A run of crisp, cold mornings, clear grey skies and a fire in the hearth. This cook couldn’t be happier. A single shopping trip this week brought to the kitchen a bag of young parsnips, a golden-skinned smoked fish, a bottle of cider and a crinkly-leaved cabbage. Oh, and four pork chops the size of my hand. The hob was lit in seconds, the chops browned, onions sliced and left to simmer with cider and chicken stock. We needed spoons to deal with the walnut-hued liquor and bread to mop our plates.
The following day, I broke the smoked fish apart, peeling away the skin and taking the soft flesh out in thick flakes to toss with shredded cabbage straight from the frying pan and artichokes that I had fried to a crisp. A fry-up of sorts. Ingredients tumbled together that with a seasoning of crushed juniper were the essence of the first days of winter, when all is still clean and cold and the evenings are lit by the first white Christmas lights.
I always look for a chop with a bone and a wide rim of fat. Fat that will moisten and baste the meat and burnish crisply in the heat. I buy my mackerel line-caught and smoked whole, the flesh being more creamy than that sold in individual fillets. But I also take what I can get, and either is good if you keep the pieces chunky enough and toss them only briefly with the greens. And those greens, their dark green outer leaves crinkled like tissue, are the surest sign that autumn has slipped quietly into winter, and all is well in the kitchen.
Pork, cider and parsnips
I have suggested small parsnips only because they require no peeling. In truth, any size will do. Anything thicker than a large carrot will need peeling and slicing down its length. Whoppers need cutting in half then into short pieces, roughly the length of a wine cork. Serves 4
olive oil 4 tbsp
pork chops 4
red onions 3, medium to large
parsnips small, 350g
cider dry to medium sweet 500ml
chicken stock 1 litre
To finish:
olive oil 2 tbsp
sage leaves 12
Warm the olive oil in a wide, deep casserole or thick-bottomed roasting tin over a moderate to high heat. Season the pork chops, then place them in the hot oil and leave them to brown lightly, turning them to cook the other side once the fat is golden. I like to hold each chop on its side with kitchen tongs, pressing the rim of fat down into the pan so the fat becomes crisp and burnished.
Lift the chops from the pan and set them aside on a plate. Peel the onions, slice them in half and then cut each half into 4. Fry the onions in the same pan in which you browned the pork, letting them cook over a moderate heat, then, as they start to soften, tuck the parsnips around them.
Let the parsnips colour lightly, turning them as necessary, then pour in the cider. Return the chops and their juices to the casserole, pour in the stock and bring to the boil. Lower the heat immediately so the liquid simmers, then cover with a lid and simmer for 40 minutes or until the chops are tender.
Warm a little oil in a shallow pan, add the sage leaves and let them crisp, their colour darkening but not browning. Scatter the leaves over the chops and serve with knife, fork and spoon.
Cabbage, artichokes and smoked mackerel
There is something quite wonderful about the marriage of Jerusalem artichokes and seafood, as anyone who has paired them with scallops will know. Smoked fish, too, is a good friend to the artichoke (try them in a smoked haddock soup). There is no need to cook the smoked mackerel here: simply tossing the pieces of fish with the sizzling cabbage and artichokes is warmth enough. Serves 2 to 3
lemon 1
Jerusalem artichokes 350g
Savoy cabbage 125g
juniper berries 6
garlic 2 cloves
smoked mackerel 1 whole (325g, boned weight)
garlic 2 cloves
groundnut or olive oil 4 tbsp
dill fronds 8
parsley leaves a generous handful
Fill a large bowl with cold water, cut the lemon in half and squeeze its juice into the water. Peel the artichokes with a vegetable peeler, dropping them into the acidulated water as you go. This will keep them crisp and white.
Separate the cabbage leaves then place on top of each other, roll them tightly and finely shred with a cook’s knife. Each strip should be the thickness of a pencil. Wash thoroughly.
Cut the artichokes into pieces roughly the thickness of a £1 coin and dry on kitchen paper. Coarsely crush the juniper berries. Peel the skin from the smoked mackerel and break the flesh into large, jagged pieces, taking care to remove any bones as you go. Peel and finely chop the garlic.
Warm the oil in a shallow pan, add the artichokes and fry until lightly coloured on each side. Lift them out on to a piece of kitchen paper. Add the garlic to the pan, let it turn pale gold, then add the juniper berries and the drained, shredded cabbage. Turn the cabbage with kitchen tongs as it softens, then return the mackerel and artichokes to the pan.
Chop the dill fronds and add to the cabbage with the parsley leaves. Gently toss everything together, then transfer to a warm serving plate.
We aim to publish recipes for fish rated as sustainable by the Marine Conservation Society’s Good Fish Guide
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