For 6 to 8 servings
3 medium carrots
3½ to 4 pounds pork center loin OR Boston butt, trussed up tightly with string
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons butter
Flour, spread on a plate
2 tablespoons grappa, marc, calvados, or grape brandy (see note)
1½ cups or more dry red wine (see suggestions above in prefacing note)
Whole nutmeg
2 bay leaves
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
1. Peel and wash the carrots, then cut them lengthwise into sticks ⅜ inch thick or slightly less.
2. Take a long, pointed, fairly thick tool such as a meat probe, a knife-sharpening steel, a chopstick of the sturdy Chinese kind, or even an awl, and pierce the meat at both ends in as many places as you have carrot sticks, keeping the holes about 1½ inches apart. Stuff the carrot sticks into the holes.
3. Choose a heavy-bottomed or enameled cast-iron pot, preferably oval in shape, just large enough to contain the meat snugly later. Put in the oil and butter and turn on the heat to medium high. When the butter foam begins to subside, turn the meat in the flour, coating it all over, and put it in the pot. Brown it deeply all around, turning it to do so.
4. When you have browned the meat, add the grappa or other brandy. Allow it to simmer a few seconds, then pour in the wine until it is just shy of covering the meat. If the 1½ cups do not suffice—it will depend on the size pot you are using—add more.
5. Add a tiny grating of nutmeg—about ⅛ teaspoon—the bay leaves, several pinches of salt, and liberal grindings of pepper. Turn the pork once or twice. When the wine begins to simmer briskly, adjust heat to cook at a very gentle simmer, and cover the pot tightly. It’s advisable to place a double sheet of heavy aluminum foil between the pot and its lid.
6. Cook at slow heat for 3 hours or more, occasionally turning the meat, until it feels tender when prodded with a fork. After cooking for 2½ hours, check the pot to see how much liquid remains. If there is a substantial amount, remove the foil, set the lid ajar, and turn up the heat a little.
7. When done, the pork should be quite dark, and there should be a small amount of syrupy sauce in the pot. Transfer the meat to a cutting board, slice it thin, and arrange the slices on a warm serving platter. Spoon all the pot juices over it, together with any carrot sticks that may have slipped out, and serve at once.
Ahead-of-time note The roast can be finished several hours in advance, early in the day of the evening you plan to serve it. Reheat it gently in a covered pot, long enough for the meat to warm up all the way through, adding 2 or 3 tablespoons of water if it becomes necessary.
Braised Pork Chops with Tomatoes, Cream, and Porcini Mushrooms
For 4 to 6 servings
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 pounds pork chops, preferably from the center loin, cut ¾ inch thick
½ cup dry white wine
½ cup canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, drained and cut up
½ cup heavy whipping cream
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
A small packet OR 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, reconstituted and cut up
The filtered water from the mushroom soak, see instructions
½ pound fresh, white button mushrooms
1. Choose a saute pan that can subsequently accommodate all the chops without overlapping. Put in 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil, turn on the heat to medium high, and when the oil is hot, slip in the chops. Brown the meat deeply on one side, then do the other.
2. Add the white wine, letting it simmer briskly for 15 or 20 seconds, while using a wooden spoon to scrape loose any browning residues in the pan. Add the tomatoes, cream, salt, liberal grindings of pepper, and the cut-up reconstituted porcini mushrooms. Turn the heat down to cook at a very gentle simmer, and cover the pan, setting the lid on slightly ajar.
3. Cook for 45 minutes or more, depending on the exact thickness and quality of the chops, until the meat feels tender when prodded with a fork. Turn the chops from time to time.
4. While the chops are cooking, put the filtered water from the porcini mushroom soak into a small saucepan, and boil it down to about ⅓ cup.
5. Wash the fresh white mushrooms rapidly under cold running water and wipe them thoroughly dry with a soft cloth towel. Cut them into very thin lengthwise slices without detaching the caps from the stems.
6. Choose a saute pan that can contain the fresh mushrooms without crowding them. Put in the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and turn on the heat to high. When the oil is hot, put in the mushrooms. Stir them frequently, adding salt and pepper. When the liquid they will shed has boiled away, add the reduced filtered water from the porcini soak, and continue to stir frequently until there is no more liquid in the pan. Take off heat.
7. When the pork chops are tender, add the cooked mushrooms to their pan. Turn the chops and mushrooms, cover the pan again, and continue cooking for 5 to 8 minutes always over moderate heat. Transfer the entire contents of the pan to a warm platter and serve at once.
Braised Pork Chops with Sage and Tomatoes, Modena Style
IN ITALY, one looks up to the cuisine of Emilia-Romagna for the most savory pork specialties in the country, and in Emilia-Romagna itself, one looks to Modena. The tasty way with fresh pork chops in the recipe that follows is an example of the Modenese touch.
