Just like that, the year is teetering over into its dark half. It’s still warm enough that my tomato plants continue to bear golden fruit, but the wind is getting colder, the twilight stealing in faster. In my kitchen, I’m trying to straddle this uneasy moment, this held breath before autumn really begins. In moments like this, I reach for Chenin.
Chenin Blanc is always the wine that feels most autumnal to me (next to Pinot Noir, with its oft-cited notes of “forest floor”). Often with a waxy weight, it tends to smell like the outdoors does at this time of year: apples fermenting in the fields, honey, wool. But it’s also bright with acidity and retains freshness, making it ideal for these in-between days. This wine, from Nicolas Reau, does everything I want a Chenin to do.
Given those tasting notes, it’s no surprise that Chenin is a natural alongside pork. But rather than anything braised or roasted, I turned to pork chops, inspired by cookbook author Ed Smith’s recent newsletter on how to master the “perfect pork chops”.
His technique is straightforward, but what a difference it makes. Begin with the best pork you can find – a heritage breed rich in flavour and fat. Remove the rind and pop it into the oven on its own to turn it into deliriously crunchy crackling. Meanwhile, gently cook the pork balanced on its fatty edge until that fat has rendered down, turned golden and translucent. Only then are you ready to sear, just long enough to cook it through; with meat of this quality, medium-well is plenty.
To fit the encroaching-on-autumn feel, I served the pork with a salad of shaved apples and fennel, finished with mustardy dressing, hazelnuts and fried sage leaves. The result is one of the pairings that has delighted me most this year, a fitting translation of micro-season and mood to plate and glass.
Heritage-Breed Pork Chops with Apple and Fennel Salad
Adapted from Rocket & Squash and NYT Cooking
Serves 2
For the pork:
2 350g heritage-breed pork chops, rind-on (I bought mine from HG Walter)
Flaky sea salt, such as Maldon
For the apple and fennel salad:
40ml olive oil
15-20 fresh sage leaves
½ tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons
Dijon mustard
50g hazelnuts
1 small banana shallot
1 lemon
Flaky sea salt, such as Maldon, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 bulb fennel
1 granny smith apple
100g rocket
1. Several hours before you plan on cooking the pork, remove from its packaging and pat dry. Season well with flaky sea salt on both sides. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet topped with a wire rack and transfer to the fridge; this step will help ensure the meat is evenly seasoned and tenderised before cooking.
2. Remove the chops from the fridge an hour before cooking. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 230°C. Using a sharp paring knife, slice off the rinds with roughly ½ inch of fat attached, leaving a roughly ½-inch layer of fat on the pork (you may notice a subtle seam separating the two fat layers; cut along this line). Score the rinds, taking care not to cut all the way through, and season with flaky sea salt.
3. Once the oven has preheated, place the rind, skin side up, on a small baking sheet lined with foil. Bake for roughly 15-20 minutes, or until the rinds have turned into crackling, and are puffed up and deep golden-brown. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
4. Meanwhile, begin to prepare the salad. First, fry the sage leaves. Add the olive oil to a small frying pan and place over low heat. Once warm, add half of the sage leaves. Fry for around 1 minute, or until the leaves have darkened and crisped-up, but have not browned or burned. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate and repeat.
5. Remove the pan from the heat. The sage-infused oil you’ve made will now serve as the base for your salad dressing. Add the honey and Dijon mustard to the warm oil, mixing to combine. Transfer to a bowl and leave to cool.
6. Clean the pan and return to the hob over medium-low heat. Add the hazelnuts. Toast, tossing frequently, for 5-6 minutes, or until golden-brown; ensure they don’t burn. Transfer to a board; once slightly cool, roughly chop. Set aside.
7. Peel and finely dice the banana shallot; transfer to a medium-sized bowl and squeeze over the juice of 1 lemon. Leave to sit for 10 minutes. Add the now-cooled oil, honey and mustard mix, whisking to combine. Add flaky sea salt and black pepper to taste; set aside.
8. Next, cook the pork chops. Place a large, heavy-bottomed frying pan over medium-low heat. Once hot, add the pork chops to the pan, standing them on end with their fatty sides down. (They may be thick enough to stand on their own; if not, it’s likely easier to cook them one by one, as you’ll need to hold them up with a pair of tongs.) The goal is to gently render out as much fat as possible. Cook for 8-10 minutes, or until the fat layer is deep gold and turning translucent; you may need to use the tongs to regularly reposition the chops so the fat cooks evenly.
9. Transfer the chops to a plate and drain the fat from the pan (you can reserve it to cook with later). Return the frying pan to the hob, place over medium-high heat and turn your extractor fan to its highest setting; this part will get smoky. Once the pan is very hot, add the chops. Cook for 90 seconds on the first side until golden brown; flip and cook for 90 seconds on the reverse. Use the tongs to sear off any undercooked edges of the chops. If you have a probe thermometer, cook them until they’re at least 52°C at the thickest part. (I like mine on the medium side of medium-well, but you can also cook slightly longer if preferred.)
10. Transfer to a cutting board and allow to rest for 5 minutes. In the meantime, finish your salad. Remove the root end and any stalks from the fennel bulb; using a mandoline (or a very sharp knife), slice very thinly. Core the apple and slice very thinly using the same method. Add to a large bowl, alongside the rocket, and pour over the dressing. Toss to combine and season with any additional salt, if needed. Garnish with the fried sage leaves and chopped hazelnuts.
11. Once the chops have rested, slice away and discard the bones on the side. Slice thinly and plate alongside the salad, garnishing with the crackling. Serve immediately.
Claire M Bullen is a professional food and travel writer and all-around lover of tasty things. You can follow her at @clairembullen. For more recipes like this, sign up to our Natural Wine Killers wine subscription - you'll receive Claire's recipe and food pairings plus expert tasting notes for three amazing wines like this one every month.
