A Few Simple Ingredients
I will cook my heart out for other people. Yet, I tend to be miserly with myself. Since my culinary partner in crime has been on the road, I don't cook for myself at all. Cheese & crackers or Chinese Take-Out have become the norm lately. My wonderful friend, AJ, gifted me with a gorgeous bone-in pork roast from the Fatted Calf and I contemplated that lovely piece of meat for a few days before I decided what I wanted to do with it. My first impulse was to keep it simple. This meat is gorgeous. . no need to gussy it up or manipulate it too much. Here I will make a confession . . . I don't believe in brining pork. I believe it makes the meat flabby. I think a good dry rub is the best thing you can do for pork.
The following "recipe" comes courtesy of my first serious boyfriend. His mom was a foodie before there were foodies. His family were our next door neighbors and I watched her cook through their kitchen windows all my life - multiple Le Creuset pots and pans simmering away on the stove top. I always wondered what her kitchen smelled like. His and mine relationship was based solely on food. . his eating and my cooking. The classic "the way to a man's heart is through his stomach" kind of relationship. One day I bought a gorgeous pork tenderloin and was contemplating what to do with it. He announced that he would share with me his mother's favorite recipe for pork. My heart raced - a glimpse into my muse's culinary treasure chest. . . and he proceeded to give a recipe I had known for years. . .Marinade Seche from the icon of my life, Julia Child. So much for muses. This recipe is simple, simple, simple. It loves pork and pork loves it! Back in the day, ground bay leaves were not readily available so I would grind them by hand . . .what can I say, I thought I was in love. Also, the recipe says the garlic is optional, but in my mind it is not. The recipe also calls for scraping the marinade off the meat prior to cooking. . I never did that.
Marinade Seche (Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume I)
(per lb. of pork)
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp ground thyme or sage (I use a mix of the two)
1/8 tsp ground bay leaf
pinch of allspice
Optional: 1/2 clove mashed garlic
Mix all the ingredients together and rub into the surface of the pork. Place in a covered bowl. Turn the meat 2 or 3 times if the marinade is a short one; several times if it is of long duration.
GORGEOUS Pork Roast
There is a thick fat cap that I would never dream of taking off. I rubbed the marinade in and let it rest overnight. I brought the roast to room temp and then roasted it for about 1 1/2 hours. Pulled it out of the pan and deglazed the pan with a sprightly apple cider. I reduced the cider and then whisked in a dollop of grainy dijon mustard. I mounted the sauce with some beurre manie (equal parts soft butter and flour mashed together and whisked in to thicken the sauce).
As a side, I had some farro that had been cooked in double strength chicken stock. I cooked some Nueske's bacon lardons, removed them from the pan, added some chopped shallots and savoy cabbage. Once the cabbage wilted a bit, I added some diced Granny Smith apple and continued to saute. I added the farro, salt and pepper. Once the farro was heated through, I added back the lardon and a handful of freshly grated Emmenthaler cheese. I sliced the roast, placed it upon the bed of farro and spooned the cider/mustard sauce all around. I drank a cinsault/grenache rosé with this meal and it was perfect.
Dinner for One
