Pork

August 18, 2014
LeFavour (Poulet, Fish, The New Steak) grew up on a ranch populated with pigs, and that connection has stayed with her, enabling her to appreciate pork on many levels and cuts. Here, she shares that insight and appreciation with a collection of over 50 pork dishes that span the globe. Eschewing the obvious, LeFavour operates under the assumption that readers have already cooked their fare share of porky classics, offering up recipes for sauteed pork chops with cider reduction and a pitch-perfect meatloaf wrapped in bacon before going above and beyond with dishes like whole yolk ravioli over slow-cooked pork belly and wilted mixed greens with buttery toast and sauteed pickle pears, a dish that sets the tone for the rest of the book. Her recipes alternate between the simple and fun riffs on classics, such as the San Francisco burrito and pork fried rice, and the inordinately complex, such as her belly, root, and snail sew, which calls for very specific ingredients such as French snails and Sercial Madeira. Some of those specific and hard-to-source ingredients like dried black turtle beans and an almost nagging insistence on organic high heat oils may test the patience of readers, but those with an interest in expanding their culinary repertoire and a love of pig will find a lot of interesting meals here.