Entertaining With Pork

by Mary Bailey

Enjoy a fresh take on the cocktail party standby, bacon-wrapped dates; a crowd-pleasing pasta; tasty fritters; toothsome pork shanks and shoulders cooked low and slow, and of course, pork belly.

Bodega Bacon-Wrapped Dates
Chef Lino Oliviera, Sabor Divino

The bacon-wrapped dates at Sabor Divino are always the first thing to disappear from the table. The chef’s secret? Quince!

16 pitted dates
½ cup (approx) manchego cheese, crumbled into pieces to correspond to size of the date, should fit inside.
8 slices of bacon halved crosswise
⅓ cup balsamic vinegar
⅓ cup quince marmalade (available at any Portuguese store)

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Prep a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut a lengthwise slit in the dates. Stuff each one with cheese. Pinch dates closed. Wrap each date securely in a piece of bacon, secure with a toothpick, and place seam side down on a wire rack set on the baking sheet.

Bake the stuffed dates for about 20 minutes, or until the bacon is browned and crisp; turn each date after 10 minutes.

While dates are baking, place balsamic and quince in a pan over low-medium heat and reduce to a syrup.

Take dates out of the oven and brush with quince balsamic reduction while still warm. Remove toothpicks before serving.

Makes 16 stuffed dates.

Pork and Lentil Frittella

“We like to serve these fritters with salsa verde and a shaved radish salad.” Rosario Caputo, Cibo Bistro

4 pork shanks and trotters (optional) braised, cooled and shredded
2 cups dried lentils simmered in water with 1 clove of garlic and 1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 carrot, small dice
2 sticks celery, small dice
1 red onion, small dice
½ red pepper, small dice
½ cup chopped parsley
½ cup flour
6 eggs
2 lemons juiced
zest from one lemon
salt and pepper to taste

In a large bowl combine the shredded pork and cooked lentils and lightly season. Add garlic, carrot, celery, red pepper, and parsley. Lightly mix until everything is evenly combined, add lemon zest, lemon juice and season to taste.

Add eggs and flour and mix until it all comes together as a thick batter. Scoop batter (about a tablespoon’s worth) and fry fritters in a deep fryer or a pot half filled with oil. Cook until golden brown. Once fritters are cooked, lightly season with salt and pepper.

Makes 24 fritters.

Pork Belly with Ponzu Butter Sauce
Andrew Fung, Nineteen

Nineteen serves this savoury pork belly dish with a sous vide poached egg.

2.5 pounds (about) belly of pork, the leaner, the better
2 heads garlic, halved horizontally
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 handful of thyme sprigs
olive oil, to drizzle
4 cups white wine
2 cups chicken stock

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Untie the belly of pork if it is rolled and lay flat on a chopping board. Score the skin evenly in a criss-cross pattern with a sharp knife. Turn the belly skin side down and cut a slit through the thick end of the pork to open it out like a butterfly so that the meat is evenly thick throughout. Lie flat in a pan, rub all over with salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil, then pour over wine and stock. Cover tightly. Braise at 350ºF for about 2.5 hours.

Drain the belly, cover in foil or parchment and place a heavy weight on top (a pot or pan) so as it cools it keeps a flat, uniform shape.

To serve: Once pork belly is pressed, cut into pieces, pan-sear and keep hot in the oven. Pour hot ponzu butter sauce on top.

Ponzu Butter Sauce

2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon mirin
1 tablespoon butter

Put everything in the pot and heat.

Serves 6-8 as an appetizer.

Barbecued Pork Rillette
Nathin Bye, Ampersand 27

Rillette is a French country dish similar to a rustic pâté. Rabelais called rillette “brune confiture de cochon” the brown jam from the pig. Its unctuous texture is achieved through slow cooking and lots of pork fat.

BBQ Sauce

cup ketchup
1 cup dark brown sugar
¼ cup molasses
¼ cup pineapple juice
1 tablespoon hickory seasoning (optional)
2½ teaspoons ground mustard
2 teaspoons paprika
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in ⅛ cup water
pork shoulder (approx 2 kilo)

Make the sauce, and pour over pork shoulder. Cover and cook at 300ºF for 4-6 hours. Let cool in the sauce.

Separate pork from liquid and reduce the sauce by 50 per cent.

Meanwhile, shred the meat with two forks, then place in a mixer with paddle attachment or tear into smaller pieces if preferred. Add the reduced liquid in small amounts for a ratio of approximately 2 parts shredded pork to 1 part sauce. Season, adding more paprika if desired. Mix for two minutes or until desired consistency. Place in a container and refrigerate.

Serve chilled with toast or crackers. If desired, pour pork fat on top of the rillette for longer storage. Keep refrigerated.

Tagliatelle with Cotechino and Cabbage

“Cotechino is a very special pork sausage from the Emilia Romagna region. Traditionally it is served with lentils on New Year’s Eve. I love the flavour of the Christmas-spiced cotechino with the sweet cabbage, and the texture of the pangrattato adds the perfect crunch in every bite.” Daniel Costa, corso 32

Pangrattato

1¼ cup 1-3 day old bread ripped or ground into crumbs
2 knobs unsalted butter
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 clove garlic
pinch kosher salt

Heat the butter, olive oil and garlic clove in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Allow the garlic to gently fry until just lightly golden. Add the breadcrumbs and salt. Fry until golden brown, stir frequently. Remove from heat, cool. Reserve at room temperature.

