often, until medium-rare to medium. You can peek inside, near the bone; they should be a little pink.
• Arrange the sweet potatoes on a large warm platter, and drizzle about 1/4 cup romesco over them. Place the grilled pork chops on top, and slather each one with a generous spoonful of romesco. Serve the rest of the romesco on the side.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Peel the sweet potatoes, and cut them into 1 1/2-inch cubes. Place them in a large bowl and toss with the sugar and reduced sherry.
• In a medium sauté pan, cook the butter over medium heat 6 to 8 minutes, until it's brown and smells nutty. Remove from the heat and let cool a few minutes. Add the sage and thyme to the butter, and pour it over the sweet potatoes, scraping the pan with a rubber spatula to get all the brown bits. Toss with a large spoon, being careful of the hot butter. Season with 1 tablespoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Transfer the sweet potatoes to a large roasting pan and bake in the oven 50 minutes to 1 hour, until the potatoes are caramelized and tender. Stir with a metal spatula every so often, to coat the potatoes evenly with the butter and sugar.
• While the potatoes are cooking, slice the bacon lengthwise into 3/8-inch-thick slices. Stack them in two piles, then cut the strips crosswise into 3/8-inch even-sided rectangles, or lardons. Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat for 1 minute. Add the bacon, and cook about 5 minutes, until it's tender and lightly crisped. Using a slotted spoon, transfer it to a plate.
• When the sweet potatoes are done, remove the pan from the oven and toss in the bacon and spinach. Taste for seasoning.
• The chops need to soak in the brine for 24 hours, so plan ahead. You can make the romesco the day before. And you can cook the sweet potatoes in the morning and reheat them just before serving.

PORK CHOPS IN LEMON-CAPER SAUCE

Steps:

• Dry the chops with paper towels, and season aggressively with salt, pepper and the thyme. Swirl the olive oil into a large skillet, and heat over medium until the oil begins to shimmer. Add chops, and cook until well browned on each side and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer chops to a plate, and cover to keep warm.
• Drain the fat from the skillet, then melt 2 tablespoons of butter in it over medium heat until sizzling. Add the shallot and garlic, and sauté until the aromatics soften, reducing the heat if necessary, about 1 minute. Sprinkle in the flour, and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Whisk in the wine and chicken stock, raise heat to high and bring the liquid to a boil, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Reduce heat to medium-high and cook, uncovered, until the liquid is reduced by half, 7 to 10 minutes.
• Stir in the capers, parsley, lemon zest and juice and hot sauce to taste (if you're using it), and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter until it's melted and the sauce looks smooth. Nestle the pork chops into the sauce, and allow them to warm up for a couple of minutes, then serve, pouring sauce over each pork chop to taste. Garnish with more fresh parsley.