Meat mains
Pork steaks with herb and honey pan-roasted swede, mustard greens
Swede needs a revival and while Yotam Ottolenghi and others are on the case, the Scandinavians certainly love it. If you've not yet bought The Nordic Cookbook, a veritable tome by the renowned chef Magnus Nilsson, has some good recipes for swede; the Finnish layered casserole is particularly indulgent.
Cook's notes
The braised swede in this recipe lends itself to pork, with honey and thyme adding a little aromatic sweetness. It's great with bacon, pork chops or as part of a roast. This dish is gluten free, just check your mustard pot for anything hiding in there.
Ingredients
- ½ swede
- 3 generous thyme sprigs
- 25g butter
- 500ml chicken stock
- 200g spring greens
- pack of boneless pork loin steaks
- oil for grilling and frying, e.g. sunflower or light olive
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp wholegrain mustard
- salt and pepper
Method
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Step 1
Wash the swede, peel and chop in half again, lengthways, then into 1cm thick slices. Pick the leaves off the thyme sprigs. Check your frying pan will fit all the swede in one layer, or cook the next step in 2 batches.
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Step 2
Melt the butter (or half of it if you need to cook in 2 batches) in a frying pan. Add the swede in one layer. Cook on both sides on a medium-high heat, until golden brown all over. Add the thyme leaves, most of the chicken stock and some pepper. Bring to the boil and let the swede bubble away for 15 minutes (if it needs more liquid at any point, add more stock).
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Step 3
Meanwhile, wash the spring greens well in a bowl of cold water. Drain and cut out the central tough ribs in a thin 'v' shape. Lay the leaves on top of each other and roll them together in a fat cigar shape. Slice into 1-2cm strips. Once your swede is almost tender, about 15 minutes, add the honey to the pan. Give it a little mix with your spoon to amalgamate it. Cook for a further 5 minutes or so, depending on thickness, until the swede is tender when pierced with a sharp knife. The stock and honey should be reduced to a syrupy glaze.
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Step 4
Remove from the heat and gently reheat once you've cooked the pork and greens. Put your grill on to a medium-high heat. Rub the pork steaks with a little oil and season with salt and pepper. Lay the pork on a piece of foil on your grill tray (this saves washing up the tray!). Grill for 3 minutes on each side. While the pork cooks, put the greens in a wide or large saucepan. Add a splash of oil.
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Step 5
Cook the greens over a medium heat, stirring often, until wilted, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in the mustard and some salt and pepper. Serve the greens with the pork steaks and gently reheated swede (if you need to reduce the sauce down more, boil it fast for an extra couple of minutes).