Heat the broiler.
Toast the bread or, if you prefer, leave it soft. Lay two slices on each of two heatproof plates. Arrange half of the tomato, turkey, and bacon over the bread on each plate. Spoon half of the rarebit sauce over each sandwich.
Pop the open-face sandwiches under the broiler momentarily, until the sauce is bubbly.
Serve the sandwiches piping hot. You will want to eat them with knives and forks.
* * *
A British dish, rarebit has been popular in Texas since the turn of the century at least. There are Lone Star recipes in Our Home Cook Book, published in Austin in 1891, and in the 1909 Dallas opus, The Texas "Four Hundred" Cookbook; 400 Recipes Tested and Proven to a Point Beyond Failure.
* * *
Monday Night Ham Loaf
Try this traditional loaf if you have leftovers from a Sunday ham, and consider making the dish even if it requires a special trip to the store. Like meat loaf, this pork cousin makes great sandwiches, hot or cold.
1 pound smoked ham, such as Hormel Cure 81
1 tablespoon oil, preferably canola or corn
1 onion, chopped
¾ pound ground pork
1 cup saltine cracker crumbs
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon vinegar, preferably cider
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
Salt to taste
GLAZE
2 tablespoons apple cider
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons prepared yellow mustard
Serves 6 to 8
If you are buying ham especially for the dish, ask the butcher to grind it for you. Or run it through a meat grinder or mince it fine in a food processor.
Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Warm the oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped onion, and sauté it briefly until it is softened. Combine the onion with all the other ingredients in a medium bowl, mixing well. The mixture will be quite moist but shouldn't be soupy. Place the meat in a loaf pan, and smooth its surface. Bake the ham loaf about 1 hour.
While the loaf bakes, combine the glaze ingredients in a bowl. After the ham loaf has baked 45 to 50 minutes, brush it with the glaze, and continue baking for another 10 to 15 minutes.
Remove the pan from the oven, and let it sit for at least 10 minutes before cutting the loaf. Serve the ham loaf hot, at room temperature, or cold.
* * *
Dallasites used to go downtown to celebrate special events, often at the Baker Hotel or just across the street at the still-standing Adolphus. In the Baker's Peacock Terrace, patrons strutted accoutrements worthy of the namesake bird. The Adolphus, not to be outdone, sported the Century Room, with an ice-skating rink in its center and cabaret performances.
* * *
Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Peach Sauce
This is a superb way to prepare tenderloin, which is as lean as chicken, but try it only at the height of the peach season. The peaches have to be at their peak of flavor to match the lusciousness of the tenderloin, the prime cut of pork. The timing makes this a wonderful dish to grill outdoors over mesquite.
3 pork tenderloins, about 10 to 12 ounces each
MARINADE
½ cup oil, preferably canola or corn
Juice of 2 limes
2 teaspoons ground dried red chile, preferably ancho or New Mexican
1 garlic clove, minced
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Salt and pepper to taste
SAUCE
½ pound (about 2 medium) ripe juicy peaches, skinned and pitted
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 garlic clove, minced
Juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon ground dried red chile, preferably ancho or New Mexican
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Salt to taste
Pinch of dark brown sugar, optional
Minced cilantro, for garnish
Serves 6
At least 4 hours before cooking and preferably the night before, place the pork in a nonreactive dish. Mix the marinade ingredients together, and pour the marinade over the pork. Cover the dish, and place it in the refrigerator, turning the meat occasionally.
Take the meat from the refrigerator 30 to 45 minutes before you plan to cook it. At about the same time, put a few handfuls of mesquite chips in water to soak, and fire up enough charcoal to form a single layer of coals beneath the meat.
To make the sauce, purée the peaches in a food processor or blender. Warm the butter in a skillet over medium heat, add the garlic, and sauté it a minute or two. Stir in the peaches and the remaining ingredients, except for the sugar. Continue cooking the sauce for 15 minutes. Taste it, and adjust the seasoning, adding the brown sugar if it is needed to heighten the fruitiness. Keep the sauce warm while you grill the pork.
When the charcoal is covered with gray ash, spread the mesquite chips on top. Drain the pork, discarding the marinade, place the meat over the coals, and cover the grill, with the dampers about halfway open. Grill the tenderloins, turning them several times to assure even cooking, until their internal temperature taken on an instant-read thermometer measures 155° F to 160° F, about 12 minutes. Don't overcook them. Baste the pork with a few tablespoons of the sauce during its last few minutes on the grill.
Let the meat stand for about 5 minutes before carving it into medallions. Spoon some of the sauce over the medallions, and sprinkle them with cilantro. Serve the meat with the rest of the sauce on the side.
