Llom amb Col (Mallorcan Pork in Cabbage)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large pot for blanching cabbage
• •Wide frying pan
• •Lidded greixonera or heavy casserole, 28 to 30cm
• •12 plain wooden toothpicks or kitchen twine
• •Instant-read thermometer

Instructions

1. 1

   Blanch the cabbage

   Bring the 3 litres of water and 30g salt to a boil in a large pot. Lower in two or three cabbage leaves at a time and blanch for 2 to 3 minutes, just until they fold without snapping but still hold together. Transfer them to cold water, drain, and pat them thoroughly dry. Lay each leaf flat and shave the thick central rib until it is level with the leaf, taking care not to cut through it.

   Keep two spare leaves. A torn wrapper isn't a failure; patch the hole with a piece of spare cabbage and carry on. Nadie nace sabiendo.
2. 2

   Wrap the loin

   Pat the pork dry and season both sides evenly with the 10g salt and all the pepper. Put one slice across the lower third of each cabbage leaf. Fold the sides inward, roll the leaf around the pork, and tuck the final edge underneath to make a compact parcel. Secure each one with plain wooden toothpicks or kitchen twine. Keep the rolls snug rather than tight, since the cabbage contracts as it cooks.

3. 3

   Brown the parcels

   Spread the flour on a plate. Dust each parcel lightly and shake off every loose bit. Heat 50ml of the olive oil in a wide heavy pan over medium heat. Brown the parcels in batches, seam-side first, for about 2 minutes per broad side, until the cabbage is patched with deep gold. Lift them out carefully. You're setting the wrapper and building flavour, not cooking the pork through.

4. 4

   Build the sofrit

   Discard any burnt flour crumbs and put the remaining 25ml oil in a wide lidded casserole. Add the onions and cook over low heat for 18 to 20 minutes, stirring now and then, until dark gold, soft, and almost jammy. Add the garlic, bay leaves, and marjoram and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomato and cook for another 12 to 15 minutes, until a spoon drawn through the sofrit leaves a clear path and the oil shows again at the edges. That slow loss of water is what gives the final sauce depth instead of dilution. Pésalo, no lo adivines, and don't rush the pan.

5. 5

   Set the braise

   Pour in the white wine, scrape up the browned layer, and let it reduce by half for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the sobrassada and stir gently until it begins to melt into the sofrit. Fold in the botifarró, raisins, and pine nuts. Nestle the cabbage parcels into the casserole in one close layer, seam-side down, then pour in the warm stock. The liquid should reach roughly halfway up the parcels. Cover and bring it only to a quiet tremble. Braise over low heat for 35 to 45 minutes, basting once halfway through without turning the rolls. The cabbage should yield easily to a skewer and the pork must reach at least 63°C at its centre.

6. 6

   Finish the sauce

   Lift the parcels onto a warm platter and keep them covered. Remove the bay leaves, then simmer the sauce uncovered for 5 to 8 minutes, until glossy and thick enough to coat a spoon. If it becomes too thick, loosen it with 30ml water. Taste before adding any of the reserved 2g salt because the sausages may have done the work already. Return the parcels to the sauce, remove the toothpicks or twine, and rest everything for 10 minutes. Serve two parcels per person with botifarró, raisins, pine nuts, and plenty of sauce.

Chef Tips

• •The Mallorcan cabbage for this is loose-leaf and tender, often col borratxona. Savoy cabbage is the best widely available substitute because its broad, flexible leaves wrap without a fight. A tight white cabbage works, but blanch it for another minute and expect a firmer, sweeter parcel.
• •This is winter food, so don't buy a pale salad tomato for the sofrit. Use grated tomàtiga de ramellet if you have it, or a good plain canned plum tomato. A sound preserved tomato beats a sad fresh one at Christmas.
• •Botifarró and sobrassada aren't decorations; they season the whole casserole. Morcilla de cebolla can replace botifarró, though the sauce will be darker and softer. If you must replace sobrassada, use 80g mild fresh Spanish chorizo with its casing removed. It will be more garlicky and less mellow, a compromise, not an improvement.
• •Use a greixonera only if it is rated for direct heat. Many decorative clay pots will crack on the hob. A 28 to 30cm enameled casserole is the safe substitute and changes nothing in the cooking.
• •Serve this with a young, medium-bodied red from Binissalem, especially one based on Mantonegro, and bread for the sauce. The wine wants fruit and freshness, not heavy oak.

Advance Preparation

• •Blanch, trim, and dry the cabbage leaves up to 24 hours ahead. Stack them between clean cloths, cover, and refrigerate.
• •The sofrit can be cooked through the tomato stage up to 2 days ahead. Cool it promptly, refrigerate it covered, and return it to a low simmer before adding the wine.
• •The parcels can be assembled up to 12 hours ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. Brown them just before building the braise.
• •The finished dish can be cooked one day ahead. Cool and refrigerate it within 2 hours, then reheat covered over low heat with 60ml water until hot throughout. The sauce improves overnight, though the loin becomes a little firmer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 450g)