Pork with Mustard Sauce

Last pasteles batch. Twenty-four more. Total seventy-two. Done.

I made the arroz con dulce Wednesday. Three hours stirring. The smell of coconut and cinnamon and clove. Mami had asked for it for Christmas Eve. The recipe was the recipe.

Thursday David and James drove up from Brooklyn. They arrived at 4 PM. James brought me a wreath he had made — actual greenery, twisted with twine, with berries and pine cones. He said, "Carmen, my mother taught me wreath-making when I was eight." I said, "James, thank you." I hung it on the front door. It is still there.

Friday David and James went to see Mami. They sat with her for two hours. Mami knew them both. She held James's hand. She said, "James, you have come back." James said, "Doña Luz María, yes." She said, "James, my Davidito loves you." James said, "Doña, I love your Davidito." She nodded. She said, "James, take care of him. He is the most tender of my four. He pretends he is not." James said, "Doña, I know he is." She closed her eyes. She slept. They drove home to my house.

Saturday I made the pernil for Nochebuena. Nine pounds. Two days of marination. The roast went into the oven Tuesday morning at 9 — Christmas Eve was Wednesday — for the slow-low-roast method. Six hours. Eduardo helped me lift the roasting pan. I no longer could on my own. The pan was heavy. My back was tired. Eduardo lifted it. He did not comment on the new fact. He just lifted.

Wednesday Christmas Eve. The family came. Sixteen people in the kitchen-dining room. Mami came. Eduardo drove her at 6. She stayed three hours. She held court. The pasteles came out. The pernil came out. The arroz con gandules came out. The tostones came out. The flan came out. The arroz con dulce came out. Mami ate small portions of three things. She blessed each thing she ate. She blessed each grandchild. She blessed James, who I noticed looked at her like a man looking at his own grandmother.

At 9 PM Eduardo drove Mami home. The family stayed until midnight. Lucas helped me carve the pernil at 11 PM, just like every year. He held the platter. Eduardo carved this year because my hands were tired. Three generations of carvers. Lucas at the platter is the next-next. He is six and a half. He will carve in twenty years. Wepa.

The pernil is the centerpiece — it always has been — but what I have learned over many years of Nochebuena is that the spirit of a slow-roasted pork is not locked inside any one recipe. It lives in the patience, the weight of the pan, the people who lift it with you. On the nights when the full nine-pound marination is not possible, I come back to this pork with mustard sauce: quick enough for a weeknight, tender enough to feel like something was tended. Eduardo would approve. Lucas would ask for seconds. That’s enough for me.

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

4 boneless pork loin chops (about 6 oz each, 3/4 inch thick)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons whole-grain Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (or 1/4 teaspoon dried)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Instructions

Season the pork. Pat pork chops dry with paper towels. Season both sides evenly with salt and pepper.
Sear. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chops and sear 4–5 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through (internal temperature 145°F). Transfer to a plate and tent loosely with foil.
Build the sauce. Reduce heat to medium. Add garlic to the same skillet and cook 30 seconds, stirring, until fragrant. Pour in chicken broth and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
Finish the sauce. Stir in the heavy cream and mustard. Simmer 3–4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly. Add thyme and butter, stirring until the butter is melted and the sauce is glossy.
Rest and serve. Return the pork chops to the skillet, spooning sauce over the top. Let rest 2 minutes. Plate and garnish with fresh parsley. Serve with roasted vegetables or rice.

Nutrition (per serving)

Pork with Mustard Sauce — The Roast That Carries the Table