by Stuart Sandquist
Let’s begin with the most exciting part of this recipe, the Red Wattle Pork T-Bones from Pork and Plants. There are quite a few different pork cuts available at both France 44 and St. Paul Meat Shop featuring the Pork and Plants Red Wattle pigs and the flavor you get is superior to any other pork I’ve ever had. The Pork T-bones, for me, are the perfect size and are sold in packs-of-2 at France 44 and the St. Paul Meat Shop, so it’s perfect for a date night in.
Now, I grew up with the classic baked ham for Easter every year. While I no longer enjoy baked ham at all, I do think pork and pork products pair wonderfully with the freshness of spring. This recipe gives you everything you want: lentils cooked with rosemary, fresh spring peas, roasted carrots, sauteed spinach, juicy pork, and mustard cream sauce (moutarde). If you are unfamiliar with the classic moutarde or mustard cream sauce, you’ll love the soft mustard notes it gives to the pork, while the creamy garlic flavor is a classic pairing with the spinach in the lentils.
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 2 Pork T-Bones, approx 1.3lb total
- 1.5 cups Rancho Gordo French-Style Green Lentils
- 3 large carrots, diced
- 2 cups fresh spring peas
- 4 cups baby spinach
- 1/4 lb guanciale
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1.5 tbsp Delouis Dijon Mustard
- 1.5 tbsp Delouis Whole Grain Mustard
- 1.5 tbsp Delouis Whole Seed Mustard
- 3 shallots, minced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 sprigs fresh (or 2 tbsp dried) rosemary
- 4 sprigs (or 3 tbsp dried) thyme
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1.5 tbsp honey
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Roasted Carrots
- Preheat oven to 450º F.
- Clean and cut your carrots into a large dice or oblique cut.
- Place carrots in a medium mixing bowl.
- Add olive oil, honey, 2 big pinches of salt and some cracked pepper.
- Toss together.
- Spread out onto a sheet tray or roasting tray.
- Bake for 10 min.
- Gently re-toss carrots to cook evenly.
- Bake 8-10 more min.
- Looking for color to start developing on the outside of the carrot as well as it starting to soften but still just a little bit of bite to it.
- Set aside.
Guanciale
- Cut into lardons or 1/4 inch by 1/4 inch matchsticks.
- In a medium or large sautee pan, on low-medium heat, render and lightly brown Guanciale. Stir occasionally, to ensure even cooking.
- Remove pan from heat and remove Guanciale from pan (Try to leave leave the rendered fat in the sautee pan, we will use that pan and fat to cook the pork chop in).
Lentils
- We will be following the Rancho Gordo instructions and then adding some fun stuff.
- Rinse Lentils thoroughly.
- Pour into a medium sauce pot.
- Pour water to cover lentils by about 2 inches.
- Add 2 big pinches of salt, some black pepper, aromatics (rosemary and thyme), and about ⅓ of the shallot and garlic mince.
- Bring up to a soft boil, turn down heat and let simmer. Use a lid to control hydration.
- Simmer for 15 minutes.
- Season to taste with Salt and Black Pepper.
- Add Peas.
- Simmer for 8-10 minutes. Both the Lentils and Peas should be tender.
- Remove from heat.
- Fold in half the butter (1 Tbsp), add Guanciale.
- Add Spinach, fold until the spinach begins to wilt.
- Add Roasted carrots, mix lightly.
- Set aside, ready to serve!
Pork T-Bone
- Take T-bones out of fridge about 1 hour before cooking. Make sure they are dried off.
- In the same sautee pan that you used for the Guanciale, place the sautee pan on medium to medium-high heat.
- Thoroughly season both sides of T-Bones (just salt and pepper).
- Gently place Pork T-bones into the sautee pan.
- Cook about 5 minutes (till golden brown)
- Gently flip T-bones.
- Cook for an additional 3-5 min. (Internal temp between 140*-145*F)
- Remove Pork T-bones from heat. (Keep pork fat in sautee pan)
- let rest for at least 5 min.
Moutarde (Mustard Cream Sauce)
This is a simple pan sauce that you can do in the same sautee pan you just finished the pork t-bones in and use the pork fat to give it great flavor.
- Turn heat to low, add the rest of the garlic and shallot mix to the sautee pan. Cook lightly.
- Add the rest of the butter (1Tbsp) and melt butter.
- Remove from heat for a moment. Add Heavy cream, lightly stir, then move back to low or low-medium heat.
- Add Dijon and Whole Grain Mustard, whisk in.
- Bring up to a simmer.
- Remove from heat.
- Add Whole Seed Mustard(American Spoon).
- Season to taste.
- Put it all together and Enjoy!