* * *
Southern settlers in Texas came to the state with a love of ham, but they didn't bring the elaborate curing and smoking techniques found in places like Smithfield, Virginia. The process of making true country hams—which are very rare today—requires a full year and a settled situation, uncommon luxuries on the frontier.
* * *
* * *
Hog killings were important annual events in many areas of Texas well into the twentieth century. Timing was critical. You needed a sustained period of cold weather to ensure the meat didn't spoil, so you waited until early winter, perhaps until Thanksgiving or Christmas. Some meat was salted away, some ground into sausage, some pickled. Almost everything became food, including the intestines (chitlings), skin (cracklings), and head (headcheese).
* * *
Pork Loin Texa-cruz
Peaches aren't the only fruit that pairs well with pork. In this tender, long-cooked loin, tropical fruits combine with chile for a south-of-the-border tang reminiscent of Veracruz.
3½- to 4-pound boneless center-cut pork loin
1 tablespoon ground dried red chile, preferably ancho or New Mexican
Salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
FILLING
¾ cup Chipotle Chorizo ([>]) or good store-bought chorizo
1 egg
½ medium onion, minced
Tops of 2 to 3 green onions, sliced, optional
SALSA
1 cup fresh orange juice
2 small ripe tomatoes, preferably Roma or another italian plum variety
1 small ripe banana, chopped
½ medium onion, minced
1 fresh jalapeño, minced
1 teaspoon ground dried red chile, preferably ancho or New Mexican
2 garlic cloves, minced
Dash of cider vinegar, optional
1 tablespoon oil, preferably canola or corn
Serves 8
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease a baking dish.
Slice a pocket lengthwise through the center of the pork loin. Rub the loin inside and out with the chile, salt, and pepper. Set it aside.
In a small bowl, mix together the chorizo with the egg and the onion. Stuff the loin with the chorizo mixture, and tie it closed with string.
In another bowl, combine the salsa ingredients,
except for the vinegar. If the mixture seems too sweet, add a bit of vinegar to correct the balance. Spoon about half of the salsa in the baking dish.
Warm the oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the loin, and brown it quickly on all sides. Transfer the meat to the baking dish, and pour the remaining salsa over it. Cover the dish, and bake the meat for about 1½ hours, basting it frequently, until the internal temperature taken on an instant-read thermometer measures 155° F to 160° F.
Remove the pork from the oven, and allow it to rest 10 to 15 minutes before carving it. Pour off any accumulated fat from the salsa. Ladle some of the salsa over the slices, and pass the rest separately.
Stuffed Pork Chops
These succulent chops are stuffed with a moist cornbread dressing. Ask your butcher to cut a pocket to the bone in each chop—or do it yourself (it's not difficult with a thin, sharp knife).
STUFFING
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ medium green bell pepper, chopped fine
⅓ medium onion, chopped fine
1 celery rib, chopped fine
1 cup cornbread crumbs
1 dozen pitted prunes, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1½ teaspoons minced fresh sage
¼ teaspoon dry mustard
Salt to taste
½
to
1 cup unsalted stock, preferably chicken or veal
4 double-thick center-cut pork chops
Serves 4
Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a small skillet. Add the bell pepper, onion, and celery, and sauté them until they are soft. Spoon the vegetables into a bowl, and stir in the bread crumbs, about two-thirds of the chopped prunes, the parsley, 1 teaspoon of the sage, the dry mus tard, and salt. Mix well. Stuff about one-quarter of the mixture into the pocket of each pork chop. Melt the remaining butter in a skil let large enough to hold the four chops. Brown the chops lightly on both sides. Pour ½ cup of the stock over the chops. Scatter the remaining prunes and sage in the skillet, cover it, and bake the chops for 1½ to 1¾ hours, until they are very tender. Check about halfway through the baking time, and add more stock if it appears to be cooking away.
Let the chops sit for about 10 minutes after removing them from the oven. Then spoon the pan sauce over the chops and serve them.
* * *
Pandering politicians dip into the "pork barrel" today to "bring home the bacon" to their constituents. The imagery is apt. The real pork barrels of the past were heavy wood casks filled with a thick brine solution that preserved side slabs of meat. You dug out a piece of salty, fatty pork and fried it for the main part of a meal, or perhaps stuck it in a simmering pot to flavor greens or a soup.
* * *
Yam and Pork Chop Skillet
The natural sweetness of yams or other sweet potatoes complements pork, which is why they often appear together on Southern tables. This is a typically Texan skillet supper. Shoulder chops start out a little tougher and fattier than their center-cut cousins, but they are cheaper, richer in flavor, and quite tender when cooked this way.
