Dinner and a Movie: Flesh and the Devil

Loin of Pork Roasted with Sweet Potatoes, Apples and Squash 

(Salad with French Dressing in the background)

If you follow me on facebook, tumblr or pinterest, you have probably guess that I'm back on a bit of a 1920s kick. I found some fabulous magazines and cookbooks on etsy recently from that decade, so I'm really looking forward to cooking from them. The Sunday lunch above is from the Woman's World Magazine Menu Book from 1928. I have to say it was absolutely divine and went perfectly with one of the best silent films ever, Flesh and the Devil.

Flesh and the Devil (1927) is one of my favorite movies. It's so ridiculously glamorous--you could definitely watch it just for Greta Garbo's wardrobe. Flesh and the Devil is so awesome I completely forget I'm even watching a silent film. It's the story of two best friends, Leo (John Gilbert) and Ulrich (Lars Hanson). When the two of them arrive home on leave, Leo meets Felicitas (Greta Garbo) and becomes infatuated with her, ignoring Ulrich and Ulrich's little sister, Hertha (Barbara Kent) who's in love with Leo. Felicitas and Leo commence a very steamy affair but Leo doesn't know Felicitas is married until her husband walks in on them... Naturally, everything goes to hell in a handbasket and you'll have to watch it to see how it turns out. Flesh and the Devil is available on DVD as part of The Greta Garbo Signature Collection (it's only $25 now which is a steal and it's a fabulous collection of films).

This scan is from my new (to me, at least--I don't think anyone would call 1928 "new") cookbook. It has a week of menus for every month: breakfast, lunch and dinner, which will give me a lot of material for the future! Anyway, I made everything except the Fruited Lemon Gelatine, since I already had a cake made.

Loin of Pork Roasted with Sweet Potatoes, Apples and Squash

1 boned, rolled and tied pork roast (mine was 2.32 lbs), at room temperature
2 sprigs fresh sage
1 small sweet potato per person
1/2 small acorn squash for every two people
1 apple for every two people (or about a dozen tiny apples)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the roast, fattiest side up, in a roasting pan and season well with salt and pepper. Place sage on top of pork.

Halve the sweet potatoes and quarter the acorn squash half. Place around the roast and season with salt and pepper. If using large apples, core and place on top of the vegetables. (If using small apples, add them for the last 40 minutes of cooking.) Cook roast in the middle of the oven 45 to 50 minutes for each pound of pork.

Take sage off the pork then remove pork, vegetables and apples to a carving board and tent with tin foil to keep warm. Let rest 15 minutes before carving. Use the drippings left in the roasting tin for gravy.

Plan for 1/3 to 1/2 pound of pork per person

Gravy

pan drippings
2 cups beef stock
1 tablespoon flour

Heat pan drippings and stock over high heat until boiling. Meanwhile make a slurry of the flour and 2 tablespoons of cold water. Add this mixture to the stock when it comes to a boil and whisk until gravy is desired thickness. Serve with roast pork and vegetables.

Enough for 4 servings

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French Dressing

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
juice of 1 lemon + enough Champagne vinegar to make 1/2 cup
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 shallot, minced
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
pinch of Herbes de Provence

Put all ingredients in a jar and shake to combine. Store in the refrigerator.

16 1.5-tablespoon servings

Adapted from The Boston Cooking School Cook Book

Download and print

Flesh and the Devil photos

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Are you as obsessed as I am with the Jazz Age?

If you follow me on facebook, you'll know that I'm planning to tackle a week's worth (breakfast, luncheon, dinner) of menus from the March 1927 issue of American Cookery magazine. I'll be posting photos to facebook in real time and doing a wrap-up each day on the blog. I wanted to make it possible for you to follow along (or even cook along!) with me, so I'll be making the menus and all the recipes available as an e-book. Tentatively, I plan to do the event the last full week of March: Sunday the 24th through Saturday the 30th.

As soon as it's ready, there will be a free St. Patrick's Day bonus e-booklet just for subscribers. It will be available in an upcoming newsletter, so sign up today!