Pulled Pork

When it comes to the pork department, other than bacon, I haven't experimented much with different cuts of meat. I've admitted it before and I'll say it again, I seem to have this FOP (fear of pork). I've always been curious about pulled pork. Yes dear readers, I've never made it before now. I had to go to a couple of grocery stores before I could find Canadian Pork; I'm strange that way. I believe grocery stores make a choice about what to buy; why not local??? I'd pay more for a local product and will leave a store that doesn't carry it. Support your local farmers!!!
OK enough ranting for one day.

I found a Bonnie Stern recipe and I really haven't met one of her recipes that I didn't like. I appreciate her sense of healthy eating and always works to take recipes and makes them more calorie friendly.

Paste:
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp each paprika, pepper and cumin
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 lb boneless pork shoulder (pork butt roast)



Cooking liquid:
- 2 cups apple juice
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 6 whole cloves garlic
- 2 onions, thickly sliced

Maple barbecue sauce:

- 2 cups favourite barbecue sauce
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 2 tbsp each Worcestershire sauce and apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1. Combine brown sugar, salt, paprika, pepper, cumin, mustard and garlic. Rub into roast. Marinate overnight in the refrigerator.




2. Combine apple juice, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar and Worcestershire sauce. Place garlic and onions in the bottom of a Dutch oven and set roast on top. Add liquid. Cover roast with a piece of parchment paper and then cover pan tightly. Cook in a preheated 325F/160C oven for 3 to 4 hours or longer, until pork is so tender it falls apart when pierced with a fork.

3. Meanwhile, in a saucepan whisk barbecue sauce with maple syrup, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar and mustard. Bring to a boil. Cook gently 5 minutes. Reserve.
4. When roast is ready, remove from pan. Slice thickly and chop. Combine with half the barbecue sauce, adding some of the strained cooking juices if meat is too dry.


Reheat meat just before serving in a 325F oven for about 30 minutes.
5. Make sandwiches on the soft buns with meat, extra barbecue sauce, coleslaw, chipotle mayo and guacamole (if using).



Makes 12 sandwiches

Verdict: Absolutely delicious and the maple bar b que sauce is just wonderful. I wouldn't hesitate to make this again.

Scallops with Pea Puree, Pancetta and Gremolata

Moment of honesty:  Beyond being an opportunity for socializing, inviting people for dinner is the way I motivate myself to clean the house. 

R likes to say, "I'm busy that day" (regardless of whether he knows the day) to avoid the chores.  But, he always comes around and "makes time in his busy schedule."

I don't mind telling my guests that we cleaned up, to counterbalance the facade we've created of having a meticulous house.  But, there's no way I would actually have people over when my house is a mess.  

Last weekend, we invited some friends for dinner.  The mains were fairly standard (brisket, roasted potatoes, tomato salad), but I decided to go a bit fancy for the appetizer.

I found this recipe on Alosha's Kitchen.  If you haven't visited Melissa's blog, you should -- she has a great variety of dishes that will definitely entice you.  Melissa got this recipe from her friend, Amy. 

Scallops with Pea Puree, Pancetta and Gremolata

Ingredients

1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
2 medium shallots, finely chopped
3 ounces diced pancetta
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 cups frozen early sweet peas, thawed
1 cup chicken broth
12 medium sea scallops, patted dry and seasoned with salt and pepper
1 tablespoon butter

Method

For the gremolata: in a small bowl combine the parsley, lemon zest, and one tablespoon of shallot. Set aside.

In a large saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Sauté the pancetta until crispy and cooked through, 2-3 minutes. Remove from pan, leaving some of the reserved fat in the pan. Set aside.

In the same pan, over medium heat, sauté the garlic and remaining shallots for about 3-4 minutes. Add the peas and broth and season with a little salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and let cook for about 5 minutes.

Transfer the contents to a blender and puree to a smooth consistency (I used an immersion blender). Return the puree to the pan, along with the cooked pancetta, cover and set aside to keep warm.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat butter and the remaining olive oil over medium-high until very hot. Add scallops and cook, flipping once, until golden brown on both sides and almost firm to the touch, about 3 minutes per side.

On serving plates, arrange the scallops on top of the puree and sprinkle with the gremolata.

Note: The dish was flavourful and well-received.  It looks fancy, but is pretty easy to make.  I consider it a success and feel a scallop kick coming on.  

If you're making this for guests, I recommend cooking the pancetta well before guests arrive to avoid having a house full of smoke when guests arrive..  If I were to do it again, I'd probably not add salt to the pea blend since the pancetta is already quite salty.  

