Slices of Pork Roast with Mangoes & Preserved Lemons
We’re talking pigs again. Last week I alerted you to the possibility that Wilbur, Babe and the Three Little Pigs can fly. Now it gets better. Did you know Piglet of Winnie the Pooh-fame sponsors an annual cookbook contest? I mean, how many Piglets do you know? It just may be that Piglet chooses the 16 most notable cookbooks of the year to face off competitively. This week I’m all about that idea and those 16 books.
Piglet, Winnie-the-Pooh’s best friend, is a fictional character from A. A. Milne’s books. Reprinted with permission of The Walt Disney Company
After better comes best. Here it is. This week’s French Friday’s with Dorie recipe choice is a delicious Pork Roast with Mangoes & Lychees. About those lychees. Not to be found in Aspen. I substituted with preserved lemons which may be tastier. This roast is a crowd pleaser, simply made and easily served.
The pork and added ingredients are ready to go into the oven for its final braise.
For my roast I bought a Hormel® Always Tender® Lemon Garlic Pork Tenderloin. Never fails me. I made this dish with no changes except the preserved lemons, thinly sliced. Use your meat thermometer because 140 degrees is the max for a moist, flavorful result. For dinner I added a baked sweet potato and Red Cabbage, Parsnip, Orange, Date Salad (later post). See the pork recipe below.
This week’s French Frieay’s recipe is ready to be served.
Most of you don’t realize on Friday, May 22, we Doristas (the affectionate name for our gang), will be cooking our last recipe from “Around My French Table, more than 300 recipes from my home to yours.” We began in October 2010 with Gougères. I was late to the party, joining in February 2011.
My “Around My French Table” cookbook.
I won’t belabor our French Fridays journey now. But before we begin discussing 16 new cookbooks I want you to see a veteran. My AMFT cookbook has lived in California, Arizona, Nevada and Colorado. If I’m traveling for more than one Friday, it’s joined me. If pages are torn from the book, it’s a good bet I traveled by air. The binding and contents parted company 37 recipes ago. Call it taped, stained, greasy, ripped and all mine.
In February of every year Food52, an online food blog ‘committed to helping people become better, smarter, happier cooks,’ sponsors The Piglet Tournament of Cookbooks. During a three week period the year’s 16 most notable cookbooks (in the opinion of Winnie-the-Pooh and Piglet OR the Food52 staff) face off. No categories. No classifications. No groupings. Toss them together and, like cream, see what rises to the top.
The sixteen cookbooks chosen to compete in The 2015 Piglet Tournament of Cookbooks. Food52 Photo.
The competition is bracketed. Each face-off is individually evaluated by a judge, primarily food professionals. To my mind NPR’s host of All Things Considered, Melissa Block, and food writers Kate Christensen and Rosie Schaap were the crème-de-la-crème in this arena. The judges are apparently restricted by no criteria so creativity and sometimes, craziness reigns. Food blogger Adam Roberts’ critique (my personal opinion and, others, incidentally) was in poor taste and not amusing. Belittling someone? Uh, no. Take a look.
Of the 16 chosen 2015 cookbooks, I had recently purchased 4 but was not even aware of the others. That’s why I love this competition.
Of the 16 nominated cookbooks, I already owned four but was clueless about the others. The beauty of this quirky February Madness was meeting 12 other well-regarded cookbooks (an Amazon moment, perhaps). The judge’s evaluations, whether thumbs up or down, are a feast in words.
In the finals, it was David Lebovitz’s My Paris Kitchen versus Brooks Headley’s Fancy Dessert. If you recall, I just cooked David’s cover recipe, Poulet À La Moutarde, and have already bookmarked 15 more recipes. It lost. Hey, David, in the words of Joe Jacobs, We wuz robbed.
Poulet À La Moutarde, a delicious mustard chicken from David Lebovitz’s “My Paris Kitchen” cookbook.
Check out Food52, an indisputable winner in the blogging world. Don’t miss next year’s Piglet Tournament. The competing 2015 cookbooks and Link are: Brooks Headley’s Fancy Desserts; A Kitchen in France; Flavor Flours; Baking Chez Moi (our own Dorie’s latest); Heritage; Prune; Huckleberry; Lunch at the Shop; Buvette: The Pleasure of Good Food; A Boat, A Whale & A Walrus; Smashing Plates; A Change of Appetite; Bar Tartine: Techniques & Recipes; My Paris Kitchen; Green Kitchen Travels; Olive, Lemons, and Za’atar.
PORK TOAST WITH MANGOES & LYCHEES by Dorie Greenspan
INGREDIENTS:
1 2- to 2½-pound pork loin roast, at room temperature
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 large onion, finely chopped
5 garlic cloves, split, germ removed, and thinly sliced
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
½ cup dry white wine
3 tablespoons soy sauce
Juice of 1 lime
3 tablespoons honey
½–1 teaspoon piment d’Espelette or chili powder
1 bay leaf
2 thyme sprigs
1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and cut into thin strips
10 lychees, peeled and pitted if fresh, drained if canned ( To substitute preserved lemons, go here.)
