Try 4 fantastic sauces to elevate your pork dishes
We all know what sauce to have with pork, right?
But wait, there’s more!
Apple sauce is a classic but it’s nice to mix things up from time to time.
And some sauces lend themselves a little more to different cuts of pork.
So, with a little information highway research
I’ve compiled a list of 4 lush sauces to try with your next pork dish.
But let’s start with the classic…
What sauce to have with pork?
1. Apple sauce
The king of pork sauces.
And easy to make.
Ingredients
- 4 x large granny smith or bramley apples – peeled, cored and sliced
- 50g caster sugar
- 50g butter
Method
- Tip all the ingredients into a pan, then cover with a lid.
- Place the pan on a low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 15 mins until the apples break down into a purée.
- Stir to knock out any lumps, then tip into a serving dish.
2. Salsa verde
I love salsa verde sauce.
I discovered it last summer and used it a lot on chicken dishes.
But it’s also a traditional pairing for pork in Spain and Italy,
And it works well with barbecued pork.
There are different versions of salsa verde.
So don’t be afraid to play around with the ingredients depending on what you have more of e.g. using basil
Ingredients
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
- 2 tsp capers
- 8 anchovy fillets
- pinch of sea salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup fresh parsley (no need to be precise on this measurement)
- 1/4 -1/2 cup fresh mint, chopped (no need to be precise on this measurement)
- 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
- 1/4 cup rocket salad, chopped (optional – see below, Notes)
- 1 tbsp fresh tarragon
- 3 green onion, chopped (use mainly the white part)
- 1 fresno chilli (substitute jalapeno, pinch of chilli flakes or a bit hotter serrano chilli), sliced (optional)
- 1 lemon
Method
- On a board, crush your garlic with the side of your knife and then add your capers, anchovy fillets and a pinch of sea salt (and a little pepper) on top.
- Now, chop all these up together so you have a nice rough chopped mix.
- Add a little olive oil if it’s too dry.
- Now, take all your herbs, chopped chilli, chopped green onion, place on top of this mix, add a squeeze of lemon and roughly chop it all up together, mix it up as you chop.
- NB: it doesn’t need to be super finely chopped, it’s a rustic sauce.
- Place in a bowl and add approx 1/2 cup olive oil with a pinch of salt and pepper and mix. It shouldn’t be a dry, thick mix but also not too runny so make your judgement on how much oil.
- Taste and adjust to your preference.
3. Apple cider and mustard sauce
I lovely tangy sauce with a touch of sweetness from the apple cider.
This is a great pairing pork chops, steaks or cutlets.
Ingredients
- ½ cup dry cider
- ½ finely diced brown onion
- ½ cup pouring cream
- 1 (heaped) tsp Dijon mustard
Method
- Place the ½ cup cider and ½ finely diced brown onion into a saucepan over a medium-high heat and bring to the boil.
- Simmer until the liquid has reduced by half, then add ½ cup pouring cream and a heaped teaspoon of Dijon mustard.
- Spoon the hot sauce over the pork and serve immediately.
4. Piquillo pepper salsa
This is great fiery Spanish sauce.
If you can’t find piquillo peppers, you can substitute jarred roasted red peppers.
Piquillo peppers (name means ‘little beak’ due to their shape) have a unique sweet and smoky flavour.
Ingredients
- 225g piquillo peppers, seeds removed
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
Method
- Preheat oven to 160°C/325°F.
- In a small shallow baking dish, layer the piquillo peppers with the garlic cloves and cover completely with olive oil. Roast for 30 mins.
- Next, put them into a blender and add in the salt, sugar, pepper, and smoked paprika.
- Blend all the ingredients until a smooth. Adjust seasoning to taste.
Nb: Sauce can be stored in the fridge for later use for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 6 months.
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