A New Twist On Veal Marsala

"I've long believed that good food, good eating, is all about risk. Whether we're talking about unpasteurized Stilton, raw oysters or working for organized crime 'associates,' food, for me, has always been an adventure." ~~Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Anthony Bourdain

Anthony Bourdain is by far my favorite chef. I can never put my finger on the one characteristic about him that makes me revere him in such a way. It could be his passion about food, or the lush language he uses when he writes about food. But more than likely, it is the way in which he reminds me of my Dad, another foody who ran two high-end restaurants while I was growing up. When I read Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential, I found myself relating to his tales of restaurant life--the pressures of a slammed Saturday night to the varied human dynamics taking place among the employees--and I could associate the people Bourdain discussed with real-life people I knew in my Dad's restaurants. If you have not read Kitchen Confidential, I highly suggest you do...especially if you are a foody or have worked in a restaurant at some point in your life. It's not only a passionate look at food, but it is also a passionate look at the people who work in the restaurant business. A look at what drives us (yes, I have worked in this business) to have passion for an often treacherous and misunderstood desire to work long hours for little pay, to feed our love of food. 

I wrote in an earlier post about the influence my Great-Grandma Rosie had on my love of cooking, but the greatest influence comes from my Dad and spending hours with him in the restaurant. I often watched my Dad do every job in the restaurant, not just run the entire show: bus boy, dishwasher, waiter, head chef, line cook, table side chef, host, bartender. I heard him say over and over, "If you don't know everyone's job, then how can you make the restaurant run better?" Because this was his belief, by the time I was ten years old I knew how every aspect of the restaurant should run, from the front of the house to the salad kitchen in the back of the house. I knew the timing from seating a table to the time the guests left. My Dad made sure I could pair the proper wine with every dish on the menu, as well as discuss in detail how a bottle of the best French Champagne came to fruition from grape to table. Most importantly, he cultivated with great attention my love of food and preparing a meal for the sole purpose of seeing the joy on the faces of those who experienced with all of their senses a meal prepared with passion. I could write a book about my adventures in the food industry with my Dad, and I will discuss many of them in this blog, but for this post I will limit it to two important lessons about successful cooking my Dad drummed into my head: prep work must be done to cook well and clean the kitchen as you go. 

I used to beg my Dad to let me cook with the chef's on a Saturday afternoon as they prepared for dinner service, but he wouldn't let me until I knew the art of proper prep work. The hours of chopping onions (envision the scene from the film Julie and Julia where Julia Child is chopping pounds of onions in her home kitchen to learn the art of the knife); peeling and deveining shrimp; wedging lemons; and wrapping potatoes in foil. I hated every minute of it at the time, but I now know that without prep work, making a recipe unfold properly is next to impossible. Without it, something will inevitably be forgotten or the timing of all the components of a meal will fall apart. And in cooking, timing is everything.

Everyone in the kitchen of the restaurant, including me, was trained to clean as you go. Many home cooks dread the clean-up after embarking on a day of cooking.  My Dad beat into my head that if you wash pots and utensils during the time you are waiting for something to boil or simmer or braise, then clean up at the end of a meal should only be about clearing the table and washing the dishes used by your guests.  

Both of these rules have become a part of my everyday cooking. I always prep before I begin cooking, and I always clean as I go. What follows is a new twist on the Classic Veal Marsala, and a simple and quick recipe for brussel sprouts. Prep work is key to both...

Pork Marsala

Although I adore veal, it is not always easy nor inexpensive to get ahold of at the store. Many people will substitute chicken for the veal in marsala, but I prefer using lean pork loin instead. The pork in much more tender than chicken, and it adds a subtle, creamy flavor similar to veal. 

For this recipe you will need: boneless pork loin, a pound of sliced mushrooms, 8 sliced green onions, 2 cloves minced garlic, 1/4 cup olive oil, 3 tablespoons butter, 2 tablespoons minced fresh oregano, 1 and 1/2 cups marsala wine, 1/2 cup flour, salt and pepper to tasted.

When possible, use a quality marsala. I have a hard time finding marsala in my area, so I use generic cooking marsala.