DIRECTIONS:
1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
2. Pat the roast dry with paper towels. Place a Dutch oven or other heavy oven-going casserole over medium-high heat and pour in 1 tablespoon of the oil. When it’s hot, put the pork fat side down in the pot and cook for a couple of minutes, until the fat is browned, then turn it over and brown the other side. Transfer the roast to a plate, season with salt and pepper, and discard the oil.
3. Return the pot to the stove, this time over low heat, and add the remaining tablespoon of oil. When it’s warm, toss in the onion and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes, or until the onion is translucent. Turn up the heat and pour in the vinegar — stand back, the scent of hot vinegar is very strong. When the vinegar has almost evaporated, a matter of a minute or two, pour in the wine. Let the wine bubble for 30 seconds or so, then add the soy, lime juice, and honey. Bring to a boil, stir in the piment d’Espelette or chili powder, add the bay leaf, thyme, mango, and lychees, and give the pot another minute at the boil.
4. Add the roast fat side up, baste with the sauce, cover the casserole, and slide it into the oven. Allow the roast to braise gently for 30 minutes, then check its temperature: you’re looking for it to measure 140 degrees F at its center on an instant-read thermometer. The roast is likely to need a total of 40 to 50 minutes in the oven, but it’s important to check early, since pork varies.
5. Pull the pot from the oven, transfer the roast to a cutting board, cover it lightly with a foil tent, and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes, during which time it will continue to cook (its temperature will probably rise another 5 degrees or so).
6. While the roast is resting, taste the sauce. If you’d like to concentrate the flavors even more, boil it for a couple of minutes. Don’t forget to check for salt and pepper.
7. Slice the roast, which makes 6 to 8 ample servings, and add the sauce.
French Fridays is an international group of bloggers cooking their way through Around my French Table. Thanks, Cher, The not so exciting adventures of a dabbler…, for introducing me to The Piglet three years ago.
That cover recipe alone was fantastic. He served that in NYC on Monday and each and everyone of us Doristas
as well as everyone else claim it to be excellent. Love your post, can’t believe we are almost finished. I just finished this week’s recipe and it was fantastic. Knowing the pork today compared to years back, this is the only way to go by braising it. The sauce was fantastic, and I saw my very first lychee nut. How about that. You are never too old to learn.
Yours looks great Mary – glad you enjoyed. No. I refuse to believe the AMFT journey is just over a month away from being over. What will I cook? What will we eat? What will I write about every Friday?
So now the Dominican Chinese French recipe is Moroccan too with your addition of preserved lemons… this dish is covering all continents. Coming from sausage manufacturing family I am all for pork though it is a little too lean these days. The salad you served with this dish sounds amazing. Look forward to the post.
I looooove The Piglet. I fought the urge to buy any more cookbooks while the contest was going on, but it sure beefed up my Amazon wishlist for when Matt is asking for ideas for Christmas. I’m most intrigued by Smashing Plates. I do already have Lebovitz’s book, but I haven’t cooked much out of it–yet. There’s a lot to love in there. I made the vegetable soup with pistou. The soup was fine. The pistou was DELICIOUS. I was licking it off my fingers. No food necessary.
Thanks for the recap, I had never even heard of this content before. I have both the Food52 book and David Lebovitz’s and LOVE them both. I have made a few from David’s book already (including that gorgeous and delicious cover photo) but, like you, still have so many more bookmarked.
I also love the Piglet…I have been following it for several years. Unlike you, I kind of think some of what Adam Roberts wrote about “A Kitchen in France”, reflected some of how I feel of the blog/book. It is a gorgeous book, with gorgeous photos…but way too many of Mimi. And who looks like that while they’re in the kitchen cooking! Just my humble opinion! In addition to David’s book “My Paris Kitchen”, and Dorie’s “Baking Chez Moi”, I also own “Olives, Lemons and Zaatar”…love it!
Very nice post, Mary! Your Pork Roast looks luscious! I love that you added preserved lemons…great idea! Happy weekend!
Nick wore Pooh and friends rings (including Piglet) all through preschool—till he started getting itchy from water getting trapped under them (athletes’ hand???). And his threadbare Winnie came with him everywhere, too. Big fans here. Love your pork (Iowans do enjoy their pork), love hearing about Piglet’s tournament of cookbooks, love knowing how well loved your AMFT is!
The photo of your two sets of hands on that pan is priceless. Your idea for subbing in preserved lemons is inspired. People seem to struggle with the identity of this dish. French? Asian (no, 3 T of soy does not an Asian dish make), Dominican Republic? lol. So why not add a taste of of North Africa? They have been a staple in my fridge ever since we needed them for that lentil salad. I truly think they would be perfect in this, with or without lychees.
