Pork Three Ways Brined Pork Chops Fennel Fontina Sausage And Swiss Chard With Bacon And Fennel Over Polenta Cakes Food

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.

PORK AND FENNEL SAUSAGE SANDWICH WITH PICKLED HOT PEPPERS, BROCCOLI RABE AND PROVOLONE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Chill a large metal bowl and all the grinder parts until very cold.
• For the sausage: Assemble the grinder with the chilled parts using the large-holed grinding plate. Combine the pork, garlic, fennel pollen, salt, crushed red pepper flakes, fennel seeds and Parmesan in the chilled metal bowl. Pass the meat through the grinder back into the chilled metal bowl. Switch to the medium-size plate and pass the ground meat through again. Add 1/4 cup ice water and quickly knead the meat mixture together with your hands.
• Fit the horn (stuffing attachment) onto the grinder. Grease the horn with oil and gently slide the hog casing onto the attachment, leaving about 2 inches at the end. Add meat to the hopper and turn the grinder on. Let the air run through the casing until the meat starts to come out. Once you see the meat, turn the machine off and knot the casing end. Turn the machine back on and keep feeding the meat mixture into the machine. Using your other hand, guide the casing off the horn as it fills. Continue until you run out of casing, leaving a short tail on the end.
• Form the filled casing into links by gently pinching and then twisting it. The sausage links should be equal in size, 3 to 4 inches each. Tie each twist with twine and puncture the links all over with a teasing needle or sausage pricker. You should have 8 to 10 links total.
• For the toppings and assembly: Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Blanch the broccoli rabe until bright green, about 30 seconds then use a slotted spoon or spider to transfer to a bowl. Leave the water on the heat for the sausages. When cool enough to handle, Squeeze out the excess moisture in the broccoli rabe and roughly chop. Set aside.
• Reduce the blanching water to low heat so it is hot, but not bubbling. Carefully drop the sausages into the hot water and poach for 10 to 12 minutes, flipping halfway through, or until they reach an internal temperature of 150 to 156 degrees F. Remove from the poaching liquid and place on a baking sheet.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium saute pan and add the onions with a pinch of salt. Sweat the onions until translucent, 5 to 7 minutes, then add the cherry peppers and broccoli rabe. Toss everything together and add a splash of the pickled pepper brine. Season to taste with salt. Remove to a bowl and wipe out the saute pan.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in the same pan over medium heat and brown sausages on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Lower the heat if they start to burst.
• Open the hoagie rolls and use your fingers to scoop out some of the bread from the top part of the roll. Brush the cut sides of each roll with olive oil and place open faced on a baking sheet. Toast in the oven until warmed through until lightly golden, about 5 minutes.
• Lay provolone slices on the toasted rolls and melt in the oven, 3 to 4 minutes. Cut the sausage links apart, remove the strings and slice on a bias. Lay the slices over the melted provolone and top with the broccoli rabe-pepper mix and more provolone. Transfer back to the oven to heat through and continue melting cheese, 3 to 5 minutes.

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.