For 4 servings
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 pork loin chops, preferably bottom loin, ¾ inch thick
Flour, spread on a plate
6 to 8 fresh sage leaves OR 3 to 4 dried ones
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
¾ cup canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, cut up, with their juice, OR fresh, ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1. Choose a saute pan that can later contain all the chops without overlapping. Put in the butter and oil, and turn on the heat to medium high. When the butter foam begins to subside, turn the chops on both sides in the flour, shake off excess flour, and slip them into the pan together with the sage leaves. Cook the chops to a rich brown on both sides, about 1½ to 2 minutes per side.
2. Add salt, several grindings of pepper, and the cut-up tomatoes with their juice. Adjust heat to cook at a slow simmer, and cover the pan, setting the lid on slightly ajar. Cook for about 1 hour, until the meat feels tender when prodded with a fork. Turn the chops from time to time while they are cooking.
3. By the time the pork is done, the sauce in the pan should have become rather dense. If it is too runny, transfer the chops to a warm serving platter, and reduce the pan juices over high heat for a few moments. Tip the pan and spoon off most of the fat. Pour the contents of the pan over the chops and serve at once.
Braised Pork Chops with Two Wines
THE TWO WINES required here are Marsala and a young red, a mixture that combines the aromatic intensity of the first with the vivacious sharpness of the latter. For the red wine, your preference should go to a Piedmontese Barbera or a Valpolicella or any young red from Central Italy, such as a non-riserva Chianti. It would be appropriate to serve the same wine with the chops.
For 4 servings
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 pork loin chops, preferably bottom loin, ¾ inch thick
Flour, spread on a plate
1 teaspoon garlic chopped fine
1 tablespoon tomato paste, dissolved in a mixture of ½ cup dry Marsala and ½ cup dry young red wine (see remarks above)
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
¼ teaspoon fennel seeds
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1. Choose a saute pan that can later contain all the chops without overlapping. Put in the oil, and turn on the heat to medium. When the oil becomes hot, turn the chops on both sides in the flour, shake off excess
flour, and slip them into the pan. Cook the chops to a rich brown on both sides, about 1½ to 2 minutes per side.
2. Add the chopped garlic, stirring it into the oil at the bottom of the pan. When the garlic becomes colored a pale gold, add the mixture of the two wines and tomato paste. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper, and add the fennel seeds. When the wine has simmered briskly for about 20 seconds, turn the heat down to cook at a slow simmer, and cover the pan, setting the lid on slightly ajar.
3. Cook for about 1 hour, until the meat feels tender when prodded with a fork. Turn the chops from time to time while they are cooking. When they are done, add the parsley, turn the chops over 2 or 3 times, then transfer them to a warm serving platter, using a slotted spoon or spatula.
4. Tip the pan and spoon off all but a small amount of fat. Add ½ cup water, turn the heat up to high, and while the water boils away, scrape loose cooking residues from the bottom and sides of the pan, using a wooden spoon. When the pan juices become dense, pour them over the chops and serve at once.
Stewed Pork with Porcini Mushrooms and Juniper
THE CHORUS of fragrances from the forest and the herb garden—porcini mushrooms, juniper berries, marjoram, bay—that accompany this stew echoes the flavors that one associates with furred game. And like game, the dish should go to the table in the company of steaming, soft Polenta. The most suitable cut of pork for this recipe is the shoulder, sometimes known as Boston-style shoulder.
For 4 servings
20 juniper berries
1½ pounds boned pork shoulder, cut into pieces about 1 inch thick and 2 inches wide
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped onion
½ cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons good red wine vinegar
A small packet OR 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, reconstituted and cut up
The filtered water from the mushroom soak, see instructions
3 flat anchovy fillets (preferably the ones prepared at home), chopped to a pulp
½ teaspoon fresh marjoram OR ¼ teaspoon dried
2 bay leaves, chopped if fresh, crumbled fine if dried
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
1. Wrap the juniper berries in a towel and crush them lightly using a mallet, a meat pounder, or even a hammer. Unwrap them and set aside.
2. Choose a saute pan that can later contain the pork pieces stacked no deeper than two layers. Put in the oil and turn on the heat to medium high. When the oil is hot, put in as many pieces of meat as will fit without being crowded, and cook them, turning them, until they are deeply browned on all sides. Transfer them to a plate, using a slotted spoon or spatula, and repeat the procedure until you have browned all the pork.
3. Add the onion, and cook the onion, stirring, until it becomes colored a deep gold, then return the meat to the pan. Add the wine and vinegar and let them simmer briskly for about 30 seconds, then put in the cut-up mushrooms, their filtered liquid, the chopped anchovies, the marjoram, the bay leaves, and the crushed juniper berries. Turn the heat down to cook at a very slow simmer, and turn over all the ingredients in the pan. Add a few pinches of salt and several grindings of pepper, turn the ingredients over once again, and cover the pan tightly.
4. Cook for 1½ to 2 hours, until the meat feels tender when prodded with a fork. When it is done, transfer it with a slotted spoon to a warm serving platter. If the juices in the pan are thin and runny, raise the heat to high and reduce them. If the pork has shed a lot of fat in the pan, tip it and spoon most of it off, without discarding any of the good pan juices. Pour the remaining contents of the pan over the pork and serve at once.
