When you get a new cookbook, how do you decide what recipe to tackle first?
For me, it's often about the drool-inducing photos. Yup, I'm a sucker for gorgeous images of foods that look seared, caramelized, spiced-just-right and yet juicy. That criteria fits most of the pics in the new Great Meat Cookbook by one of the world's authorities on the subject, Bruce Aidells.
Bruce wrote his first encycolpedic, yet entertainly approachable The Complete Meat Cookbook more than 16 years ago, and much has happened in the meat world since then. He told a group of fans at a special meat-centric dinner at Dahlia Lounge in Seattle recently that the revolution in sustainable meat movement was among the primary reasons he decided to update his original work.
"The book will help you understand the difference between 'natural' and 'grass-fed' beef, and offer advice on how best to cook them," he said.
A part-time vegetarian sitting at my table confessed that she had starting eating more meat since discovering his first book because its many tips on how to properly cook various cuts really worked. There's a hearty endorsement!
So, when I got home, I flipped through all 600 pages and then found myself drawn back to a dish that sounded perfect for an autumnal meal: Pork Stew with Hard Cider. Shocker, there wasn't even a photo. This braise isn't exactly photogenic, but boy, was it delicious!
I modified it just a bit so it could simmer in my new Crock-Pot, which made the kitchen smell incredible. I also skipped the potatoes and served it over polenta. Even my polenta-skeptical hubby enjoyed the pairing.
PORK STEW WITH HARD CIDER, BABY ONIONS AND POTATOES
From The Great Meat Cookbook by Bruce Aidells with Anne-Marie Ramo
1/4 pound bacon
3 pounds boneless Boston butt or boneless country-style ribs, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 2-inch cubes
salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup chopped shallots
1/2 cup finely chopped peeled parsnips
2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage
1/2 cup Calvados or brandy, optional
1 1/2 cups hard cider, still or sparkling
2 cups homemade pork stock or canned low-sodium chicken broth
30 small boiling onions, trimmed and peeled (or use frozen)
1 1/2 pounds small red potatoes (about 2 inches wide), scrubbed and cut in half
2 semitart apples such as Granny Smith or Jonathan, peeled, cored and cut into 1-inch dice
1 tablespoon coarse-grain mustard
Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the bacon and fry until lightly brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving about 3 tablespoons of fat in the pot.
Season the pork with salt and pepper and place in the pot. Increase the heat to medium-high and brown the pork on all sides, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and seat aside.
Reduce the heat to medium, add the shallots and parsnips and cook, covered for 5 minutes, stirring from time to time. Stir in the sage and cook for 1 minute more. Add the Calvados (if using) and reduce until almost evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add the cider, stock and reserved bacon and pork. and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 40 minutes.
Add the onionsand potatoes and cook for 10 minutes more. Add the apples and cook for an additional 10 minutes, or until the potatoes and pork are fork-tender. Strain the solids from the liquid and reserve.
Return the liquid to the pot and skim off the fat from the surface. Whisk in the mustard, bring to a boil and cook until just thickened and syrupy, about 10 minutes. Return the solids to the pot and heat for 1 minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve in shallow soup bowls.
Serves 6.
-- Leslie Kelly
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