New cookbooks focus on wonders of pork NEW YORK (A) – Cookbooks these days often sport long taglines. But porkistas are refreshingly to the point. Three letters seem to suffice. “Pig,” by cookbook writer J a m e s Vi l l a s , i s n o t h i n g less than a poem of porcine devotion, an ode to the idea that if everything’s better with bacon, everything else is better with anything hog-related ( t h i n k s k i l l e t c o r n b re a d w i t h cracklin’s). A born-and-bred Southerner, the author offers a jowl-to-tail primer on the animal’s parts and their uses, including 300 recipes. Crisp yet yielding ham croquettes recall bygone menus of southern country clubs, and baked double pork chops stuffed with oysters suggest a rare decadence. A whole chapter is devoted to barbecue, of course. And there’s little regard for what your doctor might think of your meal: see deep-fried marinated pork nuggets. For those of us unlucky enough to have been born outside pig heaven (the South), Villas offers re c i p e s a n d e x p l a n a t i o n s f o r dishes such as snert (pig and pea soup,) Dutch goose (whole roast pig belly,) and frogmore stew (no frogs involved). And while some items may seem unappealing if you weren’t raised with them — livermush and souse (hogs head cheese) a m o n g t h e m — t h e y re v e a l a southern culinary anthropology. The similarly themed “Ham,” by Bruce Weinstein and Mark S c a r b ro u g h , t a k e s a n a r ro w e r approach to the animal, focusing only on the leg. That is, the ham. Part memoir, part confessional, the book makes you wade through a little TMI (too much information) — co-author love spats, an erotic devotion to pork, that they toggle between Eudora Welty and porn sites — before offering up its recipes. B u t o n c e t h e re , t h e a u t h o r s proffer a humorous and sometimes snarky world tour of ham in all its forms. Fresh ham — the chapter for which opens with a laugh-outloud photo of some very, very fresh ham (that is, piglets) — can be roasted with cloves American style, done up with orange flower water a la Morocco, or stewed with annatto seeds as in Peru. The sections on dry cured ham take readers from Old Wo r l d t o N e w Wo r l d w i t h recipes from salty-sweet pasta with caramelized cauliflower and prosciutto to the southern breakfast staple of fried c o u n t r y h a m s t e a k s w i t h re d eye gravy. If the only ham you’ve ever known is the spiral-sliced stuff in the supermarket, you’ll learn that it’s wet cured, or brined ham. Sometimes called “city ham” or “picnic ham,” the authors
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serve up appetizing preparations such as a ham-studded macaroni and cheese and sassy jambalaya croquettes. “Pig” by James Villas (Wiley, 2010) “ H a m ” b y B r u c e We i n s t e i n and Mark Scarbrough (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2010) ••• These creamy ham croquettes from James Villas’ new cookbook, “Pig: King of the Southern Ta b l e , ” a r e g r e a t a s i s . B u t Villas also encourages cooks to experiment by adding additional ingredients, such as olives, caper and chopped bell pepper. The recipe itself is easy, but it does call for chilling the mixture overnight before forming it into patties. This helps the mixture thicken and hold its shape. If you’re in more of a hurry, and hour or so (with frequent stirring) in the freezer works, too. HAM CROQUETTES WITH PARSLEY SAUCE Start to finish: 30 minutes (plus 24 hours chilling)
Servings: 6 For the croquettes: 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter 3 scallions (white parts only), finely chopped 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus extra for dredging 1 1/2 cups milk 4 cups coarsely chopped cooked ham 3 large egg yolks 1 large egg 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 1/4 teaspoon dried sage, crumbled Salt and ground black pepper, to taste 3/4 cup breadcrumbs For the sauce: 2 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 cup whole milk Salt and ground black pepper, to taste 2 t a b l e s p o o n s m i n c e d f re s h parsley leaves For the croquette coating: 1 l a rg e e g g , b e a t e n w i t h 2 tablespoons water 2 cups fine dry breadcrumbs Peanut oil, for frying
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To make the croquettes, in a medium saucepan over medium, melt the butter. Add the scallions a n d f l o u r, t h e n w h i s k u n t i l soft and well blended, about 2 minutes. Whisking rapidly, add the milk. Add the ham, stir well, and remove from the heat. Whisking rapidly, add the egg yolks and whole egg, then return to the heat. Add the mustard, sage, s a l t a n d p e p p e r, t h e n w h i s k until well blended. Stir in the breadcrumbs. Scrape the mixture into a baking dish, cover and refrigerate overnight. When ready to cook, prepare the sauce. In a small saucepan over low, melt the butter. Add the flour a nd st ir un til a s mo oth p as te forms. Gradually add the milk, stirring until thickened and
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smooth, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in t h e s a l t , p e p p e r a n d p a r s l e y, keep the sauce warm over very low heat. Place the egg beaten with w a t e r i n a l a rg e , w i d e b o w l . Place the breadcrumbs in a similar bowl. Use your hands to divide the m i x t u re i n t o 6 b a l l s a n d ro l l lightly in the extra flour. Pat the balls into smooth oval patties. Dip each into the egg wash, then dredge through the breadcrumbs. In a large, heavy skillet over high, heat about 1 inch of oil. Fry the patties until golden brown, about 3 minutes on each side, then drain briefly on paper towels Serve the croquettes with the parsley sauce on the side. (Recipe adapted from James Villas’ “Pig: King of the Southern Table,” Wiley, 2010)
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