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.
Harvest feast…not so much
The harvest feast didn’t turn out as expected…but then what does. The outside temperature was hovering around 90, the farmer was harvesting soy beans in the field next to our house creating a dust storm in the gusting winds. You know, satan’s armpit, harvest from hell kind of weather. I cranked up the AC and hoped to take a nap before dinner but even that didn’t work out. What I really wanted was Dotty Dumpling’s Dowry’s Black and Blue Burger with their incredible fries slathered with some english garlic sauce (aka garlic mayo) and all washed down with a cold pint (or two) of Goose Island IPA. But nooooo, dammit, were having our harvest feast even if it is hotter than hell out there.
So I roasted the squash for the soup, sauteed sage, onions, garlic, and pork cheek, scraped squash flesh from the skin, simmered, pureed, and ended up with a pretty tasteless soup…and that never happens to me. Really, my soups are always good. I think, perhaps the squash was lacking flavor.
The gnocchi…well I was so worried about making them too heavy that I succeeded in making them way too insubstantial and they fell apart. I ended up with maybe 8 complete whole ones and they were light, tasty and good…but by that time I was feeling pretty demoralized…I have a history of defeat at the hands of seemingly simple dumplings and frankly I know I should be able to whip their ass…but they smell my fear.
The hen of the woods mushroom was the star of the meal though. It was the best mushroom I’ve ever eaten. Big clean flavor, great texture, sort of sweet but not really…a full flavor unlike any I’ve ever had. I think maybe this is what is meant my umami. Oh, and it needed hardly any attention, no coddling, I just ripped it into pieces and then sauteed in a hot pan. I want more.
The portobello mushroom with gorgonzola and balsamic reduction was excellent. What a mouthful of flavors…sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and again with the umami. My reduction was too thick and sticky, but it did it’s job and tasted amazing. The steaks apparently turned out well, I didn’t partake because by that time I was drinking a glass of wine and eating a cupcake…the hell with a harvest feast, and who was the silly twit that came up with that idea? Oh, right….nevermind.
Harvest feast - the menu
I’m almost always thinking about food. Sure there are hours that my brain is totally occupied with other thoughts, but as soon as possible, I’m back…thinking about that vivid orange Kabocha squash on the counter, or the pile of potatoes waiting to be transformed into something of this earth and yet not.
Obsessive? Probably…I admit that I feel an obligation to deal with food in the most satisfying, creative way possible. Ideally it should feed our physical, emotional, spiritual, intellectual, and aesthetic appetites, and provide me with the opportunity to learn a new recipe or technique. That’s a lot to ask of food.
I’ve been contemplating the squash and potatoes all week and I’ve come up with a seasonal dinner that will feed all our appetites.
Harvest feast — October 6, 2007Kabocha soup with pork cheek and sage
Gnocchi with Hen of the Woods mushrooms
and sage butter sauceJordandal Farm’s grilled sirloin steak
Portobello mushrooms with gorgonzola cheese
and a balsamic reduction
I’ve never made gnocchi before and I don’t want to screw up like Dale did on TopChef’s finale (why the @!#% did Dale use a mixer to make gnocchi…I know nothing about making gnocchi but I’m sure that can’t be right) I found this fabulous video on RealMealsTV to teach me how to make light and fluffy gnocchis. Wish me luck. I’ll post photos and results by Tuesday.
