Mom's Pork Roast, My Style

It's hotter than heck outside and I finished "butchering" my whole pork loins the other night and left out something in the fridge to cook, freezing the rest- a roast. What in the world was I thinking? It's summer in Iowa and I am going to make a roast...... 

I chose home canned green beans as the veggie.

My mom made roasts all year long, regardless of the temperature or season. Her cooking style was very utilitarian and "unfancy" and filled hungry tummies. I suppose that's because of her life in Germany and the very limited means of her parents and growing up in post-war Weisbaden. My parents were a unique blend of simple and extravagant. My dad was the foodie type and loved cooking and experimenting, while my mom cooked simple meals- lots of roasted meats, potatoes or noodles and a vegetable. My mom's pot roast was epic. She would sear it off in her black enameled roasting pan, and I swear she only knew how to use the highest temperature setting. After searing the meat she'd do the same with an onion, and it would be at least half very very browned, nearly charred. Those onions had so much flavor in spite of being a hair away from burned. Gravy always accompanied Mom's roast and it was a toss up if we'd be having potatoes, German potato balls, or noodles. My sister and I would be in the living room watching Gilligan's Island or I Dream of Jeannie in an oniony scented smoky haze while Mom busied herself in the kitchen. I love that smell to this day. Since I have these beautiful whole pork loins and cut them into pieces appropriate for The Chef and myself, a pork roast seems to be a natural choice. The roast I am making today will be based on Mom's style of cooking with some updates  of my own like using fennel and herbs. Mom never used anything green in food unless she was making spaghetti. 

Let's get started on the roast. You will need:

1 boneless pork loin roast 2-3 lb
1 large onion
1 or 2 bulbs fennel 
6 cloves fresh garlic
salt and pepper
cooking oil
2 cups chicken stock*
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon crushed dried sage
1 teaspoon crushed dried thyme
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
cornstarch for thickening

Heat a Dutch oven or roasting pan over medium high heat. 

Chop the onion into large chunks. Slice the fennel bulb, reserving the stalks and fronds for later. Finely mince the garlic.

Add a couple tablespoons of oil to the pot. Add the roast, season with salt and pepper. Sear the meat on all sides until nicely browned. 

Remove to a plate. Add the onions to the pot, adding a touch more oil if needed. Allow the onions to cook undisturbed for several minutes so they get very browned and caramelized. 

Toss around and add the fennel. Cook until the fennel is also lightly caramelized. Add the garlic and cook for about a minute but don't let the garlic brown. Add the stock and one cup water and use a wooden spoon to scrape up the crusty bits from the bottom of the pot. Return the meat to the pot, and add the herbs except the parsley. Cover and place in a 300 degree oven and ignore for a good 3 or 4 hours.

When the meat is tender, remove from the pot and place on a plate; tent with foil. Use a slotted spoon to remove the vegetables from the pan juices. Taste the broth for seasoning. Adjust if necessary. 

Place the pot back on the burner and bring the liquid to a boil. Make a cornstarch slurry with a tablespoon or two of cornstarch and thicken the gravy. Add the parsley. 

Slice the roast and serve with the vegetables and gravy and spaetzle for an Erika style German meal.

*I used homemade turkey stock because that's what I happened to have on hand. You can use chicken, turkey, vegetable or pork stock if you have it. Even beef will work in a pinch, the important thing is bringing flavor to the finished gravy.

Now what the heck are spaetzle? The short answer is noodles, but noodles in Germany aren't quite same as in the U.S. Spaetzle are more like little dumplings and are so easy to make at home. They cook in no time, and get finished in a skillet with some melted butter to brown them so slightly. Snuggled up to a nice hunk of roast and draped with rich brown gravy- it's the ultimate in comfort food, German style.  Let's make some!

Spaetzle

2 cups all purpose flour

2 eggs

3/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons butter, melted, plus more

pinch of nutmeg

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. A stand mixer makes it really easy- mix ingredients until a dough forms. Transfer dough to a large freezer bag. 

Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat.

Cut the corner off the bag- keep it SMALL- think no more than drinking straw size. Squeeze the dough into the boiling water, breaking it off every inch or two. You don't want long strands but you don't want little beads either. Work quickly to get all the dough into the water. 

