Name: Pork chops with romesco and crackling
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 165 gm piece of pork skin (see note); 2 slices crusty white bread; 1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling; 8 pork loin chops (about 160gm each); Romesco; 3 dried ancho chillies (see note); 2 vine-ripened tomatoes; 25 gm blanched almonds; 1 small red chilli, finely chopped; 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 25 gm roasted hazelnuts; 3 store-bought roasted red capsicum (see note); 2 tbsp red wine vinegar; 60 ml (¼ cup) extra-virgin olive oil

Pork chops with romesco and crackling

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for pork chops with romesco and crackling.

Serves 4

Prep

10M

Cook

25M

Total

35M

Choose pork with good marbling.

Ingredients

165 gm piece of pork skin (see note)

2 slices crusty white bread

1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

8 pork loin chops (about 160gm each)

Romesco

3 dried ancho chillies (see note)

2 vine-ripened tomatoes

25 gm blanched almonds

1 small red chilli, finely chopped

6 garlic cloves, finely chopped

25 gm roasted hazelnuts

3 store-bought roasted red capsicum (see note)

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

60 ml (¼ cup) extra-virgin olive oil

Method

Main

1.Preheat oven to 220C fan-forced. Score pork skin, place in a small roasting pan, rub with olive oil, season to taste and roast until golden and crisp (15-20 minutes), adding bread to pan for the last 5 minutes of cooking to toast in fat. Remove crackling and bread and set aside (discard pork fat).

2.Meanwhile, for romesco sauce, soak ancho chilli in warm water until soft (15 minutes), drain, coarsely chop and set aside. Roast tomatoes and almonds separately until skin blisters on tomatoes and almonds are golden (8-10 minutes). Peel tomatoes, remove seeds and set aside with almonds. Pulse ancho chilli, red chilli and garlic in a food processor to a coarse paste. Add almonds, hazelnuts and reserved toasted bread, pulse to combine. Add tomato and capsicum, pulse to combine, stir through vinegar and olive oil and season to taste.

3.Meanwhile, preheat a char-grill over high heat, drizzle pork chops with olive oil, season to taste and cook until just cooked through (2-3 minutes each side). Serve with romesco and sliced crackling.

Note Pork skin may need to be ordered ahead from your butcher. Ancho chilli is available from Herbie’s Spices. You can roast your own red capsicum instead of using the store-bought kind by placing on an oven tray in an oven heated at 250C, turning occasionally, for 20-30 minutes. Leave to cool, then peel and remove seeds.
Drink Suggestion: Young tempranillo. Drink suggestion by Max Allen
Notes