Milk Braised Pork Shoulder

Milk Braised Pork Shoulder

I think it may have been the weather that made do this. Early this month the weather in Portland, Oregon had been creeping into BBQ territory. Even though I probably grill 100+ days a year outside there are times when I don't feel like getting soaked while trying to coax some wet hardwood charcoal (yeah, I am a total Luddite) to light.

So, the weather is cold and wet and I was surfing some cooking sites when something nudged me to do a google search on "Milk Braised Pork". This is a technique that an Italian Grandmother developed and I wish I could say that it was an old family recipe, alas it isn't. I tell you this though, if you cook this, your family will remember it and they will tell the story of their Mother or Father who cooked this succulent pork dish.

Milk Braised Pork Shoulder

Ingredients:

4-5lb Pork Shoulder (boned and tied)

Kosher Salt

Black Pepper

Olive Oil

2 Onions (chopped)

4 Shallots (chopped)

1 qt. Whole Milk

Fresh Thyme-2-3 big sprigs

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Season the Pork Shoulder with salt and pepper and add to a enamel lined cast iron pot with some olive oil. Brown all sides and remove. To the pot add the onions and shallot and cook until soft, add the milk and the pork and bring to a simmer then add the thyme. Add the pot to the oven and cook the pork for two hours (keep the lid to the pot slightly open). After two hours transfer the pork to a warm dish to rest for 20 minutes. Place the pot with the milk mixture on a medium burner and reduce this mixture for 15 minutes. The mixture will look a bit gnarly.....the milk will curdle, but if you hang in there and reduce and then puree with an immersion blender you will have the silkiest, most savory gravy you have ever tasted.

Season the gravy to taste, slice the pork and plate with a side vegetable. This gravy would be awesome on mashed potatoes as well.

Heads up, the remaining gravy and a couple of handfuls of left over pork (chopped) make a pasta dish that is worth going to the trouble to make by itself. Buon Appetito!

Vintner

Sineann, Domaine Drouhin, Boedecker, Ken Wright....Oh My!

Chien Fache (Mad Dog)

This Saturday I was fortunate enough to be a guest at a Foodbuzz 24,24,24 event. My friend Heather came up with the idea to do a locavore event called: Hunter, Gather, Vintner. My contribution to the event was the idea of providing local wines as well as some homemade (soon to be commercial) wines I helped to make.
I have been making wine with a handful of friends since 2004 and my passion for wine has never been stronger than it is today. The wine I want to make is so much more than a commodity and what my co-winemakers and I believe is to make great wine you need to start with great grapes. The term "Wine is made in the vineyard" is probably overused, but none the less very true.
The menu that Heather developed for the dinner included Elk, Salmon and Chantrelle mushrooms. These are flavors that to me almost scream to be paired with Pinot Noir and since we happen to live adjacent to a "World Class" wine region the access to high quality, small production wine was more than just a wish.
For the event I brought out five wines that I helped to produce and also four commercial wines as well.
The line-up with tasting notes included:

2004 Chien Fache Yamhill County Pinot Noir-Light colored, almost a rosé in color and very Burgundian in the nose. This is a wine that early on we would chill and serve as a Rosé. With time this wine has become more complex and the bright acidity remains and this wine has a nice balance of perfume on the nose and a good interplay of fruit and acid on the palate.
2005 Chien Fache Dundee Hills-Holstein Vineyard- Pinot Noir-This wine was made from grapes sourced from the vineyard of Allen Holstein. Allen is a long time vineyard manager and has managed properties for Stoeller, Argyle, Domaine Drouhin & Knudsen. His home vineyard is on a great Southeast facing slope in the Dundee Hills. This appellation is know for its red Jory Clay soil.
This wine has big, concentrated black fruit driven nose. The palate shows dark fruit and maybe even a bit of dried fruit (fig and dried currant). Good acidity and a long finish. Unfortunately this was a wine we only made a tiny amount of so today I have about 2 bottles left.
2005/2006 Chien Fache Dundee Hills-Holstein Vineyard- Pinot Noir-2006 was a leaner year than 2005 and this "Cuvee" balances the richness of the 2005 with the bright cherry fruit of the 2006. Great perfume on the nose and a brighter fruit focus that leans towards red cherry and sour cherry. Again a very small production and I might have two bottles of this hanging around as well.

