Skillet Gratinate of Summer Tomato and Pork

• 2 pounds boneless pork loin, in one piece*
• 1 or 2 large, firm beefsteak-style tomatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds total)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup or more flour, for dredging
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons soft butter
• 12 fresh sage leaves
• 1/2 cup white wine, plus more if needed
• 1/2 cup hot Simple Vegetable Broth (page 288) or stock, plus more if needed
• 3/4 cup grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano

1. Place a rack in the center or upper third of the oven and preheat to 425.
2. Slice the pork loin crosswise into six equal pieces.
3. Trim fat if theres a lot, but leave a thin layer, for moisture and flavor.
4. Nick the fat and skin around each cutlet so it wont twist and tighten the meat during cooking.
5. Pound each piece with a mallet (or the flat bottom of a heavy pan) to tenderize and flatten to 1/2-inch thickness.
6. Rinse and dry the tomato (or tomatoes).
7. Cut out the core neatly and slice off this top 1/2 inch of each tomato, where the core was, and about 1/2 inch of the curving bottom.
8. Cut these pieces into 1/2-inch chunks for the pan sauce.
9. Now slice the center of the tomato into 1/2-inch-thick rounds.
10. Repeat with the second tomato if necessary so you have one beautiful round to top each cutlet.
11. Put the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in the skillet, and set over medium-low heat.
12. Strew the sage leaves around the pan and cook them slowly for a minute or two as the butter melts and starts to sizzle.
13. Salt the pork pieces, dredge them in the flour, then arrange all six in the pan.
14. Cook for about 2 minutes, then turn them over and let them brown slowly while you make the gratinate and the sauce as follows:
15. Pick out the cooked sage leaves and lay two on each cutlet.
16. Season each with pinches of salt and grinds of fresh pepper.
17. Place a thick tomato round on each cutlet and sprinkle with salt.
18. Raise the heat, and drop in the remaining butter, in pieces.
19. Spread the small chunks of tomatoes (and juices) in hot spots and let them start to cook for a minute.
20. Pour in the 1/2 cup of wine and 1/2 cup of vegetable broth; shake the pan and raise the heat.
21. Add more wine or water if the sauce level is too low.
22. Finally, sprinkle 2 tablespoons or so of grated cheese on each cutlet.
23. Follow the instructions in the main recipe for zucchini and chicken.
24. One of the mistakes I see many cooks making is automatically reaching for a can of chicken broth whenever a recipe calls for a bit of stock or a sauce needs an additional 1/3 cup of liquid.
25. But the strong flavors of a brothand the saltiness of canned broth in particularcan often change the flavor direction from where you want to go.
26. And its an unnecessarily expensive and sometimes wasteful habit, if you only use a bit of the can and discard the rest.
27. Instead, I encourage you to adopt one of my favorite thrifty kitchen practices: making your own simple vegetable broth when you are cooking, using it as a multi-purpose moistening agent for a host of dishes.
28. All you need for this clean-flavored and cost-free liquid are a saucepan, a few cups of water, a cup or two of fresh vegetable pieces, and a few sprigs of herbs.
29. Just rinse off all the flavorful trimmings from vegetables you are prepping, and throw them in the pot with water to cover by an inch or two, with a bit of salt and maybe a dash of olive oil.
30. Cook 1/2 hour or more, until the liquid is reduced by a third and the flavor is extracted, then strain and use in sauces, roasts, a gratinate, or to steam vegetables.
31. Put the remainder in the refrigerator or freezer so its there when you want itand you wont need that can of stock.
32. Any combination of the following will give you a good broth:
33. Chunks of onion, with peel
34. Trimmed leaves of leek or scallion, cut up
35. Chunks or peelings of carrot
36. Chunks or peelings of celery
37. 2 or 3 cloves of garlic with peel, smashed
38. Several sprigs and stems of parsley
39. Stalks and leaves of basil, oregano, marjoram, sage, or other herbs
40. Optional flavor enhancers:
41. Pinch of peperoncino
42. Strips of lemon peel

pork loin, tomatoes, salt, flour, freshly ground black pepper, extravirgin olive oil, butter, sage, white wine, hot simple

Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/skillet-gratinate-of-summer-tomato-and-pork-384510 (may not work)