Lucky New Year’s dishes with an Italian twist

Pork represents progress, because hogs push forward as they root.

On the other hand, because lobsters move backwards and chickens scratch backwards, both are thought to bring bad luck in the form of setbacks or regrets, and are avoided.

Here in the South, we like to ensure a happy New Year with collard greens, black-eyed peas and pork of all kinds, especially ham.

But sometimes it’s fun to shake up tradition — even if we’d just as soon keep on eating all the lucky stuff.

With that in mind, we came up with a menu that includes greens, black-eyed peas and pork roast, though each dish favors a tasty Italian twist.

In Italy, herb-stuffed boneless pork roast called porchetta is served in sandwiches commonly sold from street trucks.

Our version calls for a pork loin roast with a nice fat cap. It gets butterflied, then stuffed with ground pork, fennel, herbs and cornbread, before being roasted in a hot oven on a layer of red onions.

The result is a savory “jelly roll” that’s crispy outside and moist inside — plus the leftovers are great for sandwiches.

Instead of collards, we go for kale, blanched to preserve its bright, healthy essence, then dressed up with dried cherries and sliced olives and cooked in a bit of chicken stock.

Southern black-eyed peas meet Italian Arborio rice and caramelized onions in a flavorful and creamy Hoppin’ John risotto. Of course, it’s OK to top it with your favorite chow chow, too.

For dessert, it’s an easy panna cotta — literally “cooked cream” in Italian. Made with buttermilk and topped with raspberries, it somehow manages to come off as light and rich at the same time.

Altogether, it’s a fun New Year’s meal designed to bring good luck in 2012.

Try toasting that with bubbly Italian Prosecco or an Italian craft beer, such as Tipopils from Birrificio Italiano.

Pork Loin Roast With Sausage and Cornbread Stuffing

This version of traditional Italian porchetta acquires a slight Southern drawl with ground pork and cornbread stuffing. Have your butcher butterfly a boneless pork loin roast to make a pocket for the stuffing. Instead of ground pork, you could substitute good quality Italian sausage, taken out of the casings, cooked and cooled.

Hands on time: 30 minutes Total time: 2 hours 15 minutes, including resting. Serves 8.

1 4 pound boneless butterflied pork loin roast

salt and pepper

1/2 cup olive oil

1 yellow onion, thinly sliced

1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced, and fronds chopped and reserved

1 1/2 pounds ground pork

2 tablespoons fennel seeds

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped

6 cloves garlic, sliced

1 cup fresh cornbread, cubed and toasted

2 eggs, beaten

4 red onions, peeled and halved

1 lemon, juiced

butcher’s twine

Preheat the oven to 425

Open the butterflied pork loin, lay it out flat, and season with salt and pepper. Set aside while preparing the stuffing.

For the stuffing

In a large saute pan on medium, heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil until shimmering. Add sliced onions and fennel and saute until soft, about 8 minutes. Add the ground pork, fennel seeds, rosemary, garlic and 2 tablespoons of pepper. Cook until the pork is no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool, approximately 15 minutes.

Add 1/2 of the fennel fronds, cornbread crumbs and eggs to the pork mixture and gently combine. Spread the stuffing mixture inside the pork loin and roll, jelly roll style, and tie with butcher’s twine. In a roasting pan, place the red onions in the middle (they will serve as the “rack”) and place the pork on top, fat side up. Roast for 1 hour 15 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees.

To serve

Allow to rest for 15 minutes. Remove twine, slice and transfer to a platter. Drizzle with the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil, the lemon juice and garnish with the remaining fennel fronds. Serve the roasted onions on the side.

Per serving: 775 calories (percent of calories from fat, 67), 39 grams protein, 25 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber, 57 grams fat (17 grams saturated), 200 milligrams cholesterol, 917 milligrams sodium.

Kale With Dried Cherries, Kalamata Olives and Lemon

Hands on time: 30 minutes Total time: 40 minutes Serves 6

These Italian-style greens are light and bright with sweet, salty and tart elements from dried fruit, olives and lemon zest. Blanching the kale first helps retain the vivid color and fresh texture.

