Porky deliciousness
I wish I knew what to call this pork creation. I suppose if I’d rolled them into balls they could be meatballs but actually I was trying to recreate a dish Dave ordered in Paris…it had a big long French name written in cursive on a chalkboard and when the waiter kindly translated it for us he called it “pork salad”. But oh, it was so much more than that! I actually had plate envy as I had foolishly ordered the endive salad…and after tasting the pork I wanted to marry it. It was that good. In order to quell my unbridled lust for this porky dish I decided to try to recreate it. Not so easy to do since Dave would only share one bite and then refused to tolerate my queries about the presence of chervil, shallot, and such as he smugly devoured every last remaining morsel. There you have it…my one regret regarding Paris is that we didn’t order another plate of that heavenly pork.
My version is good, in fact it’s fabulous but it’s not the pork salad from L’ AOC. It didn’t have that incredibly rich unctuousness nor the crusty, caramely exterior. I suspect that lard was used…perhaps even wrapping the pork in leaf lard before cooking and the seasoning was probably much simpler than what I attempted. But there were no complaints at the dinner table last night and I’m looking forward to the leftovers for my lunch.
I served the pork (which I will hereinafter refer to as porklettes until I have a better name) with a potato, celeraic puree, sauteed mushrooms, and baby bok choy that I chased around an incredibly hot pan for a few minutes. It was the perfect combination. I’ll keep trying to improve the porklettes…they have a lot of potential for flavors and I can imagine how excellent they would be with ripe heirloom tomatoes…mmmmm.
Porklettes
inspired by the “pork salad” served at L’ AOC, Paris
printer-friendly recipe
16 ounces pork shoulder
4 ounces side pork
1 shallot, peeled
2 inches ginger, peeled
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tablespoon Penzeys fines herbes
1 egg
1 tablespoon bread crumbs
3 tablespoons white wine
salt
pepper
Using the food processor, pulse the pork shoulder and the side pork until it is coarsely ground. Transfer the meat to a mixing bowl. Put the shallot, ginger, and garlic in the food processor and pulse until it is chopped fine. Transfer it to the mixing bowl. Rehydrate the fines herbes using a tablespoon of water, add that and the remaining ingredients to the bowl and using your hands mix lightly until combined. Store overnight in the refrigerator.
Prior to cooking allow the pork mixture to come to room temperature. Form it into whatever shape size suits you. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet and add the pork just before the butter smokes and cook over medium heat until browned, flip and brown the other side.
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4 Responses to “Porky deliciousness”
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Vanessa, the closest thing I can think of is Salisbury steak..ala porc!
i think porklettes has a nice ring to it.
They sound delicious! I love the egg on top.
Peter, I hadn’t thought of that but I guess you’re right. Viva la porc!
a.grace, thank you…I think I’ll keep it.
Helen, I think you meant the crepes but you’re right…anything is better with an egg on top…well almost.