Herbed Pork, Cranberry Beans, and Greens with Fried Polenta
Serves 4 to 6
I grew up on pig’s feet—Hungarians love them. Some cultures use every piece of the pig, and the Italian way of using the entire product is especially important in the countryside. Pork trotter, or pig’s feet as they are commonly known, are the traditional ingredients in this recipe, but they’re not something most people are familiar with. With this in mind I have amended the recipe using pork loin. If you are a fan of pig’s feet, of course you can use trotters, just make sure they have been cleaned properly, and add an additional ½ cup water when roasting..
This is a homey dish, incorporating cranberry beans that are so popular in the Lunigiana. I recommend fresh beans for this recipe, but you can easily use dried.
Note: The polenta must sit overnight before frying.
Fried Polenta:
2 cups polenta (recipe, page xx)
For the polenta, the day before you plan to fry it, bring 4 cups water to a boil over medium-high heat in a large saucepan. Slowly whisk in the polenta, reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook 10 minutes, whisking often, until thickened. Remove from the heat, and stir in the oil and salt while hot; then pour into a 4-quart rimmed casserole dish. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight before frying.
1 cup extra virgin olive oil for frying
Herbed Pork:
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary
3 fresh sage leaves
3 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons salt
1 (4 to 4 1/2-pound) boneless pork loin roast, trimmed
½ cup water
Cranberry Beans and Greens:
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 cups fresh or dried cranberry beans (you can reconstitute dried beans)
6 cups kale cleaned and cut into strips
1 (14-ounce) can Mutti Polpa chopped tomatoes, or use 1 ¾ cups La Fortezza Tomato Sauce (recipe, page xx)
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
½ cup water
For the pork: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the rack in the middle.
In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade, combine the herbs, garlic, olive oil, mustard, and salt. Pulse until a chunky paste forms. Pat the pork dry, and rub all over with the paste.
Place the pork into a roasting pan, add ½ cup water to the pan, and roast 1 hour, or until an instant-read thermometer registers 140 to 145°F (temperature will rise 5 to 10 degrees as it rests). Transfer to a cutting board and let it rest 15 to 25 minutes.
Wash the cranberry beans, and set aside. If using dried beans, soak them in 4 cups water overnight, or at least 8 hours, rinse, then simmer in enough water to cover for 1 to 2 hours until soft.
Clean the kale by stripping the leaves from the thick stems. Strip the leaf by gripping the bottom of the stem in one hand, then pinching the theleaf with your thumb and index finger on either side, and run your fingers up the stem to separate the leaf from the stem. Roll the leaves and cut into thin strips.
Add the oil and onion to a large skillet over medium heat and cook 3 to 5 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Reduce the heat to low and add the beans and cook for 10 minutes until warmed through, then add the kale, tomatoes, garlic, salt, pepper, and ½ cup water. Cover the pan and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the kale has wilted and cooked down.
While the beans cook, cut the chilled polenta into 3-inch squares.
Place the olive oil In a large non-stick skillet over medium heat and fry the polenta slices in batches, being careful not overcrowd the pan, about 3-5 minutes per side until golden brown and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon place on paper towels. Add additional oil if needed.
To serve, place the fried polenta squares on a platter, top with sliced porkand the beans and kale. Serve warm.