"Better with Buttermilk" - Glazed Pork Roast - Using Leftovers!

Date I made this recipe:  Sunday, March 5, 2017 – Leftover buttermilk

Better with Buttermilk – The Secret Ingredient in Old-Fashioned Cooking by Lee Edwards Benning

Published by Henry Holt and Company, Inc.

ISBN:  0-8050-3118-9; © 1996

Purchased at Arc's Value Village Thrift Stores, St. Paul, MN

Recipe:  Glazed Pork Roast – p. 79

I am my mother's daughter.  She never liked to throw anything out and neither do I which is why I try to use up leftover ingredients from other dishes I've made.

Today's "leftover" is buttermilk which I purchased and used in my husband's birthday cake the day before.  His recipe required a mere four tablespoons and of course, I could not find anything smaller than a pint which was way more than I needed.

No worries, because I had a buttermilk cookbook that was collecting dust, just waiting for the perfect moment to be used.  I can now check this sucker off my list and get on with my life, hooray!

Truth be told, I could have (and often have) made my own buttermilk at home by adding lemon juice to milk, but I didn't want my homemade buttermilk to be the reason for a potential disaster with his birthday cake (happily, it wasn't) and so when life hands you leftover real buttermilk, you make something else with it.

I have to say that the "something else" I made with it – Glazed Pork Roast – was good yet puzzling.  This is the second time I've made a pork roast in a tenderizing milk bath and I have to say it's one of the uglier dishes I've ever platted as the milk gets all clumpy. But this time around, the appearance was made even worse by the inexplicable (to me) addition one 1 tablespoon cider vinegar.

As I am fond of saying, let's parse this.  If buttermilk already contains a sour agent like lemon juice, then what is accomplished by adding more sour (cider vinegar) to the mix?  The taste was fine if not a tad "biting" but the presentation fell far short of my expectations and I'm not sure it would have improved had I made the gravy which I did not because I'm boycotting flour and milk and/or flour and butter combinations for the time being plus, I was tired!

In terms of flavor, it was good but I cannot say I tasted the buttermilk in any way.  I should read up on these type of milk-bath pork recipes more because maybe the intent it to tenderize (with the milk) rather than "flavorize," in which case, mission accomplished.  What I tasted instead were the onions (two kinds), the sweet carrots, and a bit of the cider vinegar which did not please.  It wasn't enough to derail the dish, but it did make me wonder – again – the point of adding the vinegar.

Like many dishes though, this one improved by refrigerating overnight and so we finished it up, but I don't like to "grade" recipes on their overnight stay, I grade them on how they taste and appear on arrival [to my dining room table].  So on arrival, I was on the fence, upon further review, it improved, and overall, I'd say I liked this but probably would make something else from the book the second time around.

One note on the onions:  This dish calls for a yellow onion and then small white onions.  Since I always make a half recipe, I did not want to purchase too many white onions as I would not have used them up quickly in the next few days.  And in my opinion and experience, frozen white onions (a third option not noted in the book) work great but only if you use them up at once.  If you don't, they can become waterlogged and that is not good at all.

And now, back to our discussion of the main ingredient, buttermilk, already in progress.  In theory, there is absolutely no reason you can't find a dish to make in this book because it pretty much runs the gamut of starters (appetizers) to pancakes.  That said, the "Main Dish" chapter was somewhat disappointing in that it contained only 10 recipes, most of which did nothing for me such as "Calves' Liver Stroganoff," "Salmon Pie with Artichoke Hearts" and "Leg of Lamb," none of which I enjoy.  Okay, slight fib:  my dad used to make the best liver and onions when we were kids but then we stopped eating it when we found out how bad it was for our cholesterol which was genetically-high on my mom's side.  Still, I could deal with the liver if I had to but the "stroganoff" was a big no for me.  I just can't go there.

I could have easily made just about everything in the "Dessert" chapter but then again, I just spent hours in the kitchen making my husband's birthday cake and was not in the mood to repeat that experience so that chapter was out.  You should know though, that a good portion of the recipes in the "Dessert" chapter are for sherbet which is fine but I don't really consider it a "dessert" dessert, unlike the "Chocolate Frozen Soufflé," be still my heart!

And honestly, if the weather was warmer, I likely would have made a salad dressing because I love buttermilk dressing, but it was on the chilly side and that does not say "salad" to me.

In the end, I went with the pork roast, final answer.  I cannot say it was "Glazed" as per the title, but that's okay as sometimes recipe creators take poetic license with the name to generate interest; I do the same with my own writing from time to time.  Still, if you are thinking this will be "glazed" as in "glazed ham" glazed, this is not that.  It was tasty and it was easy to make but not necessarily glazed.  Of course, this could very well have been an "operator error" on my part.

Here then, is a recipe from a cookbook I used for no other reason than "waste not, want not!"  Enjoy.

Glazed Pork Roast – Yield: 8 servings (The author notes you can substitute a solid piece of chuck roast, if desired)

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 medium yellow onions, sliced

6 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch chunks

2 tablespoons oil or margarine

3- to 4-pound boneless pork roast (butt or shoulder)

2 cups buttermilk

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

8 small potatoes

One 14-ounce can small white onions, or 16 fresh peeled (Ann's Note:  I cheated and diced up one large, white onion and it was fine although it will add a bit more onion flavor to the dish than the small white ones.)

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons flour

Heat the oil or margarine in a heavy Dutch oven or large frying pan with cover.  Brown the meat on all sides in the oil, then pour off the accumulated fat.

Reduce the heat to a simmer and add the buttermilk, vinegar, garlic, and sliced yellow onions.  Cover and simmer over low heat until the pork is almost done. (Ann's Note:  I used about a 2 pound roast (half the recipe) and cooked it for almost two hours.  Plan on about an hour per pound but double-check on Google to be sure.)

Add the carrots, potatoes, and small white onions, cover, and cook until the pork and vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.  Remove the pork to a platter and surround with the vegetables.  Use the flour to make a gravy, adding additional water, if necessary.

Tips:  To make a low-fat, low-calorie gravy, process the vegetables in a food processor, strain if desired, and bring to the right consistency by moistening with skimmed drippings.

"The Meatball Cookbook Bible" - Beef Meatballs with Mustard and Dried Apricots & Pork Meatballs in Apple Cream Sauce - Holiday Party Food!

Date I made these recipes:  December 4, 2016 – Holiday party food!

