Pork Escalopes

The leg of the pig consists of several muscles, all of which do differing amounts of work as the free-ranging pig wanders its field and woodland, foraging as nature intended. The escalopes of pork we sell are thin slices of lean meat from the topside of the leg.

They are perfect as an alternative to veal for Italian, German, French and Austrian recipes requiring escalopes. They can be cut then beaten even more thinly between a couple of layers of cling film or greaseproof paper, coated in flour, beaten egg and breadcrumbs, then flash fried and served with any number of classic sauces.

The escalopes should be fried in a mixture of olive oil, maybe a couple of tablespoons, and a good 50g knob of butter. Allow 1.5-3 minutes a side frying over a medium to hot flame. Once fried, place on a warm plate in a warm oven to rest for 5 minutes or so while you make a quick sauce or finish cooking the vegetables to accompany your meat. Escalope alla Marsala is one of the easiest and quickest sauces to go with your pork escalopes. Remove your pork to the oven. For two people:

Pour into the pan a wineglass (175ml or so) full of marsala or medium sherry (amontillado or similar). Add a glug of balsamic vinegar to cut through the sweetness, plus a good pinch of salt and pepper. Allow to bubble fast for a minute or two until it goes a bit syrupy. Check that the seasoning is acceptable for your tastebuds, then serve up the escalopes with the sauce, some sauteed potatoes and some garlicy green vegetables.