Before I get into the recipe, I have to give a quick apology to one of my followers, Kevin V. I made this dish well over a month ago and posted it on Instagram… He requested the recipe and I just didn’t have the time to get it done. Sorry man, hopefully it’s better late than never. Also, my apologies for the picture quality… I didn’t anticipate posting a recipe for this dish so I only took a shot with my phone for Instagram, lol.
So the dish is a seared pork chop over a cauliflower & potato puree, accompanied by sautéed asparagus, finished with a mushroom & Madeira sauce.
Serves: 4
Ingredients (pork):
4 Thick Bone-In Pork Chops
2tsp Salt
2tsp Ground Black Pepper
2tsp Garlic Powder
1tbsp Olive Oil
Ingredients (puree):
3c Cauliflower Florets
1 Large Russet Potato, peeled and diced
2c Heavy Cream
1c Chicken Stock
1tsp Salt
1tsp Ground Black Pepper
1tsp Garlic Powder
1tsp Onion Powder
2tbsp Unsalted Butter
1/4c Grated Parmesan
Ingredients (asparagus):
1lb Asparagus
2 Cloves Garlic, chopped
1/2c Chicken Stock
2tbsp Unsalted Butter
2tsp Lemon Juice
1tsp Salt
1tsp Ground Black Pepper
Ingredients (sauce):
8oz Baby Portobello Mushrooms, sliced
3 tbsp Unsalted Butter, (1) 2tbsp portion, (1) 1tbsp portion
1tsp Salt
1tsp Ground Black Pepper
1c Madeira
2c Beef Stock
One quick note… I’m giving directions for how to prepare each individual segment of the dish separately. As you can see certain aspects of the dish take longer than others, so you can’t start everything all at once. Look at the timing of each item and plan accordingly. I am, though, listing them in the order that they should be started.
Heat oven to 350F.
Combine the seasonings listed in the “pork” section and liberally rub your chops. Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan at high heat. Once hot place the seasoned chops in the oil and sear until lightly browned, then turn and repeat, 2-3 minutes per side. Remove the chops from heat and allow them to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes. After resting the chops put them in the preheated oven and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes, depending if you prefer a slightly pink center or cooked all the way through. I recommend medium (slightly pink)… this isn’t the 1950’s, nobody is getting Salmonella from pork anymore! Remove from the oven and rest for another 5 minutes before serving. This allows the natural juices within the pork to once again absorb into the meat. If you serve and cut them as soon as they’re finished cooking all of the juices will drain out.
In a medium pot melt 2tbsp of butter at high heat, then add the mushrooms, salt and pepper (from the sauce section). Cook until the mushrooms are lightly browned. Add the Madeira and reduce by half, then add the beef stock and reduce the heat to medium-low, simmer for 20 minutes. Just before serving stir in the final 1tbsp of butter, which will give the sauce a silky rich flavor. Also taste the sauce before serving to see if you would like to add more salt or pepper…
Place your cauliflower, diced potato and seasoning from the “puree” section in a large pot with the heavy cream and chicken stock. Bring to a boil for three minutes, then reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for 20-25 minutes (until the cauliflower is soft). Using an immersion blender, food processor or regular blender, puree the cauliflower & potato mixture, then stir in the butter and grated parmesan. Cover until ready to serve.
Lastly, the asparagus. You can save these until the pork is resting out of the oven, as they only take 3-5 minutes, depending on thickness. Melt the butter in a large sauté pan at medium-high heat and add the asparagus and chopped garlic. Sauté for about 1 minute then add the chicken stock, lemon juice, salt and pepper, simmer for 2-4 minutes until slightly soft.
Once everything is done it’s time to plate up. Personally I put down a layer of the puree, the pork over that and the asparagus to the side, then ladled the sauce over the pork… Seems to make the most sense.
