Pulled Pork Ala The Robber

For the Fourth of July the Robber cooked up a little pulled pork in the crockpot (his first!) because he wanted to work that day and I, being post-call, was sleeping. Errrr, trying to sleep. So anyway, he got crockpot duty. After it was done cooking we took it over to our friends the C's and ate it out on their patio, a perfectly lazy way to celebrate the Fourth. Here is what the Robber has sent me to memorialize his pulled pork process. I don't know where he found his inspiration, but maybe this will inspire him again in the future.

Ala the Robber, and in his own words.

Ingredients:

5 lb Pork Shoulder, bone in or bone out (5lb was how much I used and you saw how much it made)

A couple bottles/cans of root beer

1-2 bottles of bbq sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray's because why would you use anything else?)

Optional Spices (Thyme, Sage, Pepper)--I added a dash of these, but I'm not sure it really makes a difference

1 chopped onion

Some minced garlic (about a tablespoon?)

Directions:

1) Trim fat off of pork shoulder.  I didn't do this beforehand b/c I thought it would taste better, but I think it made it much more greasy.

2) Place pork shoulder in slow cooker.  Top with onion, garlic, spices (if desired), and a good squirt or two of bbq sauce.  Pour root beer on until it covers the pork.

3) Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or so.  Can also try high and go for less time if you're in a rush.  I think I did high for the first 2 hours and then low for another 4 or 5.

4) Remove pork to separate bowl (should be falling apart by this point).  Discard root beer (you can save the onions and put them back in with the pork after shredding or you can chop up a fresh onion and put it in with the pork).  

5) Shred pork with forks.  Mix in the bbq sauce to taste (I used 1 and 1/2 bottles maybe).

6) Place pork back in slow cooker and heat until it starts bubbling.  Be careful cause the bottom can burn, so maybe stir it occasionally?

7) Serve!

Couscous Salad with Dried Cranberries and Pecans

So one thing about my current rotation is that their food is GREAT. They are a vegetarian residency and every day they have salad and the best fruit salad and I am just in eating heaven because I can eat a lot of volume with few calories. A few days ago they had this amazing couscous chili with garbanzo beans and kidney beans and couscous and tomatoes and it was so so good. But on to this couscous. This couscous, also so so good. Light. Tasty. I thought the finely chopped pecans were essentially to giving it an underlying nutty, tasty flavor but then the Robber thought they weren't needed as much. Who knows, but that this was delicious.

From the NYTimes Well Vegetarian Thanksgiving 2010 blog:
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/11/08/health/20101108_thanksgiving.html#Couscous_Salad_With_Dried_Cranberries_and_Pecans

Ingredients:

1 C. couscous, preferably whole wheat
Salt
2 large carrots, grated
1/2 C. chopped pecans
1/2 C. chopped dried cranberries
1/4 C. chopped scallions
1/4 C. olive oil, or more as needed
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon, or more juice as needed
1 tsp. coriander
Pinch of cayenne, or to taste
Black pepper
1/2 C. chopped fresh parsley
1 T. chopped fresh sage, or 1 teaspoon dried

Directions:

1. Put the couscous in a small pot and add 1 1/2 cups water and a pinch of salt. Bring the water to a boil, then cover and remove from the heat. Let steep for at least 10 minutes, or up to 20.

2. Put the slightly cooled couscous in a large salad bowl along with the carrots, pecans, cranberries, scallions, oil and lemon zest and juice, and sprinkle with the spices and salt and pepper. Use 2 big forks to combine, fluffing the couscous and tossing gently to separate the grains. (The salad can be made up to this point and refrigerated for up to a day; bring to room temperature before proceeding.)

3. Stir in the parsley and sage. Taste and adjust the seasoning, moisten with a little more oil and lemon juice as you like, and serve.

Yield: 4 servings.

