A team of Iowa State University culinary students created the winning pork entrée in the Iowa Pork Producers Association’s 2016 Student Taste of Elegance contest held at the Des Moines Area Community College’s Iowa Culinary Institute in Ankeny yesterday.

Sam Wiesenfield, Brian Klopf, Casey Halder and Toluwani Awokoya used their training and education to prepare “Smoked/Braised Pork Shoulder with Saffron White Bean Puree, Heirloom Tomato Salad and Chorizo Croquette.”

Thirteen student teams from five different culinary arts programs participated in the day-long contest. In addition to ISU, DMACC, Iowa Western Community College, Scott Community College and Indian Hills Community College participated.

All the teams were required to create an original entrée using Boston Butt/Pork Shoulder, which also was required of chefs in the professional competition held in January.

Here is the complete winning recipe:

“Smoked/Braised Pork Shoulder with Saffron White Bean Puree, Heirloom Tomato Salad and Chorizo Croquette”

Ingredients

Pork Shoulder – 1 Lb Yellow Onion – 2 Each Carrots – 4 Oz Celery – 4 Oz Chicken Stock – 1 ¼ qts Thyme (Fresh) – 3 Sprigs Rosemary (Fresh) – 3 Sprigs Great White Northern Beans – 2 Cups Heirloom Tomato – 1 Each Shallot – 1 Each Manchego Cheese – 2 Oz Arugula – 1 ¼ Cup Butter – ¼ Cup Flour – 1 ¼ Cup Whole Milk – 1 Cup Chorizo – 3 Oz Eggs – 2 Each

Panko Bread Crumbs – 1 Cup Garlic – 4 Cloves Olive Oil – 2 Oz Sherry Vinegar – 4 Oz Balsamic Vinegar – 2Oz Lemon Juice – 2 Oz Paprika – 2 Tbls Cumin – 1 Tbls White Pepper – 2 Tsp Garlic Powder – 2 Tsp Brown Sugar – 2 Tbsp Tomato paste – 2 Tbls Bay Leaf – 2 Each Dijon Mustard – 1 Tbls Saffron – .01 Oz Salt (Kosher) – ¼ Cup Vegetable Oil – 1 Cup

For Pork: Combine salt, Paprika, White Pepper, Garlic Powder, Cumin, and Brown Sugar. Rub entire outside of the pork shoulder and let sit for 12 hours, reserve some spice mixture for after. Smoke pork shoulder at 225 degrees F. for 8 hours. Trim outer fat and cut pork into 4 oz. cubes and coat outside with remaining spice mixture. Sear pork cubes on all sides in sauté pan. Cut ½ of onions, carrot and celery into large chunks and add to roasting pan with tomato paste, 2 cups of chicken stock, ½ of garlic cloves, ½ of sherry vinegar, thyme and bay leafs. Add pork cubes and braise covered at 275 degrees F. for 1 hour and 30 mins. Remove pork cubes and serve.

For Saffron White Bean Puree: Soak white beans for 8 hours. Combine beans, ½ Garlic cloves, ¼ of onions, rosemary and 3 cups of chicken stock in large sauce pan. Heat to boil, then reduce heat to simmer and cook for 50 mins. Remove rosemary sprigs and place ingredients in blender and blend till smooth. Add lemon juice, ½ olive oil and season with salt. Place puree into siphon and hold in hot water bath until ready to serve.

For Heirloom Tomato Salad: Slice tomatoes thinly and marinate with ½ sherry vinegar, balsamic vinegar, and ½ olive oil. Let set for 2 hours. Slice shallots and manchego cheese thinly and combine with tomatoes and arugula. Add Dijon mustard to vinegar and oil mixture and whisk, then dress salad with vinaigrette and keep cold until ready to serve.

For Chorizo Croquette: Melt butter in sauce pan and add ¼ of onions chopped, sauté for 2 minutes and add ¼ cup of flour. Mix together on medium heat then add warm milk and whisk until smooth. Sauté chorizo in sauce pan until fat is rendered, then add to white sauce, transfer to shallow pan and cool. In three separate bowls, add 1 cup of flour, beaten eggs and bread crumbs. Shape quenelles of sauce mixture and dip from flour, to egg, to bread crumbs. Fry croquettes in deep pan with vegetable oil at 350 degrees F.

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