A rolled meat dish that braises in tomato sauce. This is Sunday dinner at its best.

A Two Pound Pork Loin
3/4 Cup of Panko Breadcrumbs
Five Tablespoons of Olive Oil, Divided
1/4 Teaspoon of Ground Black Pepper
A Teaspoon of Sea Salt
Six Slices of Capicola Ham
3/4 Cup of Pecorino Romano Cheese
1/4 Cup of Finely Chopped Roasted Almonds
1/4 Cup of Finely Chopped Fresh Italian Parsley
Two Minced Garlic Cloves
Three Hard Cooked Eggs
A Cup of Dry Red Wine (Select One That You Would Drink)
Eight Cups of Tomato Sauce

Slice the pork loin lengthwise down the middle but do not cut it all the way through. Open the pork loin like a book. Tenderize the meat with a mallot until it is about 1/4 inch thick. Season both sides with salt and pepper.

Brown the breadcrumbs over medium high heat with two tablespoons of olive oil until toasted. Put the breadcrumbs in a mixing bowl. Into the mixing bowl, add the grated cheese, the almonds, the parsley, the garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine.

Lay the capicola slices on the pork leaving about one inch all the way around the edges. Add the breadcrumb mixture evenly over the top of the capicola ham. Cut up the eggs. Add the hard cooked eggs to the center of the breadcrumb mixture. Roll the pork up tightly. With butcher’s twine, tie four times widthwise and once lengthwise.

Heat the remaining olive oil in a pot large enough to hold the meat and the tomato sauce. Brown all sides of the pork on medium high heat. Remove the meat to a plate. Add the red wine. Using a wooden spoon, scrape the brown bits that have accumulated on the bottom of the pot to loosen them. Cook the wine for three minutes. Add the tomato sauce and the pork to the pot. Simmer on low heat for 1 and 1/2 hours.

Let the meat sit at room temperature for ten minutes. Remove the butcher’s twine and cut into about 3/4 inch slices. Pour the sauce of your favorite pasta or polenta.

I made this pork for Mother’s Day dinner along with roasted fingerling potatoes, French green beans and mustard yogurt sauce. It was a huge hit. If you think that the meat will taste salty, that is not the case at all. This method of roasting produces a very tender end result.

Two Tablespoons Of Chopped Fresh Rosemary
Six Egg Whites
Six Cups Of Coarse Kosher Salt
A Tablespoon Of Olive Oil
Two Whole Pork Tenderloins

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Combine the rosemary, the egg whites and the salt in a large mixing bowl. Mix until the texture is like moistened sand.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil on high heat until it shimmers. Brown the pork tenderloins on all sides. Remove and pat the pork dry with a paper towel removing any excess olive oil.

While the pork is browning, spoon a layer of the salt mixture about 1/4 inch thick on the bottom of a roasting pan large enough to hold the pork tenderloins.

Place the browned pork in the center of the roasting pan and cover the tenderloins with the remaining salt mixture.

Roast in the preheated oven for thirty minutes. Remove the roasting pan from the oven and let the pork sit at room temperature for at least five minutes.

With a chef’s knife, chip a crack around the middle of the salt crust and carefully lift off the top. This salt crust should come off very easily. Lift the roasted pork from the salt crust bottom and place it on a carving board. Brush off any excess salt. Slice the pork into about 1/4 inch medallions and serve.

Two Pork Tenderloins (They Are Usually Sold In Packages Of Two)
A Tablespoon Of Honey
A Tablespoon Of Hoisin Sauce
A Tablespoon Of Sriracha Sauce
A Tablespoon Of Chinese Five Spice
A Tablespoon Of Light Brown Sugar
A Teaspoon Of Sea Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Of Red Cayenne Pepper
A Tablespoon Of Canola Oil
Flour Tortillas
Shredded Carrot
Shredded Celery
Chopped Scallions

Combine the canola oil, the red cayenne pepper, the sea salt, the light brown sugar, the Chinese five spice, the Sriracha sauce, the hoisin sauce and the honey in a bowl. Whisk together to form a paste. Taste and add more sea salt and/or red cayenne pepper, as desired. Brush the pork tenderloins with this mixture. Allow the meat to marinate for at least an hour.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the pork tenderloins on a baking sheet. Roast the pork for 35 minutes in the preheated oven.

Let the meat sit out a room temperature for ten minutes. Slice the pork thinly. Serve with the tortillas. Top with shredded carrot, shredded celery, and chopped scallions.

This pork dish is relatively easy to prepare and is slow cooked in red wine and San Marzano tomatoes.

Four Double Cut Boneless Pork Loin Chops
Two Minced Garlic Cloves
A Tablespoon Of Finely Chopped Red Onion
1/2 Cup Of Dry Red Wine (Select One That You Would Drink)
28 Ounces Of San Marzano Tomatoes Hand Crushed
1/4 Cup Of Grated Parmesan Cheese
Four Tablespoons Of Olive Oil (Divided In Half)
A Tablespoon Of Finely Chopped Fresh Basil
Four Whole Fresh Basil Leaves
A Tablespoon Of Finely Chopped Fresh Italian Parsley
Two Whole Italian Parsley Stalks
Two Fresh Thyme Stalks
1/2 Teaspoon Of Dried Oregano
A Teaspoon Of Sea Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Of Ground Black Pepper
1/4 Teaspoon Of Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
Butcher’s Twine

Combine the grated cheese, one minced garlic clove, two tablespoons of olive oil, the chopped basil, the chopped parsley, 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt, and a pinch of black pepper in a bowl. Mix well. Set aside.

