Pulled Pork on Homemade 30 Minute Rolls

Jess!

Mmmmm that last post made me so hungry! It looks yummy!

This meal came about because Pork was way on sale, my husband loves pulled pork, and I needed a slow-cooker meal to be bubbling all day while I was out and about. I simply Googled 'best slow cooker pulled pork' and found this recipe at allrecipes.com. I made a couple changes to suit our taste, and when I came home... my house smelled like I had been slaving away all day! What a delicious, scent! That being said... I also got home to realize I didn't have any buns. Thanks to Google once more, I found this quick bun recipe at realmomkitchen.com. I got home at 4:45, and I was able to pull the pork, make the buns, grate some carrots and apples (for the sandwiches), set the table and clean up my mess all by 5:30! I will be making this meal again!

30 Minute Rolls
adapted from realmomkitchen.com
1 cup plus 2 tbsp warm water
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp traditional yeast
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/5 cups white flour

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2. In a large bowl, combine water, oil, yeast and sugar. Allow mixture to rest for 15 minutes. (The yeast will bubble a lot!)

3. With a dough hook, mix in salt and eggs* and whole wheat flour until combined. Add white flour 1/2 cup at a time.

4. Shape dough into 12 balls. Place them on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and let rest for 10 minutes

5. Bake at 400F for 10 minutes until tops are golden brown.

*If you want to add any seeds (which I definitely will next time!) add at the same time as your salt and eggs.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
adapted from allrecipes.com
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 (2lb) pork roast
1 extra large onion, thinly sliced 
1 cup barbeque sauce
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup veggie broth
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp prepared yellow mustard
3-5 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp chili powder
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp dried thyme


1. Pour your extra virgin olive oil into the bottom of you slow cooker. Place the pork roast into the slow cooker.

2. Sprinkle sliced onion on top of roast.

3.  Combine remaining ingredients into a bowl and stir well. Pour sauce mixture on top of roast. Cover and cook on High for 5-6 hours, or on low for 7-9 hours.

4. Remove the roast from the slow cooker, and shred the meat using two forks. Return the shredded pork to the slow cooker, and stir the meat into the juices.

 

As I mentioned before, I grated up some carrots and apple to put on the sandwiches. I added salt, pepper and little cumin to this mixture. So satisfying!

I really hope we can arrange something for Saturday! Let me know your plans when you have them!

Love,

A French Evening

Dearest Jess,

Things have been busy. But things have been so good. We were able to relax at the cottage this passed weekend. Lots of swimming, canoeing, wake-skating, sunbathing, and eating happened.

I know I have been doing lots of burgers this summer (summer burgers, and spanish burgers), but I have another one for you. I love burgers in the summer. And really, with the heat we've been getting I much prefer a BBQ meal to something that involves firing up the oven and/or stove. Even the microwave seems a bit much.

This burger is very light and very delicious. The Mushrooms give off such an amazing aroma, and the onions add a strong flavour with some amazing colour. The Brie is a nice creamy touch, but this would also be incredible with Goat Cheese!

 

The Ooh-la-la Burger

Red Wine Caramelized Onions

1 tbsp olive oil

1 sweet onion, thinly sliced

1/4 tsp each kosher salt and black pepper

1/4 cup red wine

1 tbsp packed brown sugar

Sauteed Mushrooms

2 tbsp olive oil

8oz button mushrooms, thinly sliced

1/4 tsp each kosher salt and black pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme

Burgers

1 1/2 lbs medium ground beef

1/4 cup finely chopped shallot

3 tbsp finely chopped fresh tarragon

2 tbsp grainy Dijon mustard

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp each kosher salt and black pepper

4oz brie cheese, thinly sliced

8 slices French bread (not baguette) (we used stone mill bread)

Grainy Dijon mustard to taste

2 cups lightly packed washed and dried mache (lamb's lettuce) (we used spinach)

1. In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally for 5-7 minutes or until onion starts to soften. Add red wine and sugar. Bring to a boil, then bubble, stirring occasionally for 2-3 minutes or until wine has almost completely evaporated.

2. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally for about 40 minutes or until onion is very soft and slightly sticky, reducing heat if onion starts to stick to saucepan. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

3. In a medium skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, for 8-10 minutes or until mushrooms are tender and golden grown. Stir in garlic and thyme. Cook, stirring for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

4. In a large bowl, combine ground beef, shallot, tarragon, mustard, garlic, salt and pepper, mixing gently but thoroughly. Form beef mixture into 4 even-sized patties about 3/4 inch thick. With the heel of your hand, make an indentation in centre of each patty (this helps burgers cook more evenly).

5. Cook patties on well-oiled Medium heat BBQ grill for 8-10 minutes, turning once.  Just before burgers are ready, top each burger with one-quarter of the brie cheese. Add bread slices to grill and toast on 1 side until golden.

6. Arrange 4 slices bread toasted-side down and spread with Dijon mustard. Top with mache (spinach), dividing evenly. Add a burger to each slice, along with caramelized onions and sauteed mushrooms. Top with remaining bread slices.

We paired these burgers with a Cabernet Sauvignon. I really liked the concept of using a strong, grainy bread instead of a bun. It really added to the flavour and brought something new to the burger concept. 

I hope everything is going well! I'm excited for this weekend! It was awesome to see you on Friday and Saturday. I miss you like crazy.

Love,

Sally

Spicy Falafels

Dear Jess,

Today is the first overcast day all week. The sunny days have been delightful. It was a bonus to have the long weekend full of them. Try not to get jealous... but I got to relax by my pool with a stack of novels aaaaall weekend. (Except for my short shift of cleaning on Saturday morning.)

This recipe I have wanted to try for a while. It said it was to take only 20 minutes, so when Jason and I were super hungry and tired I decided to throw it together.

The main problem I had with this one was that the patties didn't stay together. The recipe said to mush the chickpeas with a potato-masher and/or fork until they were completely broken down. This is impossible. I got them as broken down as I could, but it just wasn't enough. I was afraid if I put them in a blender or food processor they would turn into hummus. Long story short, the patties turned into a scramble. A tasty scramble, but a scramble none-the-less.

That being said, it was yummy, filling, cheap, and perfect for a hot summer evening. We stuffed them in whole wheat pitas with spinach, red peppers, and tomatoes. Next time it would be worth whipping up a batch of some sort of spicy mayo or guacamole!

Spicy Falafels
adapted from this recipe
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
400g can chickpeas, washed and drained
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 1/2 tsp hot red pepper flakes
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1 egg

1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large pan. Fry the onion and garlic over low heat for 5 minutes until softened. Tip into a large mixing bowl with the chickpeas and spices, then mash together with fork or potato masher until the chickpeas are totally broken down. Stir in basil and oregano. Add the egg, then squish the mixture together with your hands.
2. Mould the mix into 6 balls, then flatten into patties. Heat the remaining oil in the pan, then fry the falafels on medium heat for 3 minutes on each side. (Until golden brown and firm.) Serve hot or cold with couscous, pita bread or salad.

I miss you a great deal. I can't wait to see you in a couple weeks.

I Love You,
Sally

Flatbreads and Falafels

Dear Sally,

The holidays are just about over but the cooking frenzy is just starting! I love the cookbook you gave me and I have been dying to try recipes from it ever since I first opened it. After flipping through I came to a recipe for falafels and thought I would take a stab. How hard can it be to mash chickpeas and a few other ingredients and fry them up? I had a few trials with the blender but thankfully everything worked out and they were delicious! Nothing like curry to warm your belly on a cold day.

I miss our dates but I guess this just means that I have to make my way to Peterborough more often :)

Love ya!
Jess



Navajo Flatbreads
From Jamie's America
Scant 5 cups white bread flour plus extra for dusting
1 tsp. salt
2 heaped tablespoons baking powder
optional: 1 teaspoon dried herbs or spices
1/3 cup olive oil
2/3 cup warm water

Mix your flour, salt, baking powder, and herbs (if using) in a large bowl, using a fork. Make a well in the center, then pour in the olive oil and about 2/3 cup warm water. Use the forl to gradually bring in the flour from the edge of the bowl, and add another splash of water if you think it's to dry. Once it starts to combine, wet your hands and use them to really bring it all together until you have a nice ball of dough.

