Fennel and orange pork chops with roast carrots
This makes a great alternative to a traditional Sunday lunch as the pork chops are cooked with fennel seeds and orange zest and then served with roast vegetables and fennel salad.
Ingredients
For the chops
- 4 (or 2, if very large) pork chops, skin and fat on
- 2 large oranges, zest only (use segments in salad below)
- 1 tbsp fennel seeds
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, bashed
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the salad
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 bunches spring onions, trimmed but left whole
- 1 large fennel bulb, very thinly sliced (use a mandolin if possible)
- 4 dill sprigs, fronds picked
- handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked
- 2 Little Gem lettuces, leaves separated
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the carrots
- 6 carrots, trimmed and halved lengthways
- 8 shallots, unpeeled and left whole
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 tsp fennel seeds
- 2 tbsp runny honey
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the dressing
- 1 lemon, juice only
- ½ orange, juice only
- good pinch dried chilli flakes
- 1 tsp runny honey
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
To make the chops, preheat the oven to 190C/170C Fan/Gas 5. Take the pork chops and use a pair of scissors to snip into the fat to create a spiky, hedgehog effect. Transfer to a bowl and add the orange zest, then add the fennel seeds and olive oil. Season well and use your hands to rub the flavours into the pork.
To start making the salad, heat the olive oil in an ovenproof heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat. Add the spring onions and cook until browned and softened. Set aside.
Return to cooking the pork chops, by adding the pork chops to the frying pan. Brown well on both sides, then use kitchen tongs to stand them on their ends to help cook the fat and skin. Add the garlic to the pan and a small splash of water, then transfer to the oven to finish cooking through for 8–10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the chops. Put a skewer into the centre of the meat and check the juices are clear with no traces of pink. Set aside to rest on a warm plate and cover with kitchen foil.
To make the carrots, preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas Mark 4. Scatter the carrots and shallots into a roasting tin and drizzle with the olive oil. Sprinkle with the cumin and fennel seeds and roast in the oven for 25–30 minutes until the carrots are golden and tender and the shallot skins are charred. Leave to cool slightly, then carefully remove the shallots from the skins by squeezing out their flesh, return to the tin and toss with the carrots. Drizzle with the honey, season with salt and pepper and return to the oven for another 5–10 minutes until golden and sticky.
To make the salad, toss the orange segments with the fennel, herbs, lettuce leaves and the charred spring onions. Season to taste.
To make the dressing, mix the lemon and orange juices with the chilli flakes and honey. Season with salt and pepper. Whisk in the oil and 3 tablespoons of the resting juices from the pork before tossing into the salad.
Serve the pork chops with the dressed salad and carrots alongside.
