Pork Roast with Carolina Gravy

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I love to make a big Sunday dinner, but, honestly, I also like to have a day off. The best situation is a compromise -- an easy-prep Sunday dinner, so that I'm not in the kitchen all afternoon. This recipe perfectly fit that requirement. The prep was super easy, but dinner was most impressive and very tasty.

Though the recipe has "Carolina gravy" in the title, it is not a barbecued pork recipe, as you might think. It's a tasty tender roast, with a mellow, but very yummy "au jus" to pour over the top. Because it's not a traditional flour and drippings gravy, you are saved the extra hassle after the pork comes out of the oven. Just strain the juices and reduce for a bit while you prep your sides.

The recipe originally came from Southern Living magazine, but I changed quite a few steps, so I'm posting it as I made it.

 Pork Roast with Carolina Gravy

serves 6

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1 T. vegetable oil
3 thick bacon slices, chopped

1 (4-5 lb.) boneless pork shoulder roast (Boston butt)

2 medium onions, sliced vertically (like an apple)

10 garlic cloves, halved

2 t. salt

2 t. pepper

2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup dry white wine

10 fresh thyme sprigs

1 T. butter

Preheat oven to 350°.

Heat a large ovenproof Dutch oven over medium-high heat for several minutes. Add oil and cook bacon for about 4 minutes. Add onions and garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, until mixture is golden brown, about 15 minutes; transfer to a bowl.

Season pork roast with salt and pepper.

 Add pork roast to pot, fat side down and cook 2 minutes on all sides or until browned.

Return onion/bacon mixture to Dutch oven and lift pork roast to place onions under the meat. Add broth, wine and thyme. Reduce heat to medium, and bring to a light boil. Remove from heat, and cover.

Bake at 350° for 3 to 4 hours or until meat falls apart when poked (about 195 degrees F). Remove pork from Dutch oven, cover with foil, and let stand 20-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, pour pan juices through a wire mesh strainer into a saucepan, discarding solids (add more broth if necessary to equal about 3 cups). Let stand 5 minutes; skim fat from surface of pan juices.

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and cook 20 to 25 minutes or until liquid is reduced to 1 cup and slightly thickened. Remove from heat, and stir in butter until melted. Pull pork apart into large chunks with two forks. Serve pork with gravy.

Serving suggestion: mashed potatoes, pan roasted vegetables and dinner rolls

Source: modified from Southern Living

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Shrimp, and Peppers, and Grits -- Oh my!

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You can click on that picture if you want,
but I'm afraid you still won't be able to taste it!

Not being a southerner (in geography) I have never prepared Shrimp and Grits. I suppose that makes me a pretty lousy southerner (at heart), though I have enjoyed this dish many times, even in Ohio. I saw this recipe a few weeks ago at Cooking Light and put it on my mental list of dishes to try. Then, I put it on my menu -- three times. Twice it was replaced with something else because of our family's schedule. But, last night I finally made it and after one bite my husband said, "This has to go on the blog" -- a statement that means, "I would most definitely eat this again." It was a five thumbs up dinner, and it was so quick and easy it will definitely make it to the menu again soon. Honestly -- this was a 30-minute meal, even with peeling shrimp. If you buy frozen shrimp, put them in the fridge the night before so they are thawed when you need them.

I admit I changed the recipe a little, and I probably ruined the "low-fativity," but after eating it, I can not imagine having not used regular bacon -- it just put the dish over the top, taste-wise.

Shrimp, Peppers and Grits
serves 4-5

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4 strips bacon
1 cup red bell pepper strips
1 cup green bell pepper strips
1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chiles, drained
1 1/2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 2/3 cups milk  
16-ounces low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup uncooked quick-cooking grits
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese (I used regular)

Cook bacon in a skillet over medium heat until lightly browned and almost crisp, stirring frequently. Add bell peppers; cook about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes; cook 3 minutes. Add shrimp; cook 3-5 minutes. Stir in green onions; keep warm.

While bacon and vegetables are cooking, combine milk and broth in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, and stir in grits. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and cook for 5 minutes or until thick, stirring occasionally. Stir in cheese. Serve shrimp mixture over grits.

Source: adapted from Cooking Light

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Fripp Chicken

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The chicken dish that I referred to in my menu post this week was wonderful -- a six-thumbs-up recipe! It was very simple to make, although I had three last minute dishes going on -- never a good idea. In addition, our house was in chaos for some unknown reason (that tends to happen at dinner time!) which added to the general craziness I was feeling as I put the finishing touches on dinner. Next time I'll try to get something done ahead of time and deal with just the chicken right before I serve the meal.

