Cooking with Pete: Winter solstice truffled pork loin with winter vegetables and red cabbage slaw

Barb Macfarlane

For this month's recipes, Pete and Barb collaborated with John Hinman, the former owner of Nosh (now Kaos) and the current baker at Marczyk, on a winter solstice menu, that began with butter lettuce salad with tangerines, candied walnuts, and pickled red onions and moved on to Maple Pear Stiltonsnaps. This week, Pete, Barb and John prepare truffled pork loin with roasted winter vegetables and red cabbage with apples and fennel, the main dish on the winter solstice menu.

Truffled Boneless Pork Loin with Roasted Winter Vegetables and Red Cabbage

(Serves 6 to 8)

Prepare Pork

5 pounds boneless pork loin, trimmed of fat
3/4 ounce black truffles (crimini mushrooms may be substituted)
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs

1. Finely chop truffles or mushrooms and remove herbs from stems.
2. Toss the truffles/mushrooms, fresh herbs, olive oil and bread crumbs in a large bowl and combine to make a paste.
3. Liberally rub paste on all sides of the pork.
4.Place the pork on a baking pan and roast at 375 degrees until center reaches 145 degrees.

Blackberry Veal Demi Glace

1 cup frozen concentrated veal stock (Culinart Veal Demi is recommended)
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 pint fresh blackberries (frozen can be substituted)
4 ounces butter
1 shallot, peeled and minced
1/2 cup white wine
Salt and pepper to taste

1. In a medium saucepan, over low heat, melt butter. Add shallots and garlic and cook until tender.
2. Add white wine to deglaze.
3. Add demi and blackberries until the sauce is reduced.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer.
6. Serve over pork.

Roasted Winter Vegetables

2 russet potatoes
3 carrots
3 parsnips
1 celery root
1/4 cup duck fat
Salt and pepper to taste
3 or 4 sprigs of thyme

1. Peel all the vegetable, slicing them all about 1/4-inch thick.
2. Add vegetables to a large mixing bowl with duck fat, thyme sprigs and salt and pepper, and toss until vegetables are thoroughly coated.
3. Spread vegetables on a lightly oiled sheet pan and cook at 375-degrees until tender and slightly browned.

Red Cabbage with Apples and Fennel

1 head red cabbage, thinly sliced
4 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced into half moons
2 fennel bulbs, sliced
1 large white onion, peeled and chopped
1 shallot, peeled and minced
4 slabs bacon, rendered
Two shots of Kirschwasser Liqueur
2 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper to taste

1. In a large saute pan, add the butter, Kirschwasser Liqueur, bacon and minced shallots and sautee until the shallots become translucent.
2. Add red cabbage, apples, fennel, onions and salt and pepper.
3. Cover and cook on medium-low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

For more from Pete, Barbara and Marczyk Fine Foods, visit the market website. And be sure to check out Who's Drinking with Pete. And for more recipes from Pete and Barb, click on our recipe archive.