Spicy tomato and anchovy sauce with pork chops is a wonderful way to use firm tomatoes, which can otherwise sometimes disappoint.
Ingredients
- 2 red chillies
- 3 garlic cloves
- 6 anchovy fillets
- 2-3 fresh rosemary sprigs, leaves removed from the stalk and chopped
- 100ml olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
- 6 medium, firm-fleshed tomatoes
- 2 lemons
- 4 x 250g free-range pork chops
Method
- 1. Prick the chillies with a fork. Hold each over a gas flame, or grill under a high heat, until the skins blacken or pucker slightly. Transfer to a bowl, cover with cling film and cool.
- 2. Meanwhile, chop the garlic and anchovies together until they are almost a paste, then transfer to a bowl. Add the rosemary to the bowl.
- 3. Heat the oil in a small pan until it is warm – not hot – add it to the bowl. Deseed and chop the tomatoes into small dice. Add to the bowl, too.
- 4. Peel the skins from the cooled chillies and remove the seeds (be careful, the oil from warm chillies is highly pervasive!). Chop the chillies to a near paste and add them to the sauce. Season with the juice from half a lemon and salt and pepper.
- 5. Grill or pan-fry the pork chops under or over a high heat for 6-8 minutes on each side. Squeeze over the juice of the other half of the cut lemon, drizzle with oil, season with
- a scant amount of salt. Rest for 5 minutes. Serve with the sauce and the remaining lemon, cut into wedges.
Nutritional info
Per serving: 474kcals, 29.4g fat (3.2g saturated), 46.5g protein, 6.3g carbs, 5.7g sugar, 0.5g salt
Wine Recommendation
Wine note: a sprightly, fresh red hits the right notes. A Loire red like Chinon or Bourgueil would be superb.