Brined Pork Chops With Soft Parmigiano Polenta Recipes

Steps:

• For the polenta: Bring the milk and 2 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Season generously with salt. Slowly whisk in the polenta; when all of the polenta has been incorporated, reduce the heat to medium and immediately switch to stirring with a wooden spoon. Cook, stirring frequently, until the polenta begins to pull away from the pan; add water if it becomes too thick.
• When the polenta is thoroughly cooked, it will look creamy and not feel gritty on your tongue. Remove the polenta from the heat and stir in the Parmesan, mascarpone and sage. Cover and keep warm.
• For the roasted vegetables: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat.
• Combine the Brussels sprouts and cauliflower florets in a large bowl. Add the olive oil and some crushed red pepper salt; stir to coat. Pour the vegetables onto the prepared baking sheet and spread in a single layer. Roast until tender and golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes, stirring halfway through. Transfer to a serving plate and garnish with pomegranate seeds.
• For the stuffed pork chops: Adjust the oven to 375 degrees F. Add the bacon to a skillet and cook over medium-high heat until almost crispy. Add the onions and sweat for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the apples and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes. Carefully add the calvados (it may flame) and cook until almost dry. Add the rosemary, raisins and salt to taste. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl, along with the breadcrumbs and the beaten egg; stir to combine.
• Sprinkle the pork chops with salt. Insert a paring knife into the curved side of each chop to make a deep pocket, about 2 inches wide. Stuff the pockets with the breadcrumb mixture.
• Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat and coat the pan with olive oil. Sear the pork chops until golden brown on all sides. Remove the chops to a baking sheet and place in the oven for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, add sherry vinegar and maple syrup to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until reduced by half. (Keep an eye on the saucepan, as the mixture can burn quickly.)
• After 15 minutes in the oven, baste the chops all over with the maple-vinegar reduction. Return to the oven for an additional 5 minutes, or until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees F.

Steps:

• Add the milk, bay leaf and 1 1/2 cups water to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and season generously with salt, almost to the point of over seasoning. How do you know that you are there? TASTE IT! When the mixture has reached a boil, slowly whisk in the polenta in small sprinkles. Once all of the polenta has been incorporated, reduce the heat to medium and immediately switch over to stirring with a wooden spoon. Cook the polenta for 30 to 40 minutes, adding water to loosen it up if the polenta becomes too thick.
• 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 immediately, or place a sheet of plastic wrap right on the surface of the polenta to prevent a skin from forming.
• To reheat: Add a little water to the polenta and heat over low to medium heat, stirring constantly to prevent burning.

Steps:

• In a medium-size saucepan, bring the milk, 2 cups 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 the heat to medium and immediately switch over to stirring with a wooden spoon. Cook the polenta until it begins to pull away from the pan, adding water to loosen it up if it becomes too thick.
• 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 Parmesan and mascarpone.

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.