I am a sucker for a sherry – it reminds me of singing evensong at college with a Chaplain who wasn’t averse to toasting the Lord with it if he forgot to stock up on communion wine. But it is not nostalgia alone that sends me hungrily stove-ward. This feels like a proper dinner, but, as long as the meat is pounded out thinly (itself, very satisfying), it can be on the table in ten minutes flat.
Ingredients (serves 4)
4 boneless pork chops (1 per person)
1 large Spanish onion
½ cup of sherry
1 clove of garlic
1 tbsp chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp of butter
Salt and pepper
- Put the pork chops into a zip lock bag and smash them with a pan / rolling pin / hammer until they are about 1 cm thick
- (If you have time, you could leave them in the bag to marinate in an extra tbsp of sherry, ½ tbsp of olive oil and 1 smashed garlic clove for 20 minutes, or in the fridge overnight)
- Season the pork with salt and pepper
- Chop the onion into half moons and fry in 1 tbsp of the oil on a medium heat until soft and golden and sweet – about five minutes. Remove the onion to a plate to give yourself space in the pan for the pork.
- Tip in another tbsp of olive oil and the tsp of butter (the butter gives great flavor, the oil stops it burning) Cook the pork chops for 3- 4 minutes per side
- Move the meat to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm
- Put the onions back into the pan to heat through
- Grate in one clove of garlic and cook for a minute
- Pour in the sherry and scrape off the bits from the bottom of the pan into the bubbling liquid
- Pour the sauce over the pork and sprinkle over the chopped parsley
Serving Suggestions
- Serve with a hunk of French bread
- Or drain, rinse and heat up a can of chick peas in some olive oil and half a tsp of paprika
- Or a bowl of boiled new potatoes
- And blanched green beans
- Or a warming baked potato