The flavors of the chicken work very well together -- lemon, parsley, mushrooms, and there was no dominant flavor. A few of the kids don't care for artichokes or mushrooms, so they ate their portion without. It was easy to serve them by just leaving their mushrooms and artichokes on the serving platter. I am also posting the recipe for the Parmesan Garlic Orzo because it went very well with the chicken and was equally as popular with my family. We have since renamed this dish Fripp Chicken, because the recipe came from Fripp and talking about the island brought back good memories.

Fripp Chicken (aka Lemon Chicken with Artichokes and Mushrooms)
serves 6 to 8

4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 to 2.5 lbs. chicken)
fresh cracked pepper and salt
1/2 cup butter, divided
14 oz. can artichoke hearts, drained, rinsed and quartered
3 T. lemon juice
1 T. minced fresh parsley
1/4 c. dry white wine
2 T. chicken broth
8 oz. fresh mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

Heat oven to 275 degrees F.

Slice chicken breasts in half horizontally, creating a total of eight equal-sized thin flat chicken breast pieces. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Heat 4 T. butter in a skillet over medium-high heat (I used my large electric skillet to cook them all at the same time). Cook chicken breasts for about 4 minutes on each side, until lightly browned. Remove chicken to a platter and place in warm oven.

Add 2 to 4 more tablespoons of butter (as much as is needed) over medium-high heat and add mushrooms and artichokes. Saute lightly for 3 minutes. Add lemon juice, wine, chicken broth and parsley. Heat to a simmer and add chicken breasts back to sauce. Heat until cooked through and hot -- just a few minutes should be enough.


Parmesan Garlic Orzo

2 c. uncooked orzo pasta
3 t. minced garlic
1/2 c. butter, cubed
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 c. milk
2 T. minced fresh parsley
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper

Cook orzo according to package directions; drain. In a large skillet, saute garlic in butter until tender. Add the orzo, Parmesan cheese milk, parsley salt and pepper. Cook and stir until heated through.


Source Orzo recipe: allrecipes.com




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Baked Shrimp Scampi

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I mentioned in my menu post on Friday that we spent our vacation week in southern, coastal South Carolina -- low country. Low country, according to folks who know, is a geographic region south of Pawley's Island (just south of Myrtle Beach) and north of the Savannah River. The cuisine is based on a lot of seafood, especially shrimp and crab, and southern style sides like simmered greens and baked macaroni and cheese.

I planned my menu ahead for several seafood dishes to take advantage of the super fresh food. Based on the recommendation of homeowners from low country, I picked out a fish market and visited it the second day we visited. It was right on the edge of an inter coastal waterway and the shrimp boats were floating behind the shop, just 10 feet from the back door. They had fresh shrimp for $3.50 a pound. I could have cried. And they were so fresh they still had their color -- something you miss out on when you buy shrimp in Ohio. I bought 3.5 pounds and for dinner prepared Ina's Baked Shrimp Scampi. It was truly like food of the gods. After my mom and I spent one and a half hours peeling and deveining them, we teased the kids that no one would get to leave the table until every last shrimp was consumed. We didn't even have to twist any arms. It may seem like a lot of work for a dish that normally has about four ingredients, but it was worth it. Just pour a lovely glass of wine and enjoy the process. If you can get fresh deveined shrimp, bully for you. Sorry, no picture of my own. I did borrow Ina's and mine looked exactly the same (except there was even more!). I did broil mine at the end, which apparently Ina did too to get that extra browned top. I also omitted the wine because I bought a Gewürztraminer, which would have been too sweet.


Photo: Food Network

Ina's Baked Shrimp Scampi

2 pounds (12 to 15 per pound) shrimp in the shell
3 tablespoons good olive oil
2 tablespoons dry white wine
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 teaspoons minced garlic (4 cloves)
1/4 cup minced shallots
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 extra-large egg yolk
2/3 cup panko (Japanese dried bread flakes)
Lemon wedges, for serving


Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Peel, devein, and butterfly the shrimp, leaving the tails on. Place the shrimp in a mixing bowl and toss gently with the olive oil, wine, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Allow to sit at room temperature while you make the butter and garlic mixture.

In a small bowl, mash the softened butter with the garlic, shallots, parsley, rosemary, red pepper flakes, lemon zest, lemon juice, egg yolk, panko, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper until combined.

Starting from the outer edge of a 14-inch oval gratin dish, arrange