Goat Milk

This classic Italian recipe of veal slow-cooked in milk uses pork to make it easier, but just as delicious.

The recipe requires less than 30 minutes Preparation time and over 2 hours Cooking time, Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

For the Pork

• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 3–4 kg/6lb 8oz–8lb 13oz whole pork loin on the bone
• 2 onions, sliced
• 2 small or 1 large garlic bulb, cut horizontally through the middle
• 100g/3½oz butter
• 3–4 cloves
• pinch freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 10 black or mixed peppercorns
• 4–5 bay leaves
• 2 litres/3½ pints goats milk
• 2 lemons, thick strips of zest and juice only
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

To serve

• 1 bunch Swiss chard, stems removed and roughly chopped, leaves shredded
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 150C/130C Fan/Gas 2.
• For the pork, heat the olive oil in a large ovenproof dish over a high heat. Once hot, season the pork with salt and pepper and fry until browned on both sides. Add the onion, garlic and butter and fry for 2–3 minutes. Stir in the spices and pour in the milk. Add the lemon peel and juice. Transfer to the oven and cook for 1½–2 hours.
• Once the pork is cooked, strain the cooking liquor and simmer over a medium heat until the volume of liquid is reduced to a sauce consistency. It will have curdled, but that’s how it’s meant to be.
• To serve, bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Cook the Swiss chard for 2 minutes, then drain well and set aside.
• Heat a frying pan and add the oil. Once hot, add the blanched Swiss chard and cook for a few minutes until tender.
• Slice the pork into portions and pour the sauce over the top. Serve the Swiss chard on the side.

 

Chicken wrapped around tomato-basil flavored feta cheese–simple, succulent, and sensational.

 

This recipe requires 15 minutes Preparation time, 30 minutes Cooking time, and Serves 6

 

Ingredients:

 

• 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 6 ounces tomato basil feta cheese, crumbled
• ¼ cup Italian-style dry bread crumbs, divided

 

Direction:

 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9×13 inch baking dish.

 

• Place chicken breasts between 2 pieces of waxed paper. Gently pound chicken with flat side of meat mallet or rolling pin until about 1/4 inch thick; remove wax paper. Place 1 ounce of feta cheese in the center of each chicken breast, and fold in half.

 

• Spread 2 tablespoons bread crumbs in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Arrange chicken in the dish, and top with remaining bread crumbs.

 

• Bake 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

Each serving provides 224 kcal; protein 32g, carbohydrates 4.6g, fat 7.8g, cholesterol l93.7mg and salt 481mg.

Boned Pork Loin

This is a traditional Italian method of cooking pork that makes the meat wonderfully tender. Flavoring the goats milk with sage and lemon makes the dish extra special.

This recipe requires less than 30 minutes Preparation time, more than 2 hours Cooking time, and Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 5 litres/2½ pints full-fat goats milk
• 175g/6oz unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 x 750g/1lb 10oz boned pork loin with rind still attached
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced
• 6 sage leaves
• 2 unwaxed lemons, zest removed in strips, cut in half
• 500g/1lb 2oz waxy potatoes, peeled and left whole
• 1 head cavolo nero, chopped
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Direction:

• Preheat the oven to 160C/140C Fan/Gas 3.

 

• In a large ovenproof pan or casserole, heat 100g/3½oz butter and the oil. Add the pork fat-side down and cook until golden-brown and crisp.

 

• Remove the pork from the pan and set aside. Fry the garlic and sage for 1-2 minutes. Add the lemon zest, squeeze in the juice and drop in the rest of the lemon. Add the goats milk and bring to the boil.

 

• Season the pork shoulder with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Put it, fat-side up, into the hot milk. Add the potatoes and cook in the oven for 1½ -2 hours, or until the pork is very tender.

 

• To cook the cavolo nero, heat the remaining butter in a large frying pan. Once hot, add the cavolo nero and a few tablespoons water. Cook until wilted.

 

• Remove the pork from the sauce carefully and slice thickly. Place on serving plates, pour over the sauce and serve with the cavolo nero.