Have a Healthy and Prosperous New Year and Soulful Eating!
Angelique and Joyce Perrin
On the menu
Ingredients
6- 7 pound boneless pork roast (shoulder or butt)
Kosher salt
freshly cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons of canola oil
2 onions, halved and sliced thin
6 cloves garlic, cut into thin slices
1 teaspoon of dried thyme, crushed
1 teaspoon of dried rosemary, crushed
1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 cup of all purpose flour
1 (32 ounce) carton of chicken broth
boiled rice
Method
Sprinkle the pork shoulder with salt and pepper and allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 275 degrees F. Heat canola oil over medium high heat in the bottom of a cast iron Dutch oven and sear the pork on all sides. Remove and set aside. In the same pot, add the onion, and cook until lightly caramelized. To the onion, add the sliced garlic, a pinch of salt, some freshly cracked black pepper, and the thyme and rosemary; add a splash of the chicken broth to deglaze the pan. Cook and stir another couple of minutes, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Remove the onion and set aside.
In that same pot, melt the butter over medium heat to start a roux. Stir in the flour a little at a time until fully incorporated. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture reaches a peanut butter color, about 10 minutes. Slowly stir in the chicken broth until mixture is fully incorporated, thick and bubbly. Add the onions into the roux and stir.Add the seared roast to the pot and ladle some of the gravy over the top of the roast. Cover and cook at 275 degrees F for 3 hours, or until meat pulls away easily with a fork, turning the roast about every 30 minutes and basting it with the gravy. Test for a minimum internal temperature of 145 degrees F with an instant read thermometer. Serve as is, or remove the roast, skim off the fat, and simmer gravy until reduced and thickened. Can also use a slurry of cornstarch and water to thicken, if desired. Serve the roast smothered with a generous amount of gravy and hot rice.
6 Servings
Ingredients
3 pounds mixed greens, chard, mustard, kale, collards, etc.
2 cups water
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon Cajun seasoning
1 tablespoon granulated garlic
1 tablespoon granulated onion
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
1 large onion, sliced
1 large red bell pepper, sliced
4 large garlic cloves, sliced
2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
½ teaspoon Tabasco sauce or any hot sauce
Method
Wash the greens thoroughly. Cut off any stems that extends beyond the leaves and set them aside.
Then cut the greens and stems that are still affixed to the leaves into bite size pieces and set them aside.
In
a large stock pot, add the water, the stems you sat aside and bay
leaves. Bring pot to a boil, cover and reduce heat to medium and let
stems simmer for 15 minutes {this is your pot likker}.
Remove
the stems and bay leaves from the pot and add the greens, salt, Cajun
seasoning, granulated garlic & onion and the liquid smoke. Mix
thoroughly; then bring the pot back up to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium low and cook covered for 15 minutes.
Heat the oil in a medium saute pan and add the onions, bell pepper and garlic saute until onions are translucent.
Add sautéed vegetables to the pot of greens along with the vinegar and Tabasco sauce and mix thoroughly.
Continue to let greens simmer uncovered another 5 – 6 minutes.
Taste for seasoning, adjust if needed, cover pot and remove from heat.
Note the reason you're cooking the greens uncovered, is to allow the liquid to reduce and produce a more concentrated flavor.
6 - 8 Servings
Ingredients
1/4 pound bacon, chopped1 cup chopped onions
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 pound dried black eyed peas, rinsed and sorted
2 quarts of water
2 pounds smoked ham hocks
2 jalapeno peppers, ribs & seeds removed, chopped
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
3 large bay leaves
additional water as needed
Method
In a tall stockpot, cook the bacon until tender, not crisp; add the onions, peppers and celery
and saute about 1 minute. Add the garlic and saute a few seconds.
Add the peas and cook about 2 minutes, then begin to add the water slowly. Stir in a little at a time and bring to a boil.
Add the ham hocks, jalapenos, salt, pepper,Cajun seasoning and bay leaves. Reduce to
medium and simmer partially covered for 1 to 1 1/2 hrs or until peas are tender. Add additional water if needed to keep broth slightly thin.
Pull meat off the bone and return to peas; taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
8 Servings
Ingredients1/4 cup shortening
1-1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 - 1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
2 cups of buttermilk, more or less
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Method
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Add the shortening to a well seasoned 10-inch cast iron skillet and place the skillet into the oven to melt the shortening and heat the skillet. In a bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Using mitts, carefully remove the skillet from the oven and swirl the hot fat around to coat the entire skillet. Pour the fat from the skillet into the cornmeal mixture; stir. Stir in half of the buttermilk and add the egg; add more buttermilk as needed to make a thick but pourable batter. Depending on the grind of your cornmeal and the type of buttermilk you use, you may not need it all. Fold ingredients and don't beat the batter. Pour the cornmeal mixture into the hot skillet. Carefully place directly into the oven and bake at 450 degrees F for about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the skillet from the oven, let rest for 5 minutes, then very carefully turn the cornbread out onto a plate or platter to preserve that nice crispy crust!
