Breaded Pork Chops With Pea Shoot Salad & Honey Mustard

by

Breaded pork chops, check. A nice refreshing salad of pea shoots, peas, fava beans, and basil, check, check, check. And to finish it off, a tasty honey mustard sauce to seal the deal. This needs to be on your list of dinners to make!

Working in restaurants I learn a few things and when I cook, I always try to incorporate them. Protein, side, either a veggie or starch, and your sauce/liquid. Also, texture and mouthfeel. Who wants mush on mush?

I was craving something fried but also wanted it to be light. You know, balance. I love fried food but never really fry much�now I will smother the hell out of something, but frying,  I do every now and then.

This post has really been on my list of things to do, yes I�m a procrastinator. But luckily, favas are still popping up in the grocery stores. If you do not have favas, just the peas and pea shoots will work wonderfully. If you can�t get your hands on pea shoots, arugula or a nice spring mix will do the trick.

Another note is that if you never worked with or cooked fava beans, they have an outer shell that you need to get rid of. All you do is boil the favas for 1-2 minutes and then place into an ice bath. They will turn beautifully bright green. Then, squeeze and pinch to remove the outer layer and you are good to go.

Enjoy!

Recipe: Breaded Pork Chops With Pea Shoot Salad and Honey Mustard

Ingredients:

  • 4 1/2-inch thick pork chops
  • granulated garlic powder
  • fresh cracked black pepper
  • all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup buttermilk or whole milk
  • 1 egg lightly beaten
  • 2 cups panko bread crumbs
  • 1 cup pea shoots
  • 1/2 cup frozen peas
  • 1/2 cup favas beans
  • freshly torn basil
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup creole mustard
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 1/4 cup water
  • oil for frying

Instructions:

  1. Preheat a heavy bottom fry pan over medium heat,�add enough oil to come up halfway. Sprinkle the pork chops with salt, granulated garlic, and black pepper on both sides. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil for the peas and fava beans.
  2. Beat the egg with the buttermilk and place aside. In 3 separate�bowls, divide up the flour, egg-buttermilk mixture, and panko bread crumbs. Season the panko bread crumbs with a pinch of kosher salt, granulated garlic, and black pepper.�
  3. One by one, dredge each pork chop in flour, shaking off the excess. Then into the egg-buttermilk mixture, and then into the panko bread crumbs mixture. Make sure a good layer of crumbs is on both sides. Transfer pork to a �parchment-lined baking sheet.
  4. Gather a bowl with water and ice to shock and stop the cooking process of the peas and fava beans. Drop the peas into the pot of boiling water and boil for 1-2 minutes until bright green. Shock the peas in the ice bath then remove and place aside. Next, add the fava beans into the boiling water and boil until bright green, 1-2 minutes. Shock fava beans in the ice bath and then�remove the thick skin surrounding them by squeezing and pinching until the bean comes out.�
  5. In a medium bowl, combine the pea shoots, peas, fava beans, basil, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place aside.�
  6. Make the honey mustard sauce by combining all ingredients in a skillet over medium heat. Season to taste.�
  7. Fry pork chops in the preheated oil making sure to not overcrowd the pan. Fry on one side until golden brown and crisp, 1-3 minutes then with tongs, flip onto the other side, and fry for an additional 1-3 minutes.�
  8. On a plate, spoon a bit of the honey mustard sauce, and top with the breaded pork chop and the pea shoot salad. Enjoy!