Polpette! and the Ile d'Orleans

I didn't know what I wanted to make for dinner until I stumbled upon Staffan Terje's (Barbacco) polpette recipe in 7x7 magazine. Having never made meatballs in my life, I decided now would be a good time to start. Now, I may have never made meatballs myself but I have definitely consumed my fair share and I will say, these were yummy. Terje's recipe is for a Sicilian-style meatball made of pork and complemented by some sweet raisins, bringing a nice lightness to a food that can often be heavy. 

A charming window at the museum, Le Manoir Mauvide-Genest

Some of the charming architecture on L'Ile d'Orleans

I made a half recipe which I think easily would have served 4, there were two of us and we had ample leftovers. To begin, whisk together an egg and a half cup milk in a large bowl, throw in a half cup panko and set the mixture aside for 10 minutes. I then added 1 pound pork along with 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon red chile flakes, 2 cloves minced garlic, a half a bunch of parsley finely chopped, a half cup grated parmesan, a generous half cup of golden raisins, 1/2 tablespoon salt and a generous sprinkling of pepper. 

The sheep and garden at the B&B Dans Les Bras de Morphee

The view of Quebec City from the Ile

 Form the meat mixture into large round patties and then fry until browned on the outside in some olive oil. Once browned, set aside and make the tomato sauce, I made a version of Terje's, found here. Put the meatballs in a baking dish and cover partially with the tomato sauce. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. I served mine over linguine and sauteed chard finished with some fresh lemon zest for a little brightness. (Note: The original calls for pine nuts but I chose to omit those, up to you)

The final course of the deliciously decadent breakfast at Dans Les Bras de Morphee

View from Dans Les Bras de Morphee

Ushering in the New Year - Tourtiere du Shack

I am a believer that food is a cure-all. As people make their annual resolutions I wonder at how they can even envision such discipline - giving up carbs? sweets? wine? Nope, I don't have it in me. Instead, I have decided to embrace food and consume more than ever before - partially kidding. 

I decided to make this recipe, the Tourtiere du Shack, as a cheer-up-and-feel-comforted meal. I read about this tourtiere a year ago in Bon Appetit. I was completely taken in by the amazing photos of Quebec in winter - beautiful heritage pigs in the snow and delectable, oozing maple syrup - and I tore out the recipe for the tourtiere because I fell in love with the story and the place but not really thinking that I had the discipline to make it - turns out, definitely worth the patience.

The recipe definitely takes a while but isn't actually that difficult, there is just lots of cool/waiting time. So hunker down with a good book and a glass of wine and decide to make this some time. The even better news - the leftovers taste just as good if not better. Happy New Year!

The old Helms Bakery building in Los Angeles

The view from the Grapevine, CA

Porchetta on a Foggy Beach Day

In celebration of the opening of the Local Butcher Shop in Berkeley - and the arrival of my new issue of Bon Appetit - I set out to make my very first porchetta. I called the Local Butcher Shop, before heading across the bridge, to see if they had skin-on pork belly. Music to my ears - they had two whole pigs in the walk-in and would be happy to supply me with a belly.

Stinson Beach

After securing my beautiful pork belly (which Aaron, one of the proprietors, kindly scored for me - belly skin is tough!) and the loin, I set about making the rub. I toasted the fennel and red pepper flakes and then let that cool. I added the toasted spices to the fresh sage, rosemary and garlic and then, due to my lack of anything resembling a spice blender, I went to work with my makeshift pestle (a wine bottle). 

 When it came time to assemble, I got slightly confused (its says to score the flesh but I always thought one should score the skin so that's what I did) but forged on. Once the belly was ready to go I salted both pieces of pork and then shmeared my spice mixture all over the flesh-side of the belly. I added in one thinly sliced orange and then attempted to wrestle the meat into submission - rolling and wrapping twine (definitely helpful to have an extra set of hands) until it mildly resembled the neat roll pictured in the magazine.

More Stinson

One of my favorite, irresistable, pairings is apples and pork. Luckily, Gravenstein season has just begun so we roughly chopped some apples, potatoes and sweet potatoes to throw in the bottom of the pain and reap the benefits of the drippings of pork fat.

Sausalito

  

Gravenstein Apples

After letting my piggie sit in the fridge for 24 hours, I took it out, let it warm up and then popped it in the oven as directed - high heat at first, dropping the temp to 300 for the final ~2 hours. When we sat down to eat this labor of love I made a conscious decision not to eat the fat - my resolve waned rapidly and I devoured all the wonderful belly-ness.

For the full recipe from Bon Appetit click here.

For a pork-centric article from the NY Times click here.

Pork Tenderloin with Gremolata over Corn Polenta

 To make the polenta: Bring 5 cups of water to a boil. Add in 1 cup polenta (I used cornmeal which is apparently a finer grind than 'real' polenta) and season with salt. Whisk the polenta frequently until the water is absorbed and the polenta cooked and creamy (about a 1/2 hour).  Once the polenta is cooked stir in 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, 1 cup corn kernels (I used canned), and . . . for the guilty-pleasure 50's throwback add in one small can of creamed corn (optional but highly recommended).

Gremolata: Mix the zest of 3 lemons, 3/4 cup finely chopped parsley and 1 minced garlic clove. Add in a couple drops of nice olive oil and season with a hint of salt. Toss it all together and let the flavors marry.

Now, for the pork: Season two 3/4-pound pork tenderloins with salt and pepper. Rub the tenderloins with 3 finely chopped cloves of garlic and 3/4 cup peach jam. Set the meat aside and let marinate for however long you have (2-8 hours . . . for me it depends on how far in advance I'm able to plan, usually not very).

Heat the oven to 450 degrees. You can sear the tenderloins at high heat before putting them in the oven to give them a nice crispy exterior and seal in the juices. Place the pork tenderloins in a roasting pan and pop them in the oven for about 20 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches about 140 degrees. Once you take the pork out the temperature should climb up to around 145-148, bringing it to a lovely pink on the inside. Let sit for 10 minutes. Slice up the pork and sprinkle with gremolata. Dig in.

I served it with fresh baby asparagus, lightly steamed and drizzled with a touch of olive oil.