Pork Dishes

• Pork Souvlaki
• Pork Tenderloin Stew
• Stuffed Pork Chops

Pork Souvlaki

The Portugieser was a bit sweet and bubble-gumish, not good qualities for a food wine, IMO. It also got run over by the large amounts of garlic in the dish I made. I'll save the other bottles of this wine for sipping on the balcony on a warm evening, not drinking with dinner.

The Corbieres, a hearty, warm red, was a much better match, although it turned just a bit hot from the spicy pepper in the spice mix. There was plenty of fruit to stand up to the spices, though, and the garlic didn't intimidate this wine like the Portugieser.

Not surprisingly, the wheat beer made a fine match. The spicy cayenne pepper didn't cause a problem with the lower alcohol and the beer was more than robust enough to match up to the heavy garlic. Robin Garr has said that beer seems to be much more forgiving in food pairings than wine is. I think that's pretty solid thinking.

• 2 boneless pork chops, fat trimmed
• 2 Tbs souvlaki spice (made from 2 parts cayenne, 1 part each dried oregano and basil, and a good dash of nutmeg)
• 2 Tbs olive oil
• 2 large cloves garlic, pressed
• 2 medium tomatoes
• 3 - 5 basil leaves, minced
• 1 large clove garlic, pressed
• ground black pepper
• 2 Tbs olive oil
• tzatziki (garnish/dip made from jogurt, cucumber, dill & garlic.
• cooked rice

1. The night before serving, on a plate mix together the spices, 2 Tbs olive oil and 2 pressed cloves garlic. Wallow the pork chops in the oil, cover and marinated overnight, turning once or twice.
2. 30 minutes before dinner, chop the tomatoes and place in a bowl. Add the basil, 1 clove garlic, ground pepper and olive oil. Let stand to meld flavors.
3. Preheat a broiler, then cook the pork for 5 - 6 minutes per side. Slice thinly and serve over rice. Top with tomato mix and tzatziki, plus have fresh bread on the side to mop up any tomato/olive oil juices.

Pork loin stew (Serves 4 - 6)

• 1 pork tenderloin, about 1 lb, fat trimmed & sliced into thin medallions
• 1 cup flour
• ground pepper and salt
• 3 Tbs butter
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tsp fresh oregano, chopped
• 2 tsp fresh basil, chopped
• 2 - 3 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 2 cups dry white wine
• 2 cups beef broth

1. Heat the butter and oil in a flame-proof casserole over medium high heat. Season the flour with the salt and pepper, then dredge the pork. Shake off excess flour and sear the meat in batches, turning occasionally. Remove the meat to paper towels to drain.
2. If the casserole has blackened with flour from the meat, wash the dish and return it to medium high heat with a bit of olive oil. Saute the onions, garlic, oregano and basil for 5 minutes until the onions are wilted and translucent. Add the tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes. Add the white wine, bring the dish to a boil, then lower to medium and simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Return the pork to the dish and pour just enough broth over the top to cover the meat. Cover the dish and cook at 350F for 1 1/2 hour. Remove the top and cook for another 30 minutes. Serve immediately!

We had this with a glass of Caymus '91 Zinfandel, a nice fruity wine with a surprizing bit of earthiness to it. The match was a pretty good one, considering the bottle had been opened the previous night and had lost a fair amount of its attraction. I think that other good matches here would include Chinati or any of the warmer Rhone wines.

Stuffed Pork Loin Chops (Serves 2 - 4)

• 7 - 9 porcini mushrooms
• 1 1/2 cups hot water
• 1/2 cup minced prosciutto, 2 Tbs reserved
• 1/4 cup onions, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• fresh ground pepper
• 6 - 8 leaves spinach, washed and stems trimmed, chopped
• 1 Tbs olive oil
• 1 cup red wine, divided
• 1 Tbs basil, chopped
• 2 Pork butterfly loins, fat trimmed and cut in half

1. Soak the mushrooms in hot water for 15 - 20 minutes until soft. Remove and drain, then chop. Reserve liquid and 2 Tbs of chopped mushrooms.
2. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat and add the prosciutto (reserve 2 Tbs!), onions and garlic. Give the pan a couple good grinds of fresh pepper and saute for 5 minutes, then add the mushrooms (reserve 2 Tbs!), basil and 1/2 cup wine. Simmer for another 5 minutes. Add chopped spinach leaves and 1/2 cup of the reserved mushroom liquid. Cover the pan and simmer for 3 - 5 minutes until the spinach is wilted. Remove cover and simmer over medium high heat until the liquid is mostly evaporated.
3. Using a *very* sharp small knife, cut a horizontal slit in the pork. Working carefully, continue to cut the chop until you've got a good sized pocket in the meat. Avoid cutting the opening too wide -- about 1" is just right. Cover the loin chops with a piece of waxed paper and pound them thin with a meat mallet or empty wine bottle. Smash them until they're about 1/2" to 1/4" thick.
4. Divide the sauteed prosciutto mix into four parts. Peel the paper off the chops and stuff with the mix. Close opening with toothpicks and place chops in a broiling pan. Preheat broiler and cook chops for 5 minutes per side.
5. While meat is broiling, reheat pan to medium high heat. Add a bit more olive oil and saute the reserved mushrooms and prosciutto for a few moments, then add the remaining mushroom liquid and red wine. Simmer over medium high heat until the sauce thickens. Remove and keep warm.
6. Divide the mushroom/prosciutto mix over each pork loin chop just before serving. Garnish with a bit of crushed basil.