Pork Loin Roasted in Milk with Artichokes
Recipe by Carol Field
Gina Albana grew up in Liguria but she only learned to cook when she married in 1928 and moved to her husband’s home in Bari. It was quite a transition. She wasn’t allowed to go shopping — only men did that — and she wasn’t familiar with much of the produce, but she had a good teacher in her husband, a real gourmet. This delicious recipe, however, comes neither from her old home nor from the one which became hers on her marriage. A close friend from Naples gave it to her decades ago, and Signora Albano says that it is just one of several such dishes that show the definite affinity of the food of Naples and Bari, the two great ports of southern Italy. The dish takes almost no work: the pork poaches quietly in the milk until all that remains of the liquid is thick hazelnut-brown clusters of cream. Slice the pork and serve the creamy sauce on the side. Should you have any left over, it is delicious served at room temperature the next day. As for the artichokes: I’d never thought of baking an artichoke until the cooks of Sesse Romano demonstrated how easy and tasty it was. The Romans have a delicate wild mint called mentuccia; a combination of rosemary and sage leaves gives a fine approximation of its taste. NB This year Artichokes were not available yet so we have substituted this side recipe with a simple steamed bunch of Asparagus with a squeeze of lemon and a bit of butter on them.
INGREDIENTS:
Boneless loin of pork - 1.5-2 lb, tied
Carrot - 1, diced
Celery Rib - 1/2, diced
Onion - 1, diced
Milk - 3 cups
Dry white wine or water - 1/4 cup
Salt -
Freshly ground black pepper
Artichokes - 1 per 2 people
Lemon - 1
Fresh Rosemary - 1 TB per artichoke, finely minced
Fresh Sage - 1 TB per artichoke, finely minced
Peperoncino (opt) - 1/4-1/2, dried red chile, minced
Salt and Pepper -
Olive Oil -
INSTRUCTIONS
Pat the meat dry with paper towels, and season liberally with salt and pepper.
Heat a heavy enameled casserole or Dutch oven over medium high heat, and add 1-2 teaspoons of a neutral oil. When the pan is very hot, add the pork loin, fat side down first, and brown it well on all sides.
Remove the pork loin and put in the carrot, celery, and onion. Let the veggies cook until they're lightly browned and fragrant, and then add the pork loin back into the pot.
Pour in 1 3/4 cups of milk slowly, turn down the heat and and simmer for about 1 hour until nut–sized clumps form.
Add 3/4 cup milk at a low simmer for 10 minutes, then cover the pot tightly, and continue for 30 minutes, until meat feels tender.
When the meat is cooked, remove it from the sauce and keep it warm, covered with aluminum foil. Raise the heat and cook down the sauce until almost all the milk has been reduced to a thick collection of light brown clusters. Off the heat set the sauce in a sieve just to strain away any remaining milk and fat. Add 1/3 cup white wine to the cooking pot and boil it over high heat, scraping up any loose cooking residues from the pot with a wooden spoon. Taste for salt and pepper.
Cut the roast in 3/8-inch slices and serve with the pot juices over the roast and the sauce on the side.
Artichokes: Snap the bottom outer leaves off each artichoke and discard. Put the artichokes in water acidulated with a few drops of lemon juice to keep them from discoloring. Using a small sharp knife, trim the stems to their tender cores and cut the tops off the leaves. Spread the leaves and scoop and scrape out the choke and any prickly inner leaves with a spoon. To make the filling, mix the herbs, peperoncino if you are using it, salt, pepper, and a little olive oil. Divide the mixture evenly and pack it in the artichokes. Stand them in a single layer in a baking pan filled to 1-inch height with equal amounts of water and olive oil. Sprinkle olive oil liberally over the tops. Heat the oven to 350F and bake until tender, about 45 minutes. Serve hot, at room temperature, or cold.