Category Archives: Special Occasion Meals

PORK SAUERBRATEN

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A platter for pork saurbraten smothered with sauce

I don’t usually post entree recipes from the holidays – simply because my ravenous family would never allow me the 15-20 minutes needed to arrange, style, light, and photograph a good “hero” shot of our succulent roasted beast. Mr. M snapped a few candid pics this year just before we sat down to devour our feast, so please forgive the photo quality.

TODAY’S RECIPE:
We’re pork eaters in my family (Schweinefleischessers in German). Yes, we eat beef, but we looovveee our pork.  During Thanksgiving, we were chatting about what I should make for Christmas Eve dinner and my sister said,“Make a pork roast.“ Well, I make a simple pork roast with onions and apple cider almost every year for Christmas Eve dinner and wanted to cook something a little different this year. I remembered my mother’s beef sauerbraten recipe and wondered if it could be adapted for pork. (Actually, what I remember is the gingersnaps used to thicken the sauce – and eating the leftover cookies.) In theory (according to Google), pork sauerbraten exists, yet I couldn’t find a recipe – so I created my own version here.  It has the flavor of Sauerbraten, yet the meat is succulently moist. If you are a Schweinefleischesser like us, you may want to give this recipe a try. We served ours with my mother’s spaetzle recipe.

PORK SAUERBRATEN

This is a traditional German Sauerbraten recipe using pork rather than the expected beef.


Ingredients

    MARINADE
  • Approximately 3 lbs. pork shoulder
  • 2 cups red wine
  • 1 cup red wine vinegar
  • 3 shallots, peeled and sliced
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 2 Tablespoons mustard seeds
  • 1 Tablespoon black peppercorns
  • 1 Tablespoon coriander seeds
  • 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon juniper berries
  • 1 teaspoon allspice berries
  • 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon whole cloves
    • ROAST
  • 1 celery stalk, diced
  • 2 large carrots, diced
  • 1 leek, cleaned very well and diced
  • 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
  • 2 cups beef stock
  • 8 gingersnaps
  • cornstarch or roux, if needed

Directions

  1. Marinate the meat (3 days in advance): In a large container with lid, stir together all marinade ingredients, then submerge pork in marinade. If not submerged, top off with a little extra wine if needed. Place in the fridge and marinate for 3-4 days, turning daily.
  2. Cook: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove the pork from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Pour the marinade through a sieve and reserve 2 cups for the sauce.
  3. Heat oil in a Dutch oven or large heavy saucepan. Brown meat well on all sides over medium-high heat. Remove from the pan and set aside. Add more oil to the pan, if needed, then add the celery and carrots. Cook over medium-high heat for about 7 minutes until beginning to soften, then add the leek and cook an additional 2 minutes.
  4. Add the tomato paste to the pan and sauté until beginning to brown. Add the beef stock and 2 cups of the drained marinade to the pan and scrape up any browned bits. Bring to boil and remove from heat.
    5. Add meat to pan, including any resting juices. Cover and braise in the oven 2-2.5 hours until fork tender.
  5. Remove pork from pan and let rest. Strain the cooking liquid into an oil separator (if needed). Pour liquid into a saucepan, stir in the crushed cookies and simmer until cookies are dissolved. If the sauce needs to thicken further, stir cornstarch into a little cold water to make a slurry and add to the sauce or add roux. Simmer until thickened. Taste sauce and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, and a splash of red wine vinegar. Slice pork and smother with sauce, serving with more sauce on the side.

Moroccan Chicken with Preserved Lemon

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Myriad spices and preserved lemon come together in this exotically flavored chicken dish with minimal hands-on time, making Moroccan Chicken with Preserved Lemon an ideal recipe for entertaining.

A platter mounded with Moroccan Chicken

Looking back at one of my old blog posts feels like pulling out an old high school yearbook from a dusty closet shelf. I first prepared this recipe in February 2014. At the time I hit “post,” I was feeling reasonably accomplished and proud to post both recipe and photograph. Four plus years later, I cringe – at the poorly lit and composed image and appallingly written recipe, for starters. What. Was. I. Thinking. In the future, when I’m exasperated by my lack of noticeable improvement, I’ll revisit a post from 2014 to remind myself how far I’ve truly come. Oh, the horror.

Moroccan Chicken with Preserved Lemon

Myriad spices and preserved lemon come together in this exotically flavored chicken dish with minimal hands-on time, making Moroccan Chicken with Preserved Lemon an ideal recipe for entertaining.


Ingredients

  • 1 head garlic, peeled
  • Handful Italian parsley
  • Handful cilantro
  • ½ onion, sliced
  • ½ cup lemon juice
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • ¼ cup honey
  • 2 Tablespoons smoked paprika
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 1 ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne
  • ¼ teaspoon saffron threads
  • 8 bone-in, skin on chicken thighs (about 3.5 – 4 lbs.)
  • 4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1” slices
  • ¾ cup pitted oil-cured black olives
  • 1 ½ preserved lemons, sliced (or one fresh lemon very thinly sliced)

Directions

  1. In a food processor, process first 12 ingredients through saffron to make a marinade. Arrange chicken, carrots, olives and lemon in a 13×9” pan and pour marinade over and around ingredients. Cover with foil and refrigerate at least two hours and up to one day.
  2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Place dish, covered with foil, in oven and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 30 additional minutes until chicken is cooked through. If desired, broil for an additional 5 minutes to crisp skin on chicken.
  3. To serve, arrange chicken, carrots, olives and lemon on a platter. Degrease sauce and pour over chicken and vegetables. Serve with aromatic rice.

