Yummy Pork Ziti

This summer, I decided to participate in a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) share with two friends.  Every Tuesday, we get to pick up our veggies at the farmers' market near my house. Last week was the first pick-up and I was so excited to see all of the gorgeous produce. One of the items included was a beautiful bunch of rainbow chard. Never having cooked with it before, I set out on a hunt for an interesting recipe. I stumbled across this gem and had to give it a try. I am a big fan of mustard of any kind (seriously, it's the perfect condiment), I always like thyme, and who doesn't love a good pasta dish?

The rundown:

• Flavor/texture: The bold flavors of the thyme and mustard worked very well with the pork. At the same time, they didn't overwhelm the more delicate flavor of the greens. 
• Difficulty: No muss, no fuss! I whipped this one up in less than half an hour. How's that for a 30-minute meal?
• Pros: Tasty, easy and quick. The trifecta of weeknight cooking, not to mention that it was a great way to incorporate veggies into a new recipe.  The recipe is also very adaptable. You could use chicken instead of pork or substitute almost any variety of dark/bitter greens for the escarole.
• Cons: The recipe was intended for four people, but it yielded more than enough for six.  I don't like to have more than one meal of leftovers, so I would recommend halving the recipe.
• Misc.: I used rainbow chard in place of the escarole, since that is what I had on hand. I used a grainy Dijon mustard and upped the quantity to more like two tablespoons instead of teaspoons. Taste the sauce and season it as you like. Make sure that your pork is just done, so that it stays tender. Now that the USDA has acknowledged that pork need only be cooked to 145 degrees, it's ok if there's a little pink in the middle.  Letting the meat rest for 5 minutes before slicing will allow the cooking process to finish up gently. Start your pasta water as the first step. The pasta takes longer than everything else added together.
• Repeat Performance: I don't eat a great deal of pork, but this recipe will definitely go into the rotation.

Ziti with Pork and Escarole in Creamy Thyme Sauce

Food & Wine, January 1997

1 lb pork tenderloin

salt

freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 lb escarole, leaves cut crosswise into 1/2-inch strips (about 4 cups)

1 shallot or 2 scallions, including green tops, chopped

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/2 tsp dried thyme

2 tsp grainy or Dijon mustard

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 pound dry ziti pasta

Cut the pork into 1/2 inch thick slices. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat 2 tbsp oil over medium heat. Cook the pork until just barely done, about 1 minute per side. Remove the pork from the pan and let it rest for 5 minutes, then cut into thin strips.

In the same pan, heat the remaining oil over medium heat. Add the escarole, shallot/green onion, 1/4 of the salt and 1/4 tsp of pepper and cook, stirring until the escarole wilts, about 1 minute. Add the broth and thyme. Simmer until the broth is reduced to 1/4 cup, about 3 minutes. Whisk in the mustard and cream and bring to a simmer. Add the pork and any accumulated juices to the sauce. Remove from heat.

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the ziti until al dente (10-12 minutes). Drain and toss pasta with the sauce.

Grab some crusty bread and dig in!

This little piggy went to market...

I admit that I'm not a huge fan of pork in general.  For some reason, it just never tops my list of favorites.  However, this recipe is pretty close to changing my mind. The dry rub combined with beer braising makes for intensely flavorful and tender meat.  Let the rub sit on the meat as long as possible, in order for the best flavor. I used a bottle of Founders Dirty Bastard as the beer for the braising liquid. The sauce itself is more like a sweet/spicy combo, rather than a barbecue flavor.  I like my pulled pork messy, so I usually double up on the sauce. You might need to add extra beer to the pan juices for this. The recipe makes a huge amount of pulled pork, but it freezes well.  I like to serve it with a good cheese (I used muenster this time) on toasted onion rolls.  Sweet potato fries and a salad round it out for a great meal. 

Beer Braised Pork Butt by Dave Lieberman

2 Tbsp salt
About 40 grinds (1 Tbsp) cracked black pepper
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp garlic powder
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground mustard seed
12 oz dark beer
4 cloves chopped garlic
5lb pork butt roast

Combine the first 6 ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Rub all over both sides of the pork butt. Wrap the meat in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour and as long as overnight.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Unwrap pork and place in a roasting pan with sides at least 2 inches high. Cook 45 minutes until dark brown and carmelizing in places. Remove from oven.  Lower heat to 325 degrees. Pour beer over the top and add the chopped garlic around the pork. Cover with aluminum foil. Poke about 10 holes in the foil to vent. Cook the pork butt for 2 1/2 hours longer, or until it is tender enough to separate easily from the center bone.

Place the meat on a plate and pour the pan juice (there should be plenty) into a saucepan. To the pan juices, add:
1/2 cup ketchup
2 Tbsp whole grain Dijon mustard
3 Tbsp Worchestershire sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar

Bring to a simmer until reduced by half and thick, about 20 minutes.

While the sauce is boiling down, pull apart the pork with two forks. Pour the sauce over the pulled pork and work through until fully coated.

Grab a napkin and enjoy!