The Meatball Cookbook Bible – 500 Mouth-Watering Variations on One of the World's Best-Loved Foods by Ellen Brown

Published by Cider Mill Press

ISBN: 978-160433097-7; © 2009

Purchased at Half Price Books, St. Paul, MN

Recipes:  Beef Meatballs with Mustard and Dried Apricots – p. 130-131; Pork Meatballs in Apple Cream Sauce – p. 183-185

You probably know this, but cooking is dangerous.  You have hot burners, hot liquids, and sharp knives, and many a chef has injured themselves while attempting to bang out fantastic food.

In my case, my "industrial" accident happened when I was trying to move a metal bookend so as to take this cookbook off my shelf.  My pinkie finger connected with the bookend and ow, ow, ow!  Who knew that those suckers were so sharp?

And just like that, the roll I was on writing and publishing my holiday party food blogs came to a screeching halt.  My apologies.

Happily nothing dire happened in the kitchen while I was making these recipes except for a lot of swearing over the lack of explicit instructions.

I mean what the hell folks, are there not editors making more money than me out there who are supposed to catch this stuff?  Because I found an error in each recipe and it always involved "what am I supposed to do with the rest of these [insert food item here]?" I looked at each recipe several times and then had my husband read it and we remain perplexed.

Now nothing that was or wasn't in the recipes made a difference to the outcome which is always a good thing, and the end results were tasty but of course, there were a few issues of note which I will cover in a minute.

In general, the beef meatballs were good but seemed a little mushy in the middle, whether from the breadcrumbs, the apricots or a combination of both we don't know.  We do know that our guests enjoyed them so perhaps it was our palate?  Anyway, we doubled the recipes, baked them off and then froze them, sans sauce, a couple of weeks before the party.  We added the sauces just before serving.

As to the pork meatballs, be warned that you will end up with a ton of sauce.  A ton. In retrospect I realize that doubling the meatball mixture does not always mean to also double the sauce.  In fact, it usually ends up being just the opposite.  But what they hey, they are going to be your meatballs so if you want lots of sauce, go to it.

Be warned though, that the pork meatball sauce calls for applejack brandy and since I knew a couple of kids were coming, I decided to pass on that option as I really didn't want to get the stink-eye from their parents.  Not that the parents would have noticed but we would have.  Responsible hosts let their guests eat responsibly!

As you might imagine, a cookbook with the title The Meatball Cookbook Bible is loaded with meatball recipes and so finding some for our party table was not the problem; eliminating some was the problem!  It took us a while to cull the herd to the two recipes listed here and while they were good, we shall likely explore other options next year as we like to mix things up a bit.

This "bible" of a book also gives you a wide variety of options in these categories: meat (beef, pork, lamb); poultry; fish and seafood; vegetables, herbs and grains; cheese and even dessert meatballs (a/k/a " chocolate truffles"). There's a section for meatballs in broth and also a variety of "international" meatballs from which to choose.

Before I get to the recipes though, I have to dialogue with you about the incomplete instructions I mentioned above.  Faithful readers knows that nothing sends me over the edge more than missing or incomplete instructions.  And specific to this year's kitchen efforts is the definition of the word "divided" – as in (for example) "1 cup apple cider, divided."

Perhaps it is just me, but in my head, the word "divided" suggests an equal division of ingredients and so a directive of "I cup apple cider, divided" means two, one-half cups each, one to be used now, one to be used later.  At least this is what I (barely) understood in my grade school math class.

And believe it or not, most recipes I've made that called for a "divided" ingredient have been an even split.  If they haven't though, they usually indicate somewhere in the recipe's narrative what I am to do with the remaining amount.  And the remaining amount is usually mathematically correct, i.e., if one cup of an ingredient is to be divided into ¾ cup for the first round, it stands to reason that ¼ cup is what you have left, right?

Not always so.  So let's parse the instructions that drove me crazy:

#1 – The beef meatball recipe called for 1/3 of a cup of mustard, divided.  The recipe goes on to say to use ¼ (of 1/3 cup) for the meatballs and the remaining for the sauce.  Okay, fine, but I would have preferred it if she would have spelled out the "remaining" in measurement form which breaks down roughly into 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon.  Now, was that hard? (Answer:  yes, which is why I sent this "equation to my husband to figure out for me!)

And this is perhaps also a "me" thing, but when I look at an ingredient list, I want to see every ingredient I am to use and I want it spelled out.  Why?  Because the ingredient list also becomes my shopping list.  I photocopy the list, head to the grocery store, and we're done.  Here, the ingredient list for the sauce said "apricot preserves and red pepper hot sauce," but no mention was made of the remaining mustard except in the narrative.

And look, if I was making this up for just the two of us or a few guests, perhaps I would not have been so irked, but I was making mass quantities for our party and I want to know exactly how much to have on hand and where it all goes. 

#2 – The pork meatballs called for you to chop one onion and then add half of it to the meatballs mix.  But what to do with the rest of it?  We will never know because the recipe does not say.

Also annoying was the directive to "divide" (there's that word again) 1 cup of apple cider.  Three quarters (3/4) of the cider is used in the meatball sauce recipe, but the remaining ¼ is never accounted for.

Why then, dear reader, why then direct me to pour a whole cup when ¾ of a cup will do?  This drives me absolutely nuts.  Nuts!

So as I am fond of saying, I am going to have to ding this author for these two boo-boos. The flavors were fine and our guests ate them up (pun intended), but I hate incomplete directions and I really hate them when I am cranking out copious quantities of these meatballs for our party table and don't know what is going on with a recipe.  Sad to say, but I imagine I'll have to keep an eagle eye out for further errors if I make more recipes from this cookbook. 

By the way, we were a little nervous about how the beef meatballs would go over (apricots and mustard, what?) but then we remembered that many moons ago, we invited some friends over for dinner and made a chicken pot pie and a meatloaf with mustard and dried apricots.  That recipe was similar to the one below, and I believe we got it from either Bon Appetit or Gourmet.  At any rate, one of the men at the dinner is a straight-up meat and potatoes guy and yet he loved the meatloaf so much, he asked for the recipe.  And he quite enjoyed the beef meatballs at this year's party so the dish is a winner (as is the pork) even if the making of them was almost my undoing!

Beef Meatballs with Mustard and Dried Apricots – makes 4 to 6 servings

Ann's Note:  the author indicates that these are one of her favorite appetizers to serve because the combination of dried apricots with sharp mustard makes each bite flavorful.

