Blue cheese crusted pork escalopes with pineapple sage, roasted beetroot and apple

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Cosily autumnal and packed with flavour, this blue cheese-crusted pork escalope recipe from Elly McCausland is a winning dish for a chilly evening in, serving up tender pork with a delectable crust, and roasted apple, onion and beetroot on the side.

First published in 2015

Pineapple sage is an unusual herb that combines the autumnal, slightly musky fragrance of sage with the sharp, sweet aroma of fresh pineapple. It’s easy to grow in the garden and makes a wonderful addition to recipes where you’d normally use sage, adding a slight tropical twist and a subtle zesty flavour. Here, it livens up a rich, crunchy crust for grilled pork: paired with blue cheese, it’s a nod to the much maligned, but undeniably delicious, party combination of cheese and pineapple. I like to serve this with a medley of roasted beetroot, apple and red onion, flavours that work well with traditional sage but are brightened by the pineapple element. It’s a beautiful riot of autumnal colours and a deeply satisfying dish to eat, the savoury, crispy cheese crust lifted by the sweetness of the caramelized apple and vegetable wedges.

You can buy pineapple sage plants from good garden centres or online, but if they elude you, substitute normal sage – you’ll still have a delicious meal. Experiment with the vegetable accompaniment: you could replace beetroot with squash or pumpkin, and the apple with pear, and you could also swap the blue cheese for goat’s cheese, or the pork for chicken fillets, flattened with a rolling pin to maximize the surface area.

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Blue cheese crusted pork

Roasted beetroot and apple

Method

1
Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6
2
Place the beetroot and onions in a medium baking dish and toss with the olive oil and seasoning. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, add the apple and sage sprigs, toss together and cook for another 20 minutes
3
Meanwhile, make the pork crust. Place the breadcrumbs, sage and Parmesan cheese in a food processor and blitz briefly to combine. Stir in the melted butter and seasoning
4
Dry the pork escalopes with kitchen paper and arrange them on a sheet of foil on a grill rack. Spread the blue cheese over the pork, then divide the crust between each piece of pork and gently press it down over the meat
5
Once the beetroot, apple and onions have cooked, remove from the oven and set aside
6
Preheat the grill to 220°C
7
Grill the chops for 8–10 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the juices run clear when the meat is pierced with a knife tip
8
Divide the beetroot, apple and onion mixture between four plates. Let the pork rest for a couple of minutes, then place next to the vegetables. Garnish with a few extra sage leaves
First published in 2015

Elly McCausland is a food writer based in Yorkshire. She is a keen gardener and loves cooking with home-grown produce.

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