Boil the noodles for 2 minutes. Drain the noodles well in a colander. Set aside.

Heat a medium skillet over medium high heat and add a couple tablespoons additional butter. Turn the spaetzle into the skillet and saute, stirring occasionally, until they start to turn golden brown. Remove to serving bowl and sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley to serve.

Let's talk for a minute about the fennel. Using fennel in this recipe was totally unlike my mother's style of cooking. I'm pretty sure she had never cooked or eaten a fresh fennel bulb, just wasn't her thing, and to the best of my memory Dad never grew them in the garden either. I've been on a quest the last couple years to incorporate more of these veggies that aren't as common into some of our dishes here. So fennel- if you've never had it, it's very fresh and crunchy veggie. It has a texture that reminds me of celery but it's not stringy. The bulb is very versatile and can be cooked just about any way and eaten raw. It's pretty popular in slaws and salads. The feathery fronds remind me of dill and are also very useful for adding another flavor element in your dishes. Fennel seeds as you probably know, are common in sausage and other foods. The seed heads also look like dill. Fennel is one of the main components in absinthe and yes, it does have a very strong licorice flavor, but that mellows tremendously when you cook it. 

I browned the fennel just like the onion and added it to the pot with everything else. It smelled incredible when browning and what it added to the finished dish was just wonderful. I didn't serve the vegetables, instead scooped them out and discarded them, using them just for flavor only. We had some home grown home canned green beans instead. The meat was so flavorful, just like Mom's! The spaetzle was so easy to make and so delicious. The little dumplings were tender and the browned crispy sides were the best part. The gravy was dark and rich and had a wonderful pork flavor. The roast- so so delicious. Roasting with those vegetables infused the meat with so many wonderful flavors. 

I'm sure my mother would have approved.

Foodie Field Trip- Iowa Blogger Tour Part 3- Country Club Market and Main Dish Media

Shawnie and Josie, from the Iowa Pork Producers Association really put together a fantastic agenda for our group of bloggers. After yesterday's tour and incredible dinner at Splash we spent a quiet night relaxing at The Wildwood Lodge in Clive. The hotel was great, with a cabin in the woods theme. Wednesday morning we had a leisurely start to the day and around 10 a.m. headed over to Country Club Market in Clive for some awesome cooking with Chef Terrie Kohl, the owner of Country Club Market and a food styling workshop with Sue Hoss from Main Dish Media.

Jenni and Chef Terrie

Chef Terrie reads through a recipe

Chef Terrie is a graduate of the New England Culinary Institute with an impressive resume of culinary positions and experiences. She is living her dream, and mine. She runs this awesome business from her home, and holds cooking classes and demos for clients, and caters events. She has been a judge at the Iowa State Fair for the past fifteen years, and is a cookbook collector like me. Her collection, however, makes mine pale in comparison- she has over 3,700 volumes! 

Our afternoon with Chef Terrie was going to be a blast! She greeted us with a trio of appetizers and nice cold beverages, including local wines from Penoach Winery. We nibbled on Marinated Chilled Shrimp, Tomato and Cheese Tortellini Skewers; Fresh Fruit and White Cheddar Skewers, and Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus with Parmesan. We heard about Chef's culinary school years, her meeting Julia Child (I died... I melted.....I did!!) and learned a lot about Country Club Market and why Chef enjoys sharing food with so many people. 

Yes, it's a picture of a picture. I'm a dork like that. But look
at who it is !!!! Chef Terrie and Julia Child !!!!

So, four fantastic recipes with, you guessed it, a pork theme, a bunch of very experienced cooks and loads of cameras clicking away made a very exciting class. The menu included Maple Bacon Wrapped Pork with Rosemary Cherry Sauce; Cabbage Apple Salad with Maytag Bleu and Bacon Dressing; Portobella Risotto with Bacon, Manchego and Asparagus, and Chef Terrie's Famous Bananas Foster Flambe with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. We paired up to make the recipes, with Kristin and Kelli working the salad, Alicia and Cristen made the risotto, Jenny handled the Bananas Foster, and Jenni and I tackled the pork loin. Talk about fun! It was really a great experience cooking with so many other talented cooks. 

Between the chopping, prepping, sauteing, sizzling, laughing we all really had a great time. Many of us have never met in person before so this was a wonderful way to get to know each other doing what we all love. Some of the girls made short videos and live streams, loads and loads of pictures were taken, and before we knew it, lunch was ready!

