No sense wanting to waste time, right? We jumped into the effort on Sunday with zest.
Sunday morning... bacon and eggs. An old standby which we almost never eat but it seemed a direct and simple way to see how this pig tastes. First thing I noticed was that this bacon does not shrink and shrivel up; not much fat. Second thing I noticed was Mmmmmmm. It definitely measured up to the hype!
Sunday evening... pork shoulder roast braised with fennel, onion, wine and milk. With sides of taragna polenta and savoy cabbage. Some aspects of this meal turned out well; the parts that didn't work can definitely be fixed going forward. The main thing I should have remembered from the morning bacon was that this meat does not have much fat. Free-range living left this piggie with (a lot) less intermuscular fat than I am used to. That's probably better for us in the long-run, but I braised this particular dish way too long (and the oven was probably too hot). It dried out. Slow and low next time.
The polenta was so so. I used wate
r instead of stock; a bad idea. Next time we'll add something more to flavor. The sauce (pureed braising liquid, fennel, onion) on the other hand was excellent and it partly rescued the overcooked meat and dull-ish polenta. The cabbage was also out of this world (Julie thought the savoy cabbage tasted a bit like roasted brussels sprouts which is high praise.) Visually, the meal really missed the mark; everything was chunky and tan or yellow so it just didn't look as attractive as it might have.
r instead of stock; a bad idea. Next time we'll add something more to flavor. The sauce (pureed braising liquid, fennel, onion) on the other hand was excellent and it partly rescued the overcooked meat and dull-ish polenta. The cabbage was also out of this world (Julie thought the savoy cabbage tasted a bit like roasted brussels sprouts which is high praise.) Visually, the meal really missed the mark; everything was chunky and tan or yellow so it just didn't look as attractive as it might have. 2007 Owen Roe Sinister Hand (grenache blend) was tasty and worked with the food. We're inspired to take another stab at the pork shoulder. We'll get it right!
Congrats! We are thawing out a pork shoulder too. Thanks for blazing the trail! Maybe we should have brought the lard home!
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear that you are going whole hog and diving right in. My favorite way to cook a pork roast is to put it in the crock pot. I pour a couple tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce over it, pat about 1/2 c brown sugar on top, and last time I used about 1 c of homemade blackberry wine in the bottom of the crock, although the recipe called for apple cider. It is fabulous. Yesterday I cooked one with only salt in the crock pot and it was melt in your mouth. I'm enjoying the updates.
ReplyDeleteNelda
If at first you don't succeed....I too am finding that farm-raised animals are much leaner (good for our hearts, but requires cooking adjustment).
ReplyDeleteJust a suggestion for some of that pork shoulder that you might like....other boneless cuts would work well for this. Pork vindaloo!! super easy (made some today) and the spice/vinegar combo is out of this world and pork is the perfect meat for this. Spice and recipe at www.penzeys.com (da spice people, doncha know...now right here in Or-e-gone near Clackamas town center)or by mail order. Super fresh spice and nice.