Oregon's next "Cult" Pinot Noir

2006 Chien Fache Dundee Hills-Holstein Vineyard- Pinot Noir- This is a very "Manly" Pinot Noir. Concentrated black/purple fruit on the nose and a fruit driven style of wine that brings blackberry, marionberry and blueberry on the palate. I am sipping this tonight and I am getting a taste of berries and some black licorice. Great balance and mouth coating tannins that are very polished considering this has only been in the bottle for two months. Great with Salmon or venison and this wine has enough stuffing to go well with a rare Ribeye as well.
2006 Chien Fache Walla Walla-Ash Hollow Vineyard-Cabernet Sauvignon- A Cabernet that shows what the fuss is about Walla Walla. Good upfront dark cherry fruit on the nose that shows a bit of spice and vanilla as well. A balance fruit driven style that has good tannin and a Cabernet we were very pleased with (this was our first effort with that grape). This wine went especially well with the Elk served with dinner.
2003 Domaine Drouhin-Laurene-Pinot Noir-This was a great bottle of Oregon Pinot Noir. The "Laurene" is the reserve wine of DDO and all of their wine is "estate wine" which means they own their own vineyard (100+ acres of top notch Dundee Hills property). The wine had very good balance and a perfumed nose. Red fruits with a hint of French Oak. You could do worse than to have this be your introduction to Oregon-Willamette Valley- Pinot Noir.
2003 Ken Wright-Elton Vineyard-Pinot Noir-Ken Wright is one of the 2nd generation of winemakers that came to the Willamette Valley. Ken has been making Pinot Noir for over 20 years and today he has achieved "cult" status for his line-up of single vineyard wines. The Elton vineyard bottle was a concentrated wine that showed earth and dried rose petal on the palate. Bright acidity and a fun mushroom component that paired well with the bounty of Chantrelle's we harvested.
2004 Boedecker-Stoeller Vineyard-Pinot Noir-This wine is made by Athena and Stewart Boedecker. Their part time wine venture is on the verge of becoming their vocation. The Stoeller vineyard is also in the Dundee Hills Appellation and the Boedecker's got enough grapes to make 50 cases of wine (2 barrels). This wine showed good restraint and a balanced nose of red cherry/raspberry fruit. Good acidity and a nice finish.

2004 Sineann-Resonance Vineyard

2004 Sineann-Resonance Vineyard-Pinot Noir-Last but not least was my favorite wine of the night. This wine made by Peter Rosback of Sineann was stellar. Peter is a self taught winemaker who today has enough reknown to also make wine for Thomas Keller and his restaurant "The French Laundry". I have been buying Peter's wines for years, but when I heard he was making wine for Thomas Keller my respect for him grew even more and I remember uttering that if he is making wine for Thomas then he "Is the Sh**".
Great nose of red and purple fruit, a well balanced wine that showed enough acidity for the Salmon and enough tannin for the Elk. Blueberries with heavy cream on the palate and a very long finish.

Okay, I know these notes were a bit wordy and probably give you more than you want to know about wine but most of the information is there to glean. All in all I was very pleased with how the wine I helped to produce held up in this esteemed company.
All of the commercial wine is in the $40-65/bottle category and wines like the Boedecker Stoeller vineyard are nearly impossible to obtain. The food was fantastic and this was truly a special day of great food and great company. I am glad to have been a part of it.

Roasted Yam Salad w/ Warm Chutney Vinaigrette

Yuck or Yum?

With Halloween and Thanksgiving around the corner I wanted to share a salad/side dish that I think is absolutely perfect for this time of year. Roasted yams, cranberries, scallions, pumpkin seeds and some red pepper, awesome (no?). It seems that pumpkins, squash, yams and sweet potato dishes abound in the fall and this is a great alternative to Grandma Mildred's Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows. This dish is an adaptation of a sweet potato recipe from Sarah Mouton and a fall menu she put together with one of my favorite chefs-Cory Schrieber (founder of Wildwood Restaurant in Portland, Oregon).

The above photo was taken at a company Halloween party and this is merely a serving suggestion ; )......(If you are having the Addams Family over for dinner).

Roasted Yams w/Warm Chutney Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

• 5-6 medium-sized yams, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• olive oil
• 1 tablespoon+ finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 kosher salt to taste
  
• black pepper to taste
  
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 cup raw green pumpkin seeds (also known as pepitas)
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup chopped scallions (green and white)
• 1 cup julienned roasted red pepper

Vinaigrette:

• 6 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/3 cup mango chutney
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Directions:

Make the Salad: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

In a roasting pan, combine the potatoes, 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, rosemary, salt, pepper, cumin and ginger. Stir to combine and bake until the potatoes are fork-tender and golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pumpkin seeds and cook, stirring, until toasted. Transfer the seeds to a plate and season with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, combine the cranberries, scallions, and red pepper and set aside.

