Pork au poivre

For 2

50g butter
2 pork chops, about 2.5cm thick

2 tbsps roughly-crushed black peppercorns

3 shallots, finely chopped

1 tbsp Cognac

4 tbsps red wine

100ml tinned consommé or chicken stock

walnut-sized knob of cold butter

Melt half the butter in a shallow pan over a medium heat. Press the chops into the crushed peppercorns. When the butter sizzles add the chops. Cook until the juices run clear, about 8-10 minutes, turning once. Remove the chops from the pan and keep warm. Melt the rest of the butter in the pan and cook the shallots till soft, about 2 minutes. Pour in the Cognac. Stir. Cook for 1 minute. Pour in the consommé or stock and leave to simmer until the liquid has reduced to 6 tbsps, about 4 minutes. Stir in the cold butter. This will give a shine and richness to the sauce. Pour the sauce over the chops. Serve with mashed potatoes and a plate of salad afterwards.

Pork steaks with mustard sauce

For 2

25g butter

1 tbsp olive oil

1 large clove of garlic, squashed flat

2 large pork leg steaks

225ml double cream

3 tbsps Dijon mustard

2 tbsps chopped parsley

Put some potatoes, nice floury old ones rather than new, on to boil before you start to cook the pork. Salad, a spiky green one, with frisee and chicory, would be a clever way to mop up the creamy sauce.

Melt the butter in a sauté pan over a medium heat. Add the oil and when it starts to foam pop in the garlic. Cook for a minute or two until soft and then add the pork steaks. Saut¿ over a medium heat on both sides till golden and just cooked, about 7 minutes. Whip out the garlic clove, lift the pork out on to warm plates and then pour away all but 1 tbsp of the cooking oil and butter. Throw in the chopped parsley and the cream, add the mustard and bring slowly to the boil, stirring in any juices from the pan. Simmer gently for 3-4 minutes. Taste, season with salt and pepper, and spoon over the pork. A squeeze of lemon juice, added at the very end, will lift the sauce a little, though it is not essential.

Five-spiced pork buns

Enough for 2 as a snack

275g pork leg or shoulder, cut into 2.5-cm dice

2 tbsps lemon juice

2 tsps five spice powder

2 tbsps runny honey

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

freshly ground black pepper

2 handfuls of torn pak choi or watercress

4 soft baps, sesame seed buns or English muffins Put the pork in a bowl and mix with the other ingredients. Heat the grill to very hot. Line the grill pan with foil, put in the lumps of pork and grill till crisp on the outside, but still juicy within, shaking the pan to turn the meat. Split the baps, buns or muffins horizontally, dip their cut sides in the cooking juices in the grill pan then pile on the chunks of pork. Eat while hot.

Pork steaks with Gruyère and marsala

For 2

100g smoked streaky bacon2 1 shallot, finely chopped

boneless loin pork chops

6 tbsps marsala

4 medium flat brown mushrooms, finely diced

a little olive oil or butter

100g Gruyère cheese, diced small

3 tbsps chopped parsley

Cut the bacon into short strips and put into a wide, shallow pan. Fry over a medium heat until the fat runs and the bacon turns golden at the edges. Add the shallot and cook over a medium heat until translucent. Add the mushrooms and a drizzle of oil or a knob of butter if there isn't enough fat left from the bacon. Cook until the mushrooms are tender.

Meanwhile, bat out the pork chops with an oiled rolling-pin or similar implement. Turn up the heat a little and then add half the marsala. Scrape up the sediment in the pan and stir into the mixture. Remove from the heat and spoon the mushrooms, bacon and shallot into a small bowl. Add the cheese and half the parsley, season lightly and mix gently. Set aside, get the grill hot.

Place the pan back over the heat - it should still have some of the cooking juices left in it - if not, add a tablespoon of oil. Get the pan hot, then add the pork. Cook for 2 minutes, and then turn and cook the other sides.Turn off the heat and divide the mixture between the pork slices. Place the pan under the grill for about 2 minutes until the cheese is bubbling. Lift out the pork slices and put them on warm plates. Place the pan back on the heat and leave until it sizzles. Pour in the remaining marsala and boil for a few seconds. Pour the mixture over the pork. Sprinkle over the rest of the parsley.

Pork steaks with lemon and sage

Dried sage is the most pungent of herbs, having a bullying effect on food. Fresh sage, used a leaf at a time is a much more delicate affair.

For 2

flour, for dredging

salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 pork steaks, weighing about 200g each

25g butter, plus a large knob to finish

2 tbsps groundnut oil

10 fresh sage leaves

2 tbsps lemon juice

Season the flour with salt and pepper, dip the escalopes in it. Heat the butter and oil in a shallow pan with the sage leaves. When the butter is hot, slide in the steaks and fry quickly till browned. They will take 3 minutes per side if the butter is hot enough. Put the steaks on a warm plate. Pour the lemon juice into the pan and let it come to the boil. Scrape away at any crusty bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Stir in the large knob of butter, about the size of a walnut, and let it melt. Return the pork to the pan for a few seconds. Serve the steak with its juices and eat while hot.

Serve with: Raw fennel, shredded and tossed in lemon juice and nut oil; lettuce hearts, quartered, drizzled with pan juices; plain wide noodles tossed in butter.