8 ounces butter, softened
4 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1 red chile, finely chopped
Garlic, finely chopped
A few sprigs fresh thyme leaves
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 large Portobello mushrooms
1/2 loaf ciabatta bread, heated until crust becomes crispy
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 bunch watercress, picked and washed
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
Mix the butter with the sun-dried tomatoes, chile, garlic, and thyme leaves. Season and spoon over each mushroom. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until soft.
Cut the ciabatta into 8 slices and spread with the Dijon mustard. Lay the watercress over the mustard and top with the baked mushrooms. Cover with the other half of bread, press down firmly, and cut.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Porcheta
3 lbs Pork butt shoulder roast
Salt
1 Tablespoon capers (Rinsed, Dried, Rough Chop)
1 Teaspoon chopped lemon zest
3 Cloves garlic, roughly chopped
12 Sage leaves, crushed and roughly chopped
Sprig or two of rosemary, crushed and roughly chopped
2 teaspoons fennel seeds, barely crushed
1.5 teaspoons cracked black pepper
2 lbs root veggies (carrot, onion, fennel, celery root, turnip, rutabaga, parsnips, garlic, potato, etc)
Olive oil
2/3 cup pork stock, chicken stock, water
Trim down to no more than 1/4" fat on all sides. Open up some of the natural muscles seams or cut your own seams with a chefs knife. Now salt the outside and inside all of the seams (use 1/2 teaspoon of salt per pound).
Combine the capers, lemon zest, garlic, sage, rosemary, with most of the fennel seeds and black pepper. (You should get about 1/2 cup, loosely packed.) Spread and pack this mixture all over the excavated insides of the pork butt, making sure the seasoning falls deep into the crannies where you’ve separated the muscles. Re-form the pork butt into its natural shape and tie tightly into a uniform shape, tying 4 or 5 strings around the circumference and another around the length of the roast. Rub the remaining fennel and pepper on the outside of the roast. Collect and refrigerate any loose herbs and seasonings. Cover the pork loosely and refrigerate for 1-3 days.
Roasting the porchetta (2 1/4 to 2 1/2 hours):
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Toss the vegetables in a minimum of olive oil, barely coating the surfaces. Add a few pinches of salt and toss again. Heat a 12- or 14-inch ovenproof skillet, depending on how many vegetables you are roasting, over medium heat. Place the pork roast in the pan; it should sizzle. Surround with the vegetables. Place in the oven. The roast should begin to color at 45 minutes; if not, turn the heat up to 375 degrees until it does, then turn the heat back down. At 1 hour, turn the roast over and roll the vegetables in the rendered fat. Work quickly, so you don’t lose too much oven heat and the roast doesn’t cool off. Turn the roast again at 2 hours and add about 1/3 cup of the stock or water. Add any excess herbs and seasonings to the pan juices at this point and swirl the pan so they sink into the liquid. Roast for another 15 to 30 minutes, to about 185 degrees F. The pork should be fragrant and glistening golden caramel. Transfer the meat to a platter, tent loosely with foil, and leave in a warm, protected spot while you make the pan sauce. Place the vegetables on a separate warm plate.
Preparing the pan sauce and serving the roast:
Tilt the skillet and spoon off the fat. Add the vermouth and the remaining 1/3 cup stock or water and set over low heat. Scrape and stir to dissolve the caramelized drippings on the bottom and sides of the pan. Skim the fat as the liquid comes to a simmer. Add any juice that may have trickled from the resting roast. Slice the pork, removing the strings as you go, and serve garnished with the vegetables and a spoonful of the rich pan sauce.
Salt
1 Tablespoon capers (Rinsed, Dried, Rough Chop)
1 Teaspoon chopped lemon zest
3 Cloves garlic, roughly chopped
12 Sage leaves, crushed and roughly chopped
Sprig or two of rosemary, crushed and roughly chopped
2 teaspoons fennel seeds, barely crushed
1.5 teaspoons cracked black pepper
2 lbs root veggies (carrot, onion, fennel, celery root, turnip, rutabaga, parsnips, garlic, potato, etc)
Olive oil
2/3 cup pork stock, chicken stock, water
Trim down to no more than 1/4" fat on all sides. Open up some of the natural muscles seams or cut your own seams with a chefs knife. Now salt the outside and inside all of the seams (use 1/2 teaspoon of salt per pound).
Combine the capers, lemon zest, garlic, sage, rosemary, with most of the fennel seeds and black pepper. (You should get about 1/2 cup, loosely packed.) Spread and pack this mixture all over the excavated insides of the pork butt, making sure the seasoning falls deep into the crannies where you’ve separated the muscles. Re-form the pork butt into its natural shape and tie tightly into a uniform shape, tying 4 or 5 strings around the circumference and another around the length of the roast. Rub the remaining fennel and pepper on the outside of the roast. Collect and refrigerate any loose herbs and seasonings. Cover the pork loosely and refrigerate for 1-3 days.
Roasting the porchetta (2 1/4 to 2 1/2 hours):
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Toss the vegetables in a minimum of olive oil, barely coating the surfaces. Add a few pinches of salt and toss again. Heat a 12- or 14-inch ovenproof skillet, depending on how many vegetables you are roasting, over medium heat. Place the pork roast in the pan; it should sizzle. Surround with the vegetables. Place in the oven. The roast should begin to color at 45 minutes; if not, turn the heat up to 375 degrees until it does, then turn the heat back down. At 1 hour, turn the roast over and roll the vegetables in the rendered fat. Work quickly, so you don’t lose too much oven heat and the roast doesn’t cool off. Turn the roast again at 2 hours and add about 1/3 cup of the stock or water. Add any excess herbs and seasonings to the pan juices at this point and swirl the pan so they sink into the liquid. Roast for another 15 to 30 minutes, to about 185 degrees F. The pork should be fragrant and glistening golden caramel. Transfer the meat to a platter, tent loosely with foil, and leave in a warm, protected spot while you make the pan sauce. Place the vegetables on a separate warm plate.
Preparing the pan sauce and serving the roast:
Tilt the skillet and spoon off the fat. Add the vermouth and the remaining 1/3 cup stock or water and set over low heat. Scrape and stir to dissolve the caramelized drippings on the bottom and sides of the pan. Skim the fat as the liquid comes to a simmer. Add any juice that may have trickled from the resting roast. Slice the pork, removing the strings as you go, and serve garnished with the vegetables and a spoonful of the rich pan sauce.
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