The author in a photo from highschool
Speaking of school years…yep, gloves, a walking stick, and check out those shoulder pads!

Poached salmon with fennel salad and creamy caper sauce

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Poached Salmon with Fennel Salad

“You breathe in experience, and you breathe out what you make.”
– Doug Aitken

This quote has been swirling around my brain today. Does this mean creating shouldn’t be a struggle – that making art is as natural as aspiration? That sounds so effortless. I wish. Or does it suggest that limited experiences, like inadequate oxygen molecules in toxic air, results in an insipid and shallow creative exhale?

In yoga, there’s a Sanskrit word, pranayama, which translates as “breath control” or “control of life force.” Pranayama is a set of breathing techniques where the breath is intentionally altered to produce specific results. In practice, when we focus on our breath, it becomes fuller, richer, more rounded. A deep, expansive inhale yields an equally full exhale.

Applied to the quote above, it would imply, indeed, that the best art requires a cache of rich experiences. Or does our internal creative process provide an avenue to transform any experience, even the drone of suburban monotony, into something wonderful?

Speaking of turning something mundane into something wonderful…this creamy, flavorful lemon, dill and caper sauce paired with fennel salad elevates humble poached salmon into something both healthy and crave worthy – fancy enough for company.


Poached salmon with fennel salad and creamy caper sauce

Starting the poaching process in cold water ensures the fish remains incredibly moist.

Ingredients

    Fennel Salad
  • 2 fennel bulbs, cored and thinly sliced
  • 1 shallot, thinly sliced
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
    • Poached Salmon
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 shallot, sliced
  • 1 stalk celery, sliced
  • 2 sprigs dill
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 5 peppercorns
  • 1 large pinch salt
  • 4 8-oz. skinless salmon fillets
    • Caper Sauce
  • ½ cup Greek yogurt
  • 2 Tablespoons capers, drained and roughly chopped
  • 1 Tablespoon dill, chopped
  • 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions

  1. In a small bowl, combine fennel salad ingredients and set aside to marinate.
  2. In a large saucepan, combine water, lemon juice, shallots, celery, dill, bay, peppercorns and salt. Add salmon to poaching liquid and additional water, until poaching liquid just covers salmon (about 2 more cups).
  3. Cover, turn heat to medium and cook salmon until internal temperature reaches 115°F, about 18 minutes. Carefully transfer salmon to a plate and chill until cold.
  4. To make yogurt sauce, combine all ingredients and chill. If too thick, add a bit of water or milk.
  5. Serve salmon over fennel Salad liberally drizzled with yogurt sauce.

Stuffed Mediterranean Lamb Roast

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Braised Lamb Shoulder
These last two weeks, my lovely neighbor has been providing me with a bevy of tangerines from her bountiful tree. I’ve been content to peel and devour most of them “as is,” the exception being their inclusion in this luscious roasted lamb shoulder. A slow braise results in a meltingly tender roast and bright, Mediterranean flavors ensure it’s mouthwateringly tasty. The flavor profile came from this 2013 Bon Apetit recipe, but frankly, I fell in love with the flavor pairing of orange (or in this case tangerine) peel and tomatoes during my culinary school stint…and my cooking method is much simpler, too.

This dish is definitely making a reappearance at my next gathering (Easter, perhaps?) – The brightly colored stuffing makes for a lovely presentation – plus a long braise ensures minimal fuss time for me.


Stuffed Mediterranean Lamb Roast

A stuffing of bright Mediterranean flavors and a tomato-y red wine sauce make this meltingly tender roast extra special.

Ingredients

  • 1 3-lb. boneless lamb shoulder
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • ⅓ cup pitted Kalamata olives, chopped
  • 2 Tablespoons minced fresh sage, plus 8-10 leaves for sauce
  • 1 ½ Tablespoons minced fresh rosemary, plus additional for garnish
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3 tangerines, unpeeled and thinly sliced, seeds removed
  • ½ bottle pinot noir
  • 28 oz. can tomato puree
  • Polenta (optional)

Directions

  1. Cut lamb horizontally without cutting all the way through so you can open it like a book. Set aside. In a small bowl, combine garlic, olives, minced sage, rosemary and salt. With lamb open, spread 2/3 of olive mixture on left side of lamb. Cover olive mixture with thinly sliced tangerines (you should have 4-6 slices left over) and cover tangerines with remaining 1/3 of olive mixture. Starting from the left side, roll up lamb, tucking in stuffing as needed. Secure  roast well with kitchen twine tied at 1” intervals.
  2. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Meanwhile, over a high heat,  heat 2 Tablespoons oil  until smoking in an ovenproof pot or Dutch oven. Add lamb and brown well on all sides, a few minutes per side. Set lamb aside. Reduce heat to medium and deglaze pot by adding pinot noir to pan and scraping up any browned bits. Add tomato puree and heat until bubbling. Add remaining 4-6 tangerine slices and sage leaves. Return lamb to pot, ensuring liquid reaches halfway up side of roast, cover and place in oven. Roast 3 hours, turning roast over halfway through cooking time.
  3. Transfer lamb to cutting board and let rest for 20 minutes. With lid off, return pot to stovetop. Remove any accumulated fat from cooking liquid, if needed. Boil vigorously until sauce is thickened and reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Strain sauce through a sieve, pressing on solids. Season sauce with salt. To serve, slice roast crosswise, serve with sauce over polenta (optional) and sprinkled with remaining rosemary.