Jenni and I worked on the bacon wrapped pork loin

Tart dried cherries, rosemary, garlic, onions- such
a delicious combination!

Slicing the pork and getting ready to plate it

"Keep it casual" according to Sue

This is where our food styling workshop comes in. Like we all do in our own homes when we make a recipe for our blogs, we cook, we plate, we take pictures, and then after all that- we eat. So Sue Hoss came armed with her toolkit of brushes, cotton swabs, tweezers, skewers and a kitchen torch, ready to show us how to make our food photography better. Sue works with lots of clients and some really big names- Better Homes and Gardens/Meredith Publishing and HyVee. Sue talked about the importance of keeping our plates casual, so they are more appealing to the readers we are trying to connect with- real people in real homes we hope will cook our food.

Sue discusses all kinds of photo ops with food- like catching
your dish fresh from the oven and still a little messy,
more realistic and readers can identify

Sue had an entire tool bag of tools used for arranging
food or garnishes to get the right look.

Overdoing it can put off some readers, making the recipe look too fussy and complicated. I completely understand this. Because I often "think like a chef" I see that as a challenge but if I am making dinner on a weeknight, it might be a deal breaker for me. Sue worked with all of our dishes, except dessert, and gave us loads of hints on making each course look the best on the plate, in the bowl, and in the photo.

Now it's time to eat! Everything was so so delicious! The apple and cabbage salad was fresh and crunchy- loads of texture with a warm bacon dressing and bites of creamy bleu cheese. 

The risotto was perfect- the mushrooms were left in large pieces for a more substantial bite, the asparagus was still slightly crunchy and the Manchego cheese was creamy, salty and even better than Parmesan.

The pork loin was so tender and delicious, wrapped in crispy bacon, draped with a sauce of dried cherries, sauteed red onions, garlic and rosemary. The dried cherries plumped up perfectly in the sauce. A splash of red wine vinegar adds the acid we needed to cut through the richness of the bacon.

Dessert was pretty fantastic. Chef Terrie's Famous Bananas Foster is everything I expected it to be- rich, decadent, creamy, buttery, rummy.....naughty!

Chef Terrie says keep the banana slices thick so they
don't break down during cooking.

That rum was some high octane stuff!

Beautiful! What a wonderful party dessert

These dishes were both elegant and homey at the same time, and would be equally wonderful for a holiday meal, or a weekend dinner at home. We all got a copy of every recipe so we can recreate this menu for our families.

Not surprisingly, we are, once again, too full to move! Country Club Market, and Chef Terrie, are a wonderful resource to have here in central Iowa, and would make an awesome outing for a group of friends, a team building activity for a group of coworkers or a great way to meet new friends if you join an existing class. As lunch draws to a close we say our goodbyes to some of the girls who have to head out, and the rest of us head back to the Iowa Pork Producers office to end our day, so stay tuned. We'll have a wrap-up of this fabulous tour and those amazing hamballs!

Remember, please visit the blogs that all these wonderful women devote so much love to. There is something for everyone- crafts, fitness, farming, and of course, food!

Food and Swine by Cristen Clark

Fit and Farm by Alicia Schmitt

The Gingered Whisk by Jenni Ward

Make the Best of Everything by Kristen Greazel

In The Kitchen With Jenny by Jenny Unternahrer

Midwest At Its Best by Anna and Sam Konchar

The Sustainable Couple by Kelli Lane

Don't forget- stick around for the tour wrap-up, some odds and ends and, as promised, those hamballs!

**photos by the girls from Iowa Pork Producers, all the blogging girls, and myself

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 55: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

The Three Fs- Fourth, Food, Festivities

Oh we had SUCH big plans at The Little Lake House this year. We live right across the street from the park, and the lake's events committee had scheduled a live band to perform in the park as part of the annual Independence Day celebration- basically our front yard. So while other folks had to load up coolers, lawn chairs, blankets, food, drink and use the dreaded Kybo, we were going to get to enjoy the party from our front deck, the fridge just steps away, loads of food to snack on and comfy patio chairs.

