We are well into Autumn now and Thanksgiving is quickly approaching. Comfort foods are our thing here at Allons-Eat!, and this post will continue that trend. Kyle has been sitting on a recipe since Thanksgiving of last year – a recipe for Milk Braised Pork in Pumpkin and Parmesan Sauce. The temperatures are beginning to drop, so it is the perfect time to share it with all of you.
Now, Kyle has a secret. Hopefully this is a safe place to share it. He is not crazy about Holiday turkey. What? Now, I personally love turkey, but it does get a whole lot of attention during this time of the year. While this may seem a bit blasphemous- especially if you are a die-hard turkey fan- the isn’t for everyone. For the star of the Thanksgiving feast, Kyle just gives it a big ole meh. Don’t be upset; he still cooks a Thanksgiving turkey in all its Spatch-Cocked Glory, but he also serves an alternative main course for those that may also have mixed turkey feelings. This is where his braised pork dish comes in…
Last year, Kyle really wanted to try out this technique for braising a pork shoulder in a bath of milk. He wanted to incorporate it with the flavors of a Pumpkin and Parmesan Sauce from Williams-Sonoma that he loved from a few years ago. There was never a chance to test out the technique, so he decided to commit one of the cardinal sins of entertaining-preparing a recipe for the first time for Thanksgiving dinner! In this case there was plenty of turkey, so if all went wrong at least there was some type of main course. Actually, all went splendidly! The Milk Braised Pork exceeded his expectations. The long cooking time produced a rich, tender pork that fell apart with the mere touch of a fork. The flavors from the sauce, with the milk, cheese, pumpkin, sage, and white wine, were spectacular. If you add in the aroma of the pumpkin and pork filling the air – the poor turkey was completely upstaged. A shame really – the turkey’s big day was ruined.
The best part about preparing this recipe? It was done two full days in advance of Thanksgiving. All that needed to be done was place the shredded pork in its sauce, in a foil covered dish for one hour at low heat. Like many comfort food dishes, the flavors are always better once they have had a chance to mingle in the fridge for a few days.
Kyle used a recipe from Bon Appetit as a basic template, then made several additions to the ingredient list, such as the cheese, wine, tomato paste, and canned pumpkin (to amp up the Autumn flavor appeal). The recipe instructs you to flip the pork shoulder every 30 minutes, but Kyle just left it in the Dutch Oven, skin side up, for the entire cooking time. It created a wonderfully crispy skin to complement the rich pork flavor.
The recipe also stated that blending the sauce after cooking was optional, but the extra step is necessary to create a smooth creamy sauce. After the long braising time, the milk will curdle. Don’t worry, we want this to happen. However, it looks like a hot mess, so we recommend giving it a turn in the blender to refine the presentation. You want it to look great and appetizing to your guests, right? Based on some of the comments from the original recipe, many felt that blending away the curds is an affront to the traditional technique of milk braising pork. Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t, but our choice is style over tradition. You choose what is best for you!
Another note, the recipe does call for a 4-lb. boneless pork shoulder. At our local stores, we can never seem to find a pork shoulder that small without the bone. So, as pictured, a 5-ish pound pork shoulder was used for the recipe. For other occasions, Kyle has used a 7-lb. bone-in pork shoulder, and got it to fit in his 6 1/2 quart Dutch oven. The pork bone just lends more flavor and richness to the sauce.
This recipe makes a lot of pork. You will be so grateful for the enormous amount of leftovers it yields. To prevent you from getting tired of it night after night (how that would happen, I don’t know, but it might…), you can serve it with a variety of sides. In the pictures it was served with our Herb-Packed, Stewed Cannellini Beans. It can also be served over pasta or with our Ultra Creamy Polenta (the pumpkin Parmesan sauce is basically a ready-made pasta sauce), or folded into a pulled pork version of our Pumpkin and Black Bean Quesadillas. This recipe will be the star of any Autumn meal, whether it be a holiday or any day of the week. You will enjoy many meals of it, each will be a unique and yummy experience! Enjoy!
Technique adapted from Bon Appetit.
- 5 lb. pork shoulder
- Kosher salt
- 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 medium-sized onions, thinly sliced
- 8 - 10 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 cups white wine
- 4 cups whole milk
- 3 ounces shredded Parmesan cheese (about ½ cup)
- 2 bunches sage (about 10 leaves)
- 1 handful fresh parsley
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Season pork generously with salt all over. Let sit at room temperature at least 1 hour before cooking.
- Preheat oven to 325°. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high. Add pork to pot and cook, undisturbed, until golden brown, 3–5 minutes. Turn and cook, reducing heat to medium if needed so it doesn't burn, until golden brown on all sides, about another 5 minutes. Remove pork from the pot and set aside.
- Reduce heat to medium (if you haven’t already) and add onions, garlic, and red pepper flakes to the pot. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions have softened, but not browned, about 5 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste and pumpkin puree and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the white wine, using it to scrape up any of the browned bits that have accumulated at the bottom of the pan. Increase heat to medium high, still stirring frequently until the cooking liquid starts to boil. Cook for another 5 minutes to reduce a bit of the wine.
- Turn off the heat, then add the milk and Parmesan cheese and stir to combine. Return the pork to the pot and add the sage and parsley. Transfer pot to oven and bake, uncovered, turning pork every 45 minutes, until meat is very tender, about 3 hours. (If using bone-in pork shoulder, you may have to increase your cooking time by another 30 minutes or so). Transfer pork to a cutting board and let rest for 15 minutes.
- Using a spoon, skim off most of the fat from the braising liquid; discard sage and parsley. If desired, transfer the rest of the contents of the pot to a blender and puree to achieve a smoother sauce. Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, if needed.
- Slice pork and transfer to a platter. Spoon sauce over and serve
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