20 Minutes 
2 people
By Doreen Colondres
A very simple and tasty recipe for any day of the week. To save some time, you can even prep most of the ingredients the day before. Make sure you don’t overcook the pork, you want it juicy, tender and flavorful. If you want to serve the pumpkin sofrito as a sauce or as puré, just mash on a bowl at the end or mix with a blender until desired texture is achieved. You can substitute the sage for fresh rosemary or thyme and if you can’t find the panca paste, use pimentón (sweet paprika), annato or chili powder or guajillo paste. If you buy thinner pork chops, just reduce the cooking time a little bit.
What you need to have:
- 2 thick,12oz pork chops of 3/4-inch aprox.
- 2 pounds of butternut squash cubed into 1/2’’ squares
- 3/4 cup of natural chicken stock
- 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 white onion, small diced
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 5 fresh sage leaves
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1-2 tbsp. ají panca paste (optional)
What you need to do:
- Season the pork chop with salt, pepper and ají panca paste on both sides. (if you do this step the day before even better).
- Transfer to a grill, cast iron or regular pan on high heat and cook for 5 minutes on the first side, then flip and cook for 5 more minutes or until medium well. If you need, add a tbsp. of olive or frying oil. Do not over cook and let it rest for 3-5 minutes before serving.
- While the chop is cooking, prepare the sofrito using a sauté pan on medium high heat. Add the oil, garlic, onions and cook for 3-5 minutes until onion is tender and translucent.
- Add the pumpkin, the chicken stock, stir, cover and cook for 5 minutes or until pumpkin is “al dente” (slightly soft but crunchy in the center).
- Stir, add salt and pepper to taste, add the sage, cook for 1-2 minutes uncovered. Remove from the heat and serve under the pork.
Buen provecho!