Sadly, Mother Nature had to throw a wrench into my plans and a rainy morning and stormy forecast caused the band to be cancelled. But the food and drink shall go on. My sister and her husband came, armed with St. Louis style barbequed ribs, and cocktails, and the night went on- with our own music!

Captain and Coke and a few ice cold beers got us started, and then the feasting began. Our menu for the night-

• St. Louis Style Barbequed Ribs
• Tacos Al Pastor with Jicama, Kohlrabi and Carrot Slaw
• Hot Artichoke and Spinach Dip with pretzel bread
• BLT Dip with crackers
• Assorted cheeses and sausages
• Mixed olives
• Chipotle Ranch Tortilla Pinwheels

Yum, right? The ribs were made by my brother in law, Kim, who used Jack Stack Barbeque meat rub and smoked the ribs on the grill. Cheese and sausage was just cut into bite sized cubes. The BLT Dip had a little help from a couple mixes I had on hand- BTL Dip mix from a craft show (small batch local company) and some Bacon Bacon from Tastefully Simple, mayo and sour cream. We had lots left- thinking it's going to make a great burger spread! The artichoke dip was cheesy and creamy with chopped artichoke hearts, chopped fresh baby spinach, cream cheese, sour cream and a little packet of Okey Dokey Artichokey dip mix I had tucked in the cupboard. Chipotle Ranch Pinwheels also used a seasoning packet I'd had around- this one from Pampered Chef, with cream cheese, shredded Colby Jack and chopped scallions, served with salsa for dipping.

The Tacos Al Pastor took some research. I've had these tacos at Malo, but they actually stack the meat on a vertical roaster, which I don't have. So I have to improvise. The spices and chilies required for this dish were also quite an extensive and complicated combination and I thought might be a little over the top heat-wise for our guests, so looking over our spice and pepper collection I decided to start with Arizona Dreaming seasoning from Penzey's and play with that.

For the pork I used a boneless pork roast, about 3 lbs. It was very lean already so had no fat to trim. I cut the roast into six thick "chops" and placed in a ziptop bag. In a small bowl I combined a can of crushed pineapple in juice with about 3 tb. of the seasoning and a couple shakes of chili powder. I poured this into the ziptop bag and sealed it, then massaged the marinade allover all the pork, and placed in the fridge overnight. The next day I removed the pork hunks from the bag, browned in a little oil, then poured the marinade over all and roasted, covered, at 325 degrees for about 2 hours. When done I removed the hunks of pork, sliced into bite sized strips, and returned to pineapple mixture in the pot.

To serve the tacos, spoon some pork and pineapple into a tortilla and top with slaw. You can add salsa verde if you like. No cheese, no lettuce, just the fresh, crunchy slaw. 

Jicama, Kohlrabi and Carrot Slaw

• 2 cups jicama, cut into matchsticks
• 2 cups raw kohlrabi, cut into matchsticks
• 1 cup carrot, shredded or cut into matchsticks
• 3 or 4 scallions, sliced, including green tops
• salt and pepper
• 2 limes
• 1/2 cup oil
• 3 tb honey
• 1 cup cilantro leaves (or Italian parsley)

Combine the vegetables in a large bowl. Zest the limes and add to vegetables. Season well with salt and pepper. Juice the limes into small bowl. Stir in honey till dissolved. Whisk in oil. Pour over vegetables and toss well. Add cilantro right before serving and toss again.

This was my first time cooking with both jicama and kohlrabi and I have to say- they were so crunchy and fresh and delicious. I am SOLD! The lime and honey dressing was the perfect partner for these veggies. I did have to use parsley because I had no cilantro but it was just as fresh and delicious.

Our evening was capped off by fireworks around the lake and a ride around the muddy backroads in a Jeep- muddy and FUN !!!! So today, it's muddy laundry and cleanup and RELAX. I hope you all enjoyed a safe, fun and happy 4th of July. 

*Fireworks photo courtesy of Wikipedia Commons

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 55: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Restaurant Review: Shakedown, thunderstorms and celebrating

Today was a WONDERFUL day. Lots to be thankful for. A new and exciting career change for my Chef, my son's birthday, my grandson's baseball games, my awesome children, my sister graduates from nursing school, and my middle child reaches a momentous step in her career path- managing the newest, hottest Latin restaurant in Des Moines.  

