Thinking Man's TV* (or ladies, The Thinking Woman's answer to TV trash)

I was watching Nigella's Express the other nite, as you do, and noticed her method for making Cidery Pork Chops.  Now I am a bit of a pork fan, and don't mind a bit of good cider as well, so I started watching with increasing interest.

The recipe involved frying up a couple of pork chops, putting them on a plate, adding cider, cream and mustard to the pan for a bit, and serving it all with what looked like rock hard potato gnocchi. All completed with a dash of pout, of course.

Now, I was thinking whilst watching, (us blokes can do that, sort of) that her recipe could be improved somewhat, if a French twist is added to her English style..

Instead of just frying up the pork chops until they are cooked within an inch of their lives, sticking them on a plate, then making a sauce in the pan separately, the French method of frying, and cooking the meat with the sauce would be the way to go.  It would be a better looking and tasting dish, with flavours more combined, and would yield juicier meat.  Also, it wouldn't matter if the pork was overcooked a little (pork really should be just pink).

So I set about correcting the method.

For the record:

Nigella Lawson's Recipe

2 pork chops
1 carton cream
olive oil, pepper/salt
1 bottle english cider
whole grain mustard
serve with potato gnocchi

Fry the chops hard in olive oil.
Set aside on a plate
Make sauce, by adding cider to fry pan, stirring in cream and mustard, pouting to camera
Boil water for gnocchi
Add gnocchi
And serve it all up, pouting again.


Andy's Recipe
2 pork chops, seasoned with salt/pepper
1 bottle of good cider
1/2 cup pouring cream
olive oil, pepper/salt
french mustard

Fry chops in olive oil, on high heat, a minute both sides, until nicely browned.
While chops are still in the pan, add the cider, cream and mustard.  Cook gently now.
After 4 or 5 minutes, take the chops out of the pan and rest on a warm plate (cooking time depends on how thick they are)
Now thicken the sauce over a high heat.  Finish with a knob of butter to make it shine.  Adjust seasoning.
Pour the sauce over the nicely rested chops.  If you really want to add more caramelisation to the chops, refry for a minute each side in a hot pan in olive oil or butter.  The french do this as well.

Serve it nicely with mashed potato cooked with sliced apple to soak up the sauce you silly silly woman!  That dish looked horrible - overcooked pork, potato gnocchi looking totally out of place with a drab looking sauce that was going no-where.

*don't get caught. If you do, you are learning about cooking. Ladies, complaints to the producers!