Hamburgers by the Robber

The Robber's first Vegetable Tuesday recipe! On Labor Day I made homemade buns and the Robber made his own hamburgers and grilled them and then we feasted on hamburgers all week long!!! The Robber was basically in heaven, which is what I say on every blog post these days but it is true since I have come to be with him. :)

Ingredients:

4 lbs. ground hamburger (80% meat, 20% fat)

1/2 large white onion, diced

5 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp. salt (1/2 tsp. per pound)

1/4 tsp. dried sage

1/4 tsp. dried rosemary

1/4 tsp. garlic salt

Directions:

1. Mix everything up well but not too much (your goal is to get it mixed but touch the meat as little as possible.)

2. Form into 12-ish 1.5" thick patties by grabbing out the amount of meat you could hold in your fist. Press the meat into a patty with your hands. Put your thumb into the middle of the patty to leave a deep thumb print (this will help the patty retain its juices.)

3. Heat gas grill as high as possible, allow to equilibrate for 15-20 minutes to get up to heat. Spray surface with cooking spray to prevent the meat from sticking. BBQ temp should reach approx 500F. Place the burgers on the grill, set timer for 3 min. After 2.5-3 min flip the burgers and grill for 2.5-3 more min, then remove from heat and serve. 3 minutes produces a medium well to done burger. If desired, you can put cheese on for the last 90 seconds or so.

Savory Cornbread Muffins With Jalapenos and Corn

When I clicked on my link to this recipe found in the NYTimes, a little box popped up informing me that I only had 2 of 20 articles left for free this month. Boo you NYTimes! Boo! I am a little bitter about them making me pay for digital access, but I guess all is fair game and who am I to get access to such never-ending everything for free? I have only been religiously reading their paper for over ten years now. I am sad.

But anyway. The muffins. Not my favorite, either, although I might make them again to serve with a potato soup and some collared greens. The article suggests serving them with soup and salad for lunch and I suspect that might be their best use. They are not bad, just not my favorite. They are a rare savory muffin, which makes them different than most muffins which are sweet, and thus versatile in helpful ways. I served them at a visiting teaching breakfast with the Southwest Potatoes also recorded on this blog, and other women brought orange juice and fruit and so all in all it was a well-put together meal and very tasty, but the muffins are not good enough as a stand alone item to bring as a potluck item. Only as part of a synchronized meal. I think they might be better with white instead of wheat flour, as over all the muffin has a heavy and not chipper feeling to it and if I make this again I think I will try it. I did add the cheese-- sharp cheddar-- and would do so again.

From Martha Rose Shulman's Recipes for Health series: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/02/health/nutrition/02recipehealth.html?ref=recipesforhealth#

Ingredients:

1 cup yellow cornmeal, preferably organic stone-ground
1 cup whole-wheat flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage or 1 teaspoon rubbed sage
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 cup corn kernels
2 tablespoons minced jalapeños
1/2 cup grated Cheddar or Monterey Jack (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees with the rack positioned in the upper third. Oil or butter muffin tins.

2. Place the cornmeal in a bowl, and sift in the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Stir in the sage. In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs, buttermilk, oil and honey. Whisk or stir the cornmeal mixture into the liquid mixture. Do not beat; a few lumps are fine, but make sure there is no flour at the bottom of the bowl. Fold in the corn kernels, minced jalapeño and optional cheese.

3. Spoon into muffin cups, filling them to just below the top (about 4/5 full). Place in the oven, and bake 20 to 25 minutes until lightly browned and well risen.

Yield: Twelve muffins, depending on the size of your muffin tins.

Advance preparation: These keep for a couple of days out of the refrigerator, for a few more days in the refrigerator, and for a few months in the freezer.

Nutritional information per muffin (based on 12-muffin yield; does not include optional cheese): 161 calories; 1 gram saturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 32 milligrams cholesterol; 23 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 362 milligrams sodium; 5 grams protein

Roasted Cauliflower With Butter & Sage

It might not sound like the most exciting dish... but honestly this NYTimes-recipe cauliflower was so aromatic and delicious I could just eat the whole batch happily! The recipe itself is a bit fussy so I don't know that I would make it on casual occasions, but it would fit well into a dinner party and definitely into Thanksgiving again. I would consider the lemon zest essential to its success, so don't skip on the lemon, add a little bit of juice if you must.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup sage leaves, loosely packed

1 tablespoon coarse salt, more for tossing

3 heads cauliflower, cut into florets

About 1 teaspoon table salt

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 lemon, zest finely grated.

