Move over beef, the new red meat pork is what's for dinner tonight

Filet mignon move over! There’s a tastier, fattier, high end pork, also known as heirloom pork, that is fast becoming the trendy new red meat of choice. Chef Michael Lomonaco of New York’s Noche restaurant shares a variety of pork dishes from his apperance in the “Today” show.

Garlic and Rum Roast Pork

Ingredients
6 large cloves garlic, peeled
2 small white onions, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 small bunch parsley, bottom stems discarded (about ½ cup loosely packed)
1 tablespoon fine sea salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper¼ cup dark rum
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 cup olive oil
2 pounds fresh pork tenderloin, about 2 pounds, trimmed of any excess fat

Directions
Put the garlic, onion, parsley, salt, pepper, rum, sugar, and lime juice in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process until finely chopped, then drizzle in the oil, pulsing just to combine.  Transfer the mixture to a small bowl.

Put the pork in a large bowl or on a platter big enough to hold it with the marinade.  Vigorously rub the pork with the marinade, cover, and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or, preferably, overnight.

Place a skillet over medium heat. Season the pork with salt and pepper and placve into the skillet. Sear until golden, about 3 minutes, then turn the pork over to sear the other side, turning again to completely sear all sides, about 3 minutes per side until well browned. Turn the heat down to low, add the remaining marinade to the pan and partly cover with a pot cover to finish cooking, about 5-6 minutes more. Cook until the internal temperature, using an instant-read thermometer inserted to the thickest part of the pork reads 155°F.

Remove the pan from the oven, transfer the pork to a cutting board, and let it rest for 10 minutes.

Carve the pork into ½ -inch-thick slices.

Grilled Pork Chops with Coffee Barbecue Sauce

Ingredients
1/4 cup fine sea salt, plus more for seasoning pork
2 pound pork shops, preferably center cut
Freshly ground black pepper
Coffee Barbecue Sauce (recipe follows)

Directions
Pour 1 quart of water into a deep container.  Add the salt and stir until it’s dissolved. Put the pork chops in the solution, submerging them completely and weighting them down with a plate if necessary.  Refrigerate for at least 12 and no more than 24 hours.

Remove the chops from the brine and pat them dry with paper towels. Prepare an outdoor grill or preheat a grill pan over high heat on the stovetop.

Season the chops with salt and pepper and put them on the grill over direct heat.  Cook for 5 minutes on each side, or less if the chops are thinly cut. After turning the chops, baste them with coffee barbecue sauce, letting the sauce caramelize onto the pork. Serve from a platter with extra barbecue sauce alongside.

Coffee Barbecue Sauce

Ingredients
1/2 cup brewed espresso or strong, dark coffee
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped, about 1 cup
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
3 fresh hot chili peppers, such as jalapeño, or hotter if desired, seeded
2 tablespoons hot dry mustard mixed with 1 tablespoon warm water
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons chili powder

Directions
Put all of the ingredients in a small pot, stir them together, and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.  Lower the heat so the mixture is just simmering and let simmer for 20 minutes.  Remove the pot form the heat, let the mixture cool, then puree it in a blender or food processor fitted with the steel blade.
The barbecue sauce can be covered and refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.

Barbecued Spare Ribs and Mango Barbecue Jam

Ingredients
1 cup vinegar
1 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons fine sea salt
1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
4 pounds pork spare ribs, St. Louis style, left as whole rack
1 cup Mango Barbecue Jam (recipe follows)

Directions
Pour 4 quarts of water into a pot large enough to hold the rib racks.  Add the vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat and cook at a simmer for 15 minutes to concentrate the flavor of the vinegar and sugar.  Add the ribs to the boiling liquid, raise the heat to high, and when the liquid returns to a boil, lower the heat so the liquid is simmering and poach the ribs for 20 minutes.  Drain the ribs and set them aside to cool.  The ribs can be made to this point, covered, and refrigerated for up to 24 hours.  Let come to room temperature before proceeding.

Preheat the oven to 425°F or prepare an outdoor grill for grilling.  Put the poached ribs in a pan with a rack, or directly over an outdoor fire.  Cook, turning occasionally, until nicely crisp and caramelized.  Brush on the jam and cook 2 more minutes, just to flavor the pork and caramelize the fruit and sugar.

Arrange the ribs on a platter and serve.

Mango Barbecue Jam

Ingredients
2 pounds firm mango, peeled, stones removed, cut into ½-inch dice
1 cup sugar
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely diced
1 sweet red pepper, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/4 cup fresh lime juice

Directions
Put the mango, sugar, chili peppers, sweet pepper, and lime juice into a pot. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.  Remove and let cool completely.  Transfer to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse a few times to a chunky texture. Keep refrigerated until ready to use or serve.

Serves 6 to 8

Crown Roast Of Pork with Apple-Cranberry Sage Dressing

Ingredients
For the pork:
1 6 to 7 pound center-cut loin of pork tied into a crown roast, bones facing outward
1 ounce dried ancho chili peppers, soaked in 1/2 cup hot water till softened, seeds        carefully removed, pureed till smooth     
1/2 cup tomato puree or ketchup
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 tablespoon ground cumin seed
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped, about 1 tablespoon
1/4 cup good Kentucky Bourbon
Salt and pepper
1 carrot roughly chopped
1 onion roughly chopped
1 celery stalk roughly chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons rendered pork fat
2 cups hot chicken broth

Directions
Preheat oven to 425 f.
Have your butcher tie the pork roast into the traditional crown roast shape, chine bone removed, split between the ribs to facilitate the formation of the crown shape. Ask for the chine bone which will be used to roast the meat on to avoid burning the bottom. In a saucepan over medium heat combine the pureed ancho chili, tomato puree, honey, vinegar, Worcestershire, black pepper, ground cumin and garlic. Bring the ingredients to a simmer and allow to cook for 20 minutes before removing from the heat and adding the bourbon.

