Fennel Pork Loin and Pasta Vegetarienne
Recipe by Tom Colicchio, Craft, New York City
As observed by Joel Stein
(He cooked this at my house, and I told him to name the dish but he refused, so he has only himself to blame.)
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
• Pork loin, trimmed and deeply cared for
• 1 zucchini,
diced, really fast, like you're showing off
• Most of an eggplant, diced
the same way
• ½ an onion, sliced, which will make you cry even if
you're a famous chef
• 1 thing of fennel, bulbs sliced, leaves chopped
(Who knew you used the leaves?)
• 1 bunch basil, from your garden, chopped
• 1 head garlic, sitting around your house, sliced
• 1 small can of whole,
peeled tomatoes
• ¾ pound of spaghetti
Directions:
1. Marinate the pork loin in
some olive oil, garlic, basil, fennel leaves, salt and pepper.
2. Boil
some water. Throw in more salt than you thought possible.
3. Put a lot
of olive oil in a pan. You're going to use a lot of olive oil today, so
get used to it.
4. Throw the onion and sliced fennel into the pan in
small batches over medium heat (I think it was medium), allowing the pan
to heat up again after each one, so you get a nice sputter sound every
time you throw more in. Don't worry — the stuff you threw in first
won't overcook. It's like magic.
5. Pull that stuff out and put it in a
bowl. Cook the zucchini and eggplant the same way — throwing in small
batches and using even more oil, adding all the time. Add the tomatoes,
and the onion/fennel mixture to the pan. And some basil.
6. Drop the
pasta in the boiling water.
7. Put the pork loin and a little olive oil
in a pan over medium heat (again, I wasn't really looking).
8. When the
pasta is ready — which you won't need a timer for since you're Tom
Colicchio and you'd mock a guy who even suggested a timer — take it
out. Grate about an ounce of Parmesan cheese on top and pour some olive
oil on top of it. Mix in the vegetables. You could add some chili
flakes, but Tom forgot to ask me if I had any, which I did. Serve the
pasta.
9. When the pork loin is done, which apparently you can tell
just by pushing on it with your thumb, turn off the heat. Maybe 12
minutes. Who knows. Let the pan cool for a second so it's not so hot it
will burn garlic that you're about to add. Pour the marinade on top of
the pork, making sure to include all the little solid bits of garlic and
herbs. Cook that for a few seconds. Slice, pour marinade over the top,
add some more salt and pepper and serve to the delight of all.