Pork Loins with Pistachio Nuts, or Filetti Di Maiale ai Pistacchi: Pork loin is both economical and tender, though it does require some care because if it is overcooked it toughens up. Therefore, cook it only until it is white throughout. This recipe will work quite nicely in an elegant meal. To serve 6:
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 pork loins, weighing about a pound each
- 1/4 pound (100 g) thickly hand-sliced smoked ham; cut the slices into inch-wide (2.5 cm) strips
- 2 ounces (50 g) shelled unsalted pistachio nuts
- 1 clove garlic, crushed and skinned
- A small (4/5 cup, or 200 ml) glass milk
- 2 sprigs sage
- 2/5 cup (80 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Butcher's twine
Preparation:
Blanch the pistachios and peel off their skins, then chop them coarsely and combine them with the butter.
Make an inch-deep (2.5 cm) lengthwise cut in the center of each loin. Rub the cuts with salt and pepper, spread the pistachio mixture into them, and line each with strips of ham. Tie the meat with the butcher's twine, as if you were tying a salami, to keep the filling ftom coming out. Heat a quarter cup of olive oil in a skillet, together with the sage and the garlic, and add the meat. Brown them, turning them once, and then add the milk and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover, turn down the heat, and simmer for a half hour, spooning the drippings over the meat frequently. After the half hour is up, remove the lid and turn up the burner; cook, shifting the meat about, until the sauce has thickened. Serve the meat sliced, with its sauce.
In terms of an accompaniment, I might be tempted by either mashed potatoes or polenta, and also stewed button onions. In terms of a wine, a Chianti Classico or a Nebbiolo D'Alba would be nice.
Make an inch-deep (2.5 cm) lengthwise cut in the center of each loin. Rub the cuts with salt and pepper, spread the pistachio mixture into them, and line each with strips of ham. Tie the meat with the butcher's twine, as if you were tying a salami, to keep the filling ftom coming out. Heat a quarter cup of olive oil in a skillet, together with the sage and the garlic, and add the meat. Brown them, turning them once, and then add the milk and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover, turn down the heat, and simmer for a half hour, spooning the drippings over the meat frequently. After the half hour is up, remove the lid and turn up the burner; cook, shifting the meat about, until the sauce has thickened. Serve the meat sliced, with its sauce.
In terms of an accompaniment, I might be tempted by either mashed potatoes or polenta, and also stewed button onions. In terms of a wine, a Chianti Classico or a Nebbiolo D'Alba would be nice.