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a small pan until rippling. Add sage and cook, stirring, just until crisped, about 2 minutes. Lift out sage and drain on paper towels; transfer oil to a large bowl. Let sage cool and crumble with fingers into a small bowl. Stir in coarse salt and set aside.

2. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place roasting pan with an inch of water in oven bottom. Add cauliflower to bowl with oil, add about 1 teaspoon table salt, and toss gently until coated. Spread out on two large baking sheets. Bake until browned, 20 to 30 minutes.

3. Melt butter in a small pan over medium heat. When foam subsides, watch closely and stir often. When white solids are brown and butter smells toasty, turn off heat, squeeze in juice of lemon and stir well.

4. Transfer cauliflower to a bowl, pour butter over, and add lemon zest. Add half the sage salt and toss. Taste and season with remaining salt as needed.

Yield: 10 to 12 servings.

Cornbread Stuffing

Again from the NYTimes this Thanksgiving. I usually don't like stuffing, but somehow I got it into my head that I would like stuffing if it involved cornbread so I couldn't resist trying this recipe, even though all the Robber wanted to eat was Stove Top. I made him make his own, while I made and ate this lovely recipe. So glad I gave it a try, as it is delicious!

Cornbread

Ingredients:

1 cup yellow cornmeal, preferably organic stone ground

1/2 cup all purpose flour or whole wheat flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 eggs

1 cup plain low-fat yogurt or buttermilk

1/2 cup milk

1 tablespoon mild honey

2 to 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (to taste)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place a 9-inch cast iron skillet, a heavy 2-quart baking dish or a heavy 9-inch square baking pan in the oven while you prepare the batter.

2. Place the cornmeal in a bowl, and sift in the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Stir the mixture with a spoon or whisk to amalgamate. In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs, yogurt (or buttermilk), milk and honey. Whisk the cornmeal mixture into the liquid mixture. Do not overwork the batter.

3. Remove the pan from the oven, and add the butter to the pan. Swirl the pan so that the butter melts quickly before it gets too brown, then quickly whisk the butter into the batter. Brush the sides of the pan with any butter remaining in the pan.

4. Quickly scrape all of the batter into the hot pan, and place in the oven. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. It will be quite brown on the edges. Allow the bread to cool in the pan, or serve warm.

Yield: Makes 8 to 10 servings. This is easily doubled for a larger quantity of stuffing. Bake it in a 3-quart baking dish (it will take about 45 to 50 minutes) or in two 9-inch pans.

Variation: Sage Cornbread

Stir 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage or 1 teaspoon rubbed dried sage into the batter before turning into the pan.

Cornbread and Sage Stuffing

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, or 1 tablespoon each olive oil and unsalted butter

1 large onion, finely chopped

Salt to taste

4 stalks celery, cut in small dice

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons rubbed sage, or 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme

1/2 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Freshly ground pepper

A double batch of cornbread (see above), crumbled (you can do this in a food processor fitted with the steel blade)

1/2 cup milk, or as necessary, for moistening

4 tablespoons unsalted butter if baking separately

Directions:

1. Heat the olive oil (or oil and butter) over medium heat in a large, heavy, nonstick skillet, and add the onion. Cook, stirring often, until it begins to soften, about three minutes, and add 1/2 teaspoon salt and the celery. Cook together for another few minutes, until the onion is tender. Add the garlic, and stir together for 30 seconds to a minute, until fragrant. Transfer to a large bowl, and add the remaining ingredients. Combine well. Taste and adjust salt. Moisten as desired with milk.

2. Stuff the cavity of the turkey, or transfer to a buttered or oiled 2-quart baking dish. Dot with butter. Cover with aluminum foil, and heat through in a 325-degree oven for 30 minutes.

Yield: Makes enough stuffing to fill an 18-pound turkey.

Advance preparation: You can make the cornbread several days ahead and the stuffing a day ahead.

Notes: I made the cornbread two days in advance and crumbled it one day in advance without problems. I used the whole 1/2 cup milk to moisten it, as I like a softer stuffing. I forgot the sage in the cornbread but used the full complement of fresh sage in the stuffing, and I think it might have been overwhelmingly sagey otherwise, so I was just as happy to have done it that way. You can bake it in a 13 x 9 glass pan.