Pork Braised in Milk

Cathy combined two recipes Pan-roasted Pork Chops with Olives and Sambuca-Braised Fennel found in our blog of March 22, 2018 (Click the date to get the recipe) and Pork al Latte with Fennel Pollen and Crispy Sage. It was a great rendition of this dish. We have made Pork Braised in Milk many times. We had recently eaten it a ChiSpacca and decided to use Nancy's recipe(s). We purchased an injector and injected brine directly into the meat to make it even more moist. We used Fennel as a side along with Polenta. This made for a great Winter meal.

Pork al Latte with Fennel Pollen and Crispy Sage
Chi Spacca Cookbook
Serves 4 to 6
 
For the Pork
1 center-cut pork loin (about 4 pounds)
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
1½ teaspoons sugar
1 recipe Fennel Rub (page 20)
2 lemons
1½ cups whole milk, plus more as needed
2 medium shallots, peeled and sliced ¼ inch thick lengthwise
2 bay leaves (preferably fresh)
 
For the Sage
2 cups olive oil, or as needed
½ cup fresh sage leaves
½ teaspoon kosher salt
 
For Serving
1 tablespoon fennel pollen
 
Pork braised in milk is a classic Italian preparation and results in juicy, flavorful meat. There is lemon in the braising liquid, and the combination of the milk with the acid causes the milk to form curds. Ryan likes to say it looks like a failed culinary school assignment, but i think the pillowy curds look pretty in a very rustic way. This recipe calls for a pork loin, a large cut of meat that becomes tender when braised; this is not to be confused with the smaller, thinner tenderloin, which should be grilled or seared, rather than slow cooked.
 
We brine this roast before grilling it. Brining refers to infusing meat with a solution usually consisting of water and either salt or a combination of salt and sugar. You can brine meat by soaking it in the solution or by injecting the solution into the meat. (We do the latter.) Brining tenderizes the meat, makes it juicier, and also seasons it on the inside. It is especially important with thick cuts of meat where the seasoning on the outside will have no effect whatsoever on the inside, and pork in particular, which can tend to be dry. To brine this roast, you will need a flavor injector, an inexpensive gadget that is available wherever cooking supplies are sold. The finished pork is seasoned with fennel pollen, a fragrant powder harvested from wild fennel in the hillsides of Tuscany and Umbria. You can find it at specialty food markets and online sources.
 
Ask your butcher for a (4-pound) bone-in pork loin roast with a nice fat cap. Pork loin does not have much marbling of fat in it, so the fat cap is essential.
 
You will need an extra-large platter to serve the pork on.
 
To prepare the pork, place it in a large baking dish or on a baking sheet.
Combine the salt, sugar, and ¼ cup water in a small bowl to make a brine and whisk to dissolve the salt and sugar. Fill the flavor syringe with the brine. Entering through the side of the roast, inject half of the brine deep into the center of the roast. Remove the syringe and inject the remaining brine deep into the roast through the other side. Pat the roast dry with paper towels. Reserve 2 teaspoons of the fennel rub and sprinkle the remaining rub evenly over the pork. Use the meat to mop up any fallen rub and press the rub into the meat with your hands to adhere. Set aside for 30 minutes to 1 hour to let the seasonings penetrate the pork and for the pork to come to room temperature.
 
Adjust the oven rack to the center position and preheat the oven to 325°F.
Cut off and discard the top and bottom of the lemons at the point where you can see the flesh. One at a time, place the lemons upright on a cutting board and cut down the sides at the point where the pith meets the flesh,
following the natural curve of the fruit to remove the pith along with the peel. Discard the pith and peels. Turn the lemons on their sides and cut along one of the membranes toward the center of the fruit. Working your way around the lemons, cut along both sides of each membrane to
release all the segments from the cores.
 
Combine the lemon segments, milk, shallots, bay leaves, and the reserved 2 teaspoons fennel rub in a large Dutch oven and stir to combine. Place the pork in the Dutch oven and add more milk if needed to come halfway up the sides of the pork. Warm the milk over medium-high heat until begins to bubble around the edges, about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat.
 
Roast the pork in the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until an instant-read temperature registers 125°F when inserted deep into the side of the pork. Remove the pork from the oven and set aside for 10 to 20 minutes to allow the pork to rest and for the milk to form curds as it cools.
 