Tourtiere - A French Canadian Tradition

Each French Canadian family has their own version of tourtiere that gets passed down from one generation to another. The recipe I've always used is one that has been used for centuries in one family's lineage. Typically this savoury pie, also called meat pie is enjoyed on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. If you're driving through Quebec, you may even find them in grocery stores

Start with the crust:

2 cups flour
1-2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 cups shortening
2/3 cup ice cold water
2 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp white vinegar

1. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, sugar baking powder and salt
2. Cut the shortening into small cubes and add to flour mixing with a pastry cutter until it has a mealy texture
3. Whisk together water, egg yolk, vanilla and vinegar. Stir into flour mixture (use about half of this mix initially and add as necessary). Knead dough just until smooth.
4. Wrap in film wrap and chill in the fridge at least 15 minutes prior to rolling.
5. Divide dough in 4 and roll out the two bottoms of pie plates first.

Note: If you don't see yourself making the pie crusts, using a store bought would work.

Filling

1 lb medium ground pork
1 lb extra lean ground beef
1 onion grated
1 cup water
2 bay leaves
3-5 whole cloves
1/4 tsp each allspice and nutmeg
1 1/2 - 2 cups grated potato, uncooked
2 tsp ground sage (or more if you like it)
salt and pepper to taste

1. In a heavy bottom pot, add meat, onion, salt and pepper
2. Bring to a boil and reduce to medium, cooking until the pinkness leaves the meat.
3. Add bay leaves, cloves, allspice, and nutmeg. Mix well and taste. Add sage and grated potatoes and cook on medium until the liqiuid looks mostly absorbed. Take out the bay leaf and cloves.
4. Fill pastry shells. Cover with remaining dough.
5. Finish as you would any pie cut vents in the tops to allow steam to escape and coat pastry with an egg wash.
6. Bake meat pies in a 400 F preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for another 35-40 minutes.

Although this is not my picture, it does show what the inside of the pie looks like when properly cooked. ...and don't forget to serve it with a tomato based condiment; anything from chutney to ketchup.

To everyone getting together for the holidays, all the best to you and yours from Psychgrad and Giz at Equal Opportunity Kitchen!!!

Loblaws on Pork

Some of you may have seen my BzzAgent post on pork where I expressed my disappointment at not seeing the Canadian Pork label on the cooler shelves at Loblaws.

Give credit where credit is due - Loblaws does their homework and makes it a point of knowing who's saying what about them. In my "inbox", I received the following email:

Hi there,

I wanted to reach out to you in response to your recent posting about Stuffed Salsa Pork Tenderloin and your experience at a Toronto Loblaw Superstore. First of all, I'd like to thank you for shopping at the Loblaw Superstore and for buying Canadian products. We take all customer concerns seriously and wanted to reach out to you about your experience.

We have recently revitalized the meat shopping experience in store, however, your experience indicates that our efforts to educate both our colleagues and customers about our products can be improved.

I'd like to reassure you that we do indeed source a great deal of Canadian Pork and are committed to increasing the amount of Canadian product we source. Sourcing with integrity – which includes sourcing as much local and domestic product as possible – is one of the key pillars of our CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) mandate. In fact, our new Free From line of meats includes pork produced here in Canada and even pictures one of our suppliers on pack. It is raised without the use of antibiotics or hormones, and sourced from dedicated Canadian suppliers (small family farms in Ontario, Quebec and Alberta). Like all Canadian pork and chicken, PC pork and chicken are proudly hormone free. We are also proud to carry other meats products, such as chicken and beef, sourced from Canada as well.

Now that we’ve clarified the information mentioned on your blog, we hope you’ll take the time to visit your local store and try out some of the great local pork that we do in fact offer.

Thanks very much, and happy barbecuing - your recipe did indeed look delicious!

Kind regards,

Sheri

Sheri Helman
Senior Manager, Public Relations
Loblaw Companies Limited
1 President's Choice Circle I Brampton, Ontario I L6Y 5S5
Tel: (905) 459-2500, ext. 6253 Fax: (905) 861-2325
sheri.helman@loblaw.ca

Clearly, Loblaws is listening to bloggers. How would you take this email?

In my opinion, it's good to be able to have this dialogue with a large grocery chain and it's equally as positive for them to hear your feedback.

To their credit, I did find veal at Loblaws that had a Canadian marking on it.


Does this mean that the meat product is raised in Canada or processed in Canada, or both. In fact, to put a Made in Canada sticker on a product only means that per cent of the production cost was incurred in Canada; the ingredients could come from anywhere. But this is another debate.

