A few T&T's inside.
Pork Roasted with Apples, Honey and Balsamic Vinegar
4 lb. boneless pork loin roast
salt and pepper to taste
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups beef or veal broth,
3 tbsp honey
3 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
3 lbs waxy potatoes, peeled and quartered (used red potatoes)
3 granny smith or pippin apples; peeled, cored and diced
4 cloves garlic
1 tsp minced fresh thyme
1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water
2 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
Preheat oven to 375 F.
Season pork with salt and pepper
In a heavy Dutch oven over medium heat, heat the oil and brown the pork on all sides. Meanwhile, combine the stock, honey and 3 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar in medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the honey has dissolved and the mixture is well blended. Pour the hot liquid in the pan with the pork. Cover and bake 2 hours.
Add potatoes and bake for 15 minutes. Add apples, garlic and thyme and bake 15 to 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and pork registers 185 degrees (Pat’s note: no way, it’ll be too dry, try lower temp) in the center.
Transfer pork to serving platter and keep warm. Strain cooking liquid into a saucepan; save the potatoes and apples. Bring cooking liquid to a boil and decrease heat to medium. Whisk cornstarch mixture into the cooking juices and cook, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper.
With a slotted spoon arrange the potatoes and apples around the roast. Drizzle the roast, potatoes and apples with 2 tbsp Balsamic vinegar.
Serve with sauce on the side.
Pat’s notes: Easy, delicious and moist. Didn’t thicken the sauce with cornstarch, was nice without. Used a 2 lb. pork roast and adjusted the roasting time. This is a keeper. Was nice with a Caesar salad.
Source: Bev @ Gails
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Pork Scallopina Perugina
4 tbsp virgin olive oil
4 pork scallops (boneless pork loin pieces 1" thick) (used 1/2" thick)
Seasoned flour
4 oz prosciutto, sliced then cut into 1/4" batons
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 tbsp capers, drained
6 oz white wine (or Vermouth works nice)
4 anchovy fillets, rinsed and chopped
zest of 2 lemons
6 sage leaves
In a 12 to 14 inch saute pan, heat olive oil until smoking. Dredge the pork pieces in the seasoned flour and shake off excess. Saute in a pan until golden brown on one side, for 5 to 6 minutes. Turn and continue cooking 3 to 4 more minutes. Remove to a plate in a warm place and drain pan of excess oil. Add prosciutto, garlic and capers to pan and cook 2 minutes. Add wine, anchovies, lemon zest and sage and return pork to pan. Cook until heated through and liquid has reduced to several teaspoons. Place pork pieces on to warm plate, cover with spoonfuls of sauce and serve
with warm lentils.
Source: Mario Batali from FoodTV
Pat’s notes: Delicious, very flavorful and so easy. Per the butcher at grocery I cut slices from a boneless pork loin for the chops (great tip). Didn’t use anchovies and didn’t miss them as the prosciutto was salty enough. Used small whole sage leaves and should’ve removed them before serving, or maybe next time I’ll finely chop.
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Braised Pork with Balsamic Vinegar
1 3-pound pork loin roast
1 clove garlic, cut in half (I used 3 cloves)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 medium onion, halved and sliced
2 teaspoons dried rosemary
1/4 cup dry red wine
1-1/2 cups chicken stock (I used a can, about 1-3/4 cups)
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
Rub pork with cut side of garlic then chop remainder. Season with salt and pepper. Heat oil and butter in pot large enough to hold roast on medium heat. Add roast and brown slowly on all sides. This should take about 10 minutes. Remove from pot. Add onions, rosemary and garlic and saute 2 minutes. Add wine and bring to boil, scraping up any little bits at the bottom. Return roast to pot, turn heat to low and cook 10 minutes to allow some evaporation of liquid. Cover. Turn roast and baste with 1/4 cup balsamic mixture every 15 minutes. (Pat’s note: recipe didn’t say to combine chicken stock and balsamic but I did and added the whole thing right here instead of basting with 1/4 cup every 15 minutes.) Keep the roast moist but not wet. Roast for 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours, or until pork is tender and juices are clear. An instant-read thermometer should read 160 F. Remove pork and keep warm. If pan juices are too watery, boil down until strongly flavored, adding any remaining vinegar, stock mixture (Pat’s note: I strained the solids, reduced the sauce about 10 minutes, added 2-3 tsp cornstarch, seasoned with salt and pepper...delicious). Slice pork and serve with sauce, roasted red potatoes and rapini. Serves 4-6
Pat’s notes: This was delicious. Served for New Year’s Dinner with mashed potatoes, sauerkraut, steamed green beans, homemade applesauce.