While the pork is braising, to fry the sage, pour enough oil into a small saucepan
to fill it 1½ to 2 inches deep. Fasten a deep-fry thermometer, if you have one, to the side of the pan and heat the oil over medium-high heat until the thermometer registers 350°F or a pinch of salt sizzles when dropped into the oil. While the oil is heating, create a bed of paper towels and have a slotted spoon or mesh strainer handy. Turn off the heat, add the sage leaves, and fry for about 30 seconds, until the leaves are crispy but not brown. Use the slotted spoon or strainer to lift the sage leaves out of the pan and transfer them to the paper towels to drain. Sprinkle with the salt. Let the oil cool and strain it into a container; cover and reserve the oil to cook with another time.
 
Remove the pork loin from the Dutch oven and place it on a cutting board with the bones facing up.
 
Using a slotted spoon, gently scoop the curds out of the pan, letting the liquid drain for a few seconds before gently dropping the curds onto an extra-large platter. When you have harvested all of the curds, slice the pork. With your knife parallel to and resting alongside the rib bones, slide your knife down the bones to release the loin, leaving as little meat on the bones as possible. Slice the loin ½ inch thick. Slide your knife under the slices and lay them fanned out over the curds so the curds are peeking out around the slices. Cut between the rib bones and pile them on the platter for people to gnaw on. Drizzle the liquid left in the pan over and around the pork slices and bones to moisten them. Sprinkle Sprinkle the fennel pollen and scatter the sage leaves over the pork.

Pork Loin in the Egg

Wine:

Coenobium Vendemmia 2006
Mea Culpa Ranina 2005
Rose de Loire NV
Edizione Pennion 2004 Rutherford-Napa Valley Zinfandel

We decided to buy a smoker and do some serious smoking. We purchased a large ceramic egg. The walls are an inch thick and it holds the heat (and smoke) and moisture while the meat slowly cooks. It is very different from a traditional Weber made of metal (and mucho heavier).

For our first attempt at using it, we invited Bea over. We knew should would be forgiving of any problems and we would have plenty of wine to drink if things went badly.

Bottom Line as they like to say. It worked perfectly. We cooked: Herb-Crusted Pork Loin Roast from License to Grill by Chris Schlesinger. It was delicious and moist and smoky and tender!

We started with Grilled Bread (on a Panini maker) topped with Burrata and Pesto.
We knew Bea loved Farro (as we do) and we made a delicious Roasted Beet Farritto from The Babbo Cookbook. The beets at the Hollywood Farmer’s Market are very sweet right now.

Once again for dessert we had those great Ginger Cookies from The Cheese Store of Silverlake.



ROASTED BEET FARROTTO
======================
Adapted from "The Babbo Cookbook" by Mario Batali (Clarkson Potter, 2002)
Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
1 bunch beets, about a pound, scrubbed
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups farro, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses or saba, unfermented boiled-down grape must (sold in specialty food shops)
1/2 cup brown chicken stock or half chicken, half beef stock
Parmigiano-reggiano, for grating.
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Trim tops off beets, drizzle with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Wrap in heavy-duty aluminum foil and roast until tender, about 45 minutes. Cool.
2. Bring 3 quarts of salted water to a boil. Add farro and cook until just tender, about 20 minutes.
3. While farro cooks, peel beets, cut in two and slice in half-moons 1/4-inch thick. Place in a bowl and toss with pomegranate molasses or saba.
4. Drain farro, and place in a skillet with stock. Add sliced beets, and toss over high heat until most of the stock is absorbed and farro is tender, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve, topped with grated cheese.
Yield: 4 to 6 first-course servings.





Herb-Crusted Pork Loin Roast
===========================
From License to Grill

1 cup roughly chopped mixed fresh herbs: and combination of parsley, thyme, sage, rosemary, basil, oregano, and / or marjoram

¼ cup minced garlic

1 to 2 tablespoons red pepper flakes, depending on your taste for heat (we used ½ teaspoons)

¼ cup freshly cracked black pepper

¼ cup olive oil
1 – 3 to 4 pound bone-in center-cut pork loin roast, chine bone removed


Build a fire in the grill and arrange to cook via indirect heat.
In a small bowl mix all ingredients and rub the pork loin generously with the herb mixture.

