Pork Chops with Thyme, Lemon and Pesto

• hidangan: Serves 4

Bahan-bahan

1 handful of thyme, picked salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 clove of garlic

zest and juice of 1 lemon 1 tablespoon olive oil

4 two-rib pork loin chops, or regular chops

1 pesto recipe (below)

1 handful of lightly roasted pine nuts

1 good handful of grated Parmesan cheese extra virgin olive oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper small squeeze of lemon juice (optional)

Arahan

Using a pestle and mortar pound, or very finely chop, the thyme with 1 teaspoon of salt. When pulped, add the garlic and 1 teaspoon öf black pepper and pound again. Stir in the lemon juice and zest and the olive oil. Smear the mixture over the chops and leave for at least 10 minutes.

Place the chops on a very hot griddle or in a hot frying-pan (they make a bit of smoke, so get your fan on!). Try to get each side nicely charred and golden, but take care and don't let them burn; if it looks as if they are getting too much colour, turn the heat down. They take about & minutes to cook at a medium high heat. Don't overcook, pork, it isn't necessary and will only make the meat dry. Rest the chops for a few minutes, then spoon some pesto over them.

Serve with a mixed salad and mashed or jacket potatoes, rubbed with olive oil and rolled in sea salt and baked.

Pesto

Put your garlic into a pestle and mortar or a food processor. If you like a strong garlic taste you can add more but I stick to about ¼ clove, which is still quite strong when raw. Pound or pulse this with, your fresh basil leaves.

Add the cooled, golden roasted pine nuts to the mixture and pound or pulse.

Turn out into a bowl and add half the Parmesan. Gently stir this in and add the olive oil, just enough to bind the sauce and get it to the right consistency - semi-wet but firm.

Taste the mixture, and add a little salt and pepper and the rest of the cheese. Add some more oil and taste again. Keep adding a little bit of this and a little bit more of that until you get it right - this is the way to make pesto. There are no real rules, but as long as you make it fresh and use the best ingredients it'll always taste superb. When you taste it for the last time, it might need a squeeze of lemon juice. Lemon juice isn't listed in all recipes but is quite nice, as it brings the fragrance of the basil out.