2 slices slab bacon, chopped
4 pork chops cut from the shoulder, or as near the shoulder as your butcher can provide
2 celery ribs, chopped
2 medium sweet potatoes, sliced
1 large onion, sliced and separated into rings
1 green bell pepper, sliced in rings
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon dried marjoram
1 14½-ounce can whole tomatoes, undrained
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Several dashes of Tabasco or other hot pepper sauce
Salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
¼ cup unsalted chicken stock
Serves 4
Fry the bacon over medium heat in a cast-iron or other heavy skillet large enough to accommodate all four chops. Remove it with a slotted spoon when it is brown and crisp, and set it aside.
Brown the chops in the bacon drippings. Reduce the heat to low, leaving the chops in the skillet. Scatter the celery around the chops, and then top them with layers of sweet potato, onion, and bell pepper. Sprinkle the thyme and marjoram over the vegetables, and pour the tomatoes and their juice over all. Top with the Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, and salt and pepper.
Cover the skillet, and cook the chops over medium-low heat about 1 hour, until they are cooked through and tender. Check the dish a couple of times during the cooking, adding a little of the stock if the mixture appears to be getting dry.
Remove the skillet from the heat, and let it sit, covered, for 10 to 20 minutes before serving the chops.
* * *
Before refrigeration, salt curing was the foremost means of preserving both pork and beef. Treated this way, pork is the tastier of the two meats, which was one of the principal reasons for its popularity even in cow country.
* * *
Crown Pork Roast with Sauerkraut and Potato Dumplings
From the 1850s to the 1920s, a stream of Czech emigrants left Bohemia and Moldavia for the United States, and many settled in the area bounded by Houston, San Antonio, and Dallas. These families were serious about meat and potatoes, and the meat was always pork, as in this elegant crown roast. Call your butcher ahead for the roast, formed by tying the rib section of the loin into a circle.
½ medium onion, grated
2 teaspoons paprika
Salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
5-pound crown pork roast ( 10 to 12 chops)
Tex-Czech Sauerkraut ([>])
1 cup unsalted stock, preferably chicken or beef
POTATO DUMPLINGS
3 medium baking potatoes
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
1 egg
2 tablespoons grated onion
½ teaspoon paprika
¼
to
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 cups stock, preferably chicken or beef, salted to taste
2
to
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Serves 6 to 8
Preheat the oven to 350° F.
In a small bowl, mix the onion with the paprika, salt, and pepper into a thick paste. Rub the paste all over the roast, and transfer the roast to a roasting pan. Fill the roast's center with the sauerkraut.
Bake the roast for 1½ hours, basting frequently with the stock and accumulated pan juices, until the internal temperature taken on an instant-read thermometer measures 155° F to 160° F. Drizzle stock over the sauerkraut, too, but if it appears to be getting too dry, cover it with a small piece of foil.
While the pork is roasting, prepare the dumplings: Boil the potatoes in a saucepan with enough generously salted water to cover them. When the potatoes are done, remove them with a slotted spoon, reserving their water. When they are cool enough to handle, grate or rice the potatoes into a medium bowl. Add the salt, bread crumbs, egg, onion, ¼ teaspoon of the paprika, and ¼ cup of flour. Blend the mixture with a fork until it is well combined and a bit lightened. Add more flour if it is needed for the dough to hold together. Flour your hands lightly, and roll the dough into golf-ball-size dumplings. Transfer the dumplings to a plate, cover them lightly, and set them aside until the pork is done.
Remove the pork from the oven, cover it loosely with foil, and let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile, finish the dumplings: Add the stock to the reserved potato water, and bring the liquid to a boil. With a slotted spoon, gently lower the dumplings into the liquid. Reduce the heat, and simmer the dumplings 8 to 10 minutes, or until they are lightly firm. Drain the dumplings well, and discard the liquid.
Using a sturdy spatula, transfer the roast to a platter. Arrange some of the dumplings on and in the sauerkraut. Transfer the remaining dumplings to a serving bowl, drizzle them with the melted butter, and sprinkle them with the
remaining paprika.
At the table, serve the sauerkraut and dumplings inside the roast first, and then carve the roast by slicing between the bones to separate the individual chops.
* * *
Texas has the largest rural Czech population in the United States.
* * *
* * *
Descendants of pigs brought by the Spanish, wild hogs ranged freely around Texas during the frontier period and provided some of the pork that pioneers ate. Alex Sweet and John Knox said the hams were juicier than "a hind leg of an iron fire dog, but not quite so fat as a pine knot." These skeptics claimed that the meat couldn't be enhanced by breeding with better stock: "The only way to improve him is to cross him with a railroad train."
* * *
Pork and Apple Stew
Supported by the Dallas County Heritage Society, the now-closed Brent Place restaurant in Dallas's Old City Park used to serve a savory pork pie, one of the menu's many traditional Texas dishes. That pie, studded with apples and vegetables, spurred us to concoct a stew with similar flavors.
Texas Home Cooking Page 22