In other meat product news...

An E.Coli alert for a current recall of some varieties of President's Choice (branding name for Loblaws) is out. Watch the best-before dates between April 29 and June 16, inclusive, sold in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada. The alert originated in the U.S. Does this mean that the meat is from the U.S.?

Consumers should avoid eating certain President's Choice brand steaks, roasts and ground beef products that are being pulled from store shelves because of possible contamination with E. coli, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency says.

The agency issued the health hazard alert Tuesday as an expansion of a recall of beef products processed in the U.S. in April by JBS Swift Beef Company in Greeley, Colo., after 18 people fell ill.

To read the whole story, see CBC Online . What's most disturbing is that one of the stores listed is my local market.

Stuffed Salsa Pork Tenderloin

For frequent followers of Equal Opportunity Kitchen, you may remember me talking about being a BzzAgent. BzzAgents are voluntary word of mouth marketers who test a product, write a review and share the news. If it's not ringing a bell, make sure to check them out here . As agents you are introduced to several "campaigns" and have the opportunity to chose as they come available. A recent campaign from Canadian Pork Producers interested me. I've never been particularly shy about sharing that I've always had a fear of pork. I just really had no idea how to cook it since it's never been a meat source familiar in my diet. This campaign has made a huge difference to both my ability to cook pork and also my interest in wanting to try different cuts.



The label indicates that the store bought cut of meat is Canadian raised. Perfect! It's important to support our local farmers.

Off I went certain that finding Canadian raised pork would be no problem to find in any of Toronto’s major supermarket chains. I must say I was shocked and rather dismayed when I went into a Loblaws Superstore and found not a single indicator of any of the meat products being Canadian. It must be some mistake I thought so I went to the meat counter and asked the clerk where the Canadian raised beef and pork was. She looked at me with bleary eyes and continued to tell me that Loblaws was a Canadian grocery chain. Pretty sly I thought so I went back at her and said where are labels on the Canadian pork? Her response : “We don’t carry that kind of pork, just what’s in the cooler”. Still not satisfied I asked, “so does that mean that your meat products are NOT Canadian? Her response – “just what’s on the shelf ma’am”. By this time I was getting annoyed – firstly for being called ma’am – what the heck does that mean? More importantly, a chain the size of Loblaws that has flags throughout the store touting “1000 Canadian Flavours” is rather misleading when it seems that their products aren’t Canadian. So I said “thank you ma’am (I had to do it) and left the store. It’s all about Canadian pork so I felt I really had to be true to the program.

My message to Canadian Pork producers – lean more heavily on Loblaws. For those of us who care about supporting our local economy, Loblaws can only lose by not supporting local farmers. Being the big mouth that I am, I’ve made a point of sharing this information with several of my friends who were also rather surprised. We’re all rethinking where we actually do our grocery shopping.

Look for the sticker!!!
Tell everyone to look for the Canadian pork sticker when at the store. If they don't see a sticker, they can ask the meat manager where the pork is from. After all, that will help your friends find the Canadian pork they're looking for!

Salsa Stuffed Pork Tenderloin



Ingredients

1 Pork Tenderloin 12-16 oz
1 Heaping Tablespoon garlic (minced)
1 Heaping Tablespoon dried (or fresh) parsley
1/3 - 1/2 cup medium salsa
Pepper to taste

Method:

1. Remove silverskin from tenderloin

2. Cut pork lengthwise to open it like a book (not all the way through)
3. Mix together garlic, parsley, salsa and pepper.


Fill tenderloin (moderately)

4. Fold over the tenderloin and hold together with toothpicks. Tip: Put the toothpicks in on the long side and not up and down otherwise you'll have some challenges on the grill.
5. Place on medium high grill and turn just until there's a slight bit of pink on the inside.


6. Transfer to a plate and tent with tin foil for approximately 5 minutes.
7. Remove toothpicks and slice at an angle.


All pork cuts (with the exception of ribs) qualify as "lean" or "extra lean" and fit well into a healthy eating plan. Check out the information and recipes available at Pork Fits .

Pancetta: Tortiglioni vs. Orcheiette

Remember the Italian store? The one that started off as a place R didn't want to go into and would wait outside, in frustration... Next step was R coming in the store with me. Week after that, I heard he stopped in while I was out of town (visiting Giz) because it was on his way. Since then, it has been his weekly weekend walk. He makes the 1 hours walk (there and back) to buy buns and lunchmeat for his lunches for the week. Lately, he has been getting pancetta. You can see another pancetta recipes here.

