La Chiesa’s menu includes this Forever
Roasted Pork and Fettuccine.
as the host stand where Trisha, Neppl’s
wife, welcomes guests.
Neppl figures that pork is featured on
about a third of his menu, from charcuterie
plates to entrées, with just a bit diverted
to sandwiches, such as his Ham & Fontina
Panini with a classic Dijon aioli.
Parmesan on a Silpat and baking at 350°F
until the cheese starts to brown. Once it’s
cooled, he breaks it up and sprinkles over
the tortellini.
“Now, our Forever Roasted Pork
Fettuccini is menued year-round,” he
says. (It’s $16.95 for a full portion, $7.50
for a half-portion.) “We roast a pork butt
seasoned with fennel and olive oil in a
180°F oven for 10-12 hours, then break it
down into chunks. Next, it goes in a sauté
pan to crisp on the outside while it’s nice
and soft inside.”
Emily Sharp, kitchen manager/sous chef
at Five Senses in Murfreesboro, Tenn., has
been learning on the job for the past three
years. This year, she won the National Pork
Board’s Tennessee Taste of Elegance
competition with her Stuffed Rack of Pork
with Red Potatoes and Kale.
the flavor with the bones and marrow
from the hock,” Miller says. He slow-cooks the pork in pork stock along with a
generous amount of ramps and aromatics
in a cauldron-like pot for about six hours.
“Ramps are complementary to pork. We
use trout beans, an heirloom variety that’s
white and spotted with red flecks.”
Pork3 ($21) on the Graze menu features
three innovative presentations in one
entrée: a Korean-style Spicy Shredded
Pork Shoulder wrapped in lettuce; a
Udon Noodle Bowl with pork broth, sliced
vegetables and glazed pork belly; and
Braised Smoked Spare Rib with Spicy
Korean Mustard Sauce. A Miller tip: Brush
the smoked spare ribs with a Korean
mustard sauce of rice wine, vinegar and
honey, then grill them to finish.
He adds a sauce of sautéed onion, tomato
purée and chicken stock, plus a bit of chili
flake, garlic and oregano to the pan of
chunky, crispy pork, along with handmade
fettuccini. “We’ll season to taste, put it all
in a bowl and top with grated pecorino.”
“I got a whole rack, brined and seared it,
then slow-cooked it in the oven,” Sharp
says. “First, I cored and stuffed it with
thinly sliced and julienned prosciutto,
thyme sautéed in butter with garlic and
some lemon zest. I mixed it all together,
along with goat cheese, and stuffed it
into the center of the pork loin. At that
point, I seared and slow-roasted it with the
stuffing inside so all the flavors could seep
into the meat.
BEYOND PANINIS
At La Chiesa, formerly an Episcopal
church built in 1887 in Spencer, Iowa,
you’ll find the original stained-glass
windows, vaulted ceiling and wood floors.
You’ll also discover an Italian-inspired
restaurant operated by executive chef
Jeremy Neppl. The original pulpit serves
Neppl’s Pork Belly and Apple Tortellini
on Apple Onion Soubise ($18.95) won
the National Pork Board’s Iowa Taste of
Elegance competition this year. To prepare,
he takes pork belly and almost confits it in
olive oil, then dices it. “I crisp it lightly in a
sauté pan, add caramelized onion and Pink
Lady apples, then use heavily reduced
pork stock as the binder.”
“We ran the dish as a special ($26-$28)
for two weekends before the competition
to get experience in preparing it. For now,
we’re doing a take on this recipe—a Maple
Glaze Pork Chop ($23)—that’s become
one of our most consistent sellers, even
with the change of seasons.”
Well on his way to becoming a master
pasta maker, Neppl uses an egg-dough
recipe for his tortellini. “It’s very thin—
without much of a bite on it—and sort of
melts in your mouth.” To finish the dish, he
prepares Parmesan crisp by placing grated
New York-based award-winning journalist
Karen Weisberg has covered the
issues and luminaries of the food-and-
beverage world—both commercial and
noncommercial—for more than 25 years.
