Rachel Khoo recipe: Spiced pork chops with two veg

Meat and two veg might not be the most dazzling idea for a dinner à deux, but there’s a good reason it has stood the test of time in the British household. This trio works phenomenally well on the plate and palate, and looks impressive while being ever so easy to rustle up.

Spiced pork chops with two veg

Serves 2

1 tbsp coriander seeds

1 tbsp fennel seeds

2 pork chops

2 medium fennel bulbs

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped

250ml chicken stock

1 tbsp butter

1 small butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into cubes

Method

Toast the coriander and fennel seeds with 1 tsp sea salt in a dry pan over a medium heat until they pop a little and smell super-fragrant. Coarsely grind in a pestle and mortar and rub all over the pork chops. Set aside.

Trim the fronds off the tops of the fennel bulbs (keep these to garnish) and discard any scrappy outer leaves. Quarter the fennel bulbs vertically and heat 1 tbsp oil in a medium-sized frying pan over a medium heat. Once hot, add the fennel pieces and brown on both the cut sides (this should take about 5 minutes on each side). Add the garlic for 3 minutes towards the end of the browning process. Add 150ml chicken stock and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the fennel is tender. Place a lid on the pan for the first 15 minutes and then remove for the last 15 minutes to allow the majority of the stock to evaporate.

In the meantime, place the butter in a medium saucepan with a lid. Add the squash and cook for 5 minutes with the lid on. Remove the lid and add 100ml chicken stock, return the lid to the pan and cook for a further 15 minutes, or until the squash is very tender.