Friptură de Porc Rapidă cu Mujdei
Friptură de Porc Rapidă cu Mujdei·(frip-TOO-ruh deh pork rah-PEE-duh koo moozh-DAY)
Sărbătoare: Streamlined Holiday Feasts
If you grew up in a Romanian-American household, the smell of pork sizzling in a skillet next to crushed garlic and thyme is the undeniable scent of home. During the winter holidays, a traditional sărbătoare centers around the pig, but you don't need a whole roasting joint to capture that feeling on a weeknight in Ohio. By hard-searing well-marbled pork shoulder and steam-braising it briefly in white wine, you get perfectly tender meat in twenty minutes. Paired with a potent, emulsified mujdei—a creamy garlic sauce that cuts right through the rich pork fat—it's an uncomplicated, deeply honest plate of food that tastes exactly like the homeland.
Before you start
Bring the pork to room temperature.
Pull the pork steaks from the fridge 20 minutes before cooking and pat them completely dry to ensure an even, hard sear.
Ingredients
- bone-in pork shoulder steaks or blade chops1 1/2 lb
- coarse kosher salt1 1/2 tsp
- black pepper1 tsp
- dried thyme1 tsp
- bacon fat1 tbsp
- unsalted butter1 tbsp
- garlic4 large cloves
- dry white wine1/3 cup
- garlic5 large cloves
- coarse kosher salt1/2 tsp
- sunflower oil2 tbsp
- full-fat sour cream1/2 cup
- fresh lemon juice1 tsp
Method
- 01
Pound the peeled garlic and salt into a smooth, sticky paste.
Use a mortar and pestle to crush the 5 peeled garlic cloves with the half teaspoon of salt until it forms a paste, which releases its pungent oils far better than any standard garlic press.
- 02
Emulsify the sunflower oil into the garlic paste to build the base of the mujdei.
Whisking continuously, drip the sunflower oil in a few drops at a time until the mixture turns thick and mayonnaise-like, then gently fold in the sour cream and lemon juice and set aside in the refrigerator.
- 03
Aggressively season the dry pork steaks with salt, pepper, and thyme.
Press the one and a half teaspoons of salt, black pepper, and thyme firmly into both sides of the meat so the seasoning sticks properly during the high-heat sear.
- 04
Sear the pork in shimmering bacon fat until a deep crust forms.
Heat the bacon fat in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat, drop in the steaks, and leave them completely undisturbed for 4 to 5 minutes before flipping.
- 05
Introduce the aromatics and deglaze the skillet with white wine.
Immediately after flipping the meat, drop the butter and smashed garlic cloves into the gaps, pour in the wine to lift the caramelized fond, and instantly turn the heat down to medium-low.
- 06
Cover the skillet and steam-braise the pork until perfectly tender.
Cover the skillet tightly with a lid and let it braise for 10 to 12 minutes, allowing the thick cut of shoulder to cook through completely without drying out.
- 07
Rest the meat and serve with the pan juices and garlic sauce.
Transfer the steaks to a platter, spoon the reduced, glossy pan juices and softened garlic over the top, and let them rest for 5 minutes before serving with a generous dollop of the cold mujdei.
Notes
Seek out well-marbled cuts to mimic traditional Romanian ceafă de porc.
If you cannot find shoulder steaks, thick-cut blade chops offer the required web of fat and collagen necessary to keep the meat incredibly juicy under high heat.
Do not skip the physical garlic emulsion step.
Simply stirring minced garlic into sour cream will not yield the authentic depth of a true mujdei; pounding and emulsifying it with oil first unlocks a profound, spicy flavor.
From Cook Romanian in America.