Pork Roast in New Milk--Fit for Company

“Pork Roast in New Milk--Fit for Company” appears in the chapter on Portsmouth, New Hampshire, from Mary Donovan’s Thirteen Colonies Cookbook (New York, 1975) Unfortunately Ms. Donovan and her co-authors are not fastidious about citation, and while the title of the recipes and some of its phrasing are quotations, their source is not disclosed. At some point we should trawl their numerous sources for the origin of the recipe, but in the meantime this most English version of a coincidental Italian classic is a classic of its own. For six to eight.

Preheat the oven to 300˚.

• scant Tablespoon neutral oil or, better and more authentic, lard
• a boned pork shoulder of about 5 lb
• 5 or 6 garlic cloves (yes, the English used them)
• 3 or 4 sprigs each of parsley, rosemary and thyme
• 6 or so sage leaves
• some black peppercorns
• a big peeled and sliced sweet onion (like Vidalia)
• 1 cup sour cream or, better, crème fraiche
• salt and pepper

1. Melt the lard and brown the pork in an oven pot just about big enough to hold it.
2. Add the garlic, herbs, peppercorns and onion to the pot, then pour on enough milk to rise halfway up the side of the shoulder.
3. Cover and roast the pork until most tender, usually in about 3 to 4 hours.
4. Lift the pork from its liquid to let it rest while you make the gravy.
5. Blast the liquid with a hand blender or whisk it with fury to rebind the curdled milk over low heat, add the crème fraiche then season the gravy with salt and pepper.

Notes:

-“Maced green beans, curried fruit, a green salad, and tomato-ginger preserves should,” according to Donovan’s unspecified source, be served to eat with it,” meaning of course the pork.