Pasta

500 grams tagliatelle
½ medium head of savoy cabbage, stems removed
450 grams cooked cotechino, casing removed and cut into bite- sized pieces
8 leaves age
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups milk
2 knobs butter
juice of 1 lemon
¼ cup grated Parmigiano, more for grating on top
1 handful Italian parsley, stems removed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
black pepper

Bring a large pot of water to a boil with a handful of salt.

Blanch the cabbage leaves in the boiling water for 5 minutes or until tender. Then, using a slotted spoon, place the cabbage in ice water to stop the cooking process.

Heat a large frying pan over medium high heat, add the cotechino, fry until golden. Add the sage and continue to fry for 30 seconds. Add the milk, cream, salt and a few cracks of black pepper. Cook for approx 5-8 minutes or until the cream has reduced by 25 per cent.

Drop the tagliatelle in the salted boiling cabbage water. Just before the pasta is al dente put the cabbage in with the pasta and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water.

Drain the pasta and cabbage and add to the pan of cotechino and cream. Return the pan to high heat and cook for 30 minutes or until the sauce is just coating the tagliatelle, add pasta water if necessary. Remove pan from heat, stir in the butter, lemon and Parmigiano. Season to taste with salt, adding more lemon and cheese if necessary. Serve immediately with more grated Parmigiano and pangrattato on top.

Serve 4-6 as a first course.

12-Hour Braised Pork Shank with Succotash
Charla Padilla, Madison’s Grill

Pork shanks, sometimes called hocks, vary widely in size. Look for six that are similarily sized to ensure even cooking and less bargaining at the dinner table.

kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
6 pork shanks, about 1_ pounds each
1 medium onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
2 medium celery ribs, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 cups dry white wine
6 cups vegetable stock
3 sprigs rosemary
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs thyme

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Season the shanks with salt and pepper. Place on
a rack and roast in the oven for about 20 minutes or until the shanks cooks
are golden brown.

In a thick-bottomed casserole dish, sauté the onion, carrots, celery and garlic until softened, and nicely caramelized. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Simmer until slightly reduced, about 2 minutes. Place the roasted pork into a braising pot and pour the wine and vegetables over the pork. Add the stock, rosemary, bay and thyme. Tuck the pork shanks into the liquid so that they’re mostly submerged. Cover the braising pan with foil and cook at 250ºF for 12 hours or until the meat is very tender. Once cooked, transfer the braised shanks to a large deep platter. Cover and keep warm.

Strain the liquid, pressing hard on the solids. Discard the solids. Return the liquid to the casserole and boil until reduced to 4 cups, about 20 minutes. Spoon off the fat, pour the pork gravy over the braised shanks and serve with succotash.

Succotash

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1½ cups chopped onion
coarse kosher salt
1 large clove garlic, minced
3 cups chopped red tomatoes
2¼ cups corn kernels
2 cups cooked beans
3 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil

Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sprinkle with coarse salt. Sauté for about 5 minutes or until soft and translucent. Add garlic, stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes, corn, and lima beans. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until corn and lima beans are tender and tomatoes are soft, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add basil just before serving.

Serves 6.

Pork Sugo

“This recipe uses a slow-braised pork shoulder, which will fill the house with great aromas while it’s cooking. The key is to brown the roast and let it cook low and slow.” – Brad Smoliak, Kitchen by Brad

3-5 pounds pork shoulder, trimmed of fat
¼ cup olive oil
1 cup onion, fine chopped
1 cup carrot, fine chopped
1 cup celery, fine chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
4-6 cloves garlic, or more
2 cups red wine
1 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon oregano
1 teaspoon thyme
1 can (28 fl. oz) tomatoes
1 cup whole milk
kosher salt and pepper

Pre heat oven to 300ºF

Heat a heavy braising pot (something with a heavy bottom and a lid) over medium-high heat. While heating, liberally season the pork with salt and pepper. Brown it on all sides, then remove from the pan and set aside.

Drain all but 2 tablespoons of fat, add the onions, carrots and celery. Reduce heat to medium and cook until lightly caramelized, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook another 5 minutes. Add the garlic and put meat back into the pot. Add the wine and scrape up any bits from the bottom of the pot. Add tomatoes, chicken stock and herbs. Cover, and braise in oven for 4-5 hours or until meat falls apart.

Remove roast carefully and let cool until you are able to shred it, the meat should truly fall apart.

While roast is cooling, skim the fat from the liquids in the pan, then place on stove and reduce over medium-high heat for 30 minutes or until desired thickness. Stir in milk, and cook another 15 minutes on low heat. Add shredded pork and adjust seasoning. Serve over pasta, gnocchi or ravioli.

Serves 6-8.

