My Favorite Fall-Apart Tender, Slow-Roast Pork and Cole Slaw

"Noncooks think it's silly to invest two hours' work in two minutes' enjoyment; but if cooking is evanescent, than so is the ballet."

~Julia Child

I've made this a few times, using differing methods, but this is my favorite, by miles.  Many people make pulled pork in the crock pot with a bottle of barbeque sauce, and I like it (you can hardly ruin pulled pork!), but I LOVE this particular preparation.  I first had it this way at a restaurant in Tampa, Florida called Marlin Darlin's.  After that experience I only ever wanted my pulled pork done in the oven so you get those dark ends.  Slow cooking the rubbed roast in the oven allows for an amazing crust to form.    That's my favorite part and it cannot be duplicated in a crock pot. You may think it would dry it out, but in my experience, it hasn't at all.  You can FINISH it in the crock pot, or heat up the leftovers in there with some extra barbecue sauce, but starting it in the oven is imperative to creating that wonderful dark, spicy, crust.  This is great served on a bun with cole slaw and pickles, or plated with a side of Cuban black beans and Sriracha sauce on the side, JUST like I had it at Marlin Darlin's.  Ah, I love recreating a memorable meal at home!

The barbecue sauce was originally from my sister-in-law, Noreen.  Given to me many years ago, it has become the most beloved home-made barbecue sauce of our family.  Over the years I've tweaked it here and there, but minimally, and the taste is true to the original.

The cole slaw recipe is from my mother and is the one I grew up on.  The Mister and I are addicted to it and make it at least once a week, often topping a plate-full with a piece of fish for a low-carb meal.  It keeps great for 3 days.

My Favorite Fall-Apart Tender, Slow-Roast Pork and Cole Slaw
Serves 6-8

An Irish Mother original recipe

Dry Rub:

2 tablespoons paprika

1 tablespoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons onion powder

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons sea salt

1 4-5 pound pork shoulder

My Favorite Barbecue Sauce:

2/3 cup vinegar

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoons onion powder

1/4 cup butter

1  cup ketchup

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

dash cayenne pepper

Cole Slaw: 

Dressing:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground mustard

1/2 teaspoon celery seed

Slaw:

4 cups shredded cabbage (I cut by hand)

3/4 cup shredded carrot

1/4 cup sliced green onion (or diced red onion)

1/2 cup diced green pepper

It is best to apply the rub the night before and let the roast sit (refrigerated) overnight, but it will still come out good if you apply it up to one hour before you cook it.

In a small bowl, stir together all rub ingredients.  

Apply rub very liberally all over roast, massaging in as much of it as you can.  

Allow roast to come to room temperature for a half hour.  Place on a roasting pan and bake in a 300 degree (F) oven for about 7 hours, basting occasionally, until it is fall-apart tender (usually when it reaches an internal temperature of 170 degrees.)

NOTE:  At this point you have a lot of leeway.  I have started it in the morning in the oven for 6 hours to form a crust and then transferred it to a crock-pot with a small amount (about one-fourth) of the barbecue sauce to keep it warm until dinner time (even for several hours).  You could also choose to slow roast it at 275 degrees overnight, pull it, store it and heat it up later when you get home from work.  It's very versatile and you can easily adapt the recipe to what works for your lifestyle.  Gotta love that!

While the pork is roasting, make the barbecue sauce:

In a medium saucepan, combine the listed ingredients and bring to a simmer, stirring now and then for about 15 minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside.

In a small bowl, stir together the cole slaw dressing ingredients, cover and refrigerate so the flavors can marry for at least an hour.

When the pork is done, transfer to a platter, cover with foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes.  While the pork is still warm, you need to "pull" the meat.  

Using two forks, pull hunks of meat off the roast and shred them with the forks, discarding fat and bones.   Put the shredded pork into a crockpot, pour half of the barbecue sauce over, stir together and keep warm on a low setting until you're ready for dinner. 

To make cole slaw:

In a large bowl, mix together the shredded green cabbage, carrot, onion and pepper.  Toss with the dressing you made earlier.

Serve the pulled pork on a sturdy bun with cole slaw on top, or on the side.  Hope you enjoy this as much as we do!!!

Shaved Asparagus and White Bean Salad

"Keep bees and grow asparagus, watch the tides and and listen to the wind instead of the politicians.  Make up your own stories and believe them if you want to live the good life."

~Miriam Waddington

Driving Home: Poems New and Selected; Advice to the Young

This is the first recipe I'm sharing originally found on Pinterest.  It was linked to Clean Eating and you can check it out there.   It looked so fresh and inviting.  Apologies for the impromptu photo that does not do it justice!   The lighting is less than ideal, and I completely forgot to add the toasted walnuts, but you know how it goes when you're in the middle of hosting a party!  It was a side dish for Easter dinner yesterday and everyone enjoyed it.