For the meatballs

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 large shallots, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 large egg

1/3 cup Dijon mustard, divided (Ann's Note: into ¼ cup for the meatballs and the rest of the sauce)

3 tablespoons whole milk

¾ cup panko breadcrumbs

1/3 cup finely chopped dried apricots

2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage or 2 teaspoons dried

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1 ½ pounds ground chuck

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the sauce

½ cup apricot preserves

½ teaspoon hot red pepper sauce

 (Ann's Note:  add remaining Dijon mustard)

Preheat the oven to 450F.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil, and spray the foil with vegetable spray.

Heat oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat.  Add shallots and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes, or until shallots are soft.  While vegetables cook, combine eggs, ¼ cup mustard, and milk in a mixing bowl, and whisk until smooth.  Add breadcrumbs, dried apricots, sage, and cilantro, and mix well.

Add shallot mixture and beef, season to taste with salt and pepper, and mix well again.  Make mixture into 1 ½-inch meatballs, and arrange meatballs on the prepared pan.  Spray tops of meatballs with vegetable oil spray.

Bake meatballs for 12 to 15 minutes, or until cooked through.  While meatballs bake, combine remaining mustard, apricot preserves, and hot red pepper sauce in a small mixing bowl, and whisk well.

Remove the pan from the oven and serve immediately accompanied by the bowl of apricot mustard sauce.

[Author's] Note:  The beef mixture can be prepared up to 1 day in advance and refrigerated, tightly covered.  Also, the meatballs can be baked up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated, tightly covered.  Reheat them in a 350F oven, covered for 10 to 12 minutes or until hot.

[Author's] Note:  Since Japanese panko breadcrumbs are fluffier than Western breadcrumbs, they produce a lighter and more tender meatball.  Substitute them for plain breadcrumbs in any recipe in this book.

Ann's Note:  I made this up three weeks ahead then froze them.  We added the sauce when we reheated.

Pork Meatballs in Cream Sauce – makes 4- 6 servings

For the meatballs

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 large onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 large egg

2 tablespoons whole milk

½ cup plain breadcrumbs

1 ¼ pounds ground pork

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Vegetable oil spray

For the sauce

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and chopped

1 cup apple cider, divided

1 cup chicken stock

¼ cup applejack brandy

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

½ cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon cornstarch

Preheat the oven boiler.  (Ann's Note:  I baked these—so much easier!).  Line a rimmed baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil, and spray the foil with vegetable oil spray.

Heat butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes, or until onion is translucent.  While vegetables cook, combine egg and milk in a mixing bowl, and whisk until smooth.  Add breadcrumbs to the mixing bowl, and mix well.

Add ½ of onion mixture* and pork, season to taste with salt and pepper, and mix well again.  Make into 2-inch meatballs, and arrange meatballs on the prepared pan.  Spray tops of meatballs with vegetable oil spray. (*Ann's Note:  Missing from these instructions is what to do with the remaining onion mixture and since I made the meatballs in advance but the sauce the day of, I believe I ended up throwing the rest out.  Pity.)

Broil meatballs 6 inches from the broiler element, turning them with tongs to brown on all sides.  Remove the pan from the oven, and set aside.  Ann's Note:  I baked these at 450F for about 20-25 minutes; check them after 15.

Add apples, ¾ cup cider*, chicken stock, brandy, and mustard to the skillet, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally.  Simmer sauce, uncovered, for 10 minutes, or until volume is reduced by 1/3. *Ann's Note:  Despite the fact that the recipe called for you to use 1 cup apple cider, "divided," you only end up using ¾ of that cup. 

Add meatballs and cream to sauce, bring to a boil, and simmer meatballs, covered, over low heat, turning occasionally with a slotted spoon for 15 minutes.

Olympic Food Part 3 - "The Food of Portugal" - Pork with Clams Alentejo-Style (practically a national dish!)

Date I made this recipe:  August 21, 2016 – closing day of the Rio Olympics

The Food of Portugal by Jean Anderson

Published by:  William Morrow and Company, Inc.

© 1986

Purchased at Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks, NYC

Recipe:  Pork with Clams Alentejo-Style (Porco a Alentejana)

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that I sense a lot of nose-wrinkling going on out there after reading what's in this recipe.  Pork and...what?  Clams?

Yes, clams.  And I hear you:  when Andy and I were in Portugal and first saw this dish on the menu, we had the same reaction.  But we forged ahead into the unknown and this dish remains one of the best things we've ever eaten.  And that's saying a lot as we've traveled through 10 European countries and most of the United States.

So let me fast forward to the end result here and tell you that the dish I made at home was everything we remembered and more.  It is just so delicious, it's scary.  And since Portuguese sailors "founded" Brazil and Brazilians speak Portuguese instead of Spanish, I thought it fitting to end my Olympic cooking trials with a Portuguese dish.  And this is because...

...  in 1993, Andy and I went to Spain and Portugal for vacation.  We drove into Portugal after a couple of sleepless nights in Spain (when Spaniards tell you that they party into the night, believe them) and just fell in love with the country, especially Lisbon, mostly because we caught up on sleep.  (Our itinerary was a few days in Spain, starting at Madrid, then into Portugal, then back into Spain (no sleep) and then after a refreshing and rejuvenating trip to Gibraltar and the Rock of, back through the south of Spain to Madrid.)

While in Portugal, we sampled delicious tapas (far cheaper than Spain) and then the pork and clams and fell so in love with this dish that we ordered it any time we could.  The Portuguese dish came with lots of clams but I erred on the side of fewer clams for my dish since clams do not reheat well.  I should not have worried as we ate the entire dish in one sitting; it helped that I made half the recipe.

I first saw this cookbook at my public library, checked it out so I could see if it contained my pork and clams recipe – it did -  and then put it on my list of books to buy.  When I found it at one of my favorite bookstores, Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks in NYC, I felt like I struck gold. 

Now I knew going in that I was going to make the pork and clams and only the pork and clams from this cookbook but you are welcome to try other recipes in this book if you want (many include pork or other seafood).  This recipe though, is the real deal and   although I don't think it's the national dish of Portugal, it comes close.

You should know though, that in order for this dish to work, you must marinate it overnight in a "Massa de Pimentão" (red pepper sauce) or you can substitute  paste of garlic, salt, paprika and olive oil.  Since I made half the recipe, the latter substitute paste made sense (but even then, halve those ingredients).  I suspect though, that the dishes we had in Portugal were made with the "Massa de Pimentão," which requires you to seed and then cut into strips 8 sweet red peppers, let them sit at room temperature for 12 hours and then roast for 2 – 2 ½ hours.  Whichever one you choose, the flavors are sensational and the pork is so tender it's ridiculous. 

