2007-03-03

LA Times roast pork recipe

I made a slow-roasted pork recipe, following the one below, last weekend. It wasn't all that great and I'm not sure why. I have a couple theories that I'll try when I next make the recipe. Unfortunately, the pork shoulder that I got was 9 lbs, so it'll be a while before I can eat it all up, rinse the disappointment from my mouth, and try again.

Here it is, straight from the Times food section.

Recipe: Slow-roasted shoulder of pork with salsa verde.

We developed the recipe for this succulent roast in 2005 and we still dream about it.
Times Staff Writers

Total time: 20 minutes plus 8 1/2 to 10 1/2 hours roasting time

Servings: 8 to 10
10 garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 cup fennel seeds
2 tablespoons coarse sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
5 to 6 small dried red chiles, crumbled, with seeds
1 boneless pork shoulder butt (about 6 to 7 pounds)
1/2 cup hot water
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup chicken broth
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Salsa verde (recipe follows)

1. Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Using a mortar and pestle, crush the garlic and fennel seeds and mix them together. Add the salt, pepper and chiles and combine.

2. Cut 1-inch wide slits all over the surface including top and bottom of meat. Rub the garlic-seed mixture into the slits.

3. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large, heavy Dutch oven. Sear the meat on all sides over medium-low heat for about 10 to 12 minutes. Do not allow the garlic to burn.

4. Remove the roast from the pot, add the hot water, stirring and scraping the bottom to deglaze the pan. Place a rack in the bottom of the pan, add the meat, fatty side up, and roast in the oven uncovered for 30 minutes.

5. Pour the lemon juice and the chicken broth over the meat. Brush with the remaining olive oil.

6. Reduce the heat to 250 degrees, cover the pan and roast the meat 8 to 10 hours, occasionally basting with pan juices. The roast will be done when the meat is falls apart when barely touched with a fork.

7. Remove the roast from the pot and place it on a serving platter. Skim the fat from the pan drippings. Serve pan drippings on the side or drizzled over the meat.

Each of 10 servings: 377 calories; 36 grams protein; 6 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams fiber; 23 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 121 mg. cholesterol; 588 mg. sodium.

**

Salsa verde

Total time: 35 minutes

Servings: 8 to 10

Note: From Don Dickman of Rocca in Santa Monica

2 cups Italian parsley leaves
1 cup basil leaves
1 cup mint leaves
2 salt-packed anchovy fillets, soaked in water for 30 minutes, rinsed and patted dry
1/2 cup salt-packed capers, soaked in water for 30 minutes, rinsed and dried
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 to 3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt, pepper

1. Wash parsley, basil and mint leaves and spin dry in a salad spinner.

2. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the parsley, basil, mint, anchovies, capers, mustard, garlic and red pepper flakes.

3. With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil. It should form a relatively smooth puree that is slightly chunky. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Makes 1 cup.

Each of 10 servings: 111 calories; 1 gram protein; 2 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber; 11 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 1 mg. cholesterol; 216 mg. sodium.

2 comments:

  1. The wife of one of our coworkers (and neighbor) taught me this pork dry rub.

    Start with lots of garlic cloves, mashed through a garlic press.
    Add some chopped rosemary from the bush next to my driveway.
    Add kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Mix.

    Rub mixture on a pork tenderloin and roast in oven until meat thermometer reads to desired doneness.

    I can't remember the exact temperatures. But the pork tenderloin package gives a recommended oven temperature; my meat thermometer has a desirable temp. range for pork. I aim for the middle in doneness.

    Make extra dry rub mixture. Toss some cubed potatoes in olive oil and this mixture. Roast on a cookie sheet with the pork.

    Bon appetit!

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  2. I make a variant on that recipe, also with pork loin. The loins available today are really very lean and have a uniform texture to the meat - very different than the shoulder used in the recipe above. The price is different too. I think the piece of meat I used was less then $1.50 / lb.

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