Cook covered trying to keep the heat in the covered grill at about 225 to 280 degrees. Cook 2 ½ hours to 3 hours until the internal temperature of the meat is about 150 degree.

Winter Meal

We went to a Schreiner's Meat Market in Montrose. It is a German market that sells an unbelievable selection of homemade sausages and smoked meats. We purchased a smoked ham-hock and decided to make soup. The weather has been cold, damp and rainy and it definitely was perfect for a hot soup.

We made Heirloom Bean and Escarole Soup from the cookbook Ad Hoc by Thomas Keller. I don’t know why but I always forget that escarole is like a lettuce. It is a delicious soup.  Perfect dish for a cold night. You can get the recipe from our blog of: Dec. 8, 2009. Click the date to get the recipe.

As long as we were porking out, we decided to make Loin Of Pork  "A L'Apicius" from It’s About Time by Michael Schlow. I really liked the dish. The pork was glazed with the sweet and tangy sauce. It is unusual for a pork dish to be cooked with curry powder and it added a 3^rd dimension to the flavors.

Loin Of Pork  "A L'Apicius"

It’s About Time

by Michael Schlow

1         cup honey

4          ounces (1/2 cup) red wine vinegar

1         teaspoon curry powder

¼         teaspoon cayenne pepper

2         ounces (4 tablespoons)canola oil

1         center loin of pork, trimmed of any excess fat (about 3 pounds, 6 inches in diameter)

Salt and pepper

4          ounces (1/2 cup) water

3 to 4 ounces (6 to 8 tablespoons) Chicken Stock water can be substituted)

2         tablespoons butter

Does this sound like a fancy dish, or what?

Relax — it just sounds fancy. I make this all of the time at my house and even at guest-chef events, because people really seem to enjoy the balanced seasoning of sweet, spicy, tart, and aromatic.

Since you already have an audience sitting around the dinner table, and you are discussing everything from politics to history, I thought I would give you the history part of the conversation. Your family will really be im­pressed; in fact, they will suggest you audition for Jeopardy someday soon.

Apicius was a Roman chef and bon vivant whose first cookbook only contained sauces. (I wonder how he ever got that idea past his agent!) He liked to experiment with his cooking and created dishes using nightingales' tongues and camels' heels, among other oddities. These dishes were apparently meant to startle the complacent citizenry, but other interesting things came out of it: The historian Pliny credits Apicius with the idea of force-feeding geese to enlarge their livers, some of our very first foie gras!

Apicius eventually went broke and committed suicide to save his pride, but now you can enjoy his roast pork loin and do your part to help his legacy live on. You can serve this with just about anything — roasted pota­toes, rice of any kind, or just vegetables.

Makes 6 dinner-sized portions

Heat the oven to 300°F.

·      Mix the honey, vinegar, curry powder, and cayenne pepper in a bowl and I set aside.

·      Place a large, ovenproof pan on the stove over medium heat and add the canola oil.

·      Season the pork liberally with salt and pepper and place in the pan.

·      Cook pork gently, just 30 seconds per side, to obtain a light change in color. Do not sear.

·      Pour the honey mixture over the pork

·      Pour the water into the bottom of the pan, taking care not to pour in on the pork

·      Place the pan in the oven and roast for 1 hour, turning the pork and basting it with the pan juices every 3 to 5 minutes

·      Turn the oven off

·      Remove the pork from the pan, place on a baking sheet, and return it to the oven to stay warm, about 10 minutes, while you prepare the sauce

·      Transfer the pan juices to a medium-sized sauce pot.

·     Add the chicken stock or water to the sauce pot and reduce over medium heat until about Vi cup remains.

·     Swirl in the butter, stirring until melted, and remove from heat.

·     Remove the pork from the oven and carve into thick slices. Arrange on a platter, drizzle the sauce over the top,and serve.

Pork Loin

Even though we are in Lock Down, we had a Pork Loin in the refrigerator that I rotisseried. It was excellent. We started with an Asparagus Salad with Brown Butter, Hazelnuts and Burrata. It is a great salad, especially in the Spring when we first have Asparagus.

With the Pork Loin we had Japanese Yams. These are amazingly sweet. Even though it is a Yam it tastes like candy!