Despite that, I have mixed feelings about sharing this recipe.  It was pretty.  It was healthful.  Everyone liked it.  But it was also a bit persnickety, and I see more than a few pitfalls that any given reader may come up against if they decide to try it.   If I post a recipe here, it's because I got excited about it and want to share it to be easily duplicated in your home for the enjoyment of you and YOUR family.  That said, YES, we loved this and will make it again!  BUT, be duly warned, shaving asparagus is a fussy business.  

On the one hand, you can make this salad 4-6 hours ahead (and it doesn't suffer at all), which is fantastically convenient for company dinners.  The recipe needs 2 full pounds of asparagus.  There is quite a bit of waste amounting to about 50% (I hate that).  You can turn these scraps into asparagus soup if you like (but I don't).  Choose young, medium stalks.  The tiny stalks will break, and the big fat ones will be woody on the outside.  The medium ones will render about 4 shavings per.  NEXT, you must have a sharp peeler.  I have two.  An old one that I love for peeling potatoes that is easy to use and makes thick peels, and a newer, sharper one that makes paper thin peels, but sometimes clogs.  The old peeler was useless. The stalks basically broke at almost every attempt.  The sharp one worked  beautifully, but I had to stop and unclog it occasionally.  I'm just putting it all out there for you because I don't want anyone to get frustrated and start cursing me!!

The recipe called for lemon and orange juices, olive oil, salt and pepper.  I prepared the shavings early and tossed them with this, so the citrus would help preserve the fresh bright green color of the asparagus.  Before I served it though, I made a small amount of vinaigrette to toss it with and everyone liked that.  Orange zest was called for, but not my preference, so I used a shredded carrot to give the pop of orange color.  

I'll give you the recipe the way it worked for me, but you can access the original by clicking the link above!

Shaved Asparagus and White Bean Salad

A recipe by Clean Eating

Serves 6-8

2 bunches fresh, young, medium asparagus stalks (about 2 pounds)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium red onion, sliced thinly

1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup toasted walnuts, chopped

1/2 cup shaved Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup slivered fresh basil (cut and added at last minute)

sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Dressing that I added:

1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon sugar or honey

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 garlic clove, minced

Directions:

Lay asparagus on a cutting board and hold at thick end.  Using a sharp vegetable peeler, shave asparagus from thick to thin end, right thru floret, making long ribbons.

Place ribbons in a large bowl and discard ends (there will be about a pound of waste).

Drizzle one tablespoon olive oil, the lemon and orange juices over, and toss to coat.  At this point, you may store the asparagus covered, in the fridge for  4-6 hours.  Add beans, onions, carrot, basil and nuts at the last minute.

Whisk vinaigrette ingredients together, pour over all and toss together.  Withhold a few nuts and cheese shavings to sprinkle over plated salad.  Enjoy!

Spring Onion Tart with Puff Pastry Crust

"We would load up the yellow Cutlass Supreme station wagon and pick blackberries during blackberry season, or spring onions during spring onion season.  For us, food was part of the fabric of our day."

~Mario Batali

Sharing recipes that cause excitement around here is the reason I started this blog. You might be thinking, "spring onion tart - ho hum." Not so fast.  This is something I've thought about and been meaning to try for years.  When I served it to The Mister last night, after taking a bite, he exclaimed (with his mouth half-full, btw) "I am the luckiest man alive!"  (He is so much fun to cook for.) High praise for the humble onion tart.  It's just one of those things.  Sometimes simple is best.  


The smell of the onions slowly cooking with fresh thyme....oh boy...it really primes the appetite.  Even if you're not a fan of raw onion, you might like this.  The slow cooking takes the bite out and leaves you a creamy, savory filling.   It's good warm or at room temperature, and although we had it as part of a light dinner served with soup and salad, you could shape it as a rectangle on a cookie sheet, cut the tart into small squares and it would make a nice appetizer that would be elegant dressed up with a pinch of microgreens on each square.  I'm considering this for Easter.


I've seen enough onion tarts over the years to know the basic fillings and variations.  For mine, I started with 1/4 of  my favorite Fanny Farmer base quiche binder, and then added the spring onion filling. The puff pastry was a no-brainer for it's ease of preparation and the crispy, buttery results.  

