Out to Lunch (33 page)

Gene’s Twelve-Hour Pork Shoulder

SERVES 10 TO 12

Jenna, for one, can’t get enough of ham. But if you’re looking for a great alternative for your holiday table, or just want a terrific dish for a dinner party, you can’t go wrong with this slow-roasted pork shoulder. Don’t let the skin-on aspect scare you, by the time the shoulder is done you have ultracrispy crunchy cracklings that are essentially pig candy.

2 tablespoons fennel seeds, toasted

2 tablespoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon Espelette pepper (You can substitute Aleppo pepper, or sweet paprika, but try to find the Espelette, it is worth it.)

½ teaspoon ground grains of paradise or black pepper

2 fennel bulbs, in 1-inch chunks

6 medium carrots, peeled and in 1-inch chunks

3 onions, roughly chopped

1 bunch fresh thyme, tied with cotton twine

1 10- to 13-pound pork shoulder on the bone, skin on, scored in diamond or square pattern (You can ask your butcher to prepare it just this way for you, he’ll know what you are talking about.)

Grapeseed or other flavorless oil

1 bottle wine (if you want to drink white with the dish, use white, same for red)

1 pint chicken stock

Preheat your oven to 500°F.

Smash the fennel seeds, salt, and peppers in pestle and mortar or pulse in a food processor until you have a coarse powder.

Put all of the chopped vegetables and thyme sprigs into a large roasting pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pat the pork shoulder with oil and place on top of the vegetables. Now get the spice rub massaged into the skin of the pork, getting it into all of the scores. Put the pan in your preheated oven for 30 minutes, then turn the heat down to 250°F, and cook for 9 to 12 hours. The meat should be soft and yielding and you can pull it apart easily with a fork or tongs. Pour all the wine into the roasting tray an hour before the pork is done.

Once the pork is out of the oven, let it rest for half an hour before removing it to a large board. Pull off the cracklings, and scrape extra fat from the underside of the cracklings and remove large pieces of unrendered fat from the surface of the meat. You can either pull the meat apart into large pieces, or serve whole with a tongs and a large fork for your guests to pull apart themselves. If you are pulling the pork yourself, serve the cracklings on the side, if you are serving whole, simply place the cracklings back on top of the roast once you have defatted. Hold in a 200°F oven until you want to serve.

Remove the thyme sprigs from the pan, and use a slotted spoon to put all of the vegetables in a medium saucepan. Defat the pan juices and add to saucepan. For a chunky sauce, use a potato masher, for smooth, an immersion blender, and add enough stock to achieve the consistency you want. If your sauce needs brightness, try adding a couple of tablespoons of balsamic vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Swiss Chard and Chickpeas

SERVES 6 AS A SIDE DISH

Jenna tends to bring vegetable side dishes when she goes to dinner at Jasmin and Gene’s, since they lean toward rich hearty soul foods. This is a great winter side dish that Jenna developed when her fourth CSA farm box in a row contained a pile of Swiss chard. You can substitute kale or other hearty greens if you don’t have chard.

2 large or 3 medium bunches Swiss chard, any color or combination

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more to finish

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar (or white wine vinegar)

½ cup chicken stock

Salt and pepper to taste

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

Separate the stems from the leaves of the chard, and chop the stems into ½-inch slices, and tear the leaves in 1 ½-inch pieces. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add the oil. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the chickpeas and sauté until they begin to get a little golden and crispy on the outside. Add the chard stems and cook for a minute, then sprinkle the Worcestershire sauce and vinegar over the top and cook until nearly evaporated. Toss in the chard leaves and gently combine with the stems and beans, then pour the chicken stock over. Mix in the red pepper flakes if you like a little heat. Continue to sauté until the leaves are cooked, and the stock is mostly gone. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and finish with a drizzle of fruity olive oil.

Lois’s Peanut Butter Dog Biscuits

YOUR YIELD WILL DEPEND ON HOW LARGE YOU MAKE THEM, BUT ASSUME ABOUT TWO DOZEN LARGER OR FOUR DOZEN SMALLER BISCUITS.

Who says that you shouldn’t bake for your furry pals? The bonus? If you’re like Jenna and having willpower problems, baking for dogs ensures that you can keep your homemade treats around and not impact your waistline. Adapted from whiteonricecouple.com, a foodie blog that is as fabulous for people as it is for dogs.

2 ¾ cups whole wheat flour

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

1 cup spelt flour

½ cup flax seeds

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon sea salt

3 eggs

1 cup peanut butter

⅓ cup vegetable oil

1 cup water

Combine flours, brown sugar, flax seeds, and salt in a mixing bowl. Add eggs and peanut butter and mix until incorporated. Mix in oil. Add enough water until dough is smooth and workable.

Cover the dough and set aside for 15 to 20 minutes to relax.

Preheat oven to 375°F and line a couple sheet pans with parchment paper or Silpats.