The biggest "hazard" with this dish was adjusting the cooking times.  The recipe said you need 20 minutes to steam the onions and garlic but given that I made half the recipe, I should have checked back in 10 as I nearly incinerated my mixture (I saved it just in time).  I cooked the pork as directed for 1 ½ hours but think I could have cut that in half, and the clams did not need the 30 minutes as directed although no harm befell the clams for having steamed that long.  My advice for making half the recipe is to check as you go.

So thus endeth the Olympic games and our voyeuristic viewing of all Olympic events, big and small (or at least the ones NBC showed us) and as always, that made us sad.  I thought Rio's Olympic torch design was the coolest thing ever (I want a mini one for my house) and that Rio did a great job as host.  I also loved the daily shots of Copacabana Beach ("Her name was Lola, she was a showgirl..." from Copacabana by Barry Manilow) and who knows,  Andy and I might go there some day.  If we don't, then Portugal is an acceptable silver-medal "winner." 

The only challenge, but we have plenty of time to prepare for a Brazilian visit, is that we'd have to work on the language. Speaking Portuguese is not for the faint of heart.  It's a combination of Spanish and French that sounds Russian—or at least it did to our ear.  If we spoke Spanish or French or interchanged words while in Portugal, we were usually understood, but trying to understand what they said back to us was another story.  Oh well!  ("Ah Bem!").  We shall try our best to be somewhat conversant whether in Portugal or Brazil.  Of course, the next summer games are in Tokyo so perhaps it's time to practice our Japanese? Yes? ("Hai")

And now, one of the best things I've ever eaten:

Pork with Clams Alentejo-Style – makes 6 servings – Ann's Note:  requires 24-48 hours of prep time

2 ½ pounds boneless pork loin, cut into 1-inch cubes

2 tablespoons Massa de Pimentão (page 90 – also below) or, if you prefer, a paste made of 1 peeled and crushed garlic clove, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 tablespoon paprika (preferably the Hungarian sweet rose paprika), and 1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup dry white wine (Ann's Note:  a half recipe required only ½ cup but that is too little and your mixture will dry out and burn.  I just kept adding until I felt I had enough liquid to steam the clams.  Couldn't hurt, might help!)

2 large bay leaves, crumbled

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons lard (hog lard, not vegetable shortening)

1 large yellow onion, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 large garlic clove, peeled and minced

2 tablespoons littleneck clams in the shell, scrubbed well and purged of grit. (To do this, cover the clams with cold water, add 1 tablespoon cornmeal, let stand at room temperature 20 to 30 minutes, then drain well.)

¼ teaspoon salt (about)

¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper (about)

If using the massa substitute: (Ann's Note:  if you make half the recipe, make half of this mixture)

1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon paprika

1 tablespoon olive oil

If using the Massa de Pimentão: (recipe to follow)

8 medium sweet red peppers

2 tablespoons kosher or coarse salt

2 large garlic cloves, peeled and minced

1/3 cup olive oil

Ann's Note:  This recipe requires you to marinate the pork overnight in either the garlic/salt/paprika and oil mixture OR the Massa De Pimentão.  The Massa is not hard to make but it does require 12 hours of prep time at minimum and then 2 hours of cooking time.  And this is why I used the shortcut!  But if you want an authentic marinade and have the time, then follow the Massa de Pimentão recipe below (yields 1 ¼ cups).

Wash, core, seed, and cut lengthwise into strips about 1-inch wide your 8 medium peppers.  Arrange a layer of pepper strips in the bottom of a shallow bowl no more than 9 inches in diameter; sprinkle with ¾ teaspoon of the salt; now add 7 more layers of pepper strips, sprinkling each with ¾ teaspoon salt.  Let stand uncovered at room temperature for at least 12 hours.  Drain off excess liquid.

Turn on the oven to Warm (250-275).  Place the bowl of peppers, still uncovered, in the oven and roast 2 to 2 ½ hours, stirring occasionally, until all the juices have been absorbed.  Remove the peppers from the oven and cool to room temperature.  Now peel the skin from each pepper strip and discard. 

Place the garlic and pepper strips in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal chopping blade or in an electric blender cup and add about half the oil; buzz nonstop about 30 seconds, scrape down the work bowl sides, and buzz 30 seconds longer.  Now with the motor running, drizzle enough of the remaining oil to make a paste slightly softer than whipped butter.  Churn 60 seconds nonstop until absolutely smooth.  [Author's] Note:  If you have neither food processor nor blender, you'll have to grind the garlic and peppers to paste as the Portuguese women do – with a mortar and pestle.  You must then add the olive oil very slowly, drop by drop at first, beating hard to incorporate.

Transfer the red pepper paste to a small jar with a tight-fitting lid and store in the refrigerator.  Dip into the paste as needed, letting whatever you remove from the jar come to room temperature before using.

To make the pork and clams:

Rub the pieces of pork well all over with the Massa de Pimentão and place in a large, shallow nonmetallic bowl; add the wine and bay leaves, cover, and marinate about 24 hours, turning the pork occasionally in the wine.

Next day, heat the olive oil and lard in a large heavy kettle over high heat until ripples appear on the kettle bottom—the fat should almost smoke.  Life the pork from the marinade (save the marinade to add to the kettle later) and brown in the three batches, transferring pieces to a large heat-proof bowl as they brown.  When all the pork is brown, dump the onion and garlic into the kettle, lower the heat to moderate, and stir-fry 3 to 4 minutes until limp and golden.  Turn the heat to low, cover the kettle, and steam the onion and garlic 20 minutes.  Ann's Note:  I almost incinerated my mixture so 20 minutes was too long for me.  I advise checking it after 10 minutes to see you fare, especially if you halve the recipe like I did.

Blend in the tomato paste and reserved wine marinade, return the pork to the kettle, adjust the heat so that the wine mixture barely bubbles, then cover and cook 1 ½ hours until the pork is fork-tender.  Ann's Note:  you should plan to add more wine as you go as what is leftover from the marinade is not enough.  Also, check after 45 minutes to see how the meat is doing.  If it's done, continue with the next steps.

Now bring the kettle liquid to a gentle boil, lay the clams on top of the pork, distributing them as evenly as possible, re-cover, and cook about 30 minutes – just until the clams open, spilling their juices.  Ann's Note:  check back after 15.

Ann's Note:  the author advises serving this with crusty bread, but in Portugal, this was always served with delicious steak fries.

