Mustard-Rubbed Pork Chops & Butternut Squash Roast
I love Ottolenghi. His recipes are always accessible, easy, and frequently one-pot, yet flavorful, exciting and different. One of my favorites is this Butternut Squash and Red Onion recipe, which is simple enough for a weeknight dinner but still impressive to serve at a dinner party (which I’ve done, multiple times).
All this recipe takes is a little chopping, a little mixing, and a little pan frying. While the roasting does take a little time, it’s passive work so you can go about enjoying your evening, vs. slaving over a stove.
- 1 small butternut squash, cut into 1.5 inch pieces
- 1 red onions, cut into wedges
- 4 T olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- 1½ tbsp tahini paste
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 small garlic clove, crushed
- 30g pine nuts
- 1 tbsp za'atar
- 1 tbsp roughly chopped parsley
- 2 pork chops
- ¼ cup flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
- 1 T mustard
Heat the oven to to 425*. Put the squash and onions in a large bowl, add three tablespoons of oil, a teaspoon of salt and some black pepper, and toss well. Spread on a baking sheet and roast for 40 minutes until the vegetables are cooked through and golden.
Mix tahini, lemon juice, water, garlic and some salt in a small bowl.
Pour the remaining oil into a small frying pan on a medium-low heat. Add the pine nuts and half a teaspoon of salt, cook for two minutes, stirring, until the nuts are golden brown, then tip the nuts and oil into a small bowl.
Spread the vegetables on a platter and drizzle over the sauce. Top with the pine nuts, sprinkled za'atar and parsley.
Next, put the seasoned flour on a flat plate. Heat a pan over medium high with a little more olive oil. Coat both sides of the pork chops with mustard, then dip into the seasoned flour to cover on both sides. Add to the hot pan and fry until cooked through, about 3 minutes per side.
Plate the pork chops and veggies. Enjoy!