PORK WITH ALMONDS AND MILK

 

This weekend dinner was a special one. It is a recipe from one of the cookbooks that my grandmother and my mother used for special occasions. When it was first published in early 1900's, it was a very 'advanced' cookbook for the era, and it has recipes not only from Catalonia, but from other European countries as well. The writer used a pen-name, but it is now known that it was written by two sisters whose father was a well-known Catalan journalist. Most of the recipes from this book, have very delicious subtle flavours that they increase in your palate as you keep eating the food. That was the case tonight. I made Pork with almonds braised with milk, and on the side, mashed potatoes with truffle and Brussel sprouts. The milk sauce looks curdled but that is the way it should be. There is a bit of work to prepare this dish, but is what it takes to have a nice and delicious meal. Bon Appetit! 🥰😋😊

Ingredients

600 gr pork loin

100g toasted almonds

400g potatoes, peeled and cut into large pieces

60 gr of butter

1/2 litre milk

1 egg yolk

1 truffle, grated

flour to coat

2 cloves of garlic, mashed

1/4 cup brandy

lard

oil

salt and pepper

500g of Brussels sprouts

Method

Preheat the oven to 150C.

Mash the toasted almonds in a mortar, or if you prefer, put them in a food processor and grind them until they are like a paste.

Make cuts on the pork, but without finishing sectioning, so that they are like the pages of a book. Season with salt and pepper.

Put the almond paste with a spoon between the sheets, making sure that each cut is well covered on both sides.

Then, tie the pork with a string, and place it in a pan with the lard and brown.

When it is very golden, add the brandy and let it reduce a little.

Place it in an ovenproof platter and cover with the milk.

Braise for 1h 15m, pouring some milk over the pork from time to time. At the end of the cooking, check if the milk has thickened. Use some of the almonds left over and mix well with the garlic, salt and pepper and add a little milk. Pour over the sauce and put back in the oven for another 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile, boil the potatoes with a little salt for about 20 - 25 minutes. Drain and put them back into the pot. Mash and add the egg yolk, the butter, a little salt and pepper and the grated truffle.

 

 

Leave to cool a little and then reshape the potatoes making sure they are all the same size.

Coat with some flour and fry in oil in a pan.

While the potatoes are cooling, boil water in a pot with a bit of sauce and add the previously prepared Brussels sprouts. Let them cook for about 5 minutes and drain. Put butter in a pan and fry the sprouts until they are a little golden.

The pork is served with some of the sauce and with potatoes and sprouds on the side.

Serves 4