"CookFight" by NYTimes writers Kim Severson and Julia Moskin and "Second Helpings from the Union Square Cafe" - Pork Braised in Milk and Cream and Mustard Mashed Potatoes

Date I made these recipes:  January 1, 2016 – New Year's Day

CookFight – 2 Cooks, 12 Challenges, 125 Recipes and Epic Battle for Kitchen Dominance by New York Times Food Writers Kim Severson and Julia Moskin; Foreword by Frank Bruni

Published by:  Ecco

ISBN:  978-0-06-198838-7

Purchased at Barnes and Noble Used Books, Roseville, MN

Recipe:  Pork Braised In Milk and Cream – p. 89

Second Helpings from the Union Square Cafe – 140 New Favorites from New York's Acclaimed Restaurant by Danny Meyer and Michael Romano

Published by: HarperCollins Publishers

ISBN:  0-06-0196647-5

Recipe:  Mustard-Mashed Potatoes – p. 251; Mashed Potatoes "base" recipe – p. 321-322

Happy New Year!

It's been a long time since I've planned the main dish around a side dish but my husband was set on this mashed potato recipe and so there it is.  Oh sure, we could have just eaten a big bowl of mashed potatoes on New Years but that seemed a pretty inauspicious way to start the new year.

Originally, I asked him to look through the Second Helpings cookbook to check out some other main dish recipes I tagged, intending to make one of them on Christmas Day.  He liked them, but as he is wont to do, he checked out the entire book and said "I want these mashed potatoes.  I'll settle for the horseradish ones but these are the ones I really want."

Well, who am I to play the Grinch during the holidays?  Wish granted!

The problem though, was that the potatoes didn't really go with the entree I selected for Christmas Day – Martha Stewart's Pork Stew with Fennel and Olives.  In fact, the pasta dish I made for Christmas Eve was a much better fit for the pork stew and so we combined the two and ate those together. 

Still, the mashed potato recipe was hanging out there mocking me.  I kept promising to make them "any day" now and did make them "any day now" after I found something to go with the potatoes.  According to Second Helpings, chicken, rabbit, pork chops, and salmon pair well with these mashed potatoes.

And so enter the Pork Braised in Milk and Cream recipe.  Now I know some of you are probably already turning up your nose at the thought but many moons ago, I saw a recipe for this dish in a magazine and thought it sounded good so I clipped it.  Finding it though, was another story and so luckily, CookFight included it for me.  Archeological dig avoided!

Still, this recipe calls for milk and cream and then lemon and at this point, my nose starting turning up but I trusted the recipe and was not disappointed.  Plus, I trusted the authors, Kim Severson and Julia Moskin, who write for the New York Times and whose columns I've read off and on over the years.

Rounding off our heavy-hitting food writers is restaurant owner, Danny Meyer, whose book – Setting the Table – The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business  (2006) -was a monster hit when it was released.  Danny, who owns several restaurant, led the way in creating a true service environment in restaurants, one where staff (from dishwasher to dining room captain) was as valued, if not more valued, than patrons because if they were happy, customers were happy.  (But "If momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!").  Exemplary service was not a nouvelle idea, but placing value on the staff was and by gosh, this concept caught on and is seen in practice in almost every successful restaurant.

One of Danny's early and most successful restaurant enterprises was Gramercy Tavern in NYC (Union Square Cafe, the topic of this cookbook was his first one).  After reading about Gramercy Tavern in his book, I made a mental note to go there some day and one fine day in August 2004, I did.  I go to NYC regularly and that year, planned a trip to the city the week after I took the Minnesota Bar Exam to decompress.  Yes, probably only me goes to one of the world's largest city to center herself but that's the way I'm wired.

At any rate, when my friend, Susan, who lives in NYC, asked where I wanted to go to "celebrate" finishing that torture test, I said Gramercy Tavern and so we went.  And It. Was. Spectacular.  The service was, as you might imagine, off the charts and the food was sublime.  At least what I remember of it.  Let's just say that between the pre-dinner cocktails, dinner cocktails and post-dinner cocktails and my total exhaustion from that hideous exam, I don't have a full memory of what we ate except that it was good and it likely involved steak on my part.  You gotta live large sometimes, folks.  Gotta live large.

So anyway, the place blew my mind and I would love to go back sometime with my husband, this time in a more locked and upright position.

A little side story about the service:  Susan and I had walked all over town that day and just when we got off the subway and were walking to the restaurant, a blister on my foot broke.  No problem, we thought, we'll just find a Duane Reed (drugstore).  There's pretty much a Duane Reed on every other corner in Manhattan.  Except, of course, this particular corner.

So I limped into the restaurant and asked the hostesses if by chance they had a Band Aid and after giving me one of those "you must be joking" looks, they pulled themselves together, re-read their "playbook," Setting the Table  ("Chapter Two:  When the patron wants a Band Aid...") and got me a Band Aid.  And then checked up on me – twice.  God Bless these angels!  After we dined, I scribbled out our impressions on a survey they provided (good lord, what my handwriting must have looked like) and after that, I got a thank you note.  "No, no—thank YOU!"  Again – impressive!

Coincidentally, these two books – CookFight and Second Helpings – are similar in their approach.  They are both conversational, with photos in each.  The photos in CookFight are of the two writers in their kitchens and their conversation is around their recipe battle.  The photos in Second Helpings are of some of the diners in Union Square Cafe, such as Jacques Pepin, and the narrative in the front of the book centers around how the two authors travel to France and Italy each year (and who knows where in between) to get inspiration for recipes for their restaurant.  Both books have a ton of recipes that are sure to please.

Out of the two, CookFight, is perhaps a tad more interesting because of its format.  Each month, the authors faced off in a cooking  battle, selecting a menu of goodies to make, and writing about their experiences.  Their stories are hilarious, for example, Julia writes of the January "Budget Battle": "Her (Kim's) fifth appetizer was like a knife in my heart." Kim's thoughts about her dish – the milk-braised pork – echoed my own:  "On the surface, this dish might sound horrible, but if you are confident enough and patient enough, the reward is a sauce that is so good it nearly made [Julia] Moskin's husband leave her for me."  Ha!  The contest was suggested by fellow New York Times writer, Frank Bruni, who refereed the face-offs before deciding, wisely, that it was a tie. 

Patience is indeed required when making the pork dish because you must allow a few hours (or overnight) to coat the pork roast with garlic and sage and then you need 3-3.5 hours to slowly simmer the roast in the milk bath.  On the other hand, the potatoes are pretty easy to make so I timed them to finish just about when my pork did.  You'll need to make the "base" mashed potatoes first then add the ingredients to make them mustard potatoes.