With the palm of your hand firmly pressing a pork chop down on a cutting board, move your knife blade through the center of the meat slicing horizontally leaving the last 1/4 inch uncut. Open up the cutlet like a book. Cover the chop with plastic wrap. Pound the cutlet to about 1/4 inch thickness with a meat mallet or a heavy frying pan. Sprinkle the meat with sea salt and black pepper. Spread the cheese and herb mixture out evenly on top of each pork cutlet. Roll up each chop like a jelly roll and tie each one widthwise in two places with the butcher’s twine.

Heat two tablespoons of olive oil on high heat in a heavy pot with a lid for two minutes. Brown the stuffed cutlets on all sides and remove the meat. Add a minced garlic clove, 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt, the crushed red pepper flakes, a pinch of black pepper, the oregano and the chopped red onion to the pot. Cook while stirring for one minute. Add the red wine. Scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to loosen the brown bits that have accumulated. Add the tomatoes, the whole basil leaves, the whole parsley stalks, and the whole thyme stalks to the pot. Stir well. Reduce the heat to low. Add the meat back to the pot. Cover partially and simmer for 1 1/2 hours stirring occasionally. Remove the parsley stalks and the thyme stalks. Taste the sauce and add more sea salt and/or pepper, as needed.

When you are ready to serve, remove the pork and let it sit at room temperature for five minutes. Remove the butcher’s twine. Cut into 1/2 inch slices. The sauce can be put on pasta or rice.

I have specified ground pork for this recipe but you can just as easily use ground turkey or chicken. This sausage is excellent when used in a filling for stuffed peppers or simply cooked on the grill. Additionally, you can adjust the amount of pepper to either tone down the heat or jack it up.

1 Pound Ground Pork
1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 Teaspoon Onion Powder
1 Teaspoon Dried Oregano
Two Tablespoons Red Chili Powder
1 Teaspoon Sea Salt
1 Teaspoon Ground Cumin
1/2 Teaspoon Red Cayenne Pepper
1/2 Teaspoon Of Ground Black Pepper

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl. Mix well with you hands. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours.

A Four Pound Boneless Pork Loin (Ask Your Butcher to Tie It for Roasting)
A Whole Lemon Cut in Half
A Whole Lime Cut in Half
½ Cup of Brown Sugar
½ Cup of Sea Salt
6 Cups of Cold Water
10 Whole Black Peppercorns
10 Whole Mustard Seeds
A Whole Fresh Rosemary Stalk
Three Whole Fresh Thyme Sprigs

Combine the brown sugar, the sea salt, and the water in a pot large enough to hold the liquid and the pork loin. Put on high heat until the sea salt and the brown sugar dissolve. Turn off the heat. Squeeze the juice of the lemon and the lime into the pot. After squeezing the juice out, add the lemon and the lime to the pot. Add the black peppercorns, the mustard seeds, the rosemary stalk, and the thyme sprigs to the pot. Stir well. Allow this brining liquid to cool. When the mixture reaches room temperature, add the pork loin to the pot. Cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours.

When you are ready to roast the pork loin, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Pat the pork down well with a paper towel. Cook the pork in the oven on a rack in a roasting pan for two hours. Allow the meat to cool for at least 15 minutes before carving. Remove the butcher’s twine before slicing.

Four Pork Shanks
¼ Cup Of Roughly Chopped Red Onion
A Minced Garlic Clove
Two Fresh Italian Parsley Stalks
A Fresh Rosemary Stalk
Two Whole Fresh Basil Leaves
Two Fresh Thyme Stalks
A Cup Of Dry Red Wine (Select One That You Would Drink)
A Cup Of Tomato Sauce (You Can Use Your Favorite Jarred Sauce Or You Can Make My Recipe For Marinara Sauce Published On This Web Site 10/27/10)
A Teaspoon And A Pinch Of Sea Salt, Divided
¼ Teaspoon And A Pinch Of Ground Black Pepper, Divided
Two Tablespoons Of Olive Oil

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Season the shanks on both sides with a teaspoon of the sea salt and ¼ teaspoon of the ground black pepper. Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven on medium high heat. Add the shanks to the pot. Brown the shanks on all sides. Transfer the pork shanks to a plate.

Turn the heat down to medium. Add a pinch of sea salt, a pinch of ground black pepper, the red onion and the garlic to the pot. Cook while stirring for one minute. Add the red wine. Using a wooden spoon, scrape the bottom of the pot to loosen the brown bits that have accumulated. Add the tomato sauce, the parsley stalks, the rosemary stalk, the basil leaves, and the thyme stalks. Stir well. Return the pork shanks to the pot along with any of the meat juices that are on the plate.

Cover and place the pot into the preheated oven. Bake for two hours removing the lid for the last thirty minutes of cooking time. Serve with polenta, rice, or pasta.

This recipe will yield four burger patties. For best results, cook outdoors on a gas or charcoal grill. As an option, top the burgers with sliced mozzarella cheese or sliced provolone.

A Pound Of Ground Pork
½ Cup Of Panko Breadcrumbs
A Tablespoon Of Yellow Mustard
A Teaspoon Of Paprika
A Teaspoon Of Onion Powder
A Teaspoon Of Garlic Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Of Cayenne Pepper
A Pinch Of Ground Black Pepper
A Teaspoon Of Sea Salt

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl. Mix well. Refrigerate for at least one hour before forming into patties.