Pork & pesto low fodmap chops
This is one of my favourite Jamie Oliver recipes. It’s got just the right hit of thyme, lemon and pesto - flavours so intense that you really wont miss the garlic. In fact, if you use garlic-infused olive oil - you’ll get the flavour minus the fructans! This recipe routinely gets an 8/10 from my family, even though it’s low fodmap. And as the main cook in the house, I appreciate that it’s quick & easy mid-week cook IF you have low fodmap pesto ready to go. If you don’t have a jar of pesto in the fridge, then you’ll need to add another 10 mins blitzing basil, pine nuts, parmesan cheese, oil and lemon juice together first.
INGREDIENTS (Serves 4)
1 handful thyme
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp garlic-infused olive oil
freshly ground black pepper and salt
4 pork loin chops
4 tbsp low fodmap pesto (make your own or buy a jar at the shops)
PESTO RECIPE
3 handfuls fresh basil, de-stemmed
30g pine nuts
75g parmesan cheese, grated
good quality olive oil
lemon juice, if desired
METHOD
Pound the thyme and salt in a pestle and mortar. Add garlic-infused olive oil, lemon juice, zest and black pepper. Smear the mixture over the pork chops and leave to rest for an hour.
In his cookbook “The Naked Chef” (1999), Jamie recommends cooking the chops on a very hot griddle or in a hot frying pan for 8 minutes at a medium high heat. But… cooking them inside in a frying pan is going to smoke up your whole house. Trust me on this! I cook them on a very hot BBQ grill for 4 minutes to get the Insta-worthy char-grilled stripes, turn for 1 minute on the other side to get matching stripes and then an extra 3 minutes on the hot plate to finish off. Most people overcook pork and it’s simply not necessary. Simply use a meat thermometer to ensure the internal temperature reaches 70 ℃. The BBQ gives them a lovely charred look and flavour and saves on the clean up.
Let the chops rest for a few minutes after cooking and spoon on some pesto. Voila! You’re done!
Serve with rice, jacket potatoes and/or a green salad.
For the pesto, lightly roast the pine-nuts first before adding all of the ingredients to your blender. Drizzle oil until you get the right texture (about 4 tablespoons) and season liberally with salt & pepper. Add a squeeze of fresh lemon to add some extra brightness.
STORE-BOUGHT PESTO
If you’re short on time, it is possible to buy low fodmap pesto. Try Roza’s Gourmet Nut-free Pesto Sauce, Biona Organic Pesto Green or Bay’s Kitchen Classic Basil Vegan Pesto. For full transparency, I’ve only tried Roza’s sauce - not the others.