Pork Scallopini in Red Sauce

Most people think of veal when they think of scallopini, however in the last few years I've discovered that pork scallopini is much more tasty!  Besides, it's a lot less expensive.  Tyson has some good pork scallopini meat that is really awesome.  Also, if you want to make your own, all you need is a meat slicer, or partially thawed lean pork roast.  Use an 8"-10" chefs knife to cut very thin slices from a roast that is still a bit frozen, but easy enough to cut thin slices from.  If you have an electric slicer you are going to have a much easier time of getting them the exact same thickness. 

I used the Tyson pork scallopini from the store to make this dish. They were dredged (coated) in a mixture of seasoned bread crumbs, bread dipping spices, and a fresh ground pepper blend. 

The picture to the right shows the ingredients for the dredging mixture.  Any type of seasoned bread crumbs will do, it's what you are wanting to use at the time.  Plain would even work, however I like the seasoned ones.  Pour 1 1/4 cups of the bread crumbs into a tin pie pan or other dish that will contain the mixture in approximately 8" area.  To the crumbs, add the ground pepper mix (a blend of 4 or more types of peppercorns), then what ever seasoning you like from there.  I chose the bread dipping seasoning from Dean Jacob's.  The Tuscany Blend can be purchased on-line from Amazon.com or the website "Better Taste," and look in the sauces and condiment's section.  You can get the 4.5 oz containers for $4.95 each, or buy several for a much discounted price.  They are well worth the price as the flavors are hard to recreate in a short amount of time, and these are a real time saver for those with a busy schedule!  The Sicilian and Parmesan Blends are also quite stellar!  I highly recommend them for everything from Roast Chicken, to linguine with olive oil.  They go great in red sauces and no cook nights for bread, cheese, and meat. 

Coat both sides with the bread mixture, insuring that all surfaces are well coated.  No salt is needed if you use a seasoning blend with added salt listed in the first 4 ingredients.  Stack each dredged piece of meat onto a plate (I like paper for the convenience).  Once all pieces are coated, take them to the stove to be fried.

Using a fork or a pair of small appetizer tongs, transfer 2 or 3 pieces of the meat to the pan which has been preheated with a high temp oil such as grape seed oil or sunflower oil.  You don't want to use olive oil for this as toxins are created from it when temperatures are too high.  If it's smoking, toxins are being created!  So, to do anything requiring high heat, make sure your oil is one that will handle it without breaking down.  I used sunflower oil made by La Tourangelle.  The heat level is stated clearly on all their oils.  I like their oils best, other than my Spanish olive oil, and can be purchased in some grocery stores, at Whole Foods, or on-line.  Their products are well worth the money.  Brown each piece of meat lightly on each side.  Approximately 45 seconds on each side using a medium high heat.  Place them on a plate lined with paper towels to soak up the excess oil.  Layer another paper towel on top of these to receive the next batch of fried scallopini.  Each layer should have a new towel to rest on while the others are cooking.

After all the meat is browned, rinse the pan with hot water, after waiting for the pan to cool down for a few minutes.  Lightly dry the pan and place it back on the burner to reheat at a medium high heat again.  (Click on any picture in this blog to see a closer picture, and target the item you want to see most, then click again to get even closer)

Arrange the meat back into the pan and get your cognac out and ready to pour and light.  This takes a bit of practice also.... DON"T burn your eyebrows!  Using a long instant lighter as shown at the bottom of the picture to the right, pour a fairly good cognac (about 1/4-1/3 cup) into the pan and immediately light it while keeping your body and head a safe distance from the pan.  (click on the picture to enlarge it and see the flames!)  It's really kind of exciting!  Hehe!  There will be a "woooosh" and flames!  Once this is lit, it's safe to take the pan by the handle and shake it lightly until the flames have gone out.  The flavor added this way is spectacular!  You can either serve the meat at this point, or put a sauce on it and let it simmer.  Here I'm using my favorite brand of tomato sauce, Patsy's.  It can be ordered directly from the restaurant in New York, or see if they carry it near where you live.  Bove's is also a nice brand and is found in some gourmet shops.  Which ever one you use, rinse the jar out with a cup of nice red wine such as a Beaujolais Nouveau, Rhone, or other light red, and pour the wine in the jar over the meat and sauce.  Put a lid on the pan and allow it to simmer on medium-low for 10 minutes, then turning it down at that point to the lowest setting in order to simmer for 30 minutes.  This allows the flavors to get well integrated into the meat and sauce, and then you're done!  It tastes even better the second day if you want to prepare it the day before.  I served mine with slices of ripe avocado and butternut squash. 

The wine:   d'Arenberg, 2006 Grenache, The Custodian!

This wine is a natural with this dish.  From McLaren Vale, South Australia, it is full bodied, juicy, and full of berries.  It stands up to the acidity of the tomato sauce very well, and even goes good with the butternut squash.  This winery is very consistent for making lovely wines for every day dinner or for a dinner party with friends.  Very approachable now, though it would cellar for a few years nicely (click on the picture, then click on the label for a closer view).  Enjoy it with or without food actually.  It's a good sipper!