Our Christmas Mini Crown Roast of Pork

I am sorry to say, as I continue to add years to my life, doctors seem to take precedence over my blog entries, but I am now ready to pursue excellence in the kitchen once again.

This time we will enter the arena of upscale presentations by attempting the nearly impossible task of creating a MINI crown roast of Pork with only 8 ribs, Normally a crown roast consists of 13 to 18 ribs to attain a well-shaped and lovely appearing crown. However, with only two people in our house, it becomes a challenge to shrink everything we prepare down to servings of 4, taking into consideration the importance of “leftovers”. I assure you this was a daunting task but the end result was absolutely delicious and yes…we have an abundance of “leftovers”

The Ingredients I used were standard seasonings and thank goodness I was able to rescue some of our fresh herbs from the garden before the freezing weather took its toll.

Ingredients for the Pork:

4-6 cloves of garlic peeled and finely chopped.
4 or 5 stems of fresh Rosemary, leaves stripped and finely chopped
4 or 5 stems of fresh Sage, leaves stripped and finely chopped
2 or 3 stems of fresh Thyme. leaves stripped
1 tsp.  Red pepper flakes
½ cup Olive oil
1 - 8 Rib Pork Loin Roast
Kosher Salt to taste
Butchers Twine for tying the roast. 

To make the pan sauce, you will need:

3 or 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 Ribs of celery, diced
1 Sweet onion- diced
1 Fennel bulb-sliced and diced
1 Carrot halved and ¼’ sliced
4 cups Chicken stock
1 cup (+/-) Dry white wine
2 or 3  Bay leaves
 Kosher salt to taste

Method:

Pre heat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Here’s the tricky part.  The membrane between the ribs must be slit so the roast can be curled around to enable it to stand upright. Be very careful not to slit all the way through as the ribs will then become unattached and the roast will fall apart. Also be aware the ribs must be curved outward at the finish.  By keeping this in mind, you will understand which side of the membrane to slit.

In a small bowl combine the garlic, rosemary, sage, red pepper flakes and olive oil. Sprinkle the roast with the salt and brush both sides with the olive oil/herb mixture.

Stand the roast upright and curl it around so that both ends meet and the ribs are curved outward. Tie the roast securely with two loops of twine and place the roast upright on a rack in a medium size roaster. Now would be a good time to cover the tips of the bones with foil to prevent scorching.

Place the garlic, and diced vegetables, the bay leaves and ¾ of the chicken stock and all the wine around the pork.  This will be the base for your sauce. While the oven temperature is at 425 degrees, begin to brown the meat for about 30 minutes. Reduce the heat to 325 degrees F., roast the pork for an additional 2 1/2 hours, basting several times and rotating the pork each time you baste. If you need more liquid, add the remaining chicken stock.

With an instant read thermometer check the roast about the time you last baste it and when the thermometer reads 140-145 degrees your roast should be done about medium. Remove the roast from the oven, transfer to a serving platter, cover loosely with foil and let rest for about 25 minutes. It will continue to cook while resting.

Bring the pan juices to a boil, taste, re-season if needed, and if you wish to have a smooth sauce, remove the bay leaves, place the vegetables in a blender and pulse a few times.  This will provide you with a smooth, delicious sauce.

Now it is time to remove the twine, cut between the ribs to create chops, top with pan sauce and enjoy.

Clark Williams

Side note: If the task of curling the roast becomes too laborious or frustrating, simply place the entire roast lengthwise in a roaster and continue with the cooking instructions.

The end result will look different but will taste just as good.

Brunch Frittata Recipe - Whole Lotta Frittata

Sunday Morning Brunch

Sunday Morning brunch means something different to every family but ours is a time to review the issues of the past week, give thanks for the blessings of life and clean up the leftovers.

At our house at least, all of the above are in play but the food aspect usually centers on how many ingredients will our frittata hold while confined to a 10” skillet. I have found not only has it become a challenge but somewhat of a game while attempting to clean up the past week’s leftovers.  While prepping all the available ingredients, I often question my judgment as to the practicality of my morning endeavor but somehow, frequently with a few minor adjustments, I manage to squeeze them all into the pan.

For this Frittata I used:

8 oz.     Jimmy Dean hot breakfast sausage

10 oz.  Simply Hash Brown Potatoes

1 cup   Shredded cheddar cheese

6          Large eggs

3           Fresh button mushrooms, sliced

1/2 cup Red and green bell pepper, chopped

4 Tbls   Italian parsley, chopped

2 Tbls   Butter

1 cup   Onions, chopped

             Freshly ground pepper to taste

            Oregano or Italian seasoning to taste. (optional)

8 spears Asparagus

           

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a skillet sauté crumbled sausage, set aside

In a bowl, whisk eggs until frothy.  Stir in sausage, cheese, 3 T. parsley, pepper, mushroom, onions, bell peppers, Italian seasoning and asparagus. NOTE: prepare the asparagus spears by snapping off the thick end and discarding as they are usually woody and tough. Measure the length of the spears you wish to use for dressing the frittata as shown in the picture, chop the remaining pieces and add to the egg mixture. Set the egg mixture aside.

In a skillet, melt one T. butter over medium heat. Firmly press the hash brown potatoes into the pan to conform to the pan shape and cook for 5 to 6 minutes.  After 3 minutes, check the color and texture of the potatoes. When they are firm enough to flip, shake the pan to release the potatoes so they will easily slide onto a flat surface.  The flat surface can be either a dish or platter large enough to accommodate the potatoes. Carefully return the potatoes to the original skillet making certain the uncooked side of the potatoes is face down (the flip). Pour the egg mixture over the potatoes, cook for 2-3 minutes.  Transfer the skillet to the oven to finish.  Continue to cook until the eggs are set and the potatoes are crisp.

When finished to your satisfaction, slide the frittata onto a large platter, garnish with the remaining parsley, slice and serve. Serves 6-8.

Clark Williams, Personal Chef

English Hash - Recipes from 'back when'

While browsing through a dusty box recently, I discovered an old recipe book in which many of the recipes were handwritten.  That really means a group of recipes used by someone’s grandmother or mother for feeding the family or at church socials at a time when life was simple and the food was uncluttered by a myriad of chemicals we have to deal with in today’s world. 

Being a curious person, and because I had a few pieces of previously prepared beef and also being a big fan of Hash, I selected a recipe to try even though I was uncertain how to measure a “little bit” or “a pinch or two” so I began my adventure, undaunted about the unknown and was rather surprised (pleased) by the outcome. If you are curious, you can begin with the following:

                                                  English Hash

                                                  Circa 1934

“Cut in small dice one pound of roast beef, free from gristle, but mix with a small quantity of the fat part.  Fry one finely chopped onion in butter to a slight brown color, then add a heaping tablespoon of flour and fry together for two minutes.  Then add a cup of light gravy or rich soup stock, and stir well to obtain a sauce; add the beef and a tablespoon of ketchup and a dash of Worcestershire sauce.  Put this hash in a deep metal or fireproof china dish, cover it with mashed potatoes, to which the yolk of two eggs have been added, sprinkle with bread crumbs and melted butter, and bake for ten minutes in the oven so that the potatoes will be well browned”.

This is an exact replication of the recipe including the punctuation of the sentences. It seems sometimes when I happen upon old recipes, that we could do well by returning to the uncomplicated methods of creating foods for our pleasure, therefore I suggest considering  “a little bit of this “ and “a pinch or two” as being an integral part of your creative cooking process.

Clark Williams