Cookbook author Rachel Roddy uses crushed juniper along with fresh fennel and fennel seeds to give pork chops a lovely, fragrant, herbal flavor. Slideshow: More Pork Chop Recipes
How to Make It
In a small bowl, mix 1/2 cup of the olive oil with the garlic, juniper berries and fennel seeds. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper and rub all over with the garlic-juniper oil. Arrange the pork in a baking dish or place in a resealable plastic bag. Add the chopped fennel and fronds and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours. Remove the pork from the marinade; discard the marinade.
Preheat the oven to 425°. In a large cast-iron grill pan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the chops and cook over moderately high heat, turning once, until golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer the pan to the oven and roast the chops for 12 to 14 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of a chop registers 140°. Transfer the chops to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Serve With
Grilled young fennel.