BACON CHOPS WITH PARSLEY SAUCE

Bacon chops are a nice change from your regular pork chops and are worth looking out for. They are basically back bacon cut thickly and can be smoked or unsmoked.

SERVES 4

■ 1tbsp olive or sunflower oil

■ 4 bacon chops

■ 1tbsp cider vinegar FOR THE PARSLEY SAUCE

■ 400ml (14fl oz) milk

■ 2 bay leaves

■ A slice of onion

■ 2 cloves

■ A few peppercorns

■ 25g (1oz) butter

■ 25g (1oz) flour

■ ½tsp English mustard powder (optional)

■ 25g (1oz) curly parsley, very finely chopped

■ Salt and black pepper

First make the sauce. Pour the milk into a saucepan and add the bay leaves, onion, cloves and peppercorns. Slowly heat until the milk is almost at the boil, then remove the pan from the heat and set aside. Leave to infuse until the milk is tepid, then strain into a jug.

Heat the butter in a saucepan. When it has melted, stir in the flour and the mustard powder to make a roux. Gradually add the infused milk, a little at a time to start with, making sure the roux is completely free of lumps before the next addition. Continue adding the milk until it is all incorporated and the sauce has the consistency of thick pouring cream. Simmer the sauce for a few minutes, stirring regularly to prevent it from catching, then stir in the parsley and taste for seasoning. Add salt and pepper as necessary, cover and keep the sauce warm.

To cook the chops, heat the oil in a large frying pan. When it’s hot, add the chops and cook for 4 or 5 minutes on each side until well browned. Remove from the pan and set aside to keep warm.

Mix the cider vinegar with 50ml (2fl oz) of water and add this to the frying pan.

Stir vigorously, letting the liquid bubble up, until you have a small amount of rich brown jus. Drizzle this over the bacon chops, then serve with the parsley sauce and some green vegetables.