Pork Chops with Ranch and Vegetables.

Spring is here. Seriously, I don’t think i’ve ever been happier about a change in weather in my entire life. Berlin is just so much more charming, when not hidden under a dangerously high layer of ice and snow. Not to mention the temperatures.

When spring (and even better: summer) arrives, the actual Berlin suddenly shows. People sitting outside. Life: almost everywhere and almost all the time. Everyone’s heading to the parks, that were hidden below snow for far too long.

Berlin is just so charming. In summer you can even find a little used bookshop, that is still open at 2 a.m., the owner sitting in- or outside and having a nice glass of wine. It’s just fantastic!

Spring changes everything. Nature, people and of course: Food. This definitely is perfect spring food. The combination of the warm and crunchy crust of the pork and the refreshing ranch and vegetables is just divine. It leaves you deeply satisfied and filled, but in a good and light way.

I actually got the idea for cooking this dish in David Chang’s Momofuku cookbook (again). There is a dish of thin pork shoulder steaks with ramp ranch dressing and the big picture also showed some vegetables on the steak that were not included in the recipe. I actually didn’t have any pickled ramps and/or scallions here so I figured it would also be great with a kind of standard ranch dressing and some mixed vegetables. It was just what I was craving for.

It would be a perfect thing to prepare and just throw on the grill while sitting in the park. My flatmates and I loved it so much, we really felt like we should have bought a lot more.

The ranch dressing is not all standard and gets some extra kick from adding minced anchovy filet. “Wait! What?! Anchovies in ranch dressing?”, you might ask yourself. That’s what I thought too, when I first stumbled upon adding those to sour cream and buttermilk based dressings on Life’s Ambrosia. But seriously, it’s is great. And don’t worry, the dressing is not gonna come out fishy, the anchovy just enhances the flavor.

Now get yourself some nice looking pieces of pork and head to the kitchen or outside, if it’s already warm enough, and try it!

Ingredients:
serves 3

Pork Chops
3 pork chops (about 150g each)
2 tbsp. grape seed oil

Ranch Dressing
4 tbsp. buttermilk
3 tbsp. mayonnaise
2 tbsp. sour cream
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. white wine vinegar
1 anchovy filet, minced
2 tbsp. chives, thinly sliced
1 tbsp. fresh dill leaves

Vegetables
1/2 yellow bell pepper, sliced
1/2 cucumber, chopped
1 small red onion, sliced
salt & fresh ground black pepper

Start with making the ranch dressing. Mix buttermilk, mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice and white wine vinegar until smooth. Add minced anchovy, chives and dill and season with salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate for 20 Minutes or up to two days.

Before making the pork chops slice the vegetables the way you like them, put them in a bowl and pour about two tablespoons of the ranch dressing over them. Stir to combine.

Heat the grapeseed oil in a cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Season the pork chops from both sides with generous amounts of black pepper and some salt. Fry them on one side for about 4 minutes and turn to finish on the other side. It should take about 3 to 4 minutes tops. The chops should be nicely browned. Let them rest for 5 minutes.

Put about three tablespoons of ranch dressing on each plate. Place the steaks on the dressing, top with the mixed vegetables and serve immediately with some warm french bread.