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After walking the beautiful grounds of Emma Acres Farm with Farmer Mark, I was incredibly inspired by the care and compassion he puts forth daily into both the land and its residents (the beautiful animals).
After seeing the variety of the hearty vegetables his wife had just harvested, I wanted to highlight and let them shine in their purest forms with this recipe which is why you will notice very little ingredients are used to allow their wonderful, unique flavors and textures shine.
To accompany the veggies, I had to try the Mangalitsa Pork Chops which are known as the “wagyu” of pork due to the fat content and marbling in this breed. Let me tell you, YOU need to try it too, and Emma Acres Farm is one of the only local areas to find it. You can request their weekly email with their offerings on their Facebook page.
Mangalitsa Pork Chops with Harvest Vegetables
Servings: 6-8
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Ingredients
- 4 bone-in Mangalitsa Pork Chops
- 4 mild Italian Sausage links, sliced into 1/3’s
- 6 medium Potatoes, skin on, cut into 2″ pieces (use gold, purple, red skin potatoes or a combination)
- 3-4 cups Carolina Sugar Squash, de-seeded and cut into 2″ pieces (substitution: acorn or butternut squash)
- 1 large Onion, cut into quarters
- 1 head of Cabbage, cut into large quarters
- 3 heirloom Tomatoes, cut into quarters
- 4 cobs of Sweet Corn, shucked
- 6 sprigs of Thyme
- 6 Garlic bulbs, minced (can substitute 1 tablespoon Garlic Powder)
- 2 teaspoons Paprika
- Salt & Pepper
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
- Garnish (optional): Fresh chopped Parsley
Directions
Roasting the Vegetables:
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
- Beginning with a large roasting pan or casserole dish, layer the dish evenly with the potatoes, squash, onion, cabbage and heirloom tomatoes (cut side facing up).
- Season the vegetable mixture with the minced garlic or garlic powder, paprika, and a generous pinch of both salt and pepper. Drizzle about 1/2 cup of olive oil over the vegetables evenly coating them. Use a large spoon to gently toss the vegetables if needed.
- Place the mild Italian sausage throughout the vegetables in the roasting pan.
- Lay the thyme sprigs spread out across the top of the vegetables evenly.
- Roast the vegetables, uncovered, for 45 minutes or until the potatoes and squash are easily pierced with a fork.
- When the timing gets closer to being completed, boil or steam the corn on the cob. Remove from the heat and either cut into 1/3’s, or cut the corn off of the cob. Add melted butter and salt to the corn, and set aside to add to the finished dish.
Prepare the Pork Chops:
- Preheat a grill to 500ºF.
- Evenly coat both sides of the pork chops with EVOO, salt and pepper.
- Place the pork chops on the grill, 2-3 minutes per side, until the internal temperature reaches 145-150ºF.
- Remove the pork chops from the heat, place on a platter, cover and allow to rest 5 minutes to finish cooking.
To Serve:
- On a cutting board, gently cut the pork chop away from the bone. Set the bone aside and evenly slice the pork chops into strips.
- Plate the roasted vegetables and sausage as desired, removing any thyme sprig stems if necessary. Top each plate with fresh sweet corn, garnish with more salt and pepper if desired, and top each serving with 3-4 slices of the pork chop.
- For extra beauty, top your dish with fresh chopped parsley, and enjoy!
Megan LaVigne is the owner of The Culinary Nest, LLC and can be found at ChefMeganLaVigne.com or @chefmeganlavigne.
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