Here's a quick one before we set off for Spain later this afternoon. We had some friends around for what I would consider some good 'ol Southern cooking. Mind you, it's not the food I grew up with so I may have been way off. However, I did pluck the recipes from a book about Southern cooking, so I guess that's a start.
Here's something else, I was not able to take photos because THE ANTICIPATION WAS TOO MUCH when this baby came out of its 6-hour journey from raw meat to juicy, literally falling-off- the-bone wonderfulness. We will definitely see this one again. The coleslaw, while not the feature component of dinner, was a nice, cool counterpoint to the pork. And the ice cream - just the right amount of lavender. The guests went away happy and yours will too.
Coleslaw
3 lb. napa or green cabbage
½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup mixed capers and cornichons, drained
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
zest and juice of 1 lemon
salt & pepper
1 pinch cayenne pepper
Cut the cabbage in half with a sharp knife and cut out the dense wedge of core. Slice each half into quaners and slice each quarter into very thin ribbons, about 1/8 inch thick, with a knife or a mandoline. You should have about 10 cups.
Whisk together the mayonnaise, relish, mustard, cayenne and lemon juice and zest. (KEVIN'S NOTE: I stuck it all into a little blender and it worked out nicely)
Place the cabbage in a large bowl, pour the dressing over it, and toss to coat evenly. Season to taste with salt and pepper and toss again.
Cover the coleslaw with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve, up to 4 hours. Toss it every 30 minutes to make certain the flavors meld evenly, and toss once again before serving.
Oven-BBQ'd Picnic Shoulder
2 cans whole tomatoes. lightly crushed. with juice (14 oz. cans)
2 teaspoons Spanish smoked paprika (pimenton) or 2 chipotles in adobo plus more to taste
2 tablespoons sorghum molasses, cane syrup or honey, plus more to taste
½ cup white wine vinegar, champagne vinegar, or cider vinegar, plus more to taste
6-8 lbs. pork picnic shoulder (or Boston butt if you prefer), one or two pieces, rind off, but a good layer of fat left on
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
½ tablespoons canola oil
4 large plum tomatoes, cored
1 medium yellow onion, trimmed, peeled and quartered
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F degrees.
In a 6-quart enameled cast-iron stockpot or Dutch oven, bring the canned tomatoes, paprika, sorghum molasses (or honey), and 6 tablespoons vinegar to a simmer over medium-high heat.
Set the pork skin side up on your work surface. With a sharp knife, slice the skin from the
shoulder with a gentle sawing motion. working back from the point diagonally across from the leg end where the skin forms a corner (asking your burcher to do this for you will save time). Leave a thin layer of fat on the shoulder. Season the pork with the salt and black pepper.
Pour the oil into a 12-inch skillet or saute pan and heat over high hear. When the oil shimmers and just begins to smoke. place the pork in the pan. skinned side down. and sear until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Place the pork skinned side down in the pot with the tomato braising liquid.
Add the plum tomatoes and onion to the skillet and cook. rurning every few minutes. until
the skin of the tomatoes blisters and blackens and the onion is caramelized on all sides. Tuck the vegetables around the pork in the pot. Pour off the fat and add rhe remaining 2 tablespoons vinegar to the skillet and stir with a wooden spoon, scraping up any caramelized pork, tomato, and onion bits from the bottom. Pour over the pork.
Cover the pot, transfer to the oven, and cook for 30 minutes. Baste the pork, then turn the heat down to 150C/300F degrees and continue to cook, basting-every 30 minutes, until the pork is very tender, about 2 1/2 hours.
Remove the pork from the oven, transfer to a cutting board with a gutter, and let rest 10 minutes before carving. Season the sauce with molasses, vinegar, salt, pepper. and smoked paprika to taste.
KEVIN'S VARIATION: You can cook this a LOT longer for a superior effect. After the initial 30 minutes at higher heat in the oven, drop the heat down to 110C/230F (and even a little lower if using a fan-assisted oven). Baste the pork every 30-45 minutes for up to six hours.
When done, put the pork aside in a roasting pan or something that will hold it all. With a hand blender (or in a real blender) whiz up the liquid left behind in the pot. Bring this mixture to the boil and let it reduce down some to thicken it up a little, for about 10 minutes or so.
Meanwhile, with two forks, pull the pork off of the bone (it will FALL right off). Using the forks, shred the pork into a nice pulled pork consistency. When you have done that and have pulled any egregiously fatty parts out, take the sauce off of the heat and pour it onto the meat. Give it a good stir and check the seasoning. Either keep it warm in a low oven or slap it on a toasted bun and go to town.
Lavender Tea Ice Cream
280 milliliters single cream
500 milliliters whipping cream
220 milliliters milk
1 heaped tablespoon dried lavender tea, or any other loose tea
6 egg yolks
150 g sugar
Combine the creams and milk and a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. When simmering, stir in the tea and take off the heat. Cover and let stand for 30 minutes to infuse the flavor.
Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until pale and it has a ribbon consistency.
After the 30 minutes are up, pour some of the warm cream mixture into the egg yolk mixture and whisk through the bring the temperature up. Put the egg mixture back into the saucepan with the rest of the cream mixture and bring to a simmer over medium heat. DO NOT LET IT BOIL. Wen just simmering, drop the heat down to low and let the custard cook for about 10 minutes or so, to thicken it.
When it has reached a sauce consistency (coats the back of a spoon), take off the heat and strain. It is now ready to be put into an ice cream maker and churned.
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