There used to be a programme on one of the UK cable TV food channels called ‘Market Kitchen’ which I was not a little addicted to. It was brilliant – filmed in the London Borough Market and in the studio, with chefs preparing dishes right in front of the camera with only an occasional ‘here’s-one-I-made-earlier’. I watched it almost every night except weekends (sad, but not THAT sad), I had my favourite chefs and presenters and ones I couldn’t stand (no names, no names…). Quite a few who are now big names were only just emerging back then. They had a Yorkshire pudding competition once – that must have been trickery, the way they towered, sky-high, out of the oven.
Sadly, it is no more – or rather not in the same formula and with a different set of people so I quit watching it. But I do owe really a lot of recipes, tips and ideas to the old lot.
One of those ideas is below. Pork chops are pretty boring and I’m not usually that keen on them because the meat gets dry, and you can’t really cook pork medium-rare (but I could). So I’m always keen on making them more exciting and here goes: adopted and simplified Aaron Craze’s recipe for ‘cheeky chops’. Aaron Craze started off at Jamie Oliver’s ‘Fifteen’ and I’m sure he is very big now, I hope he still has the predilection for wacky names (‘geezer burgers’ was another dish of his).