We coated the pork with Fennel Rub that Mozza2Go sells. It is an excellent choice for pork. The key was cooking by an indirect method, without having the coals directly under the pork, low and slow. We studded the pork with slivered garlic and placed it on the spit. It actually is easier to use a rotisserie then to grill, because you don’t have to watch it as closely. Simply have an estimate of how long the pork should take per pound (about 20 minutes) and occasionally glance at the rotisserie to make sure the coals were still hot adding more if needed. When the allotted time was up we checked the temperature with an instant read meat thermometer, and continued to cook until the pork reached the temperature we were looking for (about 160).

The Pork Roast That Thought It Was Prime Rib

We saw a recipe for a Potato Leek Gratin in the New York Times. It has been cold and rainy here in LA so we decided to make it. What goes better with a Potato Gratin than Pork?

We wanted to make the pork roast on the Egg, but we didn’t know if the weather would cooperate for outdoor grilling. We decided to try and hope the weather would clear. It did! For that one day, the clouds disappeared and I was able to smoke the pork in the Egg. It was the first time we had used it in several months.

The recipe we made was: Herb-Crusted Pork Loin Roast from License to Grill by Chris Schlesinger. We purchased the pork loin at McCall's Meat and Fish. This is a very easy and good recipe. I used maple wood for the smoke flavoring. It only takes about an hour and a half in the egg to have a great smoky taste. You can get the recipe in our blog of: July 2, 2008. Click the date to get the recipe.

We haven’t returned to McCall’s Meat and Fish since we made this pork, and I want to find out more about the pork that he cut for us. This pork was unbelievably good. It was richly marbled and had the consistency of prime rib, not pork. It was an amazing piece of meat. When we picked up the meat we knew we were getting something special, we had pre-ordered the meat, and Karen grabbed a pork roast for us, Nate told her he had a different cut for us, so she put the one she was going to give us back and gave us the one that Nate suggested. Amazing!

New York Times

March 11, 2011

Potato Leek Gratin

Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, more for greasing the pan

2 large leeks, trimmed and halved lengthwise

1 1/2 pounds peeled Yukon Gold potatoes

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 thyme sprigs

1 cup heavy cream

1 fat garlic clove, finely chopped

1 bay leaf

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

3/4 cup Gruyère, grated.

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees and butter a 2-quart gratin dish. Wash the leeks to remove any grit and slice thinly crosswise.

2. Using a mandoline or sharp knife, slice the potatoes into rounds, 1/8-inch thick. Toss with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Layer the rounds in the gratin dish.

3. Melt the 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add leeks, remaining salt and pepper, and thyme. Cook, stirring, until leeks are tender and golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Discard thyme and scatter the leeks over the potatoes.

4. Add cream, garlic and bay leaf to the skillet, scraping up browned bits of leeks from the bottom of the pan. Simmer gently for 5 minutes. Stir in nutmeg.

5. Pour the cream over the leeks and potatoes and top with the Gruyère. Cover with aluminum foil and transfer to the oven. Bake for 40 minutes, uncover and bake until the cheese is bubbling and golden, 15 to 20 minutes longer. Let cool slightly before serving.

Yield: 6 servings.

Lentils and Pork

We had some leftover pork, and decided to make the very classic French Dish: Petit-Sale aux Lentilles –(salt pork with lentils) from Paris Bistro Cooking by Linda Dannenberg.

This very hearty dish is the perfect cold rainy weather dish. We use the leftover pork rather than salt pork. It was delicious.

Petit-Sale aux Lentilles

[salt pork with lentils]

Paris Bistro Cooking – Linda Dannenberg

In France, salt pork, or petit-sale, is made from pork belly or hock cured in brine; in the United States salt pork is usually made from pork back fat, a less meaty, fattier cut. Ask your butcher to select for you a particularly meaty piece of salt pork, or substitute a piece of cured pork belly, shoulder, or loin, if available.

salt pork

2  Pounds Meaty Salt Pork, Rind Removed

1  Large Onion, Stuck with 2 Whole Cloves

2  Large Carrots

1  Bouquet Garni   (1 Sprig of Parsley, greens  of 1   Leek, Thyme Sprig, and 1Bay Leaf, Tied in a Square of cheese cloth )

lentil garnish

1  Pound Lentils, Cleaned

4  medium Carrots,   Quartered

2  Medium onions,   quartered

1  bouquet Garni   (same as above)

Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

2 Tablespoons  Chopped  Fresh Parsley

To prepare the salt pork:

Place the salt pork, onion, carrots, and bouquet garni in a large pot. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 2 hours, until salt pork is tender.