Cooks notes: Pre-baking of the crust is important, so that it's crispy.  That really makes it. If you skip that step the bottom will be soggy and it may become misshapen as it bakes.  Take care to cook the onions very slowly on low.  You're goal is not to brown them, but to soften and very slightly caramelize them.  Adding the garlic at the very end is important because you just want to warm it up and bring out the fragrance.  If it browns it will be bitter.  Fresh thyme is best, but if you have to use dried, use very little, just a pinch, because the dried is much stronger and you don't want it to overpower.

Spring Onion Tart with Puff Pastry Crust
Serves 4


1 sheet puff pastry, thawed (I prefer Pepperidge Farm)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
2 medium onions, peeled and thinly sliced (Vidalia are best, but white is fine)
2 bunches spring onions (scallions) about 12-14
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 egg
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese (good stuff, not pre-shredded, bagged)
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese


Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Butter tart pan.  Roll thawed sheet of  puff pastry to stretch it a bit to fit your tart pan, if necessary.  Pinch pastry up the sides of pan.  Cut away any pasty that overhangs.  Poke bottom of crust with a fork.  Cut a piece of foil or parchment paper that is bigger than your pan.   Lay this over the puff pastry crust, allowing plenty of overhang.   Fill with baking weights, dried beans or rice to weigh it down.  Bake for 25-30 mins.  Remove weights and cool.




Cut root end of scallions off, then slice from the white end, about 2/3 a way up the green part.  Discard the last 1/3 of the green part.  Set aside half of the greenest part of the sliced scallions.  The rest, place with your sliced onions.


In a large preferably nonstick saucepan, melt butter together with the olive oil on low-medium heat.  Add the sliced onions and scallions (except for the green ones you set aside).  Add salt, pepper and thyme.  Allow them to come to a very low simmer, stirring occasionally, and cook for about 15-20 minutes until they are very soft, and even slightly caramelized, but not browned.  Add garlic and cook for about 3 minutes more, stirring.  Set aside until mostly cooled off.  


In a medium bowl, whisk egg, stir in cream and shredded Swiss cheese.  Stir in the cooled cooked onion mixture and pour into the cooled crust, spreading evenly.  Sprinkle the reserved green part of the scallions evenly over the filling and press them down lightly.  Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the filling.


Bake for 20-25 minutes or until filling is set and golden.  Cool for 5 minutes.  Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

Spinach Fettucine with Avocado Pesto

"As long as there's pasta and Chinese food in the world, I'm ok."

~Michael Chang

Soooo, I had a lonely old avocado a few weeks ago. Seriously hating to waste anything,  my thoughts began turning of something to do with it OTHER than make guacamole (as much as I love guac).  Then I recalled seeing an avocado pasta sauce on the blog "One Perfect Bite."  This was my inspiration.  Mary's avocado sauce is different, so head over there and check it out.  I decided to make the base of my favorite basil-almond pesto, loosen it with hot pasta water and whir in the avocado and Parmesan at the last minute before tossing with the hot pasta.  

 The dish leaves you feeling like you just had something rich and sinful, when in actuality it is a darn good and healthy meal.  Did you know that avocados provide nearly 20 essential nutrients, including potassium, B-vitamins, vitamin E, folic acid, and fiber?  Avocado  only has 100 calories per 1/4 cup, compared to 408 of the same amount of butter, but it gives the dish that same rich creamy texture that butter would, giving the sauce a really luxurious, silky feel to the palate.  I kept the sauce pretty sturdy and used it liberally, so it clings thickly to the pasta.   For success, you need to use a nice ripe avocado that, when cut, looks like the one above.  Choose one with dark flesh that gives a little when you press with your fingers.


Cooks notes:  Be sure to measure and set aside the hot pasta water before you drain the pasta.  I like to take it about 2 minutes before the pasta is done so the sauce can be hot and finished and ready to toss with the pasta immediately after it is strained.  Adding the Parmesan with avocado at the last moment is important so the cheese does not melt and clump.  I used a food processor to make this, but it can be done in a blender, if necessary.


Spinach Fettuccine with Avocado Pesto
Serves 4


1 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup slivered or sliced almonds, lightly browned
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 ripe avocado
1 cup boiling hot pasta cooking water
1 pound spinach fettuccine
salt and pepper to taste


In a large pot, start water for pasta.  In the meantime, make the pesto.  Pulse the first three ingredients in a food processor until combined.  With processor on, slowly add olive oil.  About two minutes before you need to drain the pasta, remove one cup of the boiling water.  Turn processor on and slowly add 1/2 of the reserved pasta water.  Add Parmesan and avocado and process until smooth.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Add as much of the remaining pasta water as you need to loosen up the sauce enough.   It should be thick enough to loosely mound.
Drain pasta.  Do not rinse, and toss it immediately with the sauce.
Serve immediately with additional Parmesan for sprinkling.

