Braised Pork with Milk

An easy, luxurious, and always surprising dish, where the milk reduces to curds and the pork becomes fork-tender. But you’ve got to use a roast from the shoulder end, either a boneless rib roast or a piece of shoulder. Other cuts and meats you can use: To my surprise, a friend suggested I try this with bone-in chicken thighs, and it worked beautifully. Much quicker too. Also veal shoulder.

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

One 2- to 3-pound boneless pork rib roast or shoulder

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

At least 4 cups whole milk

• Put a heavy pot with a lid or a Dutch oven that will hold the roast snugly over medium-high heat and add the oil, swirling to coat. When the oil shimmers, add the roast. Brown well on all sides, turning the meat as necessary; the process will take about 10 minutes, perhaps longer. While the meat is browning, sprinkle it with salt and pepper.
• Add enough milk to the pan to come most of the way up the sides of the roast. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low so the liquid bubbles gently (adjust the heat as necessary), partly covered, for at least an hour, turning the roast once or twice.
• Cook until the roast is quite tender and the milk is reduced to small nut-brown clumps (curds), anywhere from 1 to 2 more hours. If the milk begins to dry out before the roast is cooked, add 1/2 cup milk, repeating if necessary. When the pork is done, transfer it to a warm serving platter.
• Spoon off most of the fat from the sauce and add 1/4 cup water. Turn the heat to high and reduce, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to dislodge the bits of pork. Carve the meat into slices, pouring half of the sauce over the roast and passing the rest at the table. Serve immediately.

MAKES: 4 to 6 servings

TIME: At least 2 hours