Dust your hands and clean a worktop with flour and knead the dough with your hands until it is smooth and elastic. This will take 5 to 10 minutes. Pop the dough back in the bowl, dust it with a bit more flour, then cover and leave to relax.

Divide your dough into 10 equal-sized balls, then slightly oil your hands and squeeze each ball between your palms to flatten it slightly. Dust with a little flour as you go, and pat and slap the dough from the palm of one hand to the top of the other. Turn and twist the dough about in a circular movement as you go and keep slapping from hand to hand - each flatbread should be about 1/2 inch thick.

Normally the flatbreads are cooked as you're making them. You can do this on a grill or in a nonstick frying pan on a medium heat. Cook them for a few minutes on each side and check the underside - you want them to puff up with a nice bit of golden color. Keep them warm in a basket covered with a dish towel until you're ready to serve them.

Falafels
From The New Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen
1 can chickpeas
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tbsp parsley
3 cloves garlic
2 tsp baking powder
4 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1 cup all purpose flour
vegetable oil for frying

In a food processor, coarsly chop the onion, garlic, chick peas, parsley lemon juice, salt and spices. Mix into a paste and pour into a bowl and add the flour.
Shape by heaping 1 tbsp each into 24 balls; flatten to 1/2 inch thickness. Arrange in single layer on waxed paper - lined tray; refrigerate for 2 hours or up to 12 hours.

Pour enough oil into a dutch oven to come up about 2 inches. Heat to 350 and in batches gently drop falafels into hot oil. Deep-fry, turning once, until golden and cooked through, 3 mintes. Drain on paper towel.

Tahini Yogurt Sauce:

1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cucumber (seeds removed and shredded)
2 cloves garlic

Sandwiches and Corn Chowder

Dearest Jess,

I came home this weekend not sure of my plan. All I knew was I was excited to see people that I miss during the week. Excited to visit with them, and possibly (if the opportunity presented itself) make food for them. Much to my delight, all such things were accomplished.

I was lucky enough to arrive on Friday night just in time for a game of Settlers of Catan with Jason, Jim and Alex. We tried a whiskey that I think you would like called Forty Creek. It is proof that LCBO samples really help their sales!

On Saturday we went and visited with my Mom and I rediscovered my love for sandwiches. It's not that I had lost my love for them, rather I had neglected it. I find the beauty is in the layers.

Whole Grain Toast, Spinach, Fresh Squash (from my uncle's garden), Chicken, Tomatoes, Cucumber, Pepper

And then there was Sunday. On Sunday, my Dad invited us to help pick out the family Christmas Tree. We got all bundled up and hiked through a Christmas Tree Farm that was 100 acres to find (as my mom famously says) 'a tree with character!' After hauling it home we all curled up to Corn Chowder that I had made the night before.

Smoky Roasted Chicken Corn Chowder 
From Eat Shrink and be Merry, 'Chowdy Doody, Page 59

4 slices bacon, chopped

1 cup diced onions

1/2 cup each diced celery and diced red bell pepper

2 tsp minced garlic

1 1/2 tbsp minced fresh thyme, or 1 tsp dried (I used Basil)

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 can (12oz/385 ml) fat-free evaporated milk

1 can (19oz/540ml) diced tomatoes, well drained

1 can (14oz/398ml) cream-style corn

2 cups chopped roasted chicken breast 

1 tbsp hickory-flavored barbecue sauce

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1. Cook chopped bacon in a large, non-stick soup pot over medium-high heat until lightly browned but not crisp. Stir in onions, celery, red pepper, and garlic. Cook and stir until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes.

2. Add thyme (or basil) and flour. Mix well. Stir in broth and evaporated milk. Bring mixture to a gentle boil and stir continuously until soup thickens slightly.

3. Reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and let simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve hot.

I hope your week goes well! Thanks again for inviting me on Wednesday. I can't wait for our next date!

I love you,

Sally