All in all, both recipes were a big hit and I would love to cook more of them from these books but if didn't limit myself to one per book, I would never make it through the rest of my collection.  Not that I am making it through my collection, I just like to think I am.

Before I go, I have to say that I was just a tiny bit concerned about not making a bean/pea dish to bring good luck for the New Year as I have the past several years.  (Hoppin' John, a dish made with black-eyed peas, is the traditional American favorite).  Well, I am happy to report that I worried for nothing because when I Googled "foods that will bring luck for the New Year," "pork" came up as a lucky food.  Whew, dodged that bullet!  According to Epicurious.com, thanks to "its rich fat content, signifies wealth and prosperity."  Works for me.

Happy cooking everyone but no cook fighting!

Pork Braised in Milk and Cream – makes six servings

One 2 ½-3-pound pork loin roast

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon chopped garlic (for the rub)

5 large garlic cloves, slightly crushed and peeled (Ann's Note:  You will add these after you start cooking the roast)

1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage (for the rub), plus leaves from 2 or 3 fresh sage sprigs (Ann's Note:  you will add these after you start cooking the roast)

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 cups milk

3 cups heavy cream

2 lemons

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Season the pork well with salt and pepper.  Rub with the chopped garlic and chopped sage and refrigerate; overnight is best, but a few hours will do.

Bring the meat to room temperature and brush off as much of the sage and garlic as you can.  Heat the oil in a heavy pot with a lid, preferably enameled cast-iron.  Sear the meat well on all sides – this will take about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the milk and cream in a saucepan and bring it to a boil, then turn down the heat to keep it warm.

Peel several long strips of zest from the lemons.  Squeeze the juice from one of them (you'll use this when you finish the sauce).

Transfer the pork to a platter and wipe the fat from the pot.  Add the butter to the pot and set the heat to medium.  Add the garlic cloves and allow to get a touch golden.  Add the sage leaves, reserving a few for garnish, and stir, then set the roast back in the pot, along with any juices from the platter.  Bring to a simmer, add the lemon zest, reserving a few for garnish, and season to taste with salt.

Pour the milk and cream into the pot, partly cover, and simmer gently for 3 hours or more, turning the roast once in a while and stirring to prevent excessive sticking; the sauce should look slightly golden and clumpy.  Ann's Note:  I turned the roast every 30 minutes and this worked out quite well.  Turn off the heat and allow the meat to rest fr at least a half an hour, or until you are ready to make the sauce, up to an hour.

When you are ready to serve, remove the roast and slice it ¼-inch thick or so.  Place on a platter.

Pour the sauce through a sieve into a saucepan, using a wooden spoon to help it along.  Gently reheat the sauce (no boiling!), then stir in the lemon juice and pour it over the meat.  Garnish with the reserved sage leaves and ½ lemon slice.

Mustard-Mashed Potatoes – serves 4

For this recipe, you'll make the mashed potato recipe first, then add the ingredients for the Mustard-Mashed Potatoes

2 pounds Idaho potatoes, scrubbed and peeled

2 teaspoons kosher salt

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter

½ cup heavy cream

½ cup milk

¼ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

Then add:

2 tablespoons dried mustard

1 tablespoon warm water

1 tablespoon honey

¼ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric

Place the potatoes in a 2-quart saucepan with 1 teaspoon of the salt and cold water to cover.  Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, covered, until completely tender, about 30 minutes.  Test the potatoes by piercing them with a paring knife—there should be no resistance.  Place in a colander and allow to drain well for several minutes.

Combine the butter, heavy cream, and milk in another saucepan and heat gently until the butter has melted.  Keep warm.

Working over the saucepan used to cook the potatoes, pass the potatoes through a food mill or a potato ricer.  If you have any difficulty, add a little of the hot milk and butter to the potatoes.

Place the potatoes over a low flame and begin adding the warm milk mixture, whipping the potatoes with a wooden spoon or spatula at the same time.  When all the liquid is absorbed, season with the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt and the white pepper.

Stir together the mustard, water, honey, salt, pepper and turmeric in a small bowl.  Fold the mustard mixture into the warm mashed potatoes and stir over low heat until piping hot.  

"One Pot - From the Kitchens of Martha Stewart Living" - Pork Stew with Fennel and Olives - Christmas

Date I made this recipe:  December 24, 2015 for Christmas Day dinner

One Pot From the Kitchens of Martha Stewart Living – 120+ easy meals from your skillet, slow cooker, stockpot, and more

Published by:  Clarkson Potter/Publishers

ISBN:  978-0-307-95441-1

Recipe:  Pork Stew with Fennel and Olives – p. 25 ("One Pot, Four Ways Pork Stew" – p. 24 and 25).

So, the backstory:  I had my eye on this book but generally don't buy newer cookbooks as I don't have the shelf space.  Instead, I often get the book from the library and then if it passes muster, I put it on the "buy" list, the purchase often happening years later and often at a discount.

But Martha is different.  After my library perusal was over, I decided I should buy it, mainly because my own rule of blogs:  If you post it, you should own it.  It's my own rule and I could break it if I wanted to (I'm very flexible!) but I wanted to finish out the year on a high note and with a clean conscience. 

And so it came to pass that Martha Stewart's One Pot cookbook is now part of my collection, acquired just so I could make this stew for Christmas.  Well, the stew and possibly one more dish, thereby breaking my second, self-imposed rule of blogs:  Thou shalt only make one recipe per book. 

By the time I made the decision to purchase the book though, we were days away from Christmas and so I had to hustle to find a copy of it from a bookstore.  Martha is always popular, you know.  Thankfully, the Barnes and Noble downtown Minneapolis store had a copy and so I grabbed it. Never mind that I had to drive and park downtown, I was on a mission.  I hope Martha appreciates this.

The recipe I selected for our Christmas Day repast was the very delicious Pork Stew with Fennel and Olives.  It was easy enough that I could have made it Christmas evening but something prompted me to make it on Christmas Eve while I was making Christmas Eve dinner and then reheat it Christmas evening and I'm glad I did because I was feeling a bit under the weather Christmas Day and did not have the energy to make the (Martha Stewart) Holiday Frittata I planned for breakfast nor did I have the energy to make this from scratch.  Thankfully, I had enough energy to push the button on the microwave.  Besides, everybody knows that stew tastes better the next day!

