Skillet Gratinate of Summer Tomato and Pork

Preparation

1. Step 1

   Place a rack in the center or upper third of the oven and preheat to 425°.

   Step 2

   Slice the pork loin crosswise into six equal pieces. Trim fat if there’s a lot, but leave a thin layer, for moisture and flavor. Nick the fat and skin around each cutlet so it won’t twist and tighten the meat during cooking. Pound each piece with a mallet (or the flat bottom of a heavy pan) to tenderize and flatten to 1/2-inch thickness.

   Step 3

   Rinse and dry the tomato (or tomatoes). Cut out the core neatly and slice off this “top” 1/2 inch of each tomato, where the core was, and about 1/2 inch of the curving “bottom.” Cut these pieces into 1/2-inch chunks for the pan sauce.

   Step 4

   Now slice the center of the tomato into 1/2-inch-thick rounds. Repeat with the second tomato if necessary so you have one beautiful round to top each cutlet.

2. Starting on the Stovetop

   Step 5

   Put the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in the skillet, and set over medium-low heat. Strew the sage leaves around the pan and cook them slowly for a minute or two as the butter melts and starts to sizzle.

   Step 6

   Salt the pork pieces, dredge them in the flour, then arrange all six in the pan. Cook for about 2 minutes, then turn them over and let them brown slowly while you make the gratinate and the sauce as follows:

   Step 7

   Pick out the cooked sage leaves and lay two on each cutlet.

   Step 8

   Season each with pinches of salt and grinds of fresh pepper.

   Step 9

   Place a thick tomato round on each cutlet and sprinkle with salt.

   Step 10

   Raise the heat, and drop in the remaining butter, in pieces.

   Step 11

   Spread the small chunks of tomatoes (and juices) in “hot spots” and let them start to cook for a minute.

   Step 12

   Pour in the 1/2 cup of wine and 1/2 cup of vegetable broth; shake the pan and raise the heat. Add more wine or water if the sauce level is too low.

   Step 13

   Finally, sprinkle 2 tablespoons or so of grated cheese on each cutlet.

3. Finishing in the Oven

   Step 14

   Follow the instructions in the main recipe for zucchini and chicken.

4. A Simple Vegetable Broth Instead of Stock

   Step 15

   One of the mistakes I see many cooks making is automatically reaching for a can of chicken broth whenever a recipe calls for a bit of stock or a sauce needs an additional 1/3 cup of liquid. But the strong flavors of a broth—and the saltiness of canned broth in particular—can often change the flavor direction from where you want to go. And it’s an unnecessarily expensive and sometimes wasteful habit, if you only use a bit of the can and discard the rest.

5. Step 16

   Instead, I encourage you to adopt one of my favorite thrifty kitchen practices: making your own simple vegetable broth when you are cooking, using it as a multi-purpose “moistening agent” for a host of dishes.

6. Step 17

   All you need for this clean-flavored and cost-free liquid are a saucepan, a few cups of water, a cup or two of fresh vegetable pieces, and a few sprigs of herbs. Just rinse off all the flavorful trimmings from vegetables you are prepping, and throw them in the pot with water to cover by an inch or two, with a bit of salt and maybe a dash of olive oil. Cook 1/2 hour or more, until the liquid is reduced by a third and the flavor is extracted, then strain and use in sauces, roasts, a gratinate, or to steam vegetables. Put the remainder in the refrigerator or freezer so it’s there when you want it—and you won’t need that can of stock.

7. Step 18

   Any combination of the following will give you a good broth:

   Step 19

   Chunks of onion, with peel

   Step 20

   Trimmed leaves of leek or scallion, cut up

   Step 21

   Chunks or peelings of carrot

   Step 22

   Chunks or peelings of celery

   Step 23

   2 or 3 cloves of garlic with peel, smashed

   Step 24

   Several sprigs and stems of parsley

   Step 25

   Stalks and leaves of basil, oregano, marjoram, sage, or other herbs

   Step 26

   Optional flavor enhancers:

   Step 27

   Pinch of peperoncino

   Step 28

   Strips of lemon peel