Showing posts with label roast. Show all posts
Showing posts with label roast. Show all posts
Saturday, March 21, 2015
Not Another Boring Cola Roast
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| photo by Waffles McBillionaire @TiredMambo |
Happy July! Are you gearing up for the Fourth? I love the 4th of July -- I especially like going for walks and seeing all the flags -- they make me feel protected and proud.
We always have typical American food on the 4th, which to my family means the staples: hot dogs, hamburgers, potato salad, and corn on the cob (dont worry, Ill sneak a crockpot or two in there--- probably with some baked beans). Its my grandmas birthday, and well finish our meal with chocolate cake.
Im looking forward to it.
The photo below has a small piece of meat shown; I was recipe-testing when I snapped that photo. If you do use a small piece of meat, move down to a 4-quart slow cooker.
The Ingredients.
serves 6 (if you shred the meat and serve in sandwiches, you can feed 8-10)
4 pound pork roast (bone in or out; Ive used both pork tenderloin and a shoulder/butt)
1 (7-ounce) can fire roasted diced green chiles
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili pepper (remember, the canned chipotles in adobo are not gluten free)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup cola
The Directions.
Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Place the meat into the bottom of your cooker. In a small mixing bowl, combine the chiles, tomato paste, cumin, garlic powder, chili pepper, sugar, and salt. Stir to create a paste, and then smear this mixture on all sides of your meat. If you have time to do so, you can marinate your meat in this mixture overnight (in a sealed plastic bag or tupperware; its not recommended to refrigerate the stoneware and then cook in it).
Pour in cola.
Cover, and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours, or until pork has relaxed and begun to fall apart. If you used pork tenderloin, slice thinly and serve over rice or mashed potatoes. If you opted for a shoulder roast, shred completely using two large forks.
Enjoy!
The Verdict.
I like how the resulting pork is sweet but not in-your-face sticky sweet. Its got a bit of a kick, but its not spicy enough to deter small children. I think I might like the cold leftovers even better--- I toasted hamburger buns (we use the Udis brand) and added pickle relish and sliced cheddar for a next-day sandwich.
Have a wonderful and safe Fourth of July, and happy birthday to Grandma Bunny!!
other stuff you might like:
barbecued pulled pork
top 10 slow cooker potluck dishes
artichoke pasta
10 books that changed my life
food photography, realism, and false advertising
Thursday, March 19, 2015
Apple Cinnamon Pork Roast
Ive gotten a few email asking if this is going to be "The Year of Pork."
No, but the next week or two will be pretty heavy with pork recipes. Id like to have about 10 really good ones to include in the forthcoming cookbook, and I need to test them out. If you dont eat pork (I dont), you can fool around with using chicken or beef instead.
Stacy emailed me this recipe a few weeks ago; she had gotten it from a friend of hers. She reported back last week that she and her family really enjoyed it and urged me to give it a try. So I did.
It calls for a bag of coleslaw mix. Im not a huge fan of coleslaw because for some reason in my weird twisted mind it sounds like cold sore. I know thats really gross. Im sorry.
anyhow, I used Stacy (and her friends) recipe last night, and packed the food up for my sister-in-laws amazing family.
The Ingredients.
2-3 pound pork-loin roast
1 onion, sliced in wedges
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup apple cider or juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 granny smith apples, chopped (to add later)
1 (16-ounce) bag coleslaw mix (to add later)
* 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (to add later--this isnt in the original recipe, but I think it should be. See notes below marked with an *.)
The Directions.
Use a 5 quart crockpot. Put onion wedges into the bottom of your crockpot, and put the meat on top. Sprinkle dry spices on all sides of the meat. Add apple and lemon juice. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4-6. The longer you cook it, the more shredded and juicy the meat will become. 20-30 minutes before serving, remove meat from crockpot and let sit on a cutting board. Put chopped apples (no need to peel) and the whole bag of coleslaw into your crockpot. *I would add apple cider vinegar now, too. Stir. Either slice or shred the pork, and add back to the crockpot.
Salt and pepper to taste (it definitely needs more salt.)
Stacy wrote in her last email that her husband "took some of the juice (from the crockpot) and combined it with butter, brown sugar, and chopped pecans. He boiled it down in a sauce pan and we added it to each serving." I imagine this would taste heavenly.
The Verdict.
I did sneak a taste of this, and so did Adam. Adam liked it more than I did; I thought the texture was funky, but I also have coleslaw issues, which I probably need to discuss with Dr. Phil.
This is the feedback I got from my tester-family (written by mom, Shari): Having tried quite a few of your recipes, this one is not a home run. But, the pork was tender and had a very delicate and subtle apple flavor, and was not fatty or greasy at all. The apples and cabbage had a bit of pleasant crunch to them, just the way we like them. Joe and I liked the very tender meat with the slightly crunchy cabbage and apples, and we each ate a healthy portion, and Ill look forward to eating it again for lunch tomorrow. Chris usually prefers strongly seasoned food. So, he couldnt get past what we liked about the dish - he didnt care for the texture, and wasnt too sure that the combination of flavors "go together".
From the tastes I took, I sort of agree with Chris. I think it needs more spices, and Id recommend at least doubling the salt and pepper. I think the crunch from the cabbage and the apples is a neat touch, and a great way to stretch a meal, but I think your (my) tongue wants * that bite of vinegar that usually comes with cabbage salad.
I also think that Stacys hubbys idea/technique of browning some butter and brown sugar on the stovetop to pour over the top is *genius*---you cant ever go wrong with that combo!
on the way:
cranberry pork roast
5-Spice pork chops
Cajun-Style pulled pork
pineapple pork tenderloin
Saturday, March 7, 2015
Roast Red Capsicum and Tomato Soup
This simple soup has bags of flavour and is a lovely soup to eat when it’s chilly outside.
Ingredients:
- 4 red peppers
- 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes with garlic and herbs
- 500ml vegetable stock
- Salt and pepper
- Pinch chilli flakes
- 1 carrot
- 1 onion
- Oil spray
Method of Preparation:
- Put the red peppers onto a baking tray and roast at 220C for 20-30 minutes until blackened
- Put them into a sandwich bag, seal the bag and leave them to cool for ten minutes.
- Meanwhile, finely chop the carrot and the onion. Heat oil spray in a frying pan and fry the carrot and onion for 15-20 minutes over a very low heat until soft.
- When the peppers are cool enough to handle, remove the skins under a cool running tap then remove the seeds. Roughly chop and add to the frying pan with the carrot and onion.
- Stir in the tomatoes and vegetable stock, season with salt, pepper and chilli flakes then simmer for 20 minutes.
- Blend until smooth using a food processor or hand blender. Serve.
Recipe serves 4, calories per serving: 108. Add more or less chilli depending on your preference
Source: http://www.losebabyweight.com.au/recipes/lunch-ideas/
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