Best Italian Milk Braised Pork Roast With Porcini Mushrooms Creamy Lemon Polenta Recipes

ITALIAN MILK-BRAISED PORK ROAST WITH PORCINI MUSHROOMS & CREAMY LEMON POLENTA RECIPE - (4.8/5)

Steps:

• Note: Why simmer salt pork to render the fat? Cook's Illustrated's explanation is "that's because the pork's slightly acidic juices lower the pH of the milk, causing the clusters of casein proteins in milk that normally repel one another to suddenly attract one another and form clumps. Heating the milk speeds up this reaction." "A couple of tablespoons of fat added to the whole milk keeps it from curdling-even when super acidic wine is introduced." Bring the pork loin to room temperature (about 30 minutes) and pat very dry. Season with coarse salt and black pepper. Turn the slow cooker on to low heat. If you don't own a slow cooker, you could prepare this dish in a Dutch Oven, covered, at 275°F for about 40 to 50 minutes, or until it registers at 145°F. Bring salt pork and 1/2 cup water to simmer in Dutch oven over medium heat. Simmer until water evaporates and salt pork begins to sizzle, 5 to 6 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until salt pork is lightly browned and fat has rendered, 2 to 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, discard salt pork, leaving fat in pot. Add pork, fat side down, and sear until brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Brown pork on all sides, about 5 minutes more; transfer to a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker. Add garlic to skillet; cook 30 seconds. Note: I did drizzle a little olive oil and 1 tablespoon unsalted butter once I really began searing the pork for extra color and caramelization. Deglaze skillet with wine,scraping up any brown bits. Add milk, cream, porcini, anchovy paste, pepper flakes, baking soda and zest; simmer 3 minutes. Pour milk mixture around pork in slow cooker; submerge rosemary and sage. Cover slow cooker and cook pork until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 145°F on low setting, 2 hours. Transfer pork to a platter and tent with foil to keep warm. Discard rosemary and sage. Purée sauce in slow cooker with a handheld blender until smooth; season with salt and black pepper. Note: If you don't own an immersion blender, you can puree this in a regular blender. Just don't overfill the blender, and cover the top with a hot towel, to prevent an explosion or burns! Slice pork and serve with sauce. The sauce is divine! Serve with Creamy Lemon Polenta, for a perfect pairing. Polenta: Boil broth and buttermilk in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in cornmeal, reduce heat to low, and cook, whisking constantly, 5 minutes; remove from heat. Stir in Parmesan, butter, a splash of heavy cream and zest; season with salt and pepper.

ITALIAN BRAISED PORK

Steps:

• In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Season pork with salt and pepper and cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer pork to a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Reduce heat to medium and add onion, garlic, celery, and fennel seeds to pan; cook until onion is softened, about 4 minutes.
• Add wine and cook, scraping up browned bits with a wooden spoon, until reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Add to slow cooker along with tomatoes. Cover and cook on high until pork is very tender, 4 hours (or 8 hours on low).
• Transfer pork to a cutting board. With 2 forks, shred meat into bite-size pieces, discarding any large pieces of fat. Skim fat off sauce and discard. Return shredded pork to slow cooker and stir to combine. (To store: Cool, cover, and refrigerate up to 3 days.) Serve over couscous.

PORK ROAST BRAISED WITH MILK AND FRESH HERBS (MAIALE AL LATTE )

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.
• Heat oil in a wide 5- to 6-quart ovenproof heavy pot over medium heat until it shimmers, then lightly brown roast on all sides with juniper berries and herbs, 8 to 10 minutes total. Add garlic and sprinkle roast with sea salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, then cook until garlic is golden, about 1 minute. Pour wine over roast and briskly simmer until reduced by half. Pour milk over roast and bring to a bare simmer.
• Cover pot and braise in oven, turning roast occasionally, until tender (milk will form curds), 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
• Transfer roast to a carving board and loosely cover. Strain juices through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl (discard solids), reserving pot, and skim off fat. Return juices to pot and boil until flavorful and reduced to about 2 cups. Season with sea salt and pepper. Slice roast and serve moistened with juices.

MILK-BRAISED PORK WITH LEMON AND SAGE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 250°F.
• Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high until shimmering. Season pork all over with salt and pepper and cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, 12-15 minutes. Pour off excess fat from pot. Add sage, lemon peel, and milk. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover pot and transfer to oven. Roast pork until very tender, 3 1/2-4 hours.
• Transfer meat to a serving platter. Discard lemon peel, then gently toss Swiss chard in remaining sauce in pot until wilted. Using tongs, transfer Swiss chard to platter alongside pork. Top both with remaining sauce and serve.