Ground Pork + Pass The Pork 2.0 Recap on pumpkin Cream Sauce

Pumpkin Cream Sauce with Ground Pork is a simple and savory sauce to add to any dish!

**This post is sponsored by the Pork. org

A couple of months ago we headed east to Lansing, Michigan.

Have you ever been?

We've been to Michigan a few times. Once to the northern peninsula of Traverse City and the other to our good friend Liz’s hometown of Grand Rapids. Every time we visit we're always amazed at the amount of agriculture that comes from this state.

So, we shouldn’t have been surprised when the National Pork Association invited us back to another Pork Tour to well, visit Michigan pig farms! Did you know that Michigan was a pork producing state? It was a huge surprise to us.

Yes, Iowa still reigns supreme, but Michigan is standing on their own four pins. Thanks in large part to filtering barns which we will get to in just a second. But let’s take a look back on our trip chat about how the pork industry has changed overall for the betterment of the pig!

As a food blogger, part of our job is to do our due diligence when it comes to learning about where food comes from. The more we know about what it takes to eat from farm to table the better food we can create.

To tell you that our eyes were opened yet again thanks to the National Pork Board (NPB) would be an understatement. Like we mentioned above this was our second trip with the NPB (first trip was back in 2015!) and we thought we knew everything when it came to raising lighter pigs. Um, we didn’t.

As soon as a group of bloggers and we stepped onto a local Michigan pig farm we were hit with another round of pig farming information.

Have you heard of a filtering barn? Me either until now! Pigs used to be raised outdoors which left them vulnerable to to the weather, illness and many other variables. With the ability to bring them inside now farmers can control the environment and raise healthier pigs. Which means healthier pork for you!

By keeping the pigs inside the farmers use a filter system to keep any airborne illness or disease away from the pigs. They even use hepa filters which is what they use in hospitals. The filters are checked daily to make sure there are no leaks and in addition they install a climate control so the pigs stay nice and happy. Almost like Four Seasons folks.

Besides learning about the filtering barns, we also had a chance to explore the development of cooking pork. Now that pork has become safer the NPB has lowered the temperature to 145 degrees with a three second rest. This is HUGE!

Because back in the day everyone would over cook the pork and it would dry out. Well, that’s because you had to kill trichinosis which was found in dirt, worms, etc. So by moving the pigs indoors you remove that exposure! Now there’s no reason you should over cook a juicy pork tenderloin!

Anyway, today we thought we would share a speedy pork recipe that is simple to mix and full of flavor! This pumpkin cream sauce with ground pork will knock everybody socks off at your next dinner party. The sauce is creamy and has all the flavors of fall. BUT! The ground pork gives this sauce a level of texture and keeps it nice and juicy.

Make a big batch of this because later this week we're sharing the rest of the recipe to make using this brilliant and savory sauce! Stay tuned!

Print Recipe

Pumpkin Cream Sauce with Ground Pork

Yield: 4 cups

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb ground pork
• 1 large shallot, minced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 3 to 4 sage leaves, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp chopped rosemary
• 1 tbsp thyme
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup Gruyere cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a large skillet preheated to medium-high heat add the olive oil and ground pork. Break up the pork using a wooden spoon. Cook until the pork is no longer pink about five minutes. Remove the pork from the skillet and set aside on a plate.
2. In a medium bowl combine pumpkin puree, heavy cream, sage leaves, rosemary, thyme, egg, Gruyere cheese, salt and pepper.
3. In the same skillet as the pork add a smidge more olive oil. Add the shallots, garlic, salt and pepper. Stir to combine and cook for a few minutes. Next, add in the pumpkin mixture. Continue to stir and then pour in the chicken stock. Keep adding more chicken stock as needed until desired consistency.
4. Remove the skillet from the heat and then stir 1/2 the ground pork. Reserve the remainder of the pork for the filling.

All images and text ©Fisiz for Fisiz