Ingredients

• 1/3 c mayonnaise
• 1/4 tsp five-spice powder
• 2 tbl Asian fish sauce
• 2 tbs soy sauce
• dash of sugar
• 4 mini french bread loaves or hoagie buns
• 8 strips cucumber–6"x1/4"
• 8 oz thin strips deli or leftover roast pork or Asian barbecue pork
• 1/2 c julienned carrots
• 8 strips seeded deveined jalapeno chili
• 12 sprigs cilantro (leaves and thin stems)

Preparation

Combine mayonnaise and five-spice powder in a small bowl. Combine fish sauce, soy sauce, 1 tsp water and sugar in another bowl.

Slice bread horizontally without cutting all the way through. Spread about 1 tbs mayonnaise mixture on the inside of each loaf. Top each side with 1 cucumber slice, fill with pork. Top with carrots, chile and cilantro; drizzle lightly with fish sauce mixture.

Ingredients

• 4 (3/4-inch-thick) center-cut pork chops (about 2 lb total)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 oz small shallots (about 8), quartered and peeled, leaving root ends intact
• 2/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

Preparation

Pat pork dry and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then cook pork (in 2 batches if necessary) along with shallots, turning pork over once and stirring shallots occasionally, until pork is browned and shallots are golden brown and tender, about 5 minutes total. Transfer pork with tongs to a plate and add vinegar, sugar, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to shallots in skillet. Cook, stirring until sugar is dissolved and liquid is thickened slightly, about 1 minute.

Reduce heat to moderate, then return pork along with any juices accumulated on plate to skillet and turn 2 or 3 times to coat with sauce. Cook, turning over once, until pork is just cooked through, about 3 minutes total. Transfer pork to a platter and boil sauce until thickened and syrupy, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour sauce over pork.

Gourmet, March 2006

Ingredients

• 1 lg. onion
• 2 sm. bell peppers
• some ground beef or Italian sausage or ground pork
• 1 pkg. sliced mushrooms
• 2 jars standard spaghetti sauce
• 1 lb. spaghetti
• 1 container ricotta cheese (optional)
• 1 container grated parmesan cheese

Preparation

Sautee onion and bell pepper until translucent.

Add ground beef (or Italian sausage, or ground pork).

Cook until the meat is about ¾ cooked.

Add mushrooms and cook until mushrooms and meat are done.

Drain, if desired.

Add spaghetti sauce and simmer for 20-30 minutes.

While sauce mixture is simmering, boil pasta.

Add pasta to sauce and mix thoroughly.

Grease a 9x11 casserole dish.

If using ricotta cheese, add half of the sauce/spaghetti mix, then a layer of ricotta, and then the other half of the sauce/spaghetti mix. Otherwise, just add sauce/spaghetti mix to dish.

Bake, covered, at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes.

Uncover, top with parmesan cheese, and bake for a few more minutes until bubbly.

Cynthia Pence

Ingredients

• 2 medium onions, peeled
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh sage
• 1/2 cup water
• 4 pounds pork leg or shoulder, at room temperature
• About 1/4 cup fennel spice rub

Preparation

Thinly slice the onions. Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat until hot. Add the onions and a pinch of salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for about 1 minute. Add the sage and cook until the onions cease throwing off water, about 3 minutes. Add the water, cover, and cook until the onions are very tender, about 10 minutes. Uncover and saute until the onions are very soft and the pan is dry again, about 2 minutes. Season well with salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Peel back the pork skin and spread the onions directly on the fat layer. Fold the skin back over the onions and tie closed with kitchen string. Season well all over with the fennel spice.

Arrange the meat on a rack in a roasting pan (or using the Cocorico, see below) and cook until the meat is very tender, 6 to 8 hours. It is ready when it pulls away easily if picked at with a pair of tongs. It is often easiest to cook the meat overnight, or put it in the oven in the morning and let it cook all day. It does not need to be attended.

Michael Chiarello, Napa Style