Smoked Mozzarella Fonduta

"A corpse is meat gone bad.  Well and what's cheese?  Corpse of milk."

~James Joyce

Hi Friends!  Did you think I died?  Yes, I've been away for a few weeks.  Had a nice visiting trip to Florida with the Mister; was then exhausted from said trip and had trouble getting back into the groove (I know, I know - BOO HOO).  Thanks for not abandoning me!  I have a great recipe for you, and I mean GREAT! It was a hit with everyone that tasted it.  No surprise though, who doesn't like ooey-gooey cheese?  It's super-easy, is done in 15 minutes, and you are going to LOVE IT!

This gem was discovered at Justapinch.com last May.  Posted there by Stefanie Wilson from Trenton GA, it is a knock-off of the popular Olive Garden appetizer.  I changed a couple of things.  The recipe says to serve it with 1/4 slices of Italian bread that have been crisped in the oven.  You can do this if you like, but I made garlic bread by slicing ciabatta rolls in half, spreading them lightly with homemade garlic butter, and grilling them lightly in a medium-hot skillet (YUM).  I also added fresh basil to the recipe and substituted it for the parsley garnish as well, and we all really loved it. Using fresh herbs is key as they come through brightly without overpowering the subtle smokiness of the cheese.

My girl :-)

Instead of serving it as an appetizer, I cut the recipe in half, spread it in four small ramekins and served it as part of a light meal with a chicken and broccoli slaw salad.  Unorthodox, I know, but decidedly fantastic and surprisingly light.  We'll be doing this again SOON.  Like next week.

SMOKED MOZZARELLA FONDUTA

Added to Justapinch by Stefanie Wilson

Serves 8

1 pkg Italian bread, sliced into 1/4 slices

1 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon [fresh thyme], chopped

[1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped]

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

3 cups shredded smoked mozzarella or smoked provolone

3 cups shredded mozzarella (NOT smoked and not low-fat)

3 tablespoons grated Parmesan

3 tablespoons grated Romano (I used twice as much Parm, since I didn't have Romano)

1 small tomato, diced

[extra fresh basil, chopped]

NOTE: this recipe calls for one of the two main cheeses to be smoked and one to be regular.

1.Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.  Arrange sliced Italian bread flat on a baking sheet and cover with foil.  Set aside.

2. Combine sour cream, thyme, basil, red pepper, cayenne pepper and cheeses in a large , bowl and blend thoroughly.  If serving family style, spray an 8x10 inch casserole dish with Pam, then use a spatula to transfer the mixture.  For individual servings, spray eight individual heat-resistant serving bowls, such as ramekins or custard cups with Pam and fill each with 1/2 cup of mixture.  Spread cheese mixture to create an even surface.

3.  Place individual bowls on a baking sheet.  Place in oven at center position.  After five minutes, place baking sheet, still covered, on top rack in oven.  Bake for an additional 7 minutes.  Remove bread and fonduta from oven, and garnish with diced tomatoes and basil.  Arrange bread slices around bowl and serve immediately.

Levain Bakery Inspired Chocolate-Chocolate Mint Cookies

"Don't wreck a sublime chocolate experience by feeling guilty."

~Lora Brody

For years I could not remember the name of the bakery these cookies came from.  We referred to them as those "big, fat cookies."  Anyone who's had them knows what I'm talking about; the absurdly large, mounded cookies from Levain Bakery in NYC.  If you want to blow someone's doors off, then have some shipped for a special occasion.  They are pricey, but worth it....remember, they are BIG cookies, so 6-8 cookies go WAY further than you would imagine.

The Mister's cousin used to reside in the Big Apple and would bring a box of these to the annual get-together at his maternal grandmother's lakeside cottage.  These are no ordinary cookies.  They're slightly cakey, indulgent and amazing.  Must be, if I'm still thinking about them and it's probably been at least 5 years since I've had one!  When that bakery box was opened at the picnic, we swarmed at it like bees on honey.  Most of us could not finish a whole cookie.  Instead, we broke them up and shared pieces and flavors in-between moans.

I found basically the same recipe at the blogs Annie's Eats and Love From the Oven.  When I mentioned to my daughter that I was going to make these, she emphatically suggested that I chop up and use Ande's Candies instead of chocolate chips. 

Thank you Audrey!  That really put them over the top.  The Mister declared them "the best chocolate cookies, EVER!"   Audrey gave me the "OMG these are too good" look (she and I don't always need to speak to communicate, haha.)  Reactions like that make cooking for them really fun!