2 large bunches of kale (about 12 cups) or other greens stripped of woody stems and torn

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

1 shallot, thinly sliced

1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock

1/4 cup dried cherries, currants or raisins

1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives, sliced

salt and pepper to taste

Zest of 1 lemon, cut into long strips

To blanch the greens

Fill a large stockpot with salted water (as if cooking pasta) and bring to a rolling boil. Submerge the greens in the water, stir and cook until soft but still bright green, about 5 minutes. Run under cold water and drain. Set aside.

To finish the dish

In a medium saucepan, add the olive oil and butter. When the butter has melted, add the sliced shallot and cook until soft, about 2 minutes. Add the greens, stock, dried cherries and olives. Cook until heated through, about 5 minutes, and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

To serve

Place on a platter and garnish with lemon strips.

Per serving: 64 calories (percent of calories from fat, 54), 1 gram protein, 6 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 4 grams fat (1 gram saturated), no cholesterol, 62 milligrams sodium.

Hoppin’ John Risotto

Good luck, savory flavor and rich, creamy texture combine in this Italian-meets-Southern New Year’s dish.

Hands on Time: 1 hour Total Time: 1 hour Serves 6

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided

2 pounds Vidalia onions, thinly sliced

1 teaspoons salt

2 cups cooked black-eyed peas

1/4 cup celery, finely chopped

1 tablespoon garlic, finely chopped

1 1/2 cups Arborio rice

1 cup dry white wine

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped

1/2 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes

6 cups hot chicken or vegetable stock

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 teaspoon ground pepper

salt and pepper to taste

3 tablespoons parsley, chopped

To caramelize the onions

In a large skillet pan over medium heat, melt 4 tablespoons butter. Add the sliced onions and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and cook until caramelized, 20-25 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

For the risotto

In a large heavy saucepot, over medium heat add 2 tablespoons of butter, celery and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the rice and stir, until coated and opaque, about 2 minutes. Add wine and cook until completely reduced. Add half of the caramelized onions, thyme, red pepper flakes and 2 cups of stock and stir until completely reduced. Repeat with remaining stock, adding 1 cup at a time, until completely reduced and rice is tender and creamy but still al dente, about 20-25 minutes.

To finish

Add remaining 4 tablespoons of butter, black-eyed peas, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste and stir until incorporated.

To serve

Place in serving bowl and top with remaining caramelized onions and chopped parsley.

Per serving: 492 calories (percent of calories from fat, 32), 21 grams protein, 66 grams carbohydrates, 7 grams fiber, 18 grams fat (10 grams saturated), 111 milligrams cholesterol, 420 milligrams sodium.

Buttermilk Panna Cotta With Raspberries

Elegant and surprisingly easy, this Italian “cooked cream” gets an American twist with buttermilk and raspberry topping. Serve it with crispy almond biscotti or leftover Christmas cookies.

Hands on time: 30 minutes Total time: 2 hours 30 minutes, including 2 hours for chilling

Serves 6

4 teaspoons unflavored powdered gelatin

1 1/4 cups whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups buttermilk

12 ounces (two cartons) fresh raspberries

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons lemon zest

In a small bowl combine the gelatin with cold water to cover and allow to set, about 2 minutes.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the whole milk and heavy cream. Add the sugar and vanilla extract. Stir constantly for 3 minutes until the sugar is dissolved.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the gelatin. Strain the mixture through a sieve into a bowl. Set the bowl inside a larger bowl of ice water and allow to cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. When the mixture is cool, stir in the buttermilk until incorporated.

Transfer the mixture into small dessert dishes or ramekins. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate to set, about 2 hours.

To serve

In a small bowl, combine raspberries, sugar and lemon zest. Remove panna cotta immediately before serving, and top with raspberries.

Adapted from “Urban Italian” by Andrew Carmellini (Bloomsbury, $35).

Per serving: 369 calories (percent of calories from fat, 41), 6 grams protein, 50 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams fiber, 17 grams fat (11 grams saturated), 64 milligrams cholesterol, 134 milligrams sodium.

For more holiday recipes, visit our complete AJC Holiday Guide.