When buying a live pig is the first step to a succulent pork dish - San Francisco Chronicle

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The auctioneer talked like, well, an auctioneer: so quickly that his words ran together. When I raised my paddle I wasn’t sure exactly how much I’d spent, just that I was now the owner of a 268-pound pig. The pig was led through the ring before us by Emma Stanley, the 13-year-old who’d raised her. Stanley’s a member of 4-H, a learning-by-doing program that educates kids in everything from animal science to handcrafts to leadership.

This is a cooking column, though, so you know where this is headed. I didn’t buy this pig as a pet, but instead with plans to stock my freezer with pasture-raised meat while simultaneously supporting local agriculture and 4-H (the four H’s stand for Head, Heart, Hands and Health). My kids, who attended the auction alongside me, understood this even as they scratched the pigs behind their ears and leaned their faces against the fuzzy flanks of steer bound for the auction block, destined to become steak.

When you get an up-close view of the animal you’ll be eating and the confident kid who raised it, it’s additional encouragement not to waste food. So I began with this recipe for pan-fried pork scaloppine with a plum compote, which is quick enough for a weeknight and a gateway recipe for fall. The sweet-tart compote, the fruit stewed with coins of ginger, red onion and bay leaf, can be made with the elongated deep purple Italian prune plums that you find at the market now, or with regular red plums, which turn the sauce a brilliant fuchsia. I find it’s especially easy to cut slices from a boneless pork loin and pound them into scaloppine, thin slices that cook in minutes in a hot pan. But you can use butterflied pork chops or even slices from a pork tenderloin — the key is just to pound the meat thinly and evenly so it’ll cook quickly, which, incidentally, is also a great way to relieve stress.

While you’re making this simple supper, you might even think of the 4-H pledge, which, these days, seems especially useful.

I pledge …

My head to clearer thinking

My heart to greater loyalty

My hands to larger service, and

My health to better living

For my club, my community,

My country, and my world.

Jessica Battilana is a freelance writer and the author of “Repertoire: All the Recipes You Need.” Instagram: Email: food@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jbattilana

Pork Scaloppine With Gingered Plum Compote

Serves 4 to 6

Plum compote

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

1 pound Italian prune plums or red plums, pitted and cut into sixths

1 tablespoon dark brown sugar

3 quarter-size coins fresh ginger root

1 bay leaf

½ cup chicken stock or water

¾ teaspoon kosher salt

Pork

2 pounds boneless pork loin

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

To make the plum compote: In a medium heavy-bottom saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion slices are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the plums, brown sugar, ginger, bay leaf, chicken stock or water and the salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring frequently, until the plums are soft and the liquid is glossy and thickened, about 15 to 20 minutes. Keep warm.

To make the pork: While the compote cooks, cut the pork loin crosswise into 6 slices of even thickness. Lay half of the slices on a cutting board and top with a sheet of plastic wrap. With a meat mallet or rolling pin, pound the pork pieces to a thickness of 3/8-inch. Repeat with the remaining pieces of pork. Coarsely grind the fennel seeds in a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder. Season each piece of pork on both sides with the fennel, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.

Heat a large cast-iron or other heavy frying pan over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and the butter. When the butter melts, add three of the pork pieces to the pan and cook, turning once, until browned on both sides, about 5 minutes total. Transfer to a platter and tent with foil to keep warm, then repeat with the remaining pork, adding the additional tablespoon of oil to the pan if necessary. Transfer to the platter. Pour 2 tablespoons of water into the now-empty frying pan and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits, then pour this flavorful liquid into the pot with the plum sauce and stir to combine.

To serve: Spoon the plum compote around the pork, or transfer to a bowl and serve alongside.

The Link Lonk


October 24, 2020 at 01:28AM
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When buying a live pig is the first step to a succulent pork dish - San Francisco Chronicle

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