This recipe from Bord Bia is a great way to serve pork chops in summer, with tomatoes and aubergine plus cheese to make a filling family meal.
As well, as or instead of, a salad, you could also serve some pasta or crusty bread to soak up the delicious sauce.
Pork chops with tomato sauce, aubergine and cheese
Serves four. Preparation time: one hour.
Ingredients
4 pork chops, trimmed of all fat and flattened slightly
500g passata
2 sprigs of fresh thyme or oregano leaves
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
2 tablesp olive oil
1 aubergine, cut into circles
40g mature hard cheese, freshly grated
40g breadcrumbs mixed with 1 teasp of thyme leaves and a drizzle of oil
150g buffalo mozzarella
To serve: Lightly dressed leaves with chopped tomatoes and sliced red onions
Method
To make the tomato sauce: Place the passata, thyme/oregano leaves, and garlic in a saucepan. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for eight minutes.
To prepare the aubergine and chops: Heat a griddle or frying pan. Brush a little oil over the slices of aubergine, season, and add them to the pan. Cook for a minute or two on each side. Set aside and keep warm. Add a little more oil to the pan then season the pork chops and add them to the pan. Cook over a high heat until golden – about two minutes on each side.
To assemble: Remove the sprigs of thyme from the tomato sauce. Spoon a layer of tomato sauce into a 15cm x 25cm baking dish, then sprinkle over a handful of cheese. Add the pork chops and then the aubergine slices. Spoon over another layer of tomato sauce. Sprinkle over the rest of the cheese and breadcrumbs. Tear over the mozzarella.
Bake at Gas Mark 4, 180°C (350°F ) for 25 minutes, or until golden, crisp and bubbly.
Serve with a salad.
Nutritional analysis per serving: energy 632kcal; protein 82g; fat 33g (12.6g saturated ); iron 2.7mg; carbohydrate 11g.