Make the Dressing: Prepare the dressing by combining all the ingredients (except for the olive oil) in a small saucepan and heat. Remove from heat and whisk in the olive oil.

Assemble salad by gently tossing the roasted potatoes with the red pepper mixture. Add enough of the dressing to coat and garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds. Serve with extra dressing on the side.

The above photo is just a serving suggestion and the kids might actually love it. If you are headed to a dinner party you might sex this up and not take the Jack-o-lantern serving dish.

"I wish I had an Italian Grandmother"

This Le Creuset piece isn't a family heirloom , though it is probably old enough that my Grandmother could have cooked with it. I am sure it has a rich history and it would be great if you could hit a "play" button and the pot could tell the stories of all the wonderful things it had cooked. My mind wanders thinking about all the risotto, ragu, braised osso bucco and the like this pot has seen.
I believe this color is called "Italian Red" and that is about as close as my family comes to having any Italian heritage.
From about 1990-1999 my cooking style was firmly rooted in Italian cooking. I explored American-Italian cooking, Northern Italian, Southern Italian, Regional Cooking (Emila-Romana is a favorite).
I used to lament that I didn't have a more ethnic family with great cooking traditions. My ancestors came from Germany in the late 1800's and made there way to the mid-west- Illinois, Nebraska and finally Kansas. The first and second generation kept their mother tongue alive, but after World War I my grandfather said his parents rarely spoke German in front of the children. The pressure to assimilate and to become "patriotic Americans" snuffed out whatever ethnic roots my family tree had.
Growing up in Idaho in the 1960's I was weaned on bologna sandwiches (with Miracle Whip..yum), crispy shell tacos (it took moving to Los Angeles to find out they came another way), lasagna (with cheddar cheese?) and a host of packaged, processed and frozen delights that I am sure most of the baby boom generation can identify with.
A few years back a woman friend said to me after she heard my lament about the lack of an "ethnic grandmother"; she suggested this: "It is up to you to become your family's ethnic grandmother".
Maybe today with it becoming more the norm for guys to cook it is okay to be the ethnic grandfather. I want my son to understand food and its origin. I want him to understand the seasonality of produce, game, fish and wine. I want him to know why Oregon has spectacular Pinot Noir, but the Cabernet grown in the Willamette Valley is going to taste like a green bell pepper (and not in a good way).

I was making a Ragu the other day and it made me wonder what the roots were. Was it "purebred" Bolognese or Neopolitan sauce or was it like much of us a "mutt" that had parts and pieces from all over Italy or even the world?
As I suspected my recipe would probably fall into the Italian/American category. So to connect with the Italian Grandfather that I never had, here is my recipe:

Il Nonno's Ragu

Ingredients:
1 Onion- course dice
5-6 Garlic Cloves-finely dice
Olive Oil
1 Carrot-finely diced
1 Tbsp Dried Basil
1 Tbsp Dried Oregano
2 tsp Fennel Seeds
1 tsp Red Pepper flakes
1/2 lb. Sweet Italian Sausage-casing removed
1/2 lb. Ground Beef
2 Bay Leaves
2 Tbsp Tomato Paste
(2) 28oz. Canned Plum Tomatoes
6oz. Red wine (+8oz. more for the cook)

Preparation:

Put a large pot (like the one shown above) on the burner on medium heat. Add a drizzle of olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan and add the Italian sausage. Cook until browned, then remove the sausage from the pan and add the ground beef, cook until browned then add to the sausage mixture.
Add your onion and carrot (the carrot adds some sweetness and cuts the acid of the tomatoes) and turn the heat down to low to sweat the vegetables. At about 15 minutes in add the garlic. After the onions are translucent add the tomato paste and turn up the heat a bit to cook, you want to cook this raw tomato paste a bit. Now add the red wine, the basil, oregano, pepper flakes, fennel seeds and bay leaves plus the tomatoes (crush them before they go in the pot). Finally add your reserved meats and let this sauce simmer on low for at least an hour.
I love to let this go for a couple of hours and sometimes I will even add a pork chop or beef rib (sear the meat first) into the pot and let it cook (braise) until the meat falls off the bone.
This sauce is great for pasta, a pizza sauce base or even for lasagna.

Enjoy-

Oh, about the pot, I snagged it (and two companion pieces) at a garage sale for $20 bucks-I almost felt guilty knowing what these sell for new. Lets just say that this pot found a great new home and the food memories it is creating are priceless.