Recipe of the Week: Pan Seared Pork Chops with Walnut Sauce

Nuts are a very classic ingredient for sauces and stews through the decades and centuries. Almonds were commonly used in Medieval cookery for both flavour and thickening purposes, and to this day provide a nutrient-rich alternative to flour or other starches. The natural slight bitterness of walnut goes very well with pork, and this dish is a great combination of flavours.

Pan Seared Pork Chops with Walnut Sauce

Serves four

Ingredients:

4 pork ribs chops
To taste salt and pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
4 cloves garlic
6 sprigs thyme
1 cup roasted walnuts, divided
½ cup milk
2 tbsp shallots, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 sage leaves
½ cup white wine
½ cup chicken stock
To taste salt and pepper

Method:

1. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper, then leave uncovered in your fridge for 2 hours.

2. Pat the chops dry with paper towels. Preheat a heavy bottomed pan over medium heat. Add the oil, and when hot, add the pork chops. Cook for about five minutes per side, adding the butter halfway through with the garlic cloves and the thyme, and cook until an internal thermometer plunged into the center of the chop reads 145°F. Remove the chops and set them aside to rest.

3. Meanwhile, put ½  cup of the walnuts and the milk in a small saucepot and bring to a simmer. Cook for 5-10 minutes until the nuts are slightly soft, then take off the heat. Using an immersion blender (or a regular blender) puree the mix into a paste. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

4. In the pan that had cooked the chops, add the shallots and garlic, and cook over a medium heat until caramelized. Add the sage leaves and toast slightly for about a minute, then deglaze with the white wine. Reduce the wine slightly, then add the chicken stock. Bring to a simmer and taste for seasoning. 

5. In a clean pan, toast the remaining ½ cup of walnuts over a medium heat until slightly golden. Strain the wine/stock mixture into the walnuts, and bring to a simmer. Whisk in the walnut puree and simmer until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Season to taste, and serve with the pork chops.