Tasty Pork Loins with Lemon, Garlic and Parsley

A simple mid week supper:

Tasty Pork loin steaks with lemon, garlic, onion, salt and pepper and parsley, served with french beans and spuds

 



This is a perfect mid week recipe when you feel in the mood for a hearty but simple meat and veg meal, but are time poor.

It really is a 30 min meal with time to spare!

If you are already put off by the title - trust me, lemon does go with pork. Also the garlic is delicate and inoffensive and the parsley takes the edge off.

I was originally inspired by this combination of flavours after visiting Majorca and loving the way the Majorcans served fish with the same simple ingredients.
Then in a tapas restaurant in Richmond I had exactly the same flavours with pork loins steaks, which was a revelation, as up until then, I had always found pork loin very dry and lacking in flavour.
Trust me, they are juicy and full of flavour.


Ingredients: 

To serve 2 people

2 x Pork Loin steaks. This recipe works regardless of whether you use pork chops, loin steaks or shoulder steaks by the way.
Fresh chopped parsley. Or *cheat* and buy from the frozen aisle in Waitrose!

Olive oil - you just need a small glug.

Salt and pepper

1 clove of garlic - chopped

A good squeeze of approx 1/4 lemon.

1 medium onion (white or red)

Serve with french or runner beans. 

It also works well with a salad.

If particularly hungry, rustle up some 'quick' roasted potatoes:

Keep skin on, chopping spuds into small squares. They will crisp up in no time if added to a roasted dish with pre heated olive oil. You can even add some chopped onion for extra flavour and season well and add some parsley at the end for a bit of colour. 

* I find these take approx 20 mins on a hot oven 220 degrees (fan). But oil has to be red hot when you add the potatoes.

Method.

• Place the chops in a dish. Season generously with salt and pepper. Squeeze over the lemon then add the chopped garlic. Turn the chops over so that they are evenly coated. Leave to one side.

• Chop up the onion into 1/8s or medium pieces. It doesn't matter really. 

• Heat some olive oil (only a small amount req - small dash) in a frying pan.

• When the pan is nice and hot add the chops followed by the onion. Let it sizzle away. 

• Cook on one side for approx 6-8 mins. Try and rotate the onions whilst the pork is cooking.

• Turn over the pork and cook again for the same time. Sprinkle with parsley. The cooking time varies depending on the size of the chops. The outside needs to be nice and browned, but the middle cooked (obviously). So if in doubt slice into it at the fattest part and check for any pink. If you are using chops on the bone, they might take closer to 8-10 mins each side.

Plate up, sprinkle more parsley on top and serve up with your green beans and spuds. 

Enjoy. A delicious tasty meal.