To make the lentil Garnish:

Place the lentils, carrots, onions, and bouquet garni in a pot and add enough water to cover the lentils by 3 inches. Bring to a boil, then simmer gently for about 1 hour.

When the salt pork is ready, drain and discard accompanying vegetables and bouquet garni. Place the salt pork in the lentils pot and simmer for 30 minutes. (Add water if necessary to prevent the lentils from drying out.) Adjust seasoning. Before serving, remove bouquet garni from lentils.

To serve, slice the salt pork, place it on top of the lentils, and sprinkle with the parsley

SERVES     4

Pork Shoulder Blade Chops with Chipotle and Apple Cider Syrup

ChiSpacca is one of our favorite restaurants. They occasionally have Pork Shoulder Blade Chops. I wasn't previously aware of that cut. After eating several times at ChiSpacca we decided it was time to make it ourselves. The recipe is in the ChiSpacca Cookbook. It turned out quite well. The hardest part was pre-ordering this unusual cut from our butcher: McCall's. It was excellent.

With the Pork we served Roasted Broccolini and Lemon with Parmesan. It was a perfect accompaniment to the Pork. A great meal! with lots of leftovers!

Pork Shoulder Blade Chops with Chipotle and Apple Cider Syrup

Chi Spacca Cookbook

Serves 4

 

Many of the cuts of pork that we offer at Chi Spacca are the result of our wanting to use the entire animal. This recipe is borne of that goal. The shoulder blade chop, which comes, obviously, from the shoulder, fulfills the expectations of a typical pork chop, which comes from the loin. Putting a cut like this on the menu introduces our customers not just to a cut they might not already know, but to the idea that there is a whole world of animal cuts out there, many of which they may not have tried. If you want to use the more widely known pork loin chops for this recipe, they will work, too.

 

If we were playing a game of what-goes-with-what, and you said, “Pork,” I’d say, “Apples.” The apple flavor is incorporated here in the form of an apple cider syrup that we glaze these chops with, something that also satisfies my love of acidic foods. We use Carr’s Ciderhouse Cider Syrup, an artisanal product from the Berkshires that my friend the food writer Ruth Reichl introduced me to when I was at her house in Hudson, New York. I liked it so much that she sent me home with a bottle. If you don’t want to seek out that product, we have provided a recipe for making a glaze using standard apple cider vinegar. Chipotle chiles are dried, smoked jalapeño chiles; they have a wonderful, deeply smoky flavor. If you can’t find chipotle chile powder, use sweet smoked paprika or another quality chile powder.

 

Ask your butcher for 2 (¾-inch-thick) pork shoulder blade chops, about 1 pound each.

 

You will need a large platter to serve the chops.

 

 

FOR THE SYRUP (IF YOU ARE NOT BUYING CARR’S CIDERHOUSE CIDER SYRUP)

1       cup apple cider vinegar

1       cup apple cider

2       tablespoons balsamic vinegar

 

FOR THE PORK

 

1       tablespoon ground coriander seeds

1       tablespoon chipotle chile powder (or smoked sweet paprika or another chile powder)

1       tablespoon kosher salt

1       tablespoon light brown sugar

2       (¾-inch-thick) pork shoulder blade chops (about 1 pound each) 

 

FOR THE ONIONS

 

2       large yellow Spanish onions, peeled and sliced into ½-inch rings

2       cups apple cider vinegar

 

To make the syrup, combine the apple cider vinegar, apple cider, and balsamic vinegar in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low to maintain a gentle simmer and cook for 30 to 40 minutes, until the liquid has reduced to a syrupy consistency.

 

To prepare the pork, first make the rub: grind the coriander seeds in a spice grinder and transfer them to a small bowl. Add the chipotle chile powder, salt, and brown sugar and stir to combine. 

