Lunch / Dinner
Italian Milk-Braised Pork Roast with Porcini Mushrooms
Italians are famous for taking simple ingredients and turning them into mouthwatering dishes. A regional favorite of Bologna, this milk-braised pork loin is a prime example. At its core, the ingredients are just pork and milk, but what it becomes is greater than the sum of its parts. As the pork cooks in the milk, it becomes tender, and the milk morphs into a delectable nutty-tasting sauce. Adding heavy cream ensures a smooth sauce without curds, and dried porcini mushrooms elevate this roasted dinner to a new level of sophistication.
If you like pork, get ready to fall in love with this dish. The ingredients are simple, but the flavor is complex.
Ingredients
HEAT:
DEGLAZE:
Instructions
Heat butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-high until butter melts. Add pork, fat side down, and sear until brown, 3–4 minutes. Brown pork on all sides, about 5 minutes more; transfer to a 4- to 6-qt. slow cooker. Add garlic to skillet; cook 30 seconds.
Deglaze skillet with wine, scraping up any brown bits. Add milk, cream, porcini, anchovy paste, pepper flakes, and zest; simmer 3 minutes. Pour milk mixture around pork in slow cooker; submerge rosemary and sage. Cover slow cooker and cook pork until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 145° on low setting, 2 hours. Transfer pork to a platter and tent with foil to keep warm. Discard rosemary and sage.
Purée sauce in slow cooker with a handheld blender until smooth; season with salt and black pepper.
Slice pork and serve with sauce.
Because pork loin is so lean, leave the fat on it to keep it from drying out as it slow-cooks.
Adding porcini mushrooms to the sauce mixture intensifies the flavor and adds color.
For ease, purée the sauce and mushrooms with a handheld blender right in the slow cooker.
Nutritional Facts
Nutritional Facts
Per serving
Calories: 378
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 16g 24%
Saturated Fat 7g 35%
Cholesterol 155mg 51%
Sodium 190mg 7%
Carbs 5g 1%
Fiber 1g 4%
Protein 48g
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.