apple orchard the activity around our "Common Table" began
to stir. The table was set for 180, forks and knives in place,
wine glasses shining in the afternoon light, a burlap table cloth
in place lay flat on the surface that ran the length of a football field.
My family arrived just in time to set their plates at the westeern
end of the table, our guests Cinnie and Julia May gazed across the
table into the orchard and began to ask questions about what was
in store for this special evening.
The nights menu was to be prepared by 5 chefs from some of the
areas busiest kitchens. A bouillabaise would be presented by
Kevin Penner, Coq au Vin from Brian Futterman, bite size
Croque Monsuire as Joesph Realmuto imagined it, James Carpenter
arranged a wonderful Charcouterie and Cheese plate and my Shitake
Mushroom Stuffed Pork Loin complimented the main courses.
The menu was borne from a meeting held in May (I attended via
phone) our French Country theme was agreed upon quickly. A few
days later we all recieved a list of dishes that had been suggested
in the meeting, I choose the pork quickly feeling it would be easiest
set up in The Little Kitchen prep area and roasted on site.
As the weeks passed we heard from Hilary Leff occasionally with an
eye on detail and an understanding that busy chefs have little time
to discuss details for a fund raiser twice. The request for vegetables
from Scott Chasky at the Farm came a few weeks before and all of
the sudden it was time to source the pig. In the last week of August
I spend a good deal of time talking with farmers, when I saw my
nieghbor Dale from a farm down the street from my Little Kitchen
I asked him, he put me in touch with Art Ludlow from the Mecox
Dairy. On Wednesday morning a local pig, raised on dairy farm
bi products was slaughtered, boned out and chilled for delivery to
my kichen door.
Early on Saturday morning the pork prep began, Virginia had come
from Manhattan to help, her first effort invloved cleaning a dozen
leeks. She removed the green tops and the roots, split them once
then again from top to bottom, finally chopping the leeks into
fingernail size pieces. Next the leeks are soaked in cold water,
swirled because leeks are dirty, dirty enough to re fresh the
water and swirl again. Then she peeled 3 dozen carrots and diced
them to mix with the leeks and 2 cases of sliced shitake mushroom
tops on the flat top stirring until the soften. Season with salt,
pepper and a pinch of cumin. Keep in mind, this recipe was for
40 pounds of pork. Finally we spread the shitake, leek mixture
on sheet pans and then mixed in 2 dozen ripe, diced peaches then
placed them on the racks in our fridge to cool.
To stuff the pork we placed the sides of pig on a set of cutting boards.
Next step required portioning out 5lb roasts and preparing them for
stuffing by slipping the knife between the meat and pork fat where
ever possible and slicing the roasts so that each can be stuffed and
tied off.
To fill the roast we placed as much of the stuffing as possible on each
prepared cut and then tied them off. Finally roll and tie each peice
and then rub with a combination of equal parts of kosher salt and
brown sugar with a pinch of "all spice". The stuffed roasts should be
placed on a roasting pan over remaining stuffing and wrapped with foil.
Allow to rest for a few hours at room temperature then place in a 375
oven and roast for 1.5 hours or until the center registers 145 on your
meat thermometer.
To serve, slice into 1/2 inch pieces and top with extra stuffing and a
drip of the pan juices.