As for Adam’s turn at the Piglet (a contest I would not know of if not for you), I think it was just pitch perfect. The whole notion of the Piglet must be taken tongue in cheek — the idea of squaring off two (often incomparable) books this way is ridiculous at best and my reading of Adam’s judging was a nod to just this. COMPLETELY subjective, so when one reviewer offers up their subjectivity creatively and entertainingly and in a manner that makes his opinion abundantly clear, I think its sad for others to blow it into such a big “scandal.” His criteria for judgement, as you pointed out, was unrestricted by the contest. He seemed to like the content but couldn’t connect to her point of view and I thought he explained it clearly. I actually have both books, love them both, and wouldn’t want to have to declare a winner in a contest like that. In this regard I think the Piglet itself is cruel, not just this one review. But we can agree to disagree, right?
I think I like your adaptation of this recipe better than the original Mary! Looks wonderful and perfect for a dinner party!
I love the Piglet best in the first round, when I get introduced to a shelf’s worth of wonderful cookbooks. It can get dicey thereafter, though there are always some wonderful pieces along the way. This year, I think the judges were bedazzled by punk rock masculinity.
Preserved lemons would be wonderful in this dish, though the canned lychees I used were great, actually. My parents were a little skeptical about the mix of ingredients, but loved the sweet and sour results. I did, too.
I loved this dish, and the salad that you served with it sounds amazing – not your average garden salad.
Your dish looks delicious! So happy that you enjoyed it! I’m not in the preserved lemon camp, but I’m sure your dish would convert me!!
I very much enjoyed your post about the contest. I’d caught snippets of it while it was going on. What an interesting concept! I’m guessing that I only have the one cookbook out of the list – but we’ll see. So much to cook, so little time!!
Oh I just utterly loved this post. EVERYTHING about it- content, photos, everything ! So sorry I have been horribly behind in commenting (don’t get me started on the 37 makeups I have to do LOL) but I wanted to send you a virtual hug and let you know you are in my thoughts. We will find a way to get all us Doristas SOMEWHERE in the future and have a fabulous little old reunion. In the meantime, your pork and your blog look fabulous. And that plating with the beautiful blue/white plate – genius 🙂
I want to know how you got Walt Disney to give you permission to include your picture of Piglet. I still have my Pooh books from childhood. They resemble your AMFT. My favorite was Eeyore.
Your piggy dinner looks great. Your substitution of preserved lemons was inspired. Nice one!
And I really enjoyed your recap of the Piglet because I get overwhelmed following it.
Ooooh, the preserved lemons look and sound really neat for this recipe. I’ll have to try that and I shall also have to try your recommended Hormel pork loin as I generally avoid the cut due to troubles with dryness (or I brine it, which I forgot to do when I made this dish). Looks beautiful, Mary! I went and checked out Roberts’ critique as I hadn’t been following Piglet and, while I did chuckle, I don’t think it was overly appropriate for judging a competition. Even with his attempts at self-deprecation, I’m just not sure he was considering audience as much as he should’ve. Then again, he was probably thinking that they shouldn’t have asked him if they didn’t want his style of writing. Anyway, very interesting and thanks for the link.
Interesting post… I Am curious how you can judge such different cookbooks so I guess I have to check out the piglet on Food52. Isn’t it like apples and oranges?
Miss you
Ttr
I always learn something from your blog. Thanks for all the info on Food52. About the cruise you know me so well, it was only 2 pounds but I still haven’t lost it all. Since we have been cruising 7 years now I have had to make adjustments and restraint. I do not eat any bread at dinner or pastries at breakfast or snacking between meals and I still gained weight. The older I get the easier it goes on:) Your tenderloin looks delicious and I like the preserved lemon idea. You weren’t missing anything with the lychees.
I enjoyed following the contest this year for sure! 🙂 Love your mangoes and your re-creating David’s cover shot! Fantastic!
Great job Mary! I, like you, have travelled with my copy of AMFT, more times than I can count…. let the people keep laughing, but the entire family gets into it when we cook from AMFT! 🙂
I think we all have roughed-up copies of AMFT! Our badges of honor. I enjoyed this pork recipe too.
Dear Mary, I believe my rather lengthy comment has disappeared into thin air – now if you get double, please delete this one. I think that your preserved lemon idea is wonderful – these thin slices of lemon make this dish look way more elegant than those lychees did – I bet your pork was extremly flavorful. How did you enjoy the Red Cabbage, Parsnip, Orange, Date Salad – I have not made it yet but a few of the other dishes from the CCC line-up.
This is the first I hear about the cookbook contest on Food 52 – sounds interesting. I was considering buying David Lebovitz´s My Paris Kitchen but since I just bought two new cookbooks recently and since I am quite enarmored with them, the pictures and the recipes – I will wait before buying another one.
For now I am busy putting the finishing touches on my “garden party” posts – this is taking longer than I wanted. But I am not complaining, the weather was fantastic, the guests patient and Freya a very happy camper. Who could ask for more?!
Lots of love from all of us,
Andrea