These TWO recipes contain many of the same ingredients, but vary whether it is white wine- or tomato-based. One recipe includes crushed tomatoes and the other chopped. Play with these ingredients, adding herbs and other veggies as you see fit. It makes for a great meal (and leftovers).

Ingredients

2.5 inches pancetta (spicy)
500 g Orcheiette (or any pasta of your choosing)
1 cup of white wine
16 oz crushed tomato
3-4 tomatoes
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 shallots, finely chopped
tomatoes, chopped
pepper, parsley, basil, oregano (fresh or dried), chopped
parmesan cheese, to taste

Chop the pancetta into small cube shapes. Pan fry them (careful to not burn them). Once pancetta cubes are close to being done, remove and place in papertowel to absorb the fat (that's what I do). In the same pan, fry the garlic and onion, mixing continously. After a minute or so, add the wine and let reduce some. Add the remainder of your ingredients. Once a few minutes from completion, return the pancetta to the pan. Add the herbs. Plate with shredded parmesan cheese over top.

Here's the crushed tomato base:

Tortiglioni Pancetta

Here's the white wine base:

Orcheiette Pancetta

This dish is being sent to Katie at One Little Corner of the World. I've been following Katie's blog for a while now (not in a stalkerish kind of way). Definitely check out her site! Katie is hosting this week's Presto Pasta Night!

So -Which dish would you prefer???

Note: the top picture of tomatoes comes from Tomato Mania.

******************************************
I also wanted to take a second to help spread the word about the third round of Adopt a Blogger.

Kristen at Dine and Dish, who blogs about her recipes, family, daily experiences and the pregnancy of her 4th child, is taking the time to host the third Adopt a Blogger event. We've participated in the first two as a newbie blogger, paired with Redacted Recipes and as a veteran blogger, paired with Hopie's Kitchen.

We're excited to receive a new adoptive blog. Hopie - are you ready for an adoptive sibling?

As you can imagine, there are many newbie bloggers. But there is still need for more veteran foodbloggers. If you're interested in being paired with a new food blogger, let Kristen know. It's a nice way of getting to know other people in the community.

Fear of Pork

I very rarely cook pork. I love bacon and eggs and manage to do okay making sure the bacon is crisp but really, pork in any form was not something I grew up with or really knew how to cook. One could say I had FOP. It took many hours of scanning food blogs to get me to even try it.

How hard could it be? Everyone says it's a breeze to cook. I tried it - it was - the jury is still out on whether or not it'll become a staple in my diet.



Ingredients

2 pork chops
salt and pepper to season
Mrs. Dash (a collective of spices in one bottle - sodium free)
3 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup sliced mixed mushroom
1/2 cup chicken broth
scant balsamic vinegar

Method

Bring olive oil to heat in an oven proof skillet. Add pork chops.
Add mushrooms. Cook pork chops approximately 5 minutes per side and then place in 350 F oven to heat through - about 10 more minutes

Pretty darned simple if you ask me.
According to everything I've read - I probably cooked them a little longer than most recipes call for. They were done well for me, moist and tender. I think I've conquered my FOP.

R's Parisien Salad

Ever since eating this salad in Paris, R has been periodically mentioning wanting to try to reproduce it at home. If you ask me, I think he was just looking for ways to incorporate lardons (small cubes of bacon) in a salad.

R and I like to play the "who gets credit for this idea" game. I'll admit, sometimes he has good ideas. (Don't tell him I said that)



R's Parisien Salad

Lettuce (enough to serve 2 people) - we used this organic mix
~ 1.5 inch thick round of pancetta (cut into small cubes)
cremini mushrooms - sliced
roasted red pepper - I sliced about 5 pieces from a jar
cucumber, as desired
plum tomatoes - 2 cubed
pine nuts - as desired
1/2 green pepper - cubed
feta - as desired
parmesan - shaved

Pan fry bacon for approximately 8 minutes. Add cremini mushrooms to bacon and continue to pan fry. In the meantime prepare lettuce, roasted red pepper, green pepper, tomato, cucumber and feta in a bowl. Once bacon and mushroom is ready, strain fat (I like to use a slotted spoon and some paper towel). Add warm components to salad. Plate and add shaved parmesan. Drizzle salad dressing (recipe below) overtop.

