When it comes to pesto sauce, I love experimenting with new flavor combinations. A traditional Genovese pesto sauce that we are all familiar with is a fragrant combination of basil leaves, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, garlic and olive oil. Wonderful when tossed with your favorite pasta, a nice topping for a warm bowl of soup, or a lovely spread for a crisp crostini, pesto sauce can really elevate the overall flavor of the dish you are creating. We love hazelnuts so I thought this time, I would make a pesto sauce with hazelnuts instead of pine nuts and Italian parsley instead of basil. I hearty pesto sauce that really works well when spread over seared pork chops; with a final sprinkling of panko bread crumbs over the pesto layer, these pork chops are then baked to perfection. Serve with a side of sautéed vegetables and a wild rice salad–yum, this dish is utterly delectable.
Searing the pork chops
Parsley-Hazelnut Pesto
(To view this recipe, click on the blue title of the blog post above*)
Seared Pork Chops with Parsley-Hazelnut Pesto
Ingredients:
- For the pesto:
- 1 bunch of Italian parsley, stems removed, rinsed and patted dry
- ½ cup hazelnuts
- ¼ cup shaved Parmesan cheese
- 1 garlic clove
- Juice of ½ lemon
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- For the pork chops:
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 4 bone-in pork chops
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup Panko bread crumbs
Directions:
- To make the pesto, place all of the pesto ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Adjust the seasonings if need be.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a large, non-stick skillet. Heat the skillet over medium-high heat; season both sides of each pork chop with salt and pepper. Once the skillet is hot, sear the pork chops for 3-4 minutes per side, or until they are browned. (Depending on the size of your pan, it may take you 2 rounds to sear all 4 pork chops)
- Spread a layer of the pesto over each seared pork chop and sprinkle Panko breadcrumbs on top of the pesto layer. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the pork is cooked through to your liking.
Tagged: hazelnuts, Italian parsley, Panko bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, parsley-hazelnut pesto, pesto, pork chops, seared pork chops
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