American Smithfield Welcomes Italian Cuisine

(Gerry Furth-Sides) It was just about four years to the day on a  (rare) dark and stormy night in Los Angeles when Smithfield Foods brought in a Chicago-style party to introduce their take on Italian-influenced pork dish options to local chefs at Pistola-LA.   

“Bicycle Thief” with subtitles playing on the bar TV echoed the Italian note of the menu.  Both featured timeless classics.

Italy “ruled” with Sicilian almonds in the Medjool Dates and blu di buffala wrapped inside Smithfield Log Smoked Bacon and the “Casarecci, Neapolitan DIRoC Pork Shoulder rage, chili & pecorino cheese.

Crispy Pork cheek “Milanese” with wild arugula, sweet 100 tomatoes, lemon & parmigiano-reggiano was a clever play on the classic Italian. Grazi for putting “Milanese” in quotes for the novel use of perfectly prepared pork instead of beef, although pork (or veal) was sometimes used in the dish originating in Milan.   Sweet tomatoes were an invigorating substitute for a sauce, updating a classic by making it lighter while retaining the same flavors.

“Milanese” defines a dish with the beef or pork coated with flour or bread crumbs and browned in hot oil or butter with a sauce of tomatoes, mushrooms, grated cheese, shredded meat and truffles.

Slow-Roasted DURoC Pork Belly – trendy in  LA  for years now – was the clear favorite and there was enough of it on the dish to satisfy any pork belly lover! The crispy skin, tender meat is evident even in the photo.  Here it was prepared with beluga lentils, caramelized shallots & salsa verde. 

We were happy to catch up with the dynamic Chef-Owner of Academy of Culinary Education (ACE)and on-site cafe in Woodland Hills, and meet friendly, small catering company chef-owners.

Smithfield Foods bid farewell to guests with a beauty of a bold red, durable insulated bag plus handy Smithfield meat thermometer and paring knife in a case.   The company made a donation to the LA Regional Food Bank on behalf of every guest in attendance as well.

The event also brought to mind a memory that has lingered even longer:  my immigrant mom cooking a whole Smithfield Ham (mouthwatering and complete with cloves sticking up all over it) for the family –  moist and flavorful and festive any time of the year.  In our household of “eaters,” this favorite was a rare meal with leftovers.   Part two of this taste memory:  sandwiches simply made of ham, lettuce and mayo – white bread or week-end rye,  on a plate with potato salad or coleslaw.  Perfection in a regional American dish.

-Contributed photo

Smithfield Foods is a $13 billion global food company and the world’s largest pork processor and hog producer.  The US leader in numerous packaged meats categories,  popular brands include Smithfield®, Eckrich®, Farmland®, Armour®, Cook’s®, Gwaltney®, John Morrell®, Kretschmar®, Curly’s®, Carando®, Margherita®, and Healthy Ones®. Smithfield Foods is committed to providing good food in a responsible way and maintains robust animal care, community involvement, employee safety, environmental, and food safety and quality programs. (For more information, visit www.smithfieldfoods.com and www.smithfieldcommitments.com.)