Put the chops in a baking dish or on a large plate. Sprinkle the rub evenly over the meat and use the meat to mop up any rub that falls onto the dish or plate. Set aside for 30 minutes to 1 hour to let the seasonings penetrate the pork and for the pork to come to room temperature.

 

Prepare a hot fire in a charcoal grill. Move all of the coals to one side of the grill so you have both direct and indirect heat. If you have a gas grill, preheat one side for high heat and leave one side of the grill with no heat on; if it is an option, close the lid on the side with no heat.

 

While the grill is heating, place the onions in a large sauté pan. Add the cider vinegar and bring it to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-high and gently boil the vinegar and onions for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until the onions are tender and the vinegar coats them like a glaze. Turn off the heat.

 

Place the pork chops on the grill over the direct heat and grill for about 4 minutes, until the undersides are golden brown with dark grill marks. Move the pork chops to the side of the grill where there is no flame and cook over the indirect heat, uncovered, for about 10 minutes, until the meat is firm to the touch. Remove the pork chops from the grill and place them on a large serving platter.

 

To serve, drizzle the apple cider syrup over the pork chops and lay the onions on and around the pork chops, leaving the meat in the center of the platter visible.

Roasted Broccolini and Lemon with Parmesan

New York Times

 

Dumping cheese onto something, roasting it and calling it genius isn't the most original thought, but it’s worth mentioning how wonderful this recipe is. Maybe it’s the caramelized, jammy slices of lemon or maybe it’s the almost burnt, crisp, frilly ends of tender broccolini. Whatever it is, a version of this is worthy of every dinner party. While there is something special about the broccolini here (nothing compares to the tender stalks and those wispy ends), this technique also works with root vegetables like carrots, potatoes and parsnips, as well as other brassicas like cauliflower and brussels sprouts. (This recipe is adapted from "Dining In: Highly Cookable Recipes" by Alison Roman.)

 

INGREDIENTS

Yield:4 servings

 

1           lemon, halved crosswise, seeds removed

4           garlic cloves, smashed

2           bunches broccolini, ends trimmed (or 1 pound broccoli, thinly sliced lengthwise, stem and all)

3 to 4    tablespoons olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

½          cup finely grated Parmesan

 

 

PREPARATION

 

1.            Heat oven to 425 degrees. Thinly slice half the lemon into rounds and set the other half aside. Toss lemon slices, garlic and broccolini with the olive oil on a rimmed baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper, making sure everything is evenly coated, especially the broccolini tips so they get fried and crisp.

2.            Sprinkle with Parmesan and roast until the broccolini is bright green, starting to char and the cheese is golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes.

3.            Remove from the oven, squeeze the remaining half of the lemon over the top and serve.

 

 

Garlic and Pork

Grilled Fava Beans

Garlic Soup

Grilled Pork Loin

Pork Loin, Polenta with Chantrelles

Doshi Bread

Fava beans are plentiful at the Farmer’s Market. Last year we had some fava’s done in completely different fashion from any method we had previously had them. The Fava Beans were Grilled, tossed with Olive Oil, Salt and Pepper and thrown on the grill Cook till they just start to get charred. They can be eaten whole, no 1^st peeling, no 2^nd peeling just pop in your mouth and chew! A great nosh with some white wine!

We smoked one of our favorite dishes, Herb-Crusted Pork Loin Roast from License to Grill by Chris Schlesinger. It is cooked in the Egg, low and slow. The recipe can be found in our blog of: July 2, 2008. Click the date to get the recipe. It is delicious and makes great leftovers. With the Pork we served Polenta. Serious cooking note, the absolute best Polenta anywhere is: Anson Mills Rustic Polenta Integrale. This is the one you NEED to buy. It is available on the Internet and you freeze it until you need it. We topped the Polenta with Sautéed Chanterelle Mushrooms.

Doshi brought a home made Bread that we ate with the dinner.

We started with Fresh Garlic Soup (Brisighella Zuppa di Aglio Fresco) from The Splendid Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper. It is delicious, and light, and not hard to make. If the soup isn’t smooth when cooked be sure to strain it. The recipe can be found in our blog of: March 18, 2012. Click the date to get the recipe.

