Pork Loin Braised in Milk

Friends, things are looking up. To celebrate being able to tolerate the thought of cooking, I made pork loin braised in milk, from Marcella Hazan's Classic Italian Cooking (vol. 1). This is one of those miraculous recipes that is so much better than it sounds, and ridiculously easy into the bargain. In a nutshell: brown a 2 lb. pork loin in butter and oil, then add 2.5 C milk, one teaspoon of salt, and a few twists of a pepper mill. Simmer the whole business, in a partially covered pot, for about an hour and a half. At the end you'll be left with tender, juicy meat surrounded by brown clusters of...Marcella calls them "sauce," but cheesy, oily, salty nuggets of wonder comes closer. I served it with a sort of improvised tabouli--this is an absurd pairing, but continues a certain tradition: last time I came emerged from morning sickness I celebrated by making provencal stuffed peppers and Indian sauteed cauliflower. It seems my meal-planning muscles atrophy quickly.