Spiced pork cutlets with charred pears

“This is incredibly fast and so full of flavour. The little bit of charred spice on the pork, deglazed with a fortified wine and combined with the sweetness of the pears, is the most divine combination. A winning quickie mid-week meal!” Poh Ling Yeow, Poh & Co. 2

• serves

  2

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 2 pork cutlets
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 25 g butter
• 80 ml (⅓ cup) Pedro Ximénez sherry or Madeira
• 3 small pears, peeled, cored and halved

 

Marinade

• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp ground chilli
• black pepper
• ½ tsp salt, or to taste
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Salad

• 1 cup rocket leaves
• ¼ red cabbage, finely shredded
• 1 large carrot, cut into ribbons using a vegetable peeler
• 2 spring onions, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (see Note)
• 1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
• juice of ½ lemon
• sea salt and black pepper

Resting time 5 minutes

Marinating time 20 minutes

Instructions

To make the marinade, place the garlic, cumin, coriander, chilli, pepper to taste, salt and olive oil in a small bowl and stir to combine.

Place the pork cutlets on a plate, spoon the marinade over, then spread it evenly over the pork to coat it well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15–20 minutes.

Heat the olive oil and butter in a heavy-based frying pan over medium heat until foaming. Add the pork, reserving the marinade, and the pear. Cook the pork cutlets for 1½ minutes on each side or continue to cook until cooked through and slightly charred, turning the pear to caramelise all over; they will be ready before the pork. Transfer the pork and pear to a plate, reduce the heat to low and pour the sherry or Madeira into the pan, then stir to deglaze, scraping up any caught-on bits. Add any reserved marinade to the pan and bring to the boil, then immediately pour over the pork and pears.

To make the salad, place the rocket or watercress, cabbage, carrot and spring onion in a bowl. Add the olive oil, white balsamic and lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. Using clean hands, toss gently to combine.

Serve the pork and pear with the salad to the side.

Note

•  I used orange-infused extra virgin olive oil for the salad dressing, but extra virgin olive oil is just as delicious.

Photography, styling and food preparation by china squirrel.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.