Prep the pork first by slicing 6 pieces, each a half inch thick. I freeze the remaining pork loin to use another time.

Place a single piece of pork loin between two sheets of wax paper, and using a meat mallet with the smooth side down, pound the loin until it is almost see-through. I move from the center to the outer edges as I go.

A single piece of loin should look like the piece below. Repeat this process with the five remaining pieces. Place on a plate and set aside.

Next, prep all of the vegetables and the flour mixture. I slice the green onions, using 2 to 3 inches of the greens. Before slicing the mushrooms, clean them with a damp cloth or paper towel.  NEVER soak or wash mushrooms in water to clean them.  They are like little sponges, and will take on so much water, that this will keep them from browning well, as well as put too much water into your recipe. I prefer to use baby portabellas in this recipe, but all I could get my hands on this time were white button mushrooms. Trim the stems and slice fairly thin. Mince the garlic and the fresh oregano.  In a large zip lock bag, place the flour, the oregano, and salt and pepper to taste.

Place the pounded pork loin pieces in the baggie and shake up and down to coat thoroughly.

In a large, heavy-bottomed frying pan, heat the butter and olive oil over medium-high heat. Although I prefer cooking with Le Creuset pans, I really like a heavy, stainless steel All-Clad pan for this recipe.

Place the pork medallions in the pan. I sprinkle any left-over flour in the bag onto the medallions in the pan. Brown on both sides.

When the medallions are browned, remove them to a plate.

In the same pan, add the onion and garlic. Sauté for a minute, then add the mushrooms, stirring and sautéing until the mushrooms become soft. Add the marsala and deglaze the pan by scraping up the brown bits from the bottom.  

When you are finished scraping, add the pork back into the pan. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, turning occasionally.

At the end of simmering, the sauce should have thickened.

Flash Fried Brussel Sprouts with Lemon and Parmesan

While the pork marsala is simmering, I clean up any dishes and prep and cook the brussel sprouts.

For this recipe you will need fresh brussel sprouts (as many as your family will eat); 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 lemon, grated parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper to taste.

Prep the brussel sprouts by washing, trimming the stem, removing a couple of outer leaves, and slicing them in half through the stem.

In a frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and toss in the brussel sprouts.

Allow the brussel sprouts to brown, then stir or flip to brown the other side.  The sprouts should form crispy bits. This usually take about 2 minutes per side. 

Once the sprouts have browned up nicely, slice a lemon in half, and squeeze the juice from the entire lemon into the pan. Add salt and pepper to taste, and cover the pan. Let the sprouts cook covered for another 3 minutes. When finished, place the brussel sprouts in a bowl and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.  The sprouts should not be soggy, but rather, al dente.

Plated Pork Marsala and Flash Fried Brussels Sprouts

Enjoy!

Recipe Card

Pork Marsala

Ingredients
Boneless pork loin
1 pound of sliced mushrooms, I prefer baby bella but button mushrooms will do
8 sliced green onions, greens included
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons fresh oregano, minced
1-1/2 cups marsala wine
1/2 cup flour
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1.  Prep the pork first by slicing 6 pieces, each a half inch thick. I freeze the remaining pork loin to use another time.  Place a single piece of pork loin between two sheets of wax paper, and using a meat mallet with the smooth side down, pound the loin until it is almost see-through.
2.  In a large zip lock bag, place the flour, the oregano, and salt and pepper to taste.  Place the pounded pork loin pieces in the baggie and shake up and down to coat thoroughly.
3.  In a large, heavy-bottomed frying pan, heat the butter and olive oil over medium-high heat.  Place the pork medallions in the pan. Sprinkle any left-over flour in the bag onto the medallions in the pan. Brown on both sides.  When the medallions are browned, remove them to a plate. 
4.  In the same pan, add the onion and garlic. Sauté for a minute, then add the mushrooms, stirring and sautéing until the mushrooms become soft. Add the marsala and deglaze the pan by scraping up the brown bits from the bottom.When you are finished scraping, add the pork back into the pan. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, turning occasionally.
5.  Serve.