La Lama Mountain Ovens
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The best of the recipes, techniques, and methods practiced by our large extended Italian-American family - with emphasis on the legacy handed down to us by the original immigrants.

This is a cookbook-in-process project. If you try any of these recipes please let us know how they turn out, whether or not you had any difficulties, and any clarifying improvements you might recommend to make them foolproof. We will of course acknowledge genuine "test-kitchen" assistance.

Family Secrets #37

Pork Roast (Porchette) and Tenderloins

By CeCe Dove, La Lama Mountain Ovens

That was the first rule of cooking pork I learned. It had to be well done, with not a touch of pink showing. Fortunately this method of cooking a Boston Butt, which is really the front shoulder of the pig, still works. It was the other cuts of pork that suffered from this rule. How many beautiful thick pork chops or lovely loin roasts were cooked into shoe leather in the name of health we'll never know. I was well into adulthood before I really began to enjoy pork chops.

In the 1960's we were rescued when it was understood that trichinosis was killed at an internal temperature of 140 degrees. It took many of us a few years to really feel comfortable eating a chop with a bit of pink in the middle, or a roast that came out of the oven in an hour or so instead of four hours, but eventually common sense and good taste won out. At about the same time the hog breeders were listening to our concerns about cutting the fat in our diet, and they began breeding hogs to be leaner. Gradually, as the fat layer on the chops and roasts got smaller and smaller it became even more important not to overcook the meat. The Boston Butt remains a throwback to the old cooking method because, even though the outer fat layer is thinner than it used to be, it is still the most internally well marbled cut of pork, and therefore still lends itself well to the old style of cooking.

In our family home, pork chops and Boston Butt were the primary cuts of fresh pork used. As I expanded my cooking horizons I began using the whole loin for special occasions and, of course, baby back ribs for barbecuing. I didn’t really add the pork tenderloin to my repertoire until about 10 years ago, but once I discovered this succulent piece of meat I was sold. It is probably the most expensive piece of the pig, but it is absolutely lean, extremely tasty, and very versatile. It is equally at home on the grill, in the oven, or in the sauté pan.

The recipe that follows for tenderloin stuffed with roasted fennel takes a little advance effort, but once the preparation is done it cooks undisturbed and yields a dinner to remember. The sautéed pork medallions take almost no advance preparation and cook very quickly, and rely on the pan sauce to make them memorable. Finally, for those of you who don’t remember the Boston Butt, we give to you Mom and Dad’s method. On a lazy cool day when you’re puttering around the house it is a great way to fix dinner, fill the house with tantalizing aromas, and provide wonderful sandwiches for the days after, all with very little work.

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Pork Tenderloins stuffed with Roasted Fennel and Pan Sauce

• 2 pork tenderloins
• 1 head fresh fennel
• olive oil
• 2 medium cloves garlic, minced
• 15-16 thin sices bacon

• ½ cup chicken stock
• ¼ cup white wine
• 3 Tblsp. brown sauce (Secret #27)
• salt
• pepper

Wash and pat dry one head of fresh fennel. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Place fennel on small baking sheet and bake in preheated 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes, or until tender. Remove and let stand until it cools to handling temperature, cut away excess stalk and a slice from the root end. Dice the fennel into small cubes and put aside.

Step Two: Prepare the tenderloins

The object is to make one rectangular piece of thinly pounded meat from two tenderloins, which can then be stuffed and rolled. Trim fat coating and all of the blue skin membrane on the tenderloins. Cut the thin tail end back several inches. Save the pieces for the next time you make spaghetti sauce. Using a sharp slicing knife butterfly open both filets. Using the palm of your hand, press down on the filets to begin to form a rectangle. Place a sheet of waxed paper over the butterflied filets, and gently pound with meat hammer until the filets are about 3/8 inches thick. Pound the top edge of the first filet thinner and the bottom edge of the second one and overlap them 2 inches. Pound the overlapped seam until it is the same thickness of the rest of the rectangle. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add ½ minced garlic to the cubed fennel and spread evenly over the tenderloins. Leave a little margin on the top and bottom. Roll the tenderloins as tight as you can. When finished rolling you can use a few toothpicks to hold the seam together, although it is not necessary if you handle the roll gently. Now stretch the bacon pieces flat, side by side, slightly overlapping, to make a sheet of bacon. Place the rolled tenderloins on the lower 1/3 of the bacon sheet. Carefully lift the end of the bacon sheet over the tenderloins and wrap tightly by rolling the tenderloins.