If you're not into mint, feel free to use semi-sweet chocolate chips instead, like the originals.  While I was making these I had already left the butter out to soften, out of habit.  The recipe calls for cold butter, but I started with creamed softened butter and they came out great.  I used a 1/3 cup measure as a scoop and preferred them "free form" rather than molded like a patty.  Have a great couple weeks and enjoy St. Patrick's Day, folks.  Doubtful I'll get another post up before then as we're heading to Florida to do a little visiting and a lot of eating and lollygagging around (my two favorite sports.)  Cheers!

Levain Bakery Inspired Chocolate-Chocolate Mint Cookies
Makes 12 big fat cookies :)


1 cup (2 sticks) cold, unsalted butter, cubed
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (or chopped Ande's Candies)


Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar.  Beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.  Blend in the eggs one at a time, scraping down bowl as needed.  Blend in the cocoa powder.  Measure flour into a medium sized bowl.  Add the salt and baking powder and stir until combined.  Add to other ingredients in electric mixing bowl and beat until thoroughly combined.  Be sure to get to the very bottom of the bowl.  Beat in chocolate chips (or Ande's Candies.)  Batter will be very stiff.


Using a 1/3 cup measure scoop rounded blobs of dough onto cookie sheets, spacing 2 inches apart.  I got exactly 12 cookie and baked 6 on each cookie sheet.  Bake about 14-15 minutes.  Less if you make them smaller.  They should look slightly underdone when removed from the oven.

Dublin Coddle

"Being Irish, he had an abiding sense of tragedy, which sustained him through temporary periods of joy."

~William Butler Yeats

I love the name of this dish.  It sounds like a snuggle with an Irish hunk, like that guy from P.S., I Love You; Gerard something-or-other.

Yah, him

I did some research and the recipe I came up with is a conglomerate of suggestions and tweaks, but was closest to one found on Food.com, even though the author lifted the description word for word from a European Cuisines post.  

Coddle is traditionally associated with Dublin and dates back at least to the eighteenth century.  It was apparently a favorite of Jonathan Swift, Sean O'Casey and is mentioned in the works of James Joyce.  Considered comfort food and a convenience dish, it is also inexpensive, easy to make, and can be left on a low stove or warming in the oven for a quite a while without suffering too much.  Sounds like the precurser to crock-pot cooking!  

It is important to use the very best pork sausage you can get your hands on.  It was suggested that good American breakfast sausage could be used, but I opted for my favorite local pork sausage, Orsini's Sweet Fennel Garlic Italian sausage.  I used hard sparkling cider (Cortland apple) from a local orchard.  The bottle has been in the fridge since the fall and this was a great excuse to pop the cork!

While researching the recipe, I noticed a remark left by a reader  suggested to add a packet of chicken noodle soup mix,  that in addition to the flavor it adds,  the noodles would help thicken the broth.  That made sense to me and since I had some handy, I tossed it in there.  Maybe not eighteenth century authentic, but we all agreed we liked the dish that way.  The broth did in fact thicken up and it plated nicely.  We loved it and I see plenty of Dublin Coddle in our future.  After all, it starts with bacon and ends with hard cider - what's not to love?  Sláinte!


Sources: A Little Irish Cookbook, Appletree, 1986
Wikipedia and European Cuisines websites.

Dublin Coddle
Adapted from a recipe on Food.com
Serves 4


1/2 pound bacon
1 pound good quality pork sausage (I used sweet Italian sausage)
2 large onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
4 large potatoes, peeled and thickly sliced
2 large carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
1 packet Lipton chicken noodle soup mix 
1 small bunch fresh herbs, tied together with string (I used thyme and parsley)
Black pepper
1 bottle hard cider (some for the pot, some for you)
Fresh parsley for garnish
Special equipment:  I large heavy pot with a tight fitting lid


Brown bacon until crisp.  Place in cooking pot.  Brown sausages in bacon fat.  Add to cooking pot.  Sprinkle packet of soup mix over meats.  Add two cups water.  Soften sliced onions in the bacon fat and a minute or two before they're done, add the garlic and stir around.  Add to cooking pot layering carrots next and then  potatoes.  Add the bundle of herbs and push down into the middle.  Add hard cider just to reach the potatoes (should only be another cup or two).  Sprinkle potatoes with freshly ground black pepper. Cover tightly and bring JUST to a simmer then turn heat down.  It should not boil.  Cook on low like this for 2-3 hours.  Half an hour before you want to eat, check and make sure the carrots are done.  If they aren't, raise the heat a bit until they are cooked through.  By now, broth should have thickened enough that you can serve this on a plate.  Taste broth right before serving and add salt or pepper, if needed.  Great served with Irish soda bread or spotted dog.