Braised Pork With Pearl Onions And Grapes Recipes

BRAISED PORK WITH PEARL ONIONS AND GRAPES

Steps:

• Season the pork with salt and pepper. In a small enameled cast-iron casserole, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Add the pork and brown well over moderately high heat, 10 minutes; transfer to a plate. Pour off the fat from the casserole. Add the wine and boil over high heat, scraping up the browned bits, until reduced by half, 3 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Add the garlic, bay leaf, thyme sprig, yellow onion and the pork. Cover and simmer over very low heat, turning once, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center registers 160 degrees F, about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan of water, boil the pearl onions until almost tender, 5 minutes; drain and peel. In a bowl, blend the 2 tablespoons of softened butter with the flour to form a paste.
• Transfer the pork to a plate. Strain the cooking liquid and return to the casserole; boil until reduced to 2 cups, 4 minutes. Whisk 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid into the flour paste until smooth, then whisk the mixture into the cooking liquid. Simmer over moderately high heat, whisking, until thickened. Simmer over low heat, stirring, until no floury taste remains, 5 minutes. Stir in the chopped thyme and season with salt and pepper. Return the pork and its juices to the casserole and add the pearl onions. Cover and bring just to a simmer, turning the pork a few times in the sauce to heat it up.
• In a skillet, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. Add the grapes and cook over moderately high heat, shaking the skillet, until the skins start to burst. Thickly slice the pork and transfer to plates. Spoon the sauce, pearl onions and grapes on top; serve.

PORK MEDALLIONS WITH GRAPES AND PEARL ONIONS

Steps:

• Bring a medium pot of salted water to boil, add the onions, and cook until almost tender but not falling apart (about 8-10 minutes). Drain and set aside, reserving 1 cup of the onion-cooking broth.
• Cut each pork tenderloin into 6 chunks. With a meat mallet, pound each to a thickness of about 1/2 inch.
• In a large skillet, over medium heat, melt 2 tbsp of the butter in the olive oil. Spread flour on a plate for dredging. Season the pork with 1/2 tsp of salt, and lightly dredge it in the flour. Brown the pork on both sides, about 2 minutes per side, and remove to a plate.
• Add the onions to the skillet, and let them cook a few minutes until lightly carmelized. Add the white wine, and bring to a boil. Once the wine is almost reduced, add the sage, the reserved onion-cooking broth, and the remaining 1/2 tsp of salt. Let the sauce simmer for a few minutes, until it is reduced by almost half. Whisk in the vinegar and the remaining 2 tbsp of butter. Add the pork back to the skillet with the grapes, and simmer until the sauce is thickened and grapes just begin to soften (about 3-4 minutes).

OVEN-BRAISED PORK CHOPS WITH RED ONIONS AND PEARS

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, bring the balsamic vinegar to a boil over high heat. Adjust the heat to a gentle boil, and boil until the vinegar is syrupy and reduced to about 1/3 cup. Set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 425° F. Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet with a flame proof handle over medium-high heat. Whack the garlic cloves with the flat side of a knife and scatter them over the oil. Cook, shaking the skillet, until brown, about 2 minutes. Lay the pork chops in and cook until the underside is browned, about 6 minutes. Remove and reserve the garlic cloves if they become more than deep golden brown before the chops are fully browned.
• Turn the chops, tuck the onion wedges into the pan, and continue cooking until the second sides of the chops are browned, about 6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. About halfway through browning the second side, tuck the pear wedges in between the chops.
• Stir the red-wine vinegar and honey together in a small bowl, until the honey is dissolved. Pour the vinegar-honey mixture into the skillet and bring to a vigorous boil. Return the garlic cloves to the skillet if you have removed them. Place the skillet in the oven and roast until the onions and pears are tender and the juices from the pork are a rich, syrupy dark brown, about 30 minutes. Once or twice during roasting, turn the chops and redistribute the onions and pears. Handle the skillet carefully-it will be extremely hot.
• Remove the skillet from the oven. Place a chop in the center of each warmed serving plate. Check the seasoning of the onion-pear mixture, adding salt and pepper if necessary. Spoon the pears, onion, and pan juices around the chops. Drizzle the balsamic-vinegar reduction around the edge of the plate.

