MARINATING PORK RECIPES

Steps:

• 1. First, make the marinade. Peel and chop the onions and garlic.
  2. Heat a splash of oil in a pan over a high heat, then cook the onion and garlic for 10 minutes, or until softened and starting to colour.
  3. Meanwhile, soak the chipotle and ancho chillies in hot water. Pick the coriander leaves and set aside, then finely chop the stalks.
  4. Drain and chop the chillies, then add to the pan with the coriander stalks, cumin, paprika and thyme. Cook for 5 more minutes.
  5. Stir in the vinegar, tomato purée, brown sugar, orange zest and juice, a pinch of sea salt and black pepper and 400ml of boiling water.
  6. Bring back to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, or until glossy and thick.
  7. Allow the mixture to cool, remove the thyme stalks, then blitz in a food processor until smooth.
  8. Place the pork in a snug-fitting roasting tray and pour the marinade over the top, submerging the pork. Marinate for 4 hours or preferably overnight.
  9. Preheat the oven to 220°C/450°F/gas 7.
  10. Remove the pork from the marinade, brushing off any excess, and transfer the mixture to a saucepan for later. Return the pork to the roasting dish and roast in the oven for 8 minutes, so it forms a lovely gnarly crust.
  11. Reduce the oven to 160°C/325°F/gas 2–3 and cook for 5 to 7 more minutes, or until the pork is tender and slightly pink in the middle.
  12. Cover the pork with tinfoil and set aside to rest for 10 minutes.
  13. Put the pan of marinade on the hob, adding in any juices from the pork. Let the mixture reduce over a medium-low heat for 10 minutes, or until sticky and delicious. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of oil for a glossy sauce.
  14. To make the rainbow salad, soak the corn for 10 minutes, then drain and cook in a pan of unsalted boiling water for 10 minutes. Remove and leave to cool.
  15. Finely shred and place the cabbage in a bowl with the vinegar and a pinch of salt, then scrunch it all together.
  16. Cut the cooled corn kernels from the husk, thinly slice the radishes, then peel the carrots into ribbons with a speed-peeler. Cut the lettuce into wedges. Add the veg to the cabbage mixture and toss well.
  17. Make the avocado salsa by scooping out and mashing the avocado flesh. Finely chop the chilli (deseed if you like) and spring onions, then roughly chop the reserved coriander leaves.
  18. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl with the lime zest and juice and enough oil to get a texture you like.
  19. Warm the tortillas in a dry frying pan or in a foil parcel in the oven at 170°C/340°F/gas 3 for 6 to 7 minutes.
  20. Slice the pork thinly, pile on a platter and drizzle over any juices. Serve with the warm tortillas, rainbow salad, salsa, reduced sauce and lime wedges.

Steps:

• 1. Place the pork chops, skin-side down, on a chopping board. Carefully run a sharp knife along the edge of the chops, removing the skin and leaving a thin layer of pork fat on the chop. (You could ask your butcher to do this for you.) Set aside.
  2. To make the marinade, pick and finely chop the rosemary leaves and most of the sage leaves, then lightly crush the unpeeled garlic cloves with the palm of your hand. Tip into a bowl and mix with 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar and 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Rub the marinade into the pork chops, then cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, or preferably overnight.
  3. When you’re ready to cook your pork chops, slice the pork skin into 1cm-thick lardons and place in a large frying pan on a medium heat. Fry the lardons, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes until golden and crisp. Remove from the pan and drain on kitchen paper.
  4. With a sharp knife, lightly score the pork fat on the chops and place one on top of the other. Place the pan back on a medium-high heat, then use tongs to hold the chops fat-side down in the pan and sear for 3 to 4 minutes, until the fat has started to render.
  5. Lay the chops down flat in the pan, throwing in the garlic too, and cook for 7 minutes, turning every minute or so and basting with the lovely pan juices, until browned and cooked through.
  6. With 2 minutes of the pork cooking time left to go, quarter and core the pears, then nestle them into the pan alongside the chops and poke in the remaining sage leaves and cook for 1 minute.
  7. Remove the pork to a board to rest, then reduce the temperature to medium-low and leave the pears to caramelise for 5 minutes, stirring regularly.
  8. Slice the pork off the bone and carve into slices and squeeze the garlic from their skins. Serve with the caramelised pear, crispy sage, a little crispy crackling, your favourite style potatoes (I like hasselback) and some seasonal greens.