Braising or pot roasting is a great technique for making meat more tender. Braising meat in milk takes it to a whole new level. The lactic acid present in milk tenderizes the meat, making it juicy and sweet. It is a great way to use an otherwise tough cut of meat, allowing the slow process of cooking it at low heat for several hours, to let the fat break down and the meat to caramelize. Milk-Braised Pork is a classic Italian dish made famous by chefs such as Marcella Hazan.
The recipe that I used for my research was from Chef Jensen Lorenzen, formerly of The Cass House Inn & Restaurant, a place that is sorely missed! He contributed this recipe to – you guessed it – The San Luis Obispo Farmers’ Market Cookbook! Yep, still cooking from the book with more to come…
Aptly named by Chef Lorenzen, “Mind-Blowing Milk-Braised Pork”, this dish was sublime! The caramelized crispy bits on the outside were like candy and the meat was so tender, I was barely able to slice it. It was definitely mind-blowing!
Of course I always pair my protein dishes with wonderful fresh veggies from my Talley Farms CSA box. I thought that a Cauliflower Yukon Puree as a base for my pork was a magnificent idea. Since I was pretty sure that the gallon of milk called for in the pork recipe might be a bit too much, I was able to use milk as a cooking liquid for making my puree. It turned out I was right and I had plenty of milk for both recipes!
A great combination that goes together like peanut butter and jelly is pork and apples. I decided to pan fry some of my Talley Farms brussels sprouts and apples together with a bit of shallots and a drizzle peach balsamic vinegar. The contrast of tart & sweet of the caramelized sprouts & apples, brightened by the shallots with a little acid from the vinegar was perfection. A splendid addition to our meal!
So when you find yourself in the house for several hours doing laundry or reading a book, plan a project of trying out this mind-blowing technique of milk braising. It doesn’t take a lot of skill, just a little time and attention to create something magical in your kitchen!
If you would like to view or print the recipes, select the titles below: