Pork cutlet with piperade sauce

Piperade sauce, made with onions, capsicum and tomatoes, is a classic dish from the Basque region. In French Basque country they call it piperade, and in Spanish Basque country they call it piperrada. No matter what you call it, it is delicious when served with pork.

• serves

  4-6

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  1 hour

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1.2 kg pork cutlet
• 6 thyme sprigs
• 2 rosemary sprigs

Piperade

• 2 red capsicum
• 2 yellow capsicum
• 2 green capsicum
• 8 mixed baby peppers
• 2 red onion, thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 4 sprigs thyme
• 800 g tinned chopped tomato
• Sea salt and freshly ground espelette pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat a barbecue grill over medium high heat.
   
2. For the piperade, grill the capsicums and peppers until black and blistered all over, then transfer to a large bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Stand for 15 minutes, then peel the skin from the capsicums and peppers and use a knife to remove the core and seeds. Thinly slice the capsicum and peppers into strips about 5 mm wide. Drain well and and set aside.
   
3. Place a saucepan over medium heat. When hot, add the olive oil and onion and stir for 2 -3 minutes or until just softened. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for 1 -2 minutes or until fragrant. Add the tomato puree and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for 15 minutes.
   
4. Add the capsicum and peppers and simmer for another 15 minutes or until reduced and thickened. Season with salt and espelette pepper.
   
5. Meanwhile, place the pork cutlet on the barbeque and top with the thyme and rosemary. Grill until golden on the underside, then turn and cook until golden on the other side. Grill for another 10 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of the cutlet. Remove from the grill and season with the salt and pepper. Place on a wire rack over a tray in a warm place to rest for 10 minutes.
   
6. To serve, slice the pork and divide between serving plates. Season the pork with a little espelette pepper and serve with the piperade.

Photography by Blink TV. Styling by Blink TV. Food preparation by Guillaume Brahimi.

From Normandy to the Spanish border, follow Guillaume Brahimi along the French Atlantic at SBS On Demand.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.