Milk Braised Pork with Smoked Garlic, Porcini, and Feta

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post-searing / pre-braising

my last winter braising. getting too warm for this sort now. until autumn then....

boneless pork loin roast. seared until just brown in a dutch oven or similar cast iron beauty. add a healthy bit 
of milk and some dried porcini mushrooms. salt and pepper too. bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. place the lid on ever so slightly askew. go do something for 45 minutes or so. take a break from that something and flip the pork over. lid askew. back to whatever you were doing for another 45. remove the pork to rest for a few minutes. pick out the garlic heads and the bay leaves. put whats still left in the dutch oven into a food processor.
blend the hell out of it. pass it through a real fine chinois. some of the sauce is for the roast and some gets tossed with some red cabbage. nom nom nom.

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Lentil Salad of Peas, Pistachios, Bacon, and Sumac

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this is one of those dishes that comes together out of whatever you've got lying around, which is

one of the fun sides of cooking. "i've got squash, raisins, anchovies, and cornflakes. what sort of

meal can i make with this stuff?" always fun. anyway, i keep pistachios on hand at all times. i had

lentils that have been in the cupboard forever and the peas were taking up valuable space in the

freezer. the black forest bacon is leftover from a birthday brunch last weekend and had to be used.

bring some chicken stock to a boil and add black lentils. simmer until done. meanwhile, cook a few

slices of bacon until just crisp and set aside. toss some frozen peas in some of the bacon fat along

with shelled pistachios. add a splash of water if needed. toss in some sumac and black pepper as

well. set aside. drain and rinse the lentils and toss in a large bowl with the peas and pistachios. add

chopped parsley and a vinaigrette of lemon juice, rice wine vinegar, and olive oil. add salt and pepper

to taste. chop the bacon and toss it in as well. all that is left to do is grate a little fresh romano cheese
right on top. done.

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