Now, it is not often that I dare to diss Martha because well, she's Martha after all, but this recipe – pork stew, four ways – was hard to follow.  The main recipe featured is that of Pork Stew with Root Vegetables and all the ingredients listed are for that and then the instructions to make the pork stew with root vegetables followed.  Then on the next page, she listed all the substitutions but not in a list.  Instead, she wrote things like "In step 1, replace leek and thyme with 1 sliced onion, 1 teaspoon whole fennel seeds, and 1 dried bay leaf."  And so I found myself flipping back and forth to see what the root vegetable instructions were compared to the fennel with olives and then while shopping, had to double-check to make sure I got all of the right ingredients.

I am going to have to "ding" Martha for making me work so hard.  My preferred way to write this is to list all the ingredients and substitute ingredients in one big list and then add clear instructions for each stew.  Yes, Martha, this takes up more pages but your way drove me crazy.  I'm sorry.  (By the way, the other three pork stew recipes are:  Pork Stew with Root Vegetables, Pork Stew with Potatoes and Rosemary, and Pork Stew with Asparagus and Peas, all found on pages 24 and 25.)

The stew though, was really good although for the first time ever, I didn't taste it at all, instead putting it in the refrigerator after it cooled along with the remains of my Christmas Eve pasta dish.  The thing is, these two dishes paired really well together but I didn't plan to serve them together until my Christmas Day intentions went awry. 

As to the "one-pot" recipes, Martha breaks them out by "Dutch Oven;" "Slow Cooker;" "Skillet & Sauté Pan;" "Roasting Pan & Baking Dish;" "Pressure Cooker;" "Stockpot" and then even throws in some Dessert recipes that aren't necessarily made in one pot but by this point, who cares? If Martha wants to include a recipe for Molten Chocolate Cupcakes, then Martha gets to because again, she's Martha.

Whenever you make this recipe, it's delicious and relatively easy to put together.  The hardest part for me was finding the right amount of pork shoulder roast (most I found weighed way more than I needed) but once you get that right, it's smooth sailing from that point on.

Happy Holidays and Happy Cooking, Everyone!

Pork Stew with Fennel and Olives – serves 4

1 ½ pounds pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch pieces

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 sliced onion

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 bay leaf

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 ½ cups white wine, such as a Sauvignon Blanc

1 can (28 ounces) whole peeled tomatoes, pureed with their juice

2 heads fresh fennel, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 cup Kalamata olives, pitted

¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Season pork with salt and pepper.  In a small Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium high.  Working in batches, add the pork and cook until browned, 5 to 7 minutes.  Transfer to a plate.  Add remaining oil, the onion, fennel seeds, and bay leaf.  Cook until the onion is translucent, about 3 minutes.  Stir in the flour and cook 1 minute.

Add the white wine and bring to a boil for 1 minute.  Add the tomatoes and juices and pork and bring back to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer, cook, partially covered, until pork is tender, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Add fennel and olives, and return to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer; cook, partially covered, until vegetables are tender, 25 to 30 minutes more.

Stir in parsley, and season with salt and pepper.

"The Society of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center Park Avenue Potluck" & "The Mayo Clinic Williams-Sonoma Cookbook" - Cider Roasted Loin of Pork and Roasted winter vegetables

Date I made these recipes:  October 25, 2015 – Breast Cancer Awareness Month

The Society of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center Park Avenue Pot Luck Recipes from New York's Savviest Hostesses by Florence Fabricant

Published by:  Rizzoli

ISBN: 13-978-0-8478-2989-7

Recipe:  Cider-Roasted Loin of Pork (submitted by Meile Rockefeller) – p. 156-157

The Mayo Clinic Williams-Sonoma Cookbook by John Phillip Carroll, recipe writer, and Chris Shorten, photographer

Published by:  Time Life Books

ISBN:  0-7370-0008-2

Purchased at Arc's Value Village Thrift Stores

Recipe:  Roasted winter vegetables – p. 148

Eons ago, the Sloan-Kettering book came on my cookbook radar and I asked my brother-in-law, Ben, who works at Sloan-Kettering to see if he could get me a copy (I was unable to source it locally).  And he finally did earlier this year.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I was shopping for cookbooks at Arc's Value Village Thrift Stores and came upon the Mayo clinic cookbook and since Mayo is located here in Minnesota, I bought it.

More months went by and as I was changing out some cookbook shelves, I saw the Mayo book and thought of making something from it this summer.  Do note it is now the end of October. At any rate, there it sat for a while in my "cook from" pile.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch Part II, in September I went to an opera (and blogged about it) and used a NY opera cookbook from my "regional" cookbook shelf and while doing so, made a mental note to cook also from the (NYC) Sloan-Kettering cookbook in the near future.

Well finally, opportunity presented itself to me to make something for the blog from each of these books at the same time, the theme of which would be "well-known hospitals."  (By the way, this could be the subject of a Jeopardy category, don't we think?)

And just as I was getting ready to select the recipes, I got an email from a dear friend:  "I have breast cancer."  And so that was a bit of a game changer because now my mission was to make something from each of these well-known (cancer treatment) hospitals in honor of her and all others out there battling cancer.

My mother was a breast cancer survivor.  Every year when I get a physical and a mammogram, I hold my breath until the results come in.  Every time.  I am always appreciative of the fact that every year also brings new advances in treatment and research.  After her surgery, my mom became part of a Reach to Recovery program, helping other women cope with their breast cancer.  I continue to be amazed that my mom reached out like that as she was a pretty private person but she did that for a long time before finally deciding to "retire" from all volunteering in general.  And I'm happy to report that she survived 23 years before passing away from a massive stroke.

In the next couple of decades, the message about breast cancer changed as we went from a more 1:1 counseling environment (survivor to survivor) and fairly low-key fundraising, to the month of October being designated Breast Cancer Awareness month, numerous three-day walks, and numerous Race for the Cures.  And so on and so on.  And cookbooks like these two are just part of the effort to raise funds for important research, care and education although if I may:  I think the general public is pretty aware of breast and other cancers by now leaving me to wonder if the message shouldn't change.  The new message should be about the continued importance of funding cancer research as well as allowing women, particularly low-income women, accessibility and affordability for both screening and treatments.  But that is just this gal's opinion.