Ahead-of-time note The dish can be completed 2 or 3 days in advance, but do not reduce the juices or discard any fat until after you have gently, but thoroughly reheated the stew.
Spareribs Pan-Roasted with Sage and White Wine, Treviso Style
IN WHAT WERE one time the poor regions of northern Italy, the eastern Veneto and Friuli, satisfaction and nourishment had to be found in the least expensive cuts of meat. No one in the Veneto goes hungry any longer, but the flavor of Treviso’s ribs slowly pan-roasted with sage and white wine is as deeply gratifying now as it was then. Serve them with their pan juices, over Italian mashed potatoes, or hot, soft Polenta.
For 4 servings
A 3-pound rack of spareribs, divided into single ribs
¼ cup vegetable oil
3 garlic cloves, peeled and cut into very thin slices
2 tablespoons fresh sage leaves OR 2 teaspoons whole dried ones, chopped
1 cup dry white wine
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
1. Choose a saute pan that can subsequently accommodate all the ribs without crowding them. Put in the oil and turn on the heat to medium high. When the oil is hot, put in the ribs, and turn them as they cook to brown them deeply all over.
2. Add the garlic and sage. Cook the garlic, stirring, until it becomes colored a very pale blond, then add the wine. After the wine has simmered briskly for 15 to 20 seconds, adjust heat to cook at a very slow simmer, add salt and pepper, and cover the pan, putting the lid on slightly ajar. Cook for about 40 minutes, turning the ribs occasionally, until their fleshiest part feels very tender when prodded with a fork and comes easily away from the bone. From time to time, as the liquid in the pan becomes insufficient, you will need to add 2 to 3 tablespoons of water to keep the ribs from drying.
3. Transfer the ribs to a warm serving platter, using a slotted spoon or spatula. Tip the pan and spoon off about one-third of the liquefied pork fat. Leave more fat than you usually would when degreasing a pan because you need it to season the recommended accompanying mashed potatoes or polenta. Add ½ cup water, turn up the heat to high, and while the water boils away, use a wooden spoon to scrape loose cooking residues from the bottom and sides of the pan. Pour the resulting dark, dense juices over the ribs and serve at once.
Spareribs with Tomatoes and Vegetables for Polenta
THESE SPARERIBS would certainly be most enjoyable even without polenta, with mashed potatoes say, but the juices they produce are exactly of the kind that yearn for a plump dollop of soft, hot polenta to sink into.
For 6 servings, if generously accompanied by polenta
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
⅔ cup chopped onion
A 3-pound rack of spareribs, cut by the butcher into finger-size pieces
⅔ cup chopped carrot
⅔ cup chopped celery
1½ cups canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, chopped, with their juice, OR fresh, ripe tomatoes, peeled and cut up
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
1. Choose a saute pan that can subsequently contain all the ribs no more than 2 layers deep. Put in the olive oil and the chopped onion, turn on the heat to medium, and cook the onion, stirring occasionally, until it becomes colored a pale gold. Put in the ribs, turning them several times to coat them well, and cook them long enough to brown them all over.
2. Add the carrot and celery, turning them 2 or 3 times, and cook until they are nearly tender.
3. Add the tomatoes, salt, and liberal grindings of pepper, put a lid on the pan setting it slightly askew, and cook at a slow, but steady simmer until the meat is very tender and comes easily off the bone, about 1 to 1½ hours. Check the pan from time to time. If the cooking liquid becomes insufficient and the ribs start to stick to the bottom, add ½ cup water as needed. On the other hand, if when the ribs are done the pan juices are too watery, uncover, turn up the heat, and boil them down until the fat floats free.
Ahead-of-time note You can cook the ribs through to the end up to 1 day in advance. Reheat gently, but thoroughly before serving.
Note If you like sausages, you can replace half the amount of ribs called for with 1 pound of sausages, and cook them together. It makes a very tasty dish. Cut the sausages in half be
fore cooking, and use the plainest pork sausage you can buy, without fennel seeds, cumin, chili pepper, or other extraneous flavors.
Grilled Marinated Spareribs
The savory distinction of these grilled ribs is owed to the marinade of olive oil, garlic, and rosemary in which they must steep for at least 1 hour before cooking.
For 4 servings
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon garlic chopped very fine
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves chopped very fine OR 2 teaspoons dried, chopped
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
A 3-pound rack of pork spareribs in one piece
OPTIONAL: a charcoal grill
1. Put the olive oil, garlic, rosemary, liberal pinches of salt, and grindings of black pepper into a small bowl, and beat with a fork until the ingredients are evenly combined.
2. Place the rib rack on a platter, and pour the marinade from the bowl over it, rubbing it into the meat with your fingertips or brushing it on with a pastry brush. Allow to stand at room temperature for at least 1 hour, occasionally turning the rack, to allow the fragrance and flavor of the marinade to sink into the meat.
3. Preheat the broiler 15 minutes before you are ready to grill the ribs. If using charcoal, allow it time to form a full coating of white ash.
Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking Page 47