Pork Chops, Spiced and Grilled

This recipe comes from the book „Is There a Nutmeg in the House?” by Elizabeth David, and is a part of my blog post „A Pied-à-Terre in London Overlooking Elizabeth David’s House” (read here).

„This is an effortless and delicious lunch or supper. It does however presuppose a supply of the home-made Italian spice (white peppercorns, juniper berries, nutmeg and cloves)…”

The proportions of the Italian spice mix are more of a matter of taste and it’s very hard to give exact quantities, but be careful with the juniper berries and the cloves. For the below recipe, for two pork chops, prepare half a teaspoon of the spice mix (use pestle and mortar to turn the spices into a powdery consistency). You should only add a couple of pinches of ground cloves and juniper berries respectively, more of the grated nutmeg and then white pepper.

You will need (for two):

• two pork chops, 2 cm thick, the rind left on (which will help to keep the meat moist, the fat can be cut off once the meat is ready)
• a clove of garlic, peeled
• salt
• olive oil
• a few sprigs of thyme
• a couple of bay leaves

Rub each chop on both sides with the cut clove of garlic, salt and olive oil.

Then sprinkle them on each side with the Italian seasoning.

Put the prepared chops in a shallow ovenproof dish, with the twigs of thyme and the bay leaves (and more garlic if you wish).

Cook them under the grill set at 200C (it’s what I did as the temperature is not indicated in the book), about 15 cm away from the heat, for about 15 minutes, turning the chops from time to time.

Turn the grill setting of your oven off, lower the temperature to 180 C and bake for about 15-20 minutes, turning the the chops occasionally. The exact timing depends on the size of your pork chops, so check if they are ready after 15 minutes.