Brined Pork Chops With Fennel Pollen Food

BRINED PORK CHOPS WITH FENNEL

Steps:

• Make the brine: Put salt, sugar, bay leaves, peppercorns, allspice and fennel seeds in a bowl. Whisk in 4 cups water to dissolve salt and sugar.
• Put pork chops in one layer in a glass or plastic container. Pour brine over to completely submerge chops. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably longer, up to overnight. Remove chops from brine and pat dry. Discard brine.
• Cook the chops: Heat oven to 400 degrees. Set a wide, heavy skillet over high heat and add olive oil. When oil is wavy, add chops in one layer and let brown for about 3 minutes per side.
• Remove chops from pan and set aside. Reduce heat to medium-high and add sliced onion and fennel, stirring to coat with oil. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until beginning to color, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and crushed fennel seeds and turn off heat.
• Lay the chops on top of the onion-fennel mixture (alternatively, transfer all of it to a baking dish) and place pan, uncovered, in oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until the internal temperature of chops is 140 degrees.
• Remove chops and let rest for about 5 minutes. Transfer onion-fennel mixture to a platter and keep warm. Cut chops into 1/8-inch slices and add to platter. Sprinkle with parsley and garnish with fennel fronds. Serve with lemon wedges.

PORK THREE WAYS: BRINED PORK CHOPS, FENNEL-FONTINA SAUSAGE, AND SWISS CHARD WITH BACON AND FENNEL OVER POLENTA CAKES

Steps:

• For the brine: In a large container, add the salt, sugar, coriander, red pepper flakes, fennel, celery, garlic, and enough water to cover the chops and stir to combine. Submerge the pork chops in the brine and let sit in the refrigerator until ready to cook, at least 30 minutes.
• Bring the chops to room temperature before cooking. Remove the chops from the brine, discarding the brine.
• For the chops: Preheat a cast iron pan.
• Roll the fat edge of each pork chop in the fennel pollen. Place the pork chops gently in the heated pan.
• Sear the chops on all sides and cook for about 9 minutes. Remove the chops from the pan and let rest in a warm place before serving. The doneness of the meat should be about medium to medium-well and be very juicy.
• For the fennel-fontina sausage: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Season the pork shoulder with the garlic, salt, red pepper flakes, fennel seed, and coriander. Grind the pork twice through the large grind of a stand mixer fitted with a meat grinder attachment. Gently stir in the cheese. Add the cold water and mix lightly. Stuff the ground pork into a casing using the sausage horn attachment to the stand mixer and twist off into evenly sized links. Transfer to a parchment-lined sheet pan and roast in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Preheat a saute pan and drizzle with olive oil. Remove the sausages from the oven and brown them in the pan.
• For the Swiss chard: Coat a saute pan with olive oil. Toss in the garlic, red pepper flakes, bacon, and a couple drops olive oil. Bring the pan to medium heat. When the garlic is golden and very aromatic, remove it and discard.
• When the bacon has become crispy, toss in the Swiss chard stems and fennel and saute for 5 minutes. Stir in the chicken stock, as needed, and season with salt. When the chicken stock has reduced, toss in the Swiss chard leaves and season with salt. Cook the leaves until they are just wilted, 3 to 4 minutes.
• For the polenta cakes: In a saucepan, combine the milk, water, bay leaf, and cayenne. Bring the mixture to a boil over low heat and season generously with salt. (Take the seasoning to the edge of too salty. To do this you must taste as you go. Polenta acts as a salt eraser, if you don't season abundantly here you will never recover from it.)
• Once the liquid is at a boil and is seasoned appropriately, sprinkle in the polenta, whisking constantly. Once the polenta is combined, switch over to a wooden spoon and stir frequently until the polenta has become thick. Taste the polenta to see if it has cooked through. If it still feels mealy and grainy, add some more milk or water and cook it to a thick consistency. Repeat this process, as needed, until the polenta feels smooth on your tongue, about 30 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and stir in the chopped sage and mascarpone.
• Line a 7 by 7-inch square pan with plastic wrap. Pour the polenta into the prepared pan. Cover the top with more plastic wrap smoothed onto the surface of the polenta. Chill in the refrigerator until needed. (All of this can totally be done ahead of time, like yesterday! Cool!)
• Remove the polenta from the pan and cut into desired shapes. Coat a nonstick saute pan with olive oil and bring to medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot and starting to smoke just a little, add the polenta shapes. Cook the polenta on both sides and finish by sprinkling with a little bit of grated Parmigiano.
• For plating: Place 1 polenta cake on each plate and top with Swiss chard and bacon. Lean 1 chop on each polenta cake. Slice the sausages on the bias and plate 2 slices on each plate. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil.

BRINED PORK CHOPS WITH FENNEL POLLEN

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine 2 quarts water with the salt, sugar, fennel seeds, coriander seeds, red pepper, bay leaves, onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. (The amount of salt and sugar you use depends on your personal taste.) Submerge the pork chops in the brine, cover, and refrigerate for 2 days (if you don't have 2 days, at least brine the chops overnight). Remove the chops from the brine, discard the brine, and cook these bad boys!
• Preheat the grill to medium-high.
• Roll the fat edge of each pork chop in the fennel pollen.
• Place the chops on the grill over medium-high heat and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Rotate the chops 90 degrees to create beautiful crosshatched grill marks; continue to cook for another 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the chops over and repeat this process on the second side. If the chops start to burn, move them to a cooler part of the grill. Stand the chops up and grill the fat edge-you want to get it nice and crispy and release the lovely aroma of the fennel pollen. Remove the chops from the grill and let them rest in a warm place for 8 to 10 minutes before serving. The meat should be pink in the middle and very juicy.
• ANNE ALERT!
• This is a plan-ahead recipe! The brine takes a couple of days, but it's really worth the effort.

BRINED PORK CHOPS WITH SOFT PARMIGIANO POLENTA

Steps:

• For the brine:
• To make the brine: In a large container, add all of the ingredients and stir to combine. Submerse the pork chops in the brine and refrigerate for 3 days. After 3 days remove the chops from the brine, discarding the brine.
• Preheat a grill or grill pan. Roll the fat edge of each pork chop with the fennel pollen. Place porks chop gently on the preheated grill or grill pan. After 3 to 4 minutes rotate the chops 90 degrees to create lovely grill marks. Grill the chops for another 3 to 4 minutes and then turn over and repeat the process. If the chops seem to be burning move the chops to a cooler part of the grill to allow for longer cooking time without burning. Stand the chops up so the fat edge is in contact with the grill to crisp up the fat edge, this will also make the fennel pollen very aromatic. Remove the chops from the grill and let rest in a warm place before serving. The doneness of the meat should be about medium to medium well and very juicy. Serve with polenta.
• In a medium size saucepan, bring the milk, water and bay leaf to a boil. Season generously with salt, almost to the point of over seasoning. How do you know that you are there? TASTE IT! When it has reached a boil, slowly whisk in the polenta in small sprinkles. Once all of the polenta has been incorporated, reduce heat to medium and immediately switch over to stirring with a wooden spoon. Cook the polenta for 30 to 40 minutes, adding water if the polenta becomes too thick to loosen it up.
• When the polenta is thoroughly cooked, it should look creamy and not feel gritty on your tongue. Remove it from the heat and stir in the Parmigiano and mascarpone. Serve it immediately, or place a sheet of plastic wrap right on the surface of the polenta to prevent a skin from forming on the top.
• To reheat: Add a little water to the polenta and heat over low to medium heat stirring constantly to prevent burning.