Step Three: Cook the tenderloins

Place the rolled tenderloins in a hot sauté pan, with a little clarified butter or olive oil. Start with the seam side of the bacon wrap down, and gently turn until the rolled tenderloins are nicely browned. Remove from pan and place on shallow baking sheet, and put in 450 degree oven for about 15 minutes, or until done.

Step Four: Make pan sauce

Deglaze the sauté pan with chicken stock, add garlic, wine, and rosemary. Begin reducing and add three tablespoons of brown sauce. Reduce until it reaches serving consistency.

To serve the dish, pass a little of the pan sauce through a fine strainer and make a small puddle on the plate. Slice the tenderloins on the diagonal 3/8 inches thick. Fan the slices over the puddle of pan sauce. Three slices on a plate would make a nice serving. Creamy mashed potatoes and little fresh vegetable will finish the plates nicely.

Sautéd Pork Medallions with Pan Sauce

• 1 pork tenderloin
• ½ cup flour, for dredging
• 1 Tblsp. clarified butter
• 1 large clove garlic, minced

• 5 sprigs parsley, chopped fine
• ¼ cup chicken stock
• ¼ cup white wine
• 1 Tblsp. butter or Espagnole sauce (Secret #27)

Trim fat coating and all of the blue skin membrane on the tenderloin. Slice the tenderloin into 1-½ to 2 ounce slices. Place each slice between two pieces of waxed paper and pound with meat hammer until very thin.

Step Two: Cook the medallions and make pan sauce

Sprinkle each medallion lightly with salt and pepper. Dredge the medallions in flour, shake off any excess. Add clarified butter to a large, hot sauté pan. Do not overcrowd, use multiple sauté pans if necessary. Sauté over medium high heat until nicely browned. Turn each medallion and add remaining ingredients to begin reduction of the pan sauce. When medallions are done, remove them from the pan and place on plate. Finish reducing the pan sauce until it reaches serving consistency, and pour over the plated medallions.

Italian Pork Roast (Porchette)

• 1 Boston Butt roast
• 1 large clove garlic, cut longway into 8 slivers

• 4 large sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves only
• salt and pepper

Using a sharp paring knife, cut 8 evenly spaced deep crosses in the roast. Place a garlic sliver in each and push to the bottom with your finger, forming a small pocket. Into each pocket, pushing with your finger, put equal amounts of salt (first) and pepper (last). The pocket should be loosely filled. Divide the rosemary leaves into 8 equal piles and firmly plug each of the holes. Give a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper over the entire roast.

Step Two: Cook the roast

Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the roast to the center. Be careful not to have the tip of the thermometer touching a bone. Place the roast in a shallow baking pan and put in a medium oven (325-350). Remove the roast when you have an internal temperature of 170-175 degrees. Roasting time will vary, depending on the exact temperature of the oven, and if the roast is at room temperature or just out of the refrigerator. Let roast stand for 10 to 15 minutes to firm up a bit before serving.

This method of seasoning and cooking a pork roast will also work well with a whole fresh picnic ham (front shoulder), or a fresh ham (rear). The seasoning method also works well with a whole bone-in or boneless pork loin, however, the cooking should be changed to a very slow roast (225 degrees) and a finished internal temperature of 135-140 degrees.

Leftovers from roasts done in this style make a delicious cold pork sandwich. Thinly slice a nice stack of the cold pork roast, place on a slice of homemade bread, top with a seeded, split banana pepper, and spread a little yellow mustard on the top slice of bread.

Altitude Adjustment: None necessary.