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Recipe Detail Page
Fennel & Chili Milk-Braised Pork
Autumn 2022
Few of us can resist the appeal of a proper Sunday roast. These types of meals can eat up most of the day, so this recipe was designed to spread out the preparations. Brine the meat a day in advance, then brown it and tuck it in the oven with a few key ingredients on Sunday. The result is a tender, luxuriously creamy, fall-apart pork dish. Don’t be shocked by the curded sauce. It may not be pretty, but the traditional dish this recipe is based on is supposed to yield cloud-like curds. For a prettier finished dish, just whirl the sauce in the blender. Many are divided on which technique is best, but honestly, they’re both delicious, so go with your gut.
Serves 6 to 8
3 to 4 lb (1.36 to 1.81 kg) boneless pork shoulder or Boston butt or pork loin roast, tied or untied
Kosher salt to taste, about
1 to 2 tbsp (15 to 30 mL)
3 tbsp (45 mL) butter
2 tbsp (30 mL) olive oil
1 to 2 long hot chili peppers, such as Fresno, Italian or jalapeño, chopped
2 cups (500 mL) whole milk (3.8%)
2 cups (500 mL) whipping cream (35%)
1 tbsp (15 mL) dried fennel seed, crushed
1 lemon
6 thyme sprigs, plus more to garnish
1 dried bay leaf
1/2 cup (125 mL) finely chopped parsley
Flaked salt, such as Maldon, for finishing
Freshly ground black pepper
1. To prepare pork, pat roast dry with paper towels. Place in a dish. Season with salt all over. Use kosher salt and adjust amount according to how salty you’d like the end result to be. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
2. Before cooking, remove roast from fridge and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 300°F (149°C).
4. Pat pork dry with paper towels. Set a 6- or 7-L Dutch oven or a large heavy-bottom pan over medium-high. Add butter and oil. Heat until butter is frothy and melted. Swirl to mix. Add pork. Cook, turning occasionally until browned all over, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. If butter begins to brown quickly, reduce heat to medium and stir. Reduce heat as needed. When browned all over, remove to a large plate. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in chopped hot pepper. Decide on hot pepper amount based on how much spice you’d like. Cook, stirring constantly, until softened slightly, 1 minute. Slowly pour in milk and cream scraping up and stirring in any brown bits from pan bottom. Remove from heat.
5. Rub fennel all over pork. Carefully add pork and any remaining juices and fennel from plate to milk mixture in Dutch oven. If you don’t have a Dutch oven, add pork, juices and fennel to a 6-L casserole dish, along with milk mixture from pan. Pull four long strips of peel from lemon and add to braising liquid along with thyme and bay leaf. Braise pork, uncovered in centre of preheated oven until pork becomes meltingly tender when pierced with a fork, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. For even results, carefully turn roast over halfway through cooking.
6. Finely grate remaining zest from lemon.
7. When pork roast is done, transfer it to a carving board. The sauce will look split with lots of tasty milk curds. Let roast stand, loosely covered, 10 to 15 minutes. Carve into thick slices and re-cover to keep warm. For a prettier, creamy texture, blend sauce in a blender until smooth.
8. Serve pork slices with sauce spooned overtop. Sprinkle with parsley, Maldon salt, pepper and lemon zest. Excellent served over polenta like our Black Kale Polenta (recipe follows).
Serves 6 to 8
BLACK KALE POLENTA
Lovingly stirred polenta makes an excellent base for saucy mains. This hearty version is also delicious on its own with a fresh grating of Parmesan. Be sure you’re not grabbing instant polenta; it pales in comparison to the real deal.
2 heads garlic
2 to 4 tbsp (30 to 60 mL) olive oil, divided
2 bunches black kale
1/2 to 1 tsp (2 to 5 mL) salt
3 2/3 cups (900 mL) chicken broth
2 1/4 cups (560 mL) water
1 cup (250 mL) stone-ground cornmeal or polenta (not instant)
3 tbsp (45 mL) unsalted butter
Chopped parsley and lemon zest to garnish (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 300°F (149°C).
2. Slice off top of each garlic head. Place, cut side up, over a square of foil. Drizzle each head with about 1 tsp (5 mL) oil. Tightly wrap in the foil. Roast until cloves are very tender when pierced with a fork, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven. Carefully open foil and let cool. When cool, squeeze cloves from their papery skins and set aside.
3. Remove kale leaves from stems and thinly slice. Heat 2 tbsp (30 mL) oil in a large, wide pot over medium-high heat. Add half of kale. Season with salt. Cook, stirring often until kale begins to wilt, about 5 to 7 minutes. If pan is dry, add remaining oil. Add remaining kale to pot. Season and continue cooking until wilted. Remove to a bowl.
4. Pour broth and water into a large saucepan or pot. Bring to a boil. Slowly stir in polenta. Reduce heat to medium-low. Whisk occasionally until polenta is thickened, about 55 to 65 minutes. Whisk more frequently toward the end, making sure to scrape bottom of pan. Stir in cooked kale, butter and roasted garlic until evenly mixed. Garnish with parsley and lemon zest, if you like.
Serves 6 as a side dish