Balsamic Dijon Salad Dressing
from cdkitchen

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic -- minced
1/2 cup olive oil

Directions:
Whisk first 4 ingredients in medium bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

BloggerAid Cookbook: Pancetta Tortiglioni

You thought I was a terrible daughter, didn't you? Here my mom, along with Ivy and Val (a.k.a. Galvy), is working hard on BloggerAid and her blogging partner daughter doesn't submit anything. What? You weren't thinking that? It's only me that is instilled with guilt for any possible disappointment of my mother. Ok. Nevermind.

Well, let me just say how relieved I am that the deadline to submit a recipe for the BloggerAid Cookbook has been extended. Not only can I restore my position as the good child (Actorboy never had a chance anyway), but more importantly, this recipe will appear in print in a cookbook that will raise money for world hunger.


The catch for providing submissions for the BloggerAid cookbook is that the recipe can't be included in the post. For the recipe (and many other excellent recipes being collected from foodbloggers around the world), you'll have to get the cookbook. The cookbook is targeted for sale on Amazon by November/December 2009.

Let me tell you a bit about my dish. This recipe came to me as I was daydreaming at work last week. It's a daily ritual: avoid work by thinking about what to make for dinner. This time I felt particularly inspired by the ingredients in my fridge. This dish, which I'll call Pancetta Tortiglioni, is versatile and packed full of flavour and vegetables. I realized while making it that it would also make for the base of a great casserole.


Since making this dish, R and I have been racing to see who gets the leftovers. Definitely something I would make regularly.


To see your recipe in print and contribute to raising money for the World Food Program, post a picture of your dish and and email your recipe in a plain text Word document along with a photo of your dish to bloggeraid(AT)gmail(DOT)com by March 31st.

Apple and Saskatoon Berry Stuffed Pork Loin Roast

This post draws its inspiration from a few places. To begin, Amy and Johnny from We are Never Full shared a post for pork loin roast, which looked delicious. Their pork came directly from their new friend, the butcher. Note to self: make friends with a butcher.

Following Amy and Johnny's post, I bought my first pork loin. Sure, I buy bacon (my poor (religious) father loses sleep over this). I also love cooking with pancetta and have 2 pancetta recipes to share with you in an upcoming post. But I never make large chunks of pork. I've eaten pork chops or ham, but it's never been particularly tasty. I find pork chops are often dry and ham is salty. But, I believe that pork can taste better and that it's just a matter of finding something I like. I decided to go for the gusto and made my first pork loin.

After Johnny and Amy, my next source of inspiration was a gift. R's family is from Saskatchewan, a province in central-western Canada. His mom sent him home with some saskatoon berries, a berry commonly grown in that region. So yummy. Saskatoon berries are like blueberries, but they are not as tart and maybe more sweet. I know some people don't like blueberries, but I love all forms of berries. I've had these ones in my freezer for a couple of months:

Here's what saskatoon berry syrup looks like:


This bottle of saskatoon berry syrup is from a wedding we attended in Saskatchewan. It was an RCMP wedding (RCMP stands for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Canada's national law enforcement agency). This uniform, worn by the ringbearer, may look familiar:

I adapted this recipe by adding saskatoon berries and syrup.

Apple and Saskatoon Berry Stuffed Pork Loin Roast


2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 boneless center cut pork loin roast (4 to 5 pounds)
1 tablespoon butter
2 large tart apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
1/2 cup saskatoon berries
1 medium onion, cut into thin strips (about 1 cup)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 cup apple cider or apple juice
approx 5 tablespoons of saskatoon berry syrup

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Combine garlic, salt, rosemary, thyme and pepper in small bowl. Cut lengthwise down roast almost to, but not through bottom. Open like a book. Rub half of garlic mixture onto cut sides of pork.


2.Melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add apples and onion; cook and stir 5 to 10 minutes or until soft.


Stir in saskatoon berries. About a minute later, stir in brown sugar and mustard.



Spread mixture evenly onto one cut side of roast. Close halves; tie roast with kitchen string at 2-inch intervals. Place roast on rack in shallow roasting pan. Pour apple cider and saskatoon berry syrup over roast.

I used the better part of a bottle of a cider I got while in Prince Edward County.

Rub outside of roast with remaining garlic mixture.


3.Roast, uncovered, basting frequently with pan drippings 2 to 2-1/2 hours or until thermometer inserted into thickest part of roast registers 155°F. Remove roast from oven; let stand 15 minutes before slicing. (Internal temperature will continue to rise 5°F to 10°F during stand time.) Carve roast crosswise to serve.


Paired with sweet potato fries and salad, it the meal was great!

I'm submitting this post to our event, BloggerAid: Because We Can Help. This even features food that I would serve to guests in my home. The deadline December 28th. You can find more information here.