Season the roast with salt and pepper and brush with the ancho marinade. Place the chine bone in a roasting pan and place the pork roast on the bones: this will prevent the bottom of the roast from burning. Place the roasting pan into the oven an d cook for 20 minutes before turning the heat down to 350f.Brush the roast at frequent intervals during the cooking process to keep the roast moist as well as perfumed with the spice mixture. Add the roughly cut vegetables and continue to cook until the roast reaches an internal temperature of 150 f. Remove the roast from the pan and allow to stand for 20 minutes before carving.

While the roast is resting make the quick pan gravy by pouring off all  of the rendered pork fat, leaving the rough cut vegetables in the pan. Place the roasting pan on the stove top, turn the burner on underneath the roasting pan and continue to cook the vegetables with the chine bone. Carefully deglaze the pan by adding the wine allowing most of the liquid to cook off before adding the hot chicken broth, reducing the heat to a simmer. Meanwhile in a small sauce pan combine the 3 tablespoons of pork fat with the flour and cook gently to make a light brown roux , cooking about 3-4 minutes. Using a wire whisk add the roux to the simmering stock and whip the ingredient together to avoid lumping. Add any remaining marinade to the gravy. Cook for 5 minutes before straining through a fine mesh strainer.

Serve the roast, by carving at the table, with the dressing and gravy on the side.

Serves 4 -6.

Bitter Greens and Honey Almonds
Ingredients
2 pounds mustard, kale or other greens, well washed in several changes of cold water and chopped or shredded by hand into small pieces
1 cup diced bacon
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup whole almonds
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup water
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Put the butter in a sauté pan and cook over low-medium heat until the fat has rendered and the bacon is crispy, 6 to 8 minutes.  Drain the bacon on a paper-towel-lined plate and set aside.

Put the greens in a pot, cover with cold water, and cook until tender, 20 minutes for mustard greens, 90 minutes for collard greens, 10 minutes for broccoli rabe, 10 minutes for escarole, and 15 minutes for beet greens.  Drain the greens and set aside.

In a wide, heavy-bottomed sauté pan, heat the butter and add the almonds.  Sauté until they start to brown, 3 minutes.  Pour in ½ cup of water, then the honey.  Stir and cook until the water has evaporated and the honey has caramelized and coated the almonds, approximately 5 minutes.  Before the almonds become too dry, add the cooked greens and bacon and cook together, tossing and stirring, to evenly distribute the almonds and bacon.
Serve at once.

Gingered Green Beans

Ingredients
Fine sea salt
1 pound fresh green snap beans, washed and trimmed to uniform length
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons chopped pickled ginger
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 or 3 whole, small, hot chili peppers, bird’s eye or similar
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Pour 2 cups of water into a heavy-bottomed pot.  Bring to a boil over high heat, salt the water, and add the beans.  Boil until crisp-tender, approximately 6 minutes.  Drain the beans and let cool slightly.

Pour the oil into a large, heavy-bottomed sauté pan and heat it over medium-high heat.  Add the ginger, garlic, and chili and sauté for 1 minute.  Add the beans and sauté for 2 minutes, stirring.  Use tongs to remove the chili peppers. Taste, adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, and serve.

Serves 4 as a side dish.

Cardamom and Fennel-Scented Carrots
Directions
1 pound carrots, peeled and sliced diagonally crosswise into ¼-inch-thick slices
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Fresh cilantro leaves, optional, for garnish

Directions
Put all of the ingredients plus 1/3 cup of water into a sauté pan and stir to coat the carrots evenly.  Bring to a boil and steam, covered, until the carrots are snap-tender, but not overcooked, approximately 5 minutes.

Remove the cover of the sauté pan and continue to cook over medium-high heat, stirring to keep the seeds and spices from scorching, until the carrots are nicely glazed and tender but still a bit al dente, approximately 2 minutes more.

Transfer the carrots to a serving dish, garnish with cilantro, if using, and serve family-style from the center of the table.

Serves 4 to 6 as a side dish.

Apple-cranberry sage dressing

Ingredients 
3 cups cubed French bread, fresh or day-old
1/2 cup chicken stock
3 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup whole milk
2 onion, peeled, and diced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3  tart apples such as Granny Smiths, unpeeled, cored, and cut in medium dice
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup  cranberries
3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage, or 1-1\2 tablespoons dried
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions 
Preheat the oven to 375°.  Soak the bread cubes in the chicken stock, egg, and milk until all the liquid is absorbed.   Sauté the onions in the butter until translucent.  Add the apples and continue  cooking until the apples have just begun to soften (about 7 to 8 minutes).  Remove from the heat and cool before combining the onion and apple mixture with the bread cubes.  Lightly stir in the herbs, brown sugar, cranberries and seasoning, and pour the mixture into a 2-quart ovenproof dish.  Bake for 35 minutes.  Serve hot in the baking dish or may be scooped into the center of the pork roast for a festive presentation.

MORE FROM FOOD & WINE

Food & Wine Section Front

Mark Bittman: Cooking for crowds on the fly Curtis Stone’s eggnog martini and pecan pie A real Hanukkah treat from a 'Real housewife' Stay warm this winter with potato pancakes Padma’s spicy sausage with black lentils and artichokes Lamb chops with roasted garlic, white beans Italian cooking made easy: Spaghetti in foil Nigella’s pumpkin pancakes with maple pecans Hoda and Kathie Lee’s favorite holiday treats Nigella’s edible gingerbread tree-decorations Food & Wine Section Front   Add Food & Wine headlines to your news reader: