I love pork. It’s so good in so many different ways. Pork is widely heralded as the world’s most popular meat and it’s easy to see why. When cooked properly, pork is succulent yet lean, tender but substantial, and truly delicious. Back in the day, you had to torture pork until it was cooked to ridiculously high temperatures to avoid trichinosis, which meant that old school pork was as yummy as shoe leather. Fortunately, due to advances in raising pigs, trichinosis is not a concern anymore so clocking in at 160 degrees will keep you safe and keep your pork moist. At 160 degrees, a pork roast will still have a slight rosiness to its center so don’t freak out if you see a bit of pink.
This dish showcases the classic German combination of pork and caraway. Spaetzle is side dish of tiny noodle-like dumplings that traditionally accompanies meat dishes in Germany and Austria. Spaetzle is also a very fun word to say and would make a great name for a pet. Here, the nutmeg flavoring the spaetzle provides a fine balance to the pork’s caraway crust and full-bodied tomato gravy. Serve with a simple green salad to round out the meal.
CARAWAY CRUSTED PORK ROAST WITH SPAETZLE
For the pork roast:
3 1/2 pound boneless pork roast
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced into rings
1 cup low sodium beef broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Using a mortar and pestle, gently crush together the caraway seeds and mustard seeds. Mix in the remaining herbs and spices.
Cover the bottom of a small roasting pan with the sliced onions.
Place roast, non-fat side up, on the onions and massage with half of the olive oil. Rub half of the caraway seed mixture into the top of the roast, taking care to press the seeds firmly into the meat.
Turn roast over and repeat with remaining olive oil and caraway seed mixture.
Place roast in the oven for 10 minutes then lower heat to 350 degrees. Cook for approximately 20 minutes per pound.
Remove roast from oven when internal temperature reaches 155 degrees. Place roast on serving platter, tent loosely with tin foil and allow to rest for ten minutes. Internal temperature will reach 160 degrees while the roast rests.
Place roasting pan containing onions over stove burner on medium high heat. Add beef broth and bring to a quick boil. Scrape up any brown bits that appear in the bottom of the pan. Stir in tomato paste until fully incorporated. Lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes to thicken the gravy.
Thinly slice pork roast and arrange on serving platter. Spoon over the tomato gravy, including the onions.
For the spaetzle:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 eggs
1/2 cup to 3/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon of dried parsley or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
few grinds of black pepper
Combine together the flour, 1 teaspoon of the salt and the nutmeg.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and 1/2 cup of milk.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Whisk until smooth. The mixtures should be like thick pancake batter. If too thick, add in one extra tablespoon of milk at a time and whisk until the proper consistency is achieved.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Position a large holed colander (not a sieve!) over the boiling water and slowly pour in the batter one cup at a time. Swirl the colander to allow the batter to run through the holes and into the water. The spaetzle are fully cooked when they float to the surface. Used a slotted spoon to transfer cooked spaetzle into a bowl. You will need to cook the spaetlze in a few batches.
Place the butter, parsley, remaining salt and pepper in a small bowl and microwave until the butter is melted. Gently toss the spaetzle with the melted butter.
Serves 6.
Revel & Feast 