Pork tenderloin with popcorn breading.
Fans in Citi Field’s (New York) Delta Sky360 Club enjoy a little popcorn just like those on the concourse—it’s just chopped up and used as breading on pork tenderloin, and served with a salad.
“It’s our play on pork Milanese,” said Citi Field Executive Chef Robert Flowers from Aramark. The chef takes the same popcorn that the ballpark uses in its concession stands and puts it in a blender to get it into small pieces. “Seeing all the popcorn we go through, I thought, how can I incorporate popcorn into a dish? I wanted to create something that stayed in the ballpark and was playful.”
The pork—which Flowers gets from Pat LaFrieda, a local meat purveyor—is cut into one-inch slices, pounded and dredged with flour, egg and the popcorn. Then, the chef fries it until golden brown.
For a healthy addition, chef Flowers cuts up onions, tomatoes, chives and parsley which go into a bowl of ice water before mixing with a gastrique made from sugar and vinegar. Flowers noted that the produce comes from Satur Farms in Long Island. “Almost 90 percent of our produce is local,” he said. “Local should be a big part of what you’re trying to do. The flavor profile really changes when you use local and seasonal.”
Chef Flowers has seen popcorn used in other nonconventional ways, such as in a broth, but explained that the popcorn breading creates a unique earthy flavor with the tenderloin; the salad and gastrique provide a nice, bright contrast.
The dish makes its debut this July when Citi Field hosts the MLB All-Star weekend, but will stay on the menu through the rest of the season.
Contact: (718) 507-3663
Executive chef Robert Flowers
Citi Field
Chef Robert Flowers has been all over the world—from Australia to France to the United States, and he brings a diverse range of influences with him to Citi Field. While the blending of influences to create fusion dishes has become a prominent trend in the culinary industry, Flowers likes to keep flavors authentic.
Flowers attended Le Cordon Bleu Institute of Culinary Arts in Pittsburgh, Pa., and has worked for the Four Seasons and Bellagio Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. The evolution of ballpark fare excites the chef: “We’re no longer dealing with the cold hot dog and flat beer,” he said. “Our restaurants could go up against any restaurant in New York City.”
Ballpark popcorn encrusted pork loin $24
Pairs with shiraz or pinot noir