Pork Chops with White Beans, Black Pudding, Kale & Crispy Sage

Pork Chops with White Beans, Black Pudding, Kale & Crispy Sage

The landscape is waking up from its deep winter slumber, gently thawing and replacing the frigid silence with the first whispers of spring. Although there is little to shout about in the vegetable garden, most produce having been harvested by now or lost to a lethal combination of weather and pests, what I do have is kale; mountains of the stuff that — come wind, come rain, come several frosts — still stands tall and abundant. There are moments when magic happens in the kitchen. With luck more than judgement, the coming together of this handful of early spring ingredients is divinely satiating.

Ingredients

Spring · Serves 2

Buy available ingredients
Recipe image

Method

Prepare the kale by rinsing it well in the sink, then pat dry to remove any excess moisture. Pull the leaves away from the stalks. Chop the stalks into 2mm (⅛in) rounds and shred the leaves.

Set a cast-iron frying pan over a medium heat. Drizzle in a little oil and add the kale stalks and grated garlic, let them sizzle for a few seconds, then crumble in the black pudding and gently caramelize. Tip in the white beans, then add the shredded kale leaves, lemon zest and rosemary. Stir well and cook for 2–3 minutes. Add the lemon juice, 1–2 tablespoons of the reserved bean liquid and the tahini and cook for a further 1–2 minutes. Season the beans well with salt and pepper. Using the back of a fork or a potato masher, gently mash the beans to a thick, creamy consistency. Set to one side and keep warm.

Place another cast-iron frying pan over a medium–high heat and drizzle in a little olive oil. Once sizzling, toss in the sage leaves. Fry for 1–2 minutes until aromatic and crispy, then remove from the pan and place on a chopping board lined with a sheet of kitchen paper.

Generously season the chops with salt and pepper, then place them in the hot pan and fry for 2–3 minutes. Turn them over and fry for 2 minutes on the other side. Using a pair of tongs, pick each chop up and press the fat into the pan, holding it there for a couple of minutes, or until the fat crisps and renders. Add a generous knob of butter to the pan along with the rosemary and baste the chops with it for a further 2–3 minutes. Leave to rest for 5–6 minutes.

Spoon generous piles of the creamy beans onto warm plates, then top with a pork chop, along with a spoon of cooking liquor and the crispy sage leaves. Sprinkle the dish with a generous pinch of black pepper and serve.
Back to blog