Whew! Take a deep breath, and concentrate. The shakedown- that's what we're here to talk about. Maybe you've had the unfortunate experience of going out to a brand new restaurant in town, only to be disappointed by less than stellar food, chaotic service, and an overall bad first impression. Des Moines has several amazing chefs that shape our city's culinary identity, and without doubt, George Formaro is at the top. When he opens a new restaurant, there is always "the shakedown"- before opening, the staff's family and close friends are invited to check out the menu, restaurant, and enjoy dinner on the house. It's a great way to shake out the issues BEFORE opening day, before you have a house full of paying customers, a great way to test the staff for training and make sure the menu is exactly what you want.

We already had a preview of the new Malo. The restaurant opens in 6 days and these last several days are their trial run. Tonight I was able to check out the food and drink and you better believe I was not disappointed, even though the weather was raging outside, and the power went out for several minutes in the restaurant. We barely made it in the door before Mother Nature unleashed her fury! Enough about the weather. Now, Des Moines has Mexican restaurants on just about every corner. This is NOT your average Mexican. It's an eclectic mix of Latin flavors with a few American twists thrown in for fun. The menu is amazing. No jalapeno poppers in the appetizer selections here. Oh no, instead you will find pupusas, a traditional Salvadoran food; seafood nachos piled high with shrimp, lobster and crab; giant house-made tator tots served with jalapeno ketchup, beer cheese sauce and salsa blanco, and much much more.

First order of business for us- a cocktail. Malo Punch for my sister, and Rum Rickey for me. The Malo Punch was a playful combo of Sailor Jerry, Captain Morgan and fruit juices, and falernum- not something you see used much in bars around here. My Rum Rickey was bright and fruity. White rum, raspberry gastrique and soda- very refreshing. We couldn't resist the Pineapple Mojito- rum, triple sec,pineapple juice, soda and mint leaves- a perfect summer cocktail.

Rum Rickey and Malo Punch

Tacos anyone? Malo has tacos- twelve different kinds, three different shell options and more flavor than you can imagine. Enchiladas? Try a Texas Gulf shrimp enchilada with salsa blanca for a fantastic change of pace. Steaks and seafood are given the Malo treatment and flavors shaped by Latin-inspired seasonings. 

Al Pastor taco and Carne Molida taco on house made flour tortillas

The most delicious enchiladas I have ever had- Texas Gulf shrimp

Hungry? Try the giant Tijuana Trainwreck- a colossal casserole dish filled with chorizo, tortillas, tomatoes, onion, avocado, salsa roja, cilantro crema and topped with a fried egg. 

You can get your pasta fix with Shrimp and Chorizo Fettucine, Ravioli de Maiz- jalapeno, lime, Cotija cheese, tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach and salsa blanca or Nacho Daddy's Mac & Cheese- a macaroni nacho dish with all the Mexican flavors. Even the sides are different and unique. Drunken Beans, Jalapeno Creamed Corn, Hominy with garlic and spinach, Tostones, Cilantro Rice, and much more.

Black beans and Cilantro Rice

Dessert will not leave you one bit disappointed. Mexican Chocolate Lava Cake is pure heaven on a plate. Chocolate gelato and fresh raspberries make this a beautiful dessert. The real star of the dessert menu is the Cubans and Coffee- chocolate "cigars", a truffle sort of dessert, rolled in cocoa and served with a scoop of coffee gelato and powdered sugar "ashes" in a pristine white ashtray. So clever and soooooo melt in your mouth amazing. Make sure you save room- it won't be easy. The portions are generous and the food so delicious you won't want to.

Powdered sugar "ashes" in an ashtray

The decor remains outstanding in the finished restaurant. Unique fixtures, perfect tableware, and a beautiful patio make Malo one of the most impressive restaurants in Des Moines. 

Of course, the mom in me has to brag up a little on my daughter. Laurie has worked in three different businesses owned by George Formaro, starting as a part-timer at Gateway Market, moving over to Zombie Burger in the East Village and now, reaching a goal for her- restaurant management at Malo. Where many parents would have been shocked and recommended their child NOT leave their corporate job, I trusted Laurie's judgment and experience. She will be a phenomenal manager. I am a very proud mom.

So there you have it- my shakedown wrap-up. I hope you will visit Malo in Des Moines. You're in for a really wonderful experience!