Roll out dough to about ½-inch thick. Cut to desired shape then put on sheet pans. Base your shapes on the size of the dogs you are dealing with. Volnay likes a delicate, small round about 1 ½ inch in diameter; Chewbacca likes a large 3 x 1 ½-inch rectangle. But if you have dog bone cutters, have at it.

Bake for approximately 40 minutes, or until biscuits are slightly browned and fairly hard. (They will harden a touch more when cool.) Set aside to cool, then treat the pups liberally.

Wedge Salad with Thousand Island

SERVES 4

You might think you don’t like Thousand Island dressing, but this homemade version is nothing like the gloopy bottled stuff, or overly sweet stuff you get at the salad bar. This is old school delicious, and a wonderful surprise for your guests.

1 head iceberg lettuce, cored and cut into 4 wedges and kept cold

8 strips thick-cut bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled

1 cup good-quality mayonnaise, Hellman’s is best

½ cup Heinz chili sauce

2 tablespoons sour cream

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish

2 tablespoons finely chopped celery hearts

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Pinch red pepper flakes (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all the dressing ingredients together and keep chilled. To serve, place a wedge on a chilled plate, dress with 2 tablespoons of the dressing and a generous sprinkle of bacon bits. Pass more dressing on the side.

Jenna’s Blackout Elevator Cake

SERVES 8 TO 12

For all chocolate lovers, the ultimate chocolate cake. Just don’t feed it to your dog.

For the Cake:

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 cup Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 large egg yolk

1 cup sour cream

½ cup unsalted butter, melted

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup brewed dark roast coffee

2 ounces dark chocolate, melted

For the Filling:

1 cup whole milk

Pinch salt

¼ cup sugar

1 large egg

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

For the Frosting:

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

11 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 ⅔ cups powdered sugar, sifted

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon instant espresso powder

Pinch salt

1 package Nabisco chocolate wafers, crushed

Make the Cake:

Mix dry ingredients including flour, baking powder and soda, salt, cocoa powder, and sugar. Whisk to combine.

In separate bowl, combine eggs, sour cream, butter, melted chocolate, and vanilla. In bowl of standing mixer, add wet ingredient mixture to the dry. Mix for one minute until combined. Pour in coffee and mix until smooth. Divide evenly into two 9-inch cake rounds that have been greased. Bake at 350°F for 30 to 35 minutes until toothpick comes out cleanly.

Make the Pastry Cream:

Warm milk and salt in a saucepan on medium-low heat until steaming. Meanwhile, whisk egg, sugar, and cornstarch. Pour hot milk slowly over egg mixture, stirring continuously. Pour entire mixture back into saucepan and cook over medium heat until thickened. Pour hot pastry cream over chocolate. Stir until smooth as chocolate melts. Chill in the refrigerator until set. Place in between layers of cake once both cake and cream are completely cooled. Very important: Assemble cake before making frosting. If your kitchen is warm, store the assembled cake in the fridge while you make the frosting.

Make the Frosting:

Melt chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave. Cream butter in bowl of standing mixer. Add sifted powdered sugar and espresso powder and salt, and cream again. Finally, pour in vanilla and melted chocolate, mix until smooth. Frost cake before icing is cooled, because it will harden at room temperature and be difficult to spread. While the frosting is still fresh, press cookie crumbs around the outside of the cake.

Serve with vanilla ice cream or very lightly sweetened whipped cream.

Aimee’s Salad Bar Soup

SERVES 1 TO 8

A perfect fall or winter last-minute dinner. Just dump and heat up. Use what you have. Done in 30 minutes, but even better the next day, or the third. A little crusty bread on the side, maybe a green salad, it will be all you need and a cure for what ails you.

8 cups assorted veggies from your salad bar, in fairly equal proportions. I use the following, but you should use what you like. (I don’t like mushrooms in this soup, they make the broth sort of muddy.)

Shredded red cabbage

Kale

Carrots

Celery

Chickpeas

Red onion

Zucchini and/or yellow squash

Broccoli and/or cauliflower

Peas

Chicken (If they don’t have it on the salad bar, try a rotisserie chicken. Also good with leftover meats if you have them around.)

1 jar of your favorite marinara or tomato basil sauce (I love Rao’s), or a jar of tomato puree

1 large russet potato, peeled and cubed

1 cup small whole wheat pasta, like ditalini or orzo, or a grain like barley or brown rice

¼ cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

Water or chicken stock

Lemon and Parmesan cheese to garnish

Dump all of the veggies excluding the potato into a large stockpot. Add the jar of marinara or tomato puree and enough water (or good chicken or vegetable stock if you have it on hand) to cover the veggies by about 2 inches. Stir well, and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. When the soup is bubbling, add the red pepper flakes if you like, and salt and pepper to taste. When the broth tastes great, add the pasta and potato and cook for another 12 to 15 minutes. When the potato and pasta are cooked through, taste again for seasoning, and let cool before storing in fridge or freezer.