Elaine Cooks

Todd and I recently visited Palermo, Sicily, for a winter vacation. We hit the town! On our first night, we walked along the beach near our apartment located in Mondello and shopped in a nearby market, picking up local treats…and…on our second night…we hit the town! We watched a delightful Puppet House Theatre performance at Teatro dei Pupi di Mimmo Cuticchio (it was performed in Italian, and so we tried to follow the medieval epic depicting conflict between Christians and Moors as best we could!) The puppets were beautifully made and the puppeteers were masterful in bringing the the puppets to life (which included a daring knife duel..and a beheading)! Afterwards, we sought out a nearby restaurant for dinner. Often, randomly seeking a restaurant without a plan or reservation doesn’t end well, but this particular night, we lucked out! We walked into Buatta, Cucina Populana, a cute, lively restaurant, and were warmly greeted by its friendly staff!

Todd ordered a traditional, local dish of Palermo, Bucatini con sarde e finocchietto (translated in English: Bucatini Pasta with Sardines, wild fennel, pine nuts, raisins (which were golden) and saffron). I ordered Capocollo di maiale con contorno (translated in English: Pork Neck with side dishes, which for this dish, included potatoes and mushrooms).  It sounded a bit basic, and not something I would normally order, particularly given Cod, my favorite dish, was the Fish of the Day, but when the Pork Neck arrived, it was so fantastic, I wanted to share it for everyone on my blog!

An explanation on Pork Neck; this cut of pork is a less popular cut, perhaps because it is a bit higher in fat content, but it’s the higher fat content that, with proper braising, and proper rendering of the additional fat this cut offers, makes for a very tender and flavorful meal. Pork Neck is a muscle of a pig that begins at the head and continues through the fourth or fifth rib of the upper pork shoulder.  When purchasing pork neck (you can also ask for pork collar), if you are able to do so, ask your butcher to cut your selected portion along the natural seams of the muscles, rather than to cut across them, isolating the cut you purchase to one muscle.  Doing so allows for a cooking process that benefits the single muscle in your cut of pork, which will create a more consistent cook, and ultimately, tender, delicious slices of pork neck.

Mangia!

Ingredients

• For the Capocollo (or Pork Neck)
  • 2 lbs pork neck or, if not available, pork collar
  • 1 package of mushrooms, chantarelle or, if not available, cremini
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 cup fresh rosemary, finely chopped
  • 1 cup fresh thyme
  • 1 tbsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp ground pepper
  • pinch of crushed red pepper, if desired

• For the Contorno (or Side Dishes of Potatoes and Mushrooms)
  • 2 lbs waxy potatoes, peeled and cleaned
  • 8 ounces mushrooms, type of your choice
  • 3 whole cloves of garlic
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine (or chicken broth)
  • small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped (I recommend chopping the parsley, if not in advance, while the potatoes are boiling)

Instructions

Preheat the oven. Begin at 425 degrees.

Pat dry and season the Pork Neck. In a small bowl, mix the rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper, and, if desired, a pinch of crushed red pepper (also referred to as pepperocino). Coat the pork with the mixed seasonings.

Place pork on a roasting pan, with a rack to allow drippings to collect under the pork. Cover with foil and, once the oven is preheated, place in oven for 90 minutes.

Prepare the potatoes. While the pork is roasting, place the potatoes in a pot of salted cold water. Add any aromatics which, I recommend: garlic, bay leaves and peppercorns. Cover and bring to boil (about 15 minutes or until cooked, then drain. Remove and discard aromatics.

Check the potatoes – they should be pierced easily with a fork but also retain a firm texture. If the potatoes appear overcooked or slightly mushy once drained from the pot, submerge them in ice cold water to halt the cooking process.

Thickly slices the potatoes. Mix with a dash of olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and set aside.

Prepare the Mushrooms. Type of mushrooms may be by your choice. If using chanterelle mushrooms, coarsely chop for large, but bite-sized pieces. If using cremini mushrooms, thickly slice. Salt and pepper either (or any) option. Set aside.

Check the pork after 90 minutes. Gently remove the pork from the rack, but only to drain the drippings into a small to medium saucepan.

Strain the drippings. Use a fat separator to skim the fat off of the gravy to drizzle over the flavorful liquid from the drippings (without the excess fat – it makes a difference!). Pour the de-fatted gravy into a saute pan. Add 1/2 dry white wine (or chicken broth, if preferred). Bring to a boil and then simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the potatoes and mushrooms to the bottom of the roasting pan, return the pork to the rack over the vegetables, and pour the strained gravy over the pork, allowing the gravy to pour over the potatoes and mushrooms beneath the pork in the pan. Roast, without foil, for approximately 45-60 minutes longer.

If desired, in the final 10-15 minutes, adjust the oven setting to broil to develop some additional browning and color (but remove the foil if you opt for the broiling process).

Assemble your dish. Slice the pork, add the potatoes and mushrooms and drizzle with gravy. Adorn the platter, if so desired, with a sprig or two of rosemary and thyme.

Buon Appetito!