At any rate, so the women of Park Avenue came together to create this cook book and I don't know about you, but I find it somewhat ironic if not hilarious that the Park Avenue ladies can well afford all the health care they could ever need and yet here they are, raising more money by submitting recipes to this book.  But fundraising is fundraising and money is money so we'll take.  (And by the way, I know the full title is Memorial Sloan-Kettering but I always shorten it, just like Mayo Clinic's full title is Mayo Clinic but nobody around here calls it anything but "Mayo" which should not, especially on a cookbook blog, be confused with "mayo" as in "mayonnaise.")

And so when the Coco's and Muffie's (I kid you not – please see p. 94 and 148 of the book) of Park Avenue came together to produce this book, they wisely decided to have another cookbook heavy hitter, Florence Fabricant, do the writing.  (In addition to cookbook writing, Florence is also a food critic for The New York Times and other culinary publications).

Now, the Sloan-Kettering cookbook doesn't exactly feature "healthy" foods, focusing instead on family favorites, but The Mayo Clinic Williams-Sonoma Cookbook does.  Every recipe gives you nutritional information per serving  and many recipes switch out ingredients such as white rice for brown rice or other healthier grains.  Some of the recipes I looked seemed a little bland for my tastes while others sounded delicious even if they weren't made in the same fashion we are all used to, for example, mashed potatoes.

In the end, this unintentional pairing of cookbooks yielded an unexpectedly delicious dinner that paired well together:  "Cider-Roasted Pork of Loin" (Sloan-Kettering) with "Roasted Winter Vegetables" (Mayo).  Even better was that they all roasted at the same temperature – 425F – making it easy to get this dinner on the table without a lot of fuss and muss.  I love it when things work out that way.

Things to know before you start:  1) You need to marinate the pork at least 8 hours in advance; 2) it took a lot longer than 30 minutes to roast it to the correct temperature; 3) a full recipe of the roasted vegetables makes a huge amount of vegetables that, despite cutting them approximately the same size ended up 4) cooking at different times.  And that is my one bitch about any type of roasted vegetable dish!  If I made this again and used the same vegetable combination, I might have started by roasting the turnips, then the potatoes and carrots and parsnips as they tend to take longer, and then the squash.  But that said, I'm not sure I'd include the turnips as they tasted more bitter than the rest of the vegetables used (carrots, parsnips and squash are all sweeter).  I normally like turnips but not this time around.  And I'm not sure how I felt about the parsley/garlic/malt liquor combination as it didn't seem to add much to the dish and the garlic might have been better had it been roasted. ("But other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you like the play?")

So there you go, a delicious fall meal that yields plenty of yummy leftovers while at the same time, raising your awareness (hopefully beyond just October) to the ongoing fight to wipe out all cancers in our lifetime... with a little culinary assistance from two organizations helping to lead the way. Oh, and by the way, thanks too, to Williams-Sonoma for collaborating with Mayo on the cookbook.  I could never work in your store because the paycheck I earned would go right back into purchasing well...everything!

Cider-Roasted Loin of Pork – serves 8 (*must marinate for at least 8 hours)

1 quart fresh apple cider

¼ cup kosher salt or sea salt

2 boneless pork tenderloins, about 1 ½ pounds each

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon crushed dried rosemary leaves

1 tablespoon ground sage

Rosemary sprigs for garnish

Combine two cups of the cider, the salt, and 1 cup water in a saucepan and heat just until the salt dissolves.  Allow to cool.  Ann's Note:  I have no idea how long this process was supposed to take but I cooked it for what seemed like 15-20 minutes and the salt was still not dissolved.  I strained the remaining salt crystals and used the leftover liquid.  If there's on thing I cannot stand, it's overly salted food so better safe than sorry.

Place the pork loins in a heavy 1-gallon plastic bag with a zip closure.  Add the cooled brine.  Seal the bag and place on a dinner plate.  Refrigerate overnight, 8 to 24 hours.  Boil down the remaining 2 cups of cider until it has reduced to about 2/3 cup.  Place in a container, cover, and refrigerate.  Ann's Note:  I poured most of the brine into the bag, turned away for two seconds to adjust my measuring cup only to find half the brine was pouring out of the bag.  Dammit!  So I moped up the floor and counter and started again, this time heating some more cider and salt only to have the same thing happen.  Each time the bag was upright but the minute I looked away, disaster ensued.  So I ended up with more of a salt-less brine than intended but I was not going to go through that again!

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Remove the pork and the reduced cider from the refrigerator.

Remove the pork from the marinade and pat dry.  Rub the loins with the oil, pepper, rosemary, and sage.  Line a roasting pan with foil, place the pork on a rack in the roasting pan, and roast for 10 minutes.  Baste the pork with the boiled cider, turning the loins to baste all around.  Roast another 20 minutes, until an instant read thermometer registers 150 degrees.  Ann's Note:  I didn't feel like basting so I just poured the cider reduction over the loins and called it a day!  Plus, the only roasting rack I had was for chicken but it ended up not making a difference except that the loins almost looked like they were on a spit.  Finally, it took more like 30 minutes to get the loins up to 150 degrees and even then, I put them in the microwave for a bit as they were more pink than I'd like.  Yes, I know the trend with pork is to now go to medium rare but I can't bring myself to do that; beef, yes, pork, no.

Remove the pork for the oven and let it stand 10 minutes.  Slice, arranging on a platter, garnish with rosemary, and serve.

PS—we still had two apples left over from our apple crumble so I sliced those up and put them in the roasting pan along with the pork loins for about 10 minutes.  Delicious!

Roasted winter vegetables – serves: 6

1 butternut squash, 1 lb, peeled, seeded, and cut into cubes

3 red-skinned potatoes, cut into cubes

2 turnips, peeled and cut into cubes

3 carrots, halved lengthwise and cut into pieces

3 parsnips, halved lengthwise and cut into pieces

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons dried thyme

½ teaspoon ground pepper

3 tablespoons malt vinegar (Ann's Note:  you can substitute cider vinegar)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley

2 garlic cloves, minced

Preheat oven to 425F.  Coat a large roasting pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Put the squash, potatoes, turnips, carrots, and parsnips in the pan.  Add the oil, thyme, and pepper and stir and toss to combine and coat the vegetables evenly.

Roast, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are lightly browned and tender when pierced, about 45 minutes.

In a large bowl, stir together the vinegar, parsley, and garlic.  Add the vegetables and toss to combine. 

To serve, divide among individual plates.

Nutritional information – per serving:

Calories – 194

Kilojoules – 813

Protein – 4 g

Carbohydrates – 40 g

Total fat – 3 g

Saturated Fat - <1 font="" g="">

Cholesterol – 0 mg

Sodium – 56 mg

Dietary fiber – 7 g