Mesquite Fired Pork Chops with Creamed Corn and Shrimp

Ingredients: (serves four)

Pork:

• 4 pork chops
• 2 tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 tbsp. minced garlic
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. ground pepper

Sauce:

• 4 oz diced smoked ham hock meat or pancetta
• 2 tbsp. butter
• ½ cup minced onion
• 1 jalapeno split in two, ribs and seeds removed, diced
• Zest from 1 lime
• 1 tsp. toasted cumin seeds
• 1 tbsp. minced garlic
• 1 ½ cup no-salt chicken broth
• 2 ears of cooked sweet corn, corn shaved off the cob and reserved, for a total of about 1 ½ cups of corn (use frozen white corn as a substitute)
• ¼ cup cream
• 1 tbsp. roasted red sweet pepper
• 12 large shrimp, shells removed and vein removed
• 1 tsp. lime juice
• 1/3 cup chopped cilantro

Garnish: Cilantro sprigs and¼ cup toasted pistachio nuts

Process

Pork Chops
1. Place pork chops in a wide plate or casserole dish so that they can all lie flat. Wisk remaining ingredients together in a small bowl and pour over chops coating both sides of chops. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or while preparing sauce.
2. After sauce is completed in step two below, light gas grill and leave on high for 5 minutes. Wrap a cup of mesquite chips in heavy duty aluminum foil with 4 slits on top of packet. Lift up grill grate and place mesquite packet on heat deflector, replace grate, lower lid, turn burners to low for 2 minutes. Grill chops for 3 minutes over low heat with the lid closed (note: you may not want the chops sitting over the flames as some grills grate position is very close to even a low flame. If this is true for your grill, you may want to position the chops on the outside perimeter of the grate). Turn the chops when blood starts to run and cook for 3 minutes. Remove from grill and serve as described below.

Sauce

1. In a heavy stock pot, render the fat from the hock meat over low heat. 2. Add butter to pot and melt. 3. Add onions and jalapeno and sauté’ for 5 minutes until onions are translucent. 4. Add lime zest, toasted cumin seed, garlic and sauté’ for 1 minute over medium heat. 5. Increase heat to medium high, add ¾ cup chicken stock, reduce heat to a simmer, cooking until stock is reduced in half. 6. While stock is reducing, mix ¾ cup corn, cream, ¾ cup chicken stock in blender. Add to pot after stock has been reduced. Bring to a simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. 7. Add remaining ¾ cup corn, roasted sweet pepper, and bring back to a simmer. 8. Add shrimp and cook. Off heat as soon as the shrimp turn pink and begin to curl. Stir in lime juice, cilantro, and reserved ham meat.

Serving

Spread a ¼ cup of sauce out on the middle of each plate, placing 3 shrimp on the outside of the plate, and the pork chop in the middle of the plate. Garnish plate with cilantro sprigs and sprinkle pistachios on top of chops.

Pair with Iron Gate Merlot.