Filed under Pork · Print This Post
When trying to figure out our September apple menu for Supper with Strangers, I naturally turned to pork because pork and apples make a good combination. A more recent New York Times recipe featured duck and figs that looked very autumnal and just made me feel warm and fuzzy all over. Duck breast was out of our Supper budget, so I found some nice pork loin and stole the idea of figs from the recipe.
The apple peel brine came from watching the Dr. marinate pork chops when we closed the summer season in Montauk a couple of weekends ago. The sweetness of the brine penetrated the pork meat and made it juicy; cooked just right and the meat is succulent and moist. The baked apples and figs were a nice side to make the meal complete. A Coast of Spain blend of Cabernet, Merlot and Tempranillo was the perfect match.
Ingredients:
1 pork loin, tied in butcher twine
1 apple, sliced thin
1 apple, peel and meat peeled using a peeler
1 small tub of figs, sliced in half
3 tbsps sugar
1 tbsp juniper berries
1 tsp all spice
1 tsp black peppercorns
3 bay leaves
oil, salt
1. Two days before cooking, make the brine. In a small saucepan, boil apple peels and meat with sugar, juniper berries, all spice, black peppercorns, bay leaves in 4 cups of water. Season with salt. Simmer until water is reduced to about half. Remove pot from heat and let completely cool before adding to pork loin.
2. In a glass baking dish, marinade the pork loin in the brine. Just use enough brine to submerge the pork almost halfway. Turn pork loin over after a day.
3. When ready to cook, preheat oven to 300º. While preheating oven, remove pork from the brine. Heat a large skillet with some oil and brown the pork loin on all sides. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with foil and roast for about 25 minutes or until the pork feels like the meat below your thumb.
4. In the meantime, combine figs and apples in a separate baking dish and drizzle some oil. Bake for 15 minutes. Set aside. Save the juice.
5. Remove pork loin from oven to a chopping block and let rest for about 15 minutes before slicing into 2-inch thick rounds. Serve with baked apples and figs and drizzle the fruit juice over them.
Related post/s:
Join us at Supper once a month
September Supper with Strangers photos on Flickr
Pork and apples make a classic combination
Filed under Pork · Print This Post
Because I bought the roast pork to assemble these tamales, I’ll let you call me lazy. For our second Supper with Strangers, our featured ingredient was corn and we served mini roast pork tamales as amuse-bouches. How lucky was I to discover homemade pork stock from the Dr.’s fridge made from the leftover pig’s trotters I bought last week? (Thanks for letting me gloat.) Sure you can also use store-bought stock, but it made a difference here. Of course, if you roast your own pork, then you can save the stock when you boil the pork before roasting.
Even though the pork was store-bought, these tamales still required some work. I soaked the dried corn husks for about an hour before I sat down to assemble them, and when the husks weren’t quite pliable, I soaked them overnight. You can get masa harina from the Spanish or Mexican aisle of your grocery store or ask for the flour they use to make tortillas. It should be where the corn husks are if your store is organized.
Use a whole corn husk if you want to make your tamales bigger and obviously use a larger ball of masa and pork. If they’re bigger, then you can get away with just putting a heavy bowl over them to keep them closed until you’re ready to steam. If making extras for later, store in a resealable freezer bag and steam frozen for an extra 5 minutes.
Ingredients:
6 dried corn husks, rinsed clean, soaked in water overnight, dried with paper towel, halved
2 cups roast pork, shredded with a fork
2 cups masa harina
pork stock
half a stick of butter, melted in the microwave
chili powder
salt
1. Get your masa ready. In a large bowl, combine masa harina with the butter, chili powder, salt and some of the pork stock. Mix with your hands and pour in a little bit of the stock at a time until the consistency is spreadable.
2. Assemble the tamales. Starting with a spoonful of masa, mix in a bit of the shredded roast pork and make a small ball with your hands. Spread masa with pork on half a corn husk with your fingers. Fold sides until they just overlap and then fold the top and bottom flaps over. You can tear a thin strip of corn husk to use as a ribbon to tie each tamales close.
3. When ready to cook, boil some water in a large skillet. Steam tamales in a metal colander placed inside the skillet for 15 minutes, covered.
Related post/s:
Join us at Supper with Strangers once a month
July Supper with Strangers photos on Flickr
North Carolina-Style Pulled Pork recipe
Find the tamales lady in west Harlem
