Cook Like a Rock Star (30 page)

Pork Milanese & Escarole Salad with Pickled Red Onions, Hazelnuts & Pecorino

SERVES: 4 • TIME: ABOUT 1½ HOURS, MOSTLY UNATTENDED

To me, absolutely anything fried is delicious. In this recipe I take a traditional crispy, crunchy, salty, fried preparation for chicken and apply it to pork. I serve the pork with escarole—the unsung hero of the salad world (I’m on a mission to popularize escarole). Then I toss some chopped nuts and pickled onions into the mix. My mouth is so excited it just doesn’t know which way to go; there’s crispy pork, crunchy escarole, salty sweet nuts, and bright acidic onions. So many different things are going on in this dish that even though it’s super-easy to make, it’s also incredibly exciting to eat!

MISE EN PLACE

FOR THE ONIONS

¾ cup red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1½ teaspoons sugar

2 or 3 shots of Tabasco or other hot sauce

1 red onion, sliced into very thin rings

FOR THE PORK

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 large eggs, beaten with 1 tablespoon water

1½ cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs)

½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano

4 thick-cut boneless pork chops, butterflied and lightly pounded

Kosher salt

Extra virgin olive oil

FOR THE SALAD

½ cup freshly grated Pecorino

½ cup hazelnuts,
toasted

2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped

Pickled Red Onions (recipe below)

Extra virgin olive oil

FOR THE ONIONS

In a medium bowl, combine the vinegar with ½ cup cold water. Add the salt, sugar, and Tabasco and stir. Add the sliced onions and let sit for at least 1 hour.

FOR THE PORK

1
Set up your
standard breading procedure
: one bowl with the flour, one with the egg-water mixture, and one with the panko and grated Parmigiano combined. Have a baking sheet handy to hold the pork after breading.

2
Season the pork with salt. Using one hand for dry ingredients and one hand for wet, take each piece of pork through the breading procedure: Dredge it lightly in the flour, shake off the excess, dip it in the egg wash, then pack on the panko. Lay the breaded pork on the baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

3
Preheat the oven to 200°F.

4
Pour ½ inch of olive oil into a large sauté pan and bring to medium-high heat. Set up your drying situation next to the stove by lining a baking sheet with a couple layers of paper towels. Test to see if the oil is hot enough by sprinkling a bit of flour or a few bread crumbs into it. It should sizzle; if it doesn’t—WAIT. Once the oil is hot, add the pork, working in batches so you don’t crowd the pan. Cook the first side of the pork until golden brown and crispy, 3 to 4 minutes; turn and brown the other side. When the pork is done, lay it on the paper towels to drain off the excess oil and sprinkle with salt. Then keep the pork in the oven while you cook the second batch.

FOR THE SALAD

1
Put the Pecorino, hazelnuts, and parsley in the food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped.

2
In a large bowl, combine the escarole, hazelnut mix, and some of the pickled red onions; dress this mixture with olive oil and some of the pickling liquid and toss to combine. To serve, place a pork chop on a serving plate and top with the lovely salad.

Mmmmm—Milanese my way!

It’s good to bread ahead! If you have the time, let the pork sit for about an hour to really set the breading, if you’re in a hurry—skip it.

SERVES: 4 • TIME: ABOUT 30 MINUTES

In Italy they don’t eat spaghetti and meatballs. Instead they have what they call polpettini, or
little meatballs
. And when they want something bigger, they make polpettone—meatloaf. I figured, if they make little ones and a big one, why not make a medium-size one and throw it on a bun? This size is just right, and if I could have a burger this good every time I wanted one, I’d be a happy, happy girl.

MISE EN PLACE

Extra virgin olive oil

2 onions, cut into ¼-inch dice

Kosher salt

2 cloves garlic, smashed and finely chopped

½ pound ground beef

½ pound ground veal

½ pound ground pork

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped

½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano

¼ cup bread crumbs

1 large egg

4 large hamburger buns

4 slices Fontina cheese

Mayonnaise

2 cups baby arugula

1 large tomato, sliced

Pickled Red Onions
or 1 red onion, thinly sliced

1
Coat a large sauté pan with olive oil, add the onions, and bring to medium heat. Season the onions with salt and cook until soft and aromatic, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool.

2
In a large bowl, combine the cooled onion mixture with the beef, veal, pork, rosemary, Parmigiano, bread crumbs, egg, and 3 to 4 tablespoons of water. Mix well and season generously with salt.

3
Make a 1- to 2-inch tester patty. In a small sauté pan, heat a bit of oil and cook the patty. When it’s cool enough, taste it to make sure it’s delicious—if it’s not, reseason. When the tester tastes fabulous, form the meat mixture into four equal patties.

4
Preheat a grill or coat a large sauté pan with olive oil and bring it to medium-high heat. Cook the burgers for 4 to 5 minutes per side. Toast the buns on the grill or in the toaster. While the second side of the burger cooks, place a slice of cheese on top and let it melt.

5
Schmear each side of the bun lightly with mayonnaise, place a burger on each bottom half, garnish with the arugula, tomato, and onions (pickled or otherwise), top with the other half of the bun, and serve.

Burger-licious!

Rockin’ Porchetta with Fall Veggies

SERVES: 10 • TIME: ABOUT 4½ HOURS, MOSTLY UNATTENDED

In Tuscany, every town has a market day. This is when trucks carrying all kinds of delightful edibles pull into the center of town, open up their sides, and become little grocery stores on wheels. Of course my favorite truck was always the porchetta truck—who doesn’t love a truck that sells a delicious crispy pork product?

Traditionally, porchetta is a whole pig that’s been boned and cooked for hours, until the skin gets totally brown and crunchy and the meat becomes wonderfully tender. It’s most often seasoned with garlic, sage, and black pepper—and while pepper is not usually how I roll, it’s appropriate in this dish to keep the classic flavors intact. What is totally unique in my version is to cook the pork on a bed of autumn vegetables—they soak up the lovely porky juices and help create the ultimate one-pot dinner for a crowd. Be sure to save some leftovers for a sandwich the next day!

MISE EN PLACE

1 bunch of fresh rosemary, finely chopped

1 bunch of fresh sage, finely chopped

10 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon crushed red pepper

Extra virgin olive oil

1 picnic pork shoulder with the skin on, bone out (save the bone!)

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

5 or 6 onions, sliced

1 pound fingerling potatoes, halved lengthwise

2 pints Brussels sprouts, halved

1 celery root, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice

1 bottle of dry white wine

1 thyme bundle, tied with butcher’s twine

10 bay leaves

2 quarts
chicken stock

1
Preheat the oven to 450°F.

2
In a small bowl, combine the rosemary, sage, garlic, and red pepper and add enough olive oil to form a loose paste. Rub the mixture all over the inside of the pork (be sure to get it in every nook and cranny). Sprinkle the pork generously with salt and pepper, then roll it back up into a bundle and tie it tightly with butcher’s twine.

3
In a large roasting pan, combine the onions, potatoes, Brussels sprouts, celery root, and wine; season with salt and add the thyme bundle and bay leaves. Lay the pork bone in the pan with the veggies and nestle the pork on top of the bone and in the vegetables. Roast for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the skin starts to brown and get crispy.

4
Brush the pork skin with the pan juices and add the chicken stock. Continue roasting for another 3½ hours, basting the skin every 30 or 40 minutes. If the skin becomes too dark, tent the pan with aluminum foil, but remember, we want a nice, dark, crispy pork skin!