Source: Joanne/Armstrong@Gails from Lucy Waverman
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Asian-Marinated Pork Loin with Gingered Sweet Potatoes and Five-Spice Apples
Recipe courtesy of Blue Ginger East Meets West Cooking with Ming Tsai
Every element in this dish complements the others. The pork, brined to ensure moistness, is ideally set off by the spicy, slightly sweet potatoes, whose warm flavors are echoed by the lightly caramelized apples. This is pork, sweet potatoes, and applesauce--that favorite American triumvirate--from an East-West point of view.
4 cups water
1/3 cup kosher salt
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons toasted Szechwan peppercorns
1 tablespoon toasted black peppercorns, plus freshly ground black pepper
4 1/4-inch-thick slices fresh ginger
2 star anise
2 bay leaves
1 4-pound pork loin
2 tablespoons canola oil
Gingered Sweet Potatoes (recipe follows)
Five-Spice Apples (recipe follows)
1/4 cup chives cut into 1-inch lengths, for garnish
2 tablespoons Chile Oil, for garnish (recipe follows)
One day in advance, combine the water, salt, sugar, soy sauce, peppercorns, ginger, anise, and bay leaves in a deep baking dish large enough to hold the pork and stir to mix. Add the pork; if it is not covered, add more water. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Rinse the pork thoroughly with cold water, pat dry, and season with the ground pepper to taste. Heat a large skillet over high heat, add the oil, and swirl to caot the bottom of the pan. When the oil shimmers, add the pork and brown on all sides. Transfer the pork to a roasting pan and roast just until the pork is hot through to the center (about 125 degrees F internal temperature), 25 to 30 minutes. The interior of the pork will remain pink.
Allow the pork to rest for 10 minutes and cut into 1/4-inch slices. Divide the gingered sweet potatoes among 4 plates, surround with the pork, and add the five-spice apples. Garnish with the chives, drizzle with the chile oil, and serve.
Gingered Sweet Potatoes
6 tablespoons butter
6 garlic cloves, peeled
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Heat a small saucepan over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the garlic and ginger and saute, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the cream and reduce by one-third over low heat, about 10 minutes. Keep warm.
Meanwhile, combine the sweet potatoes in a large saucepan with enough water to cover them completely. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until they can be pierced easily with the tip of a knife, 20 to 30 minutes. Drain and trasnfer to a food processor. Add the cream and process until well blended. Add the remaining butter, season with salt and pepper, and puree until smooth. Transfer the potatoes to a bowl, correct the seasonings, and serve.
Five-Spice Apples
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 small red onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 1/2 teaspoons five-spice powder
1 tablespoon brown sugar, packed
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 cup apple juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon butter
Chile Oil
1/2 cup chile powder, such as ancho, chimayo, or pasilla
1/2 tablespooon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups canola oil
For the Five-Spice Apples: Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. When the oil shimmers, add the onion and saute, stirring, until brown, about 8 to 10 minutes.
Add the five-spice powder, brown sugar, apples, and juice. Stir, season with salt and pepper to taste, and cook until the liquid is reduced by half, about 12 minutes. The apples should retain their shape and some liquid should remain in the pan; do not overcook. Stir in the butter and correct the seasonings. Serve warm.
For the Chile Oil: In a medium skillet, combine the chile powder, cumin, and salt, and heat over medium heat just until the mixture begins to smoke. Whisk in the oil and remove from the stove.
Allow the chile oil to cool, transfer it to a glass jar, and let stand overnight. Cover and use or store. The oil will separate from the solids; use the red oil only.
Source: www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_12647,00.html
Pat’s notes: This was great. The pork was so tender and moist and the sweet potatoes were very nice too. Great meal.