Now let’s talk wine pairings. You want to go red wine here, obviously, but nothing too big because you don’t want to overwhelm the delicate nature of the puree, the sweet nuances of the sauce and the mild flavors of the pork. I would recommend going with something like a Cru Beaujolais (especially Morgon), Pinot Noir, Barbera d’Alba… or, if you want to get really adventurous an Oloroso Sherry which would gorgeously complement the Madeira & mushroom sauce! Here are my recommendations…
Michel Guignier Morgon Vieilles Vignes, Beaujolais, France – Unfortunately over the past 20 years Beaujolais has become synonymous with cheap and light… Wines like Georges Duboeuf’s Beaujolais Nouveau that are mass produced, sub-par, sourced juice that people buy because it’s floor stacked at $8.99 and has a flashy label. It is truly upsetting, because there are many great Beaujolais producers that are putting out some wines that can go toe-to-toe with 1′er Cru Burgundies! Michel Guignier is one of those producers… I think John Gilman of View from the Cellar said it best, so I’ll share his review of this wine. “The old vine bottling of Morgon from Michel Guignier hails from sixty-one year-old vines in the vineyards of La Roche Pilée and Les Grands Cras. The Vieilles Vignes offers up a deep, red fruity and very pure nose of cherries, sweet cranberries, woodsmoke, beautiful herb tones, a complex base of soil, a touch of orange peel, incipient notes of gamebird and a gently smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and beautifully delineated, with a fine core of fruit, superb transparency, very good acids and fairly moderate tannins for the vintage and simply stunning length and grip on the vibrant and youthful finish. This is a dynamite and absolutely classic bottle of Morgon in the making!” I couldn’t have said it better myself John! PP Score: 90 (Retail $17-21)
J.K. Carriere Provocateur Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon – J.K. Carriere is the baby of Jim Prosser, named after his two grandfathers J.K. Prosser and Paul Carriere. Occasionally I say that there is a winery that you should keep your eyes on… well this is most certainly one of them. I promise you, in the very near future JKC wines will become nearly impossible to get your hands on. He’s already one of the hottest commodities in Oregon, and soon the rest of the world will realize this as well. The Provocateur is Jim’s entry-level bottling, utilizing moderately young vine clusters sourced from some of Willamette’s top vineyards: Black Walnut, Louis Vineyard, Gemini, Barron-Wahl, Anderson Family, and just a touch taken from his recently planted JKC Estate Vineyards. For a wine that is supposed to be “entry level”, this is absolutely stunning. In the glass it is medium bodied with dark garnet tones. On the nose are distinct notes of black cherry, blueberry, potpourri and spice box. On the palate you’ll find a surprisingly masculine wine with in interesting juxtaposition of dark cherry and bright tart bramble fruits, smooth ripe blueberry and hints of clove, framed by moderate, yet well integrated, acidity and slightly chewy tannins, leading into a pleasantly lingering, and spicy, finish. This is great for immediate consumption, but I anticipate this will only get better with another 3-5 years of bottle aging. PP Score: 92+ (Retail: $25-30)
Elio Perrone Barbera d’Asti Tasmorcan, Piemonte, Italy – For decades Elio Perrone has been heralded as one of the top Moscato producers in Asti, but it wasn’t until the late 1990’s when Elio’s son Stefano took over the winemaking reigns that the winery began producing Barbera. Stefano purchased two plots of old vine Barbera, one forty years old the other seventy, with the goal to produce fresh bright Barbera that the Asti region is known for, but with just a bit more depth of character. On the palate you’ll find notes of tart cherry, dark berry, wood smoke, licorise and hints of fresh wildflowers, balanced with moderate acidity and subtle fine tannins. You’ll have a difficult time finding a better Piemonte wine at this price point… PP Score: 90 (Retail $15-18)
Bodegas Tradicion VORS Oloroso, Jerez, Spain – Bodegas Tradicion is a relatively new house in Jerez, having just been founded in 1998, but they have made quite the splash in the market by purchasing significant quantities of old sherry for their bottlings. The Oloroso VORS is currently made with Palomino Fino that has aged for 45-50 years. In the glass is a medium bodied wine with translucent brown hues. On the palate the wine is intense, yet well structured and silky, with notes of orange peel, dried fig, salted caramel and toasted almond. This wine is not for novice drinkers as its beauty will not be understood, but for those that have a deep appreciation of Sherry this is a masterpiece, and worth every cent! PP Score: 96 (Retail: $82-94)
So there you have it, my recipe and my wine recommendations. Once again Kevin, I’m very sorry for the delay! As always new content is on the horizon… In the meantime crack open a bottle of something awesome, sit back, and relax. Life is short, enjoy it!
Perfect Pairings at Home 