ROASTED PORK LOIN WITH PEARL ONIONS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Rub pork with salt, pepper, and 2 teaspoons mustard. On a plate, season breadcrumbs with salt and pepper. Coat top and sides of roast with breadcrumbs, leaving ends uncoated.
• In a 9-by-13-inch roasting pan, toss onions with the oil; season with salt and pepper. Place pork in center of pan; roast 15 minutes. Turn onions; cook 10 minutes. Add 1/4 cup water; stir onions to coat. Continue cooking until onions are caramelized, pork juices run clear, and an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of meat registers 140 degrees, 10 to 15 minutes more. Remove pork and onions from pan; let meat rest 20 minutes before slicing.
• While meat is resting, add 1/2 cup water and remaining teaspoon mustard to pan. Cook over medium heat, scraping up browned bits. Stir until sauce is fully blended, 3 to 5 minutes; serve with pork and onions.

GLAZED PEARL ONIONS AND GRAPES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F with rack in middle or lower third.
• Blanch unpeeled pearl onions in boiling water 2 minutes. Drain and transfer to an ice bath to stop cooking. Peel onions and trim off root ends.
• Bring onions, vinegar, and water to a simmer in an ovenproof 12-inch heavy skillet with sugar, butter, bay leaf, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Cover and simmer 3 minutes.
• Uncover skillet and transfer to oven. Roast, stirring once or twice, until most of liquid has evaporated, 15 to 18 minutes. Stir in grapes and roast, stirring once or twice, until liquid glazes onions and grapes, 5 to 8 minutes. Discard bay leaf.
• What to drink:
• Marimar Estate Don Miguel Vineyard '06

PORK LOIN WITH GRAPES

Steps:

• Tie the pork loin with kitchen twine at 1-inch intervals. In a shallow dish large enough to hold the pork, whisk together the chopped herbs, mustard, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, teaspoon salt and teaspoon pepper. Add the pork and coat with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
• One hour before cooking, bring the pork to room temperature. Scrape off and reserve the marinade, then season the meat with salt and pepper.
• Place a roasting pan in the oven and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Place a large saute pan over high heat. Add 2 more tablespoons of the oil and heat until smoking. Add the pork and sear about 4 minutes on each side, until well browned. Transfer fat side down to the roasting pan. Set the saute pan aside. Rub the reserved marinade over the pork and top with half the butter and the herb sprigs. Place the pan in the oven and set the timer for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, toss the potatoes, shallots and grapes with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and season with salt and pepper. After the pork has cooked for 15 minutes, place the potatoes cut side down around the pork. Lay the grapes and shallots over the potatoes. Cook for an hour more, or until the center of the pork reaches 125 degrees.
• Meanwhile, drain the sauté pan of fat and return to medium-high heat. When hot, add the port and bring to a boil, scraping the bottom of the pan. When nearly evaporated, add the chicken stock and return to a boil. Whisk in the remaining butter and season with salt and pepper. Strain through a fine-meshed sieve set over a serving bowl. Cover and keep warm.
• When the pork is done, transfer to a cutting board. Cover lightly with foil and let rest at least 10 minutes before slicing. Serve on a platter over the grapes, potatoes and shallots, accompanied by the sauce.

BRAISED PORK LOIN WITH PEARS

Steps:

• Combine salt and spices. Coat pork with the spice mixture, and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.
• Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add oil. Add pork to pot. Sear pork until golden, turning with tongs, about 2 minutes per side. Stir in wine and bay leaves, scraping bottom of pot to loosen browned bits. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Partially cover, and simmer, basting meat with cooking liquid several times, 25 minutes. Remove pork from pot, and set aside.
• Stir in carrots, onions, parsnips, and garlic. Simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes. Make a well in center; return pork to pot. Quarter and core pears (peel and leave some whole if desired). Add pears, and simmer until pears are tender and a meat thermometer inserted into center of pork registers 145 degrees for medium, about 15 minutes. Let rest in pot 5 to 10 minutes before slicing. Transfer the vegetables and pears to a platter with the sliced pork. Pour sauce through a fine sieve into a bowl; pour over pork.