Lucky eating

Consider a couple of pork recipes or one for an orange-and-brandy cake for New Year’s

Foods said to bring good luck are served for the New Year throughout the world. And if ever there was a time when luck was needed, now is a good candidate.

The superstitious traditions behind lucky foods are often obscure but tend to have a delicious result.

Earlier this year on a trip to Greece, I discovered Vasilopita, a New Year’s Orange and Brandy Cake that has a lucky coin hidden inside. Whoever gets the coin starts the new year with a lucky advantage. That tradition is much the same in Spain and Portugal, each of which has its own version.

Here in this country, the King Cake is made this time of year in New Orleans to serve on Jan. 6. That cake has a plastic baby baked inside that gives luck to the finder.

An email asking about lucky pork recipes sent me to my computer and my stash of old Gourmet magazines to research lucky pork dishes — a long German tradition for a lucky New Year. In 2009, Gourmet shocked foodies and other readers throughout the world when it stopped publishing after 68 years.

I’ve got several shelves dedicated to Gourmet, to which I subscribed throughout the ‘90s.

Here are two easy pork recipes festive enough for a New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day feast. The Boneless Pork Loin Chops with Onion Marmalade comes together in just 45 minutes and serves two. It’s from the December 1994 edition of Gourmet.

The Pork Tenderloin with Mustard Cream Sauce comes from the December 1992 Sugar and Spice column, a regular column using favorite reader recipes. It serves 4.

Blanched almonds are used to spell out the year on top of the Greek Vasilopita, which is served to the family either on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day, starting with the oldest family member. Advise everyone to eat carefully so as not to crack a tooth on the coin hidden inside. The coin should be washed before adding to the batter to be baked inside.

RECIPES Boneless Pork Loin Chops With Onion Marmalade (Serves 2) INGREDIENTS

2inch-thick boneless pork loin chops

½ teaspoon dried rosemary, crumbled

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, halved lengthwise and sliced thin crosswise

¼ cup water 2tablespoons balsamic vinegar 2 tablespoons red currant jelly

INSTRUCTIONS

Trim excess fat from pork chops and sprinkle with rosemary and salt and pepper to taste.

In a heavy 10-inch skillet, heat oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and saute pork chops until browned on both sides, about 5minutes. Transfer chops to a plate. In what remains in the skillet, saute onion until it begins to brown.

Add water, vinegar and jelly and bring to boil, stirring until jelly melts.

Cover the skillet and simmer mixture over moderate heat until onion is tender, about 5minutes. Return pork to skillet and cook, uncovered, turning once, until cooked through and almost all liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes.

— Adapted from December 1994issue of Gourmet

Pork Tenderloin With Mustard Cream Sauce

(Serves 4)

INGREDIENTS

2 pork tenderloins, trimmed well (about 1-½ pounds total)

½ cup Dijon mustard

1⁄3 cup all-purpose flour 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 6tablespoons unsalted butter (¾ stick)

6 shallots, minced

1 cup Tawny Port ½ cup heavy cream

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Arrange pork on a large piece of wax paper and coat it all over with mustard.

Place flour on a plate and carefully dredge the pork in the flour. In a large ovenproof skillet, heat oil with 2 tablespoons butter over moderately high heat until foam subsides.

Sear the pork, turning it carefully, until a crust forms.

Place in the middle of the oven and bake for 12to 15minutes — until it registers 155degrees on a meat thermometer. Transfer to a large plate and cover loosely with foil. Let stand for 10minutes. Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons remaining butter in a skillet over moderate heat and saute shallots, stirring, for one minute. Add the Port and continue stirring to scrape up brown bits. Remove skillet from heat and stir

in cream and remaining 2tablespoons butter stirring until butter is melted.

Divide sauce among four plates. Slice the pork on the diagonal and arrange slices over the sauce.

— Adapted from December 1992issue of Gourmet

Vasilopita (Orange and Brandy Cake) INGREDIENTS

4 large eggs, separated

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar 12tablespoons (1-½ sticks) unsalted butter, melted

1-¼ cups freshly squeezed orange juice

½ cup brandy

4 cups all-purpose flour 4 teaspoons baking powder ¼ teaspoon baking soda Grated zest of 1orange Grated zest of 1lemon Whole blanched almonds

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 10-inch round cake pan.

In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar with an electric mixer until light yellow and creamy, about 3minutes.

Add butter and beat 1minute more.

Beat in orange juice and brandy. In another large bowl, whisk together the flour with baking powder, baking soda and zests. Add to yolk mixture and stir with rubber spatula until incorporated. In a large clean bowl with clean beaters, beat egg whites until they form soft peaks.

Fold into batter.

Pour batter into a cake pan and shake gently to even the top. Decorate the top with almonds and add the lucky coin.

Bake cake for about 1 hour until golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool on rack before removing from pan and serving.

JANET PODOLAK — FOR THE NEWS-HERALD Past years editions of Gourmet magazine, which ceased publishing in 2009, prove perfect for recipe research.