Potato and Pork Tartiflette

“Comfort food to warm you this winter, inspired by the street food of Lyon, using our local ingredients.” Blair Lebsack, RGE RD

12 small waxy yellow or red potato (fingerling, red bliss or bintje) or
3 large potatoes
1 large leek, ends trimmed
1 onion (to make 1 cup diced)
1 tablespoon butter
½ cup chicken stock
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs thyme
2 pieces smoked pork hock, pulled off bone
¾ cup smoked country ham, medium dice
¾ cup smoked bacon, medium dice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup heavy cream
3 good handfuls arugula
1 wedge mild Sylvan Star Gouda
salt and pepper

Slice potatoes into ½ centimeter-thick rounds.

Julienne leeks and onion, wash thoroughly, spin dry.

Put bacon into braising pot, render for 3 minutes, add butter, then add garlic, leeks and onion and sweat on low heat. Stir a couple of times and cook for 15-20 minutes. Add chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Add bay leaf and thyme to pot, turn heat to low, put a cover on and cook for 10 minutes.

Add ham, pork hock and cream, bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Turn off heat, add sliced potatoes and stir to combine all ingredients.

Transfer to an ovenproof dish.

Put in 375ºF oven for 20-25 minutes. Remove, check that potatoes are tender, season to taste with salt and pepper.

Stir in arugula, have it wilt into the sauce.

Put sliced Sylvan Star cheese to cover the top. Put under the broiler to melt, or use a torch to melt cheese. Serve. Be careful it is hot.

Serves 6.

Pork Saltimbocca with Couscous
Tony Krause, Privada Wine & Tapas

Saltimbocca means jump in your mouth, referring to something so delicious you just can’t wait. If you are fortunate to have leftovers, they will make a tasty sandwich the next day.

1 pork loin
18 fresh sage leaves
12 slices prosciutto di Parma
1 teaspoon fresh ground long pepper or black pepper
½ cup dry white wine
4 cups couscous
6 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1½ cups small dice mirepoix (carrot, celery, onion)
pinch sea salt
8 paper-thin shavings lardo or bacon
2 bunches pea shoots

Pre heat over to 425ºF

Lay half of the prosciutto on a work surface, layer in half the sage leaves evenly and place loin on top. Place the rest of the sage leaves on top of the loin, then cover with the remaining prosciutto, folding over until the
loin is fully wrapped.

Heat a large skillet to just under the smoking point. Sear the loin until browned on all sides. Turn heat off, add white wine to the pan, season with pepper and place in the oven. Cook for about 25 minutes (to internal temperature of 145ºF/63ºC). Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes.

While the pork is cooking, bring vegetable or chicken stock to a boil in a large pot. Add the couscous, mirepoix and salt. Stir, cover with a lid, and turn off the heat until ready to serve. Right before serving, add chopped pea shoots.

Tart Cherry Condiment

1 cup tart (sour) cherries
2 tablespoons sugar

Wash and pit cherries (omit washing if using canned). Put cherries and sugar together in a bowl and smash with a fork. Let sit in a warm place for about 20 minutes.

To serve: Spoon couscous on to each plate, followed by a slice of saltimbocca, top with two shavings of lardo/bacon, a generous spoonful of cherry condiment and pan jus from the loin.

Serves 6.

Berkshire Pork Sliders

“I like using Irving’s Farm Fresh because they have done an excellent job with their Berkshire pork products.” – Jimmy Ng, Lazia Restaurant

Apple Bacon Jam

3 rashers smoked bacon, fine diced
1 cup onions, thin slices
1 whole Gala apple, peeled and fine diced
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
½ cup apple juice
2 tablespoon brown sugar
½ teaspoon black pepper

In a frypan or small saucepot, render the bacon for 1 minute. Add onions to bacon to caramelize on medium heat. Add the rest of the ingredients to the bacon-onion mixture. Cook on low heat for 12 minutes until the apple is soft.

Sriracha Aioli

½ teaspoon roasted garlic
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce

Mix all the ingredients together and keep chilled.

Berkshire Pork Patties

600 grams ground pork, (about 1.32 pounds)
½ cup moked cheddar, shredded
1½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon smoked paprika

Mix the ingredients together by hand. Make 10 or so small patties. Pan-sear in non-stick skillet and transfer to baking dish to oven at 400ºF for 5 minutes or until meat reaches 160ºF.

Toast small slider buns or dinner rolls. Butter. Spread the Sriracha aioli on bun tops and bottoms. Put the hot patties on the bun bottoms with some apple bacon jam. Garnish with sliced fresh tomatoes and shredded bibb lettuce. Cap slider with bun tops and start enjoying your delicious mouth-watering gourmet sandwich.

Serves 5.

Where to buy high quality Alberta-raised pork

Farm Direct
Big Coulee Farms
First Nature Farm
Four Whistle Farm
Irving’s Farm Fresh
Meadowcreek Farms
Nature’s Green Acres
Serben Free Range
Sunshine Organic Farm
Sunworks Farm
TK Ranch

Butchers and Meat Shops
Acme Meats (Pine Haven Colony)
Freson Bros. (Olymel)
Italian Centre Shop (Irving’s)
K&K Meats (Olymel, Pine Haven Colony)
Real Deal Meats (Pine Haven Colony)
Sunterra Market (Trochu plant)