Pork cutlet with minted pea purée and sugar snaps

Serves 4

(Jason Lowe)

I prefer pork chops cut from the rib end of the loin as they contain a little more fat, rather like a rib of beef, which means they stay more moist during cooking. The price you pay for a pork chop or cutlet can vary massively, though, and of course the quality and taste will depend on how much you are willing to fork out.

The rind doesn't really crisp up in the time the chop takes to cook, so I usually remove it and cook it separately to have as a snack.

4 thick pork chops or cutlets weighing about 200-250g each
A little vegetable or corn oil for grilling
100g sugar snaps, trimmed
A couple of good knobs of butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the pea purée

120g shelled weight of peas
100ml chicken stock
A couple of sprigs of mint
60g butter

First make the pea purée. Put the peas in a pan with the chicken stock and mint, season, bring to the boil and simmer gently for 2-3 minutes. Blend in a liquidiser until smooth then transfer to a clean pan. You may need to add a little water and scrape the sides of the blender. Add the butter and re-season if necessary.

Pre-heat a ribbed griddle, barbecue or heavy frying pan. Season and brush the cutlets with oil and cook on a fairly high heat for 5-6 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of the chops. Meanwhile, cook the sugar snaps in boiling salted water for a couple of minutes, then drain and toss in the butter and season. To serve, re-heat the pea purée and spoon on to warmed serving plates, place the chop on top and spoon over the sugar snaps.