Chashu Pork, Foil Baked Carrots and Green Beans

Click to Watch

We had three great Japanese inspired dishes. We rotisseried a Chashu Pork Loin. I like rotisserie cooking, it is very forgiving. Since we are locked in our house, it was fun to actually go outside to cook. All of these dishes were excellent. I hope we get to make this again. The Foil-Baked Green Beans with Soy Sauce and Garlic and Foil-Baked Green Beans with Soy Sauce and Garlic were great ways to prepare vegetables. It has the added advantage of not needing to cleaning any pans after the dish is cooked, just throw the foil away. These are good recipes worth making.

Chashu Pork

The Japanese Grill

This Chinese style of grilling pork has been happily adopted in Japan, especially at ramen joints, where a slice of chashu is a standard topping for a steaming bowl of noodles. Ramen or not, slow-grilled chashu tastes incredible, especially served with a bowl of rice on the side. You can also chop it into small cubes and use it to make fried rice. If you can t find boneless pork shoulder, you can substitute pork loin. Make sure to eat chashu at room temperature, the way it’s traditionally enjoyed.

½          cup soy sauce

¼          cup sake

2           tablespoons mirln

1           tablespoon packed brown sugar

4           thick slices unpeeled fresh ginger (about 1/2 ounce)

2           cloves garlic, crushed

2           small scallions (white and green parts), coarsely chopped

1-1/2    pounds pork shoulder, boned and tied up with butcher’s string (ask your butcher to do this for you)

To make the marinade, whisk together the soy sauce, sake, mirin, and sugar in a bowl until the sugar has dissolved. Add the ginger, garlic, and scallions. Pour three-fourths of the marinade into a baking dish or rimmed sheet pan and reserve the rest. Lay the pork in the marinade and flip it 4 times to generously coat all over. Cover and marinate the pork in the refrigerator for 2 hours, flipping the meat every 30 minutes.

Set up a grill for indirect heat (medium-low heat; see page 15). Grill the pork, covered, on the indirect side this way: Grill for about 10 minutes. Flip the pork and brush with the reserved marinade. Grill the meat for about 35 more minutes. Brush on more marinade about eveiy 5 minutes.The pork will become browned and glossy when it’s ready. Allow the pork to come to room temperature, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices, and serve.

Foil-Baked Green Beans with Soy Sauce and Garlic

The Japanese Grill

Make sure not to overcook the green beans. You want them firm and crunchy, not mushy like hospital food. Mix
together the green beans just before serving to evenly coat all of them with the fragrant marinade. These beans
taste great room temperature or even cold (a perfect leftover for the next day).

1      pound green beans, ends snapped off, and beans cut in half on an angle

1      clove garlic, finely minced or pressed

1      tablespoon finely chopped yellow onion

1      tablespoons soy sauce

2      tablespoons sake

2      tablespoons olive oil

½     teaspoon salt

Cut a 3-foot-long piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil; fold in half lengthwise and set aside. Toss together all the ingredients in a bowl to make the marinade. Transfer the green bean mixture to the aluminum foil sheet, arranging in a mound in the center. Carefully fold one end of the aluminum foil over the other and pinch the sides to close, creating a neat pouch.

Preheat a grill to medium-hot. Place the aluminum foil pouch directly on the grate and grill for about 10 minutes. Carefully open the pouch slightly to peek inside and check if the green beans are cooked through and sizzling (be careful of escaping steam).Transferthefoil pouch to a plate and unwrap it. Serve the green beans directly from the pouch.

Foil-Baked Carrots with Salt

The Japanese Cookbook

If you’re like us, you usually have a few carrots lying around in the fridge. Here’s our suggestion: The next time you grill, slap ’em on the grate. This simple method will transform carrots into something incredible.

4       medium carrots (about 1 pound)

Salt

Cathy added some olive oil

Cut four 12-inch-long pieces of heavy-duty aluminum foil and fold each in half. On each piece of aluminum foil, place a whole carrot. Fold over the aluminum foil to wrap the car-rots completely.

Preheat a grill to medium. Place the foil-wrapped carrots directly on the grate. Grill the carrots for about 20 minutes, turning 2 or 3 times.Test the carrots for doneness by pressing the sides with tongs. If the carrots give easily, they’re ready.

Unwrap the carrots (be careful of any escaping steam). When they're just cool enough to touch, peel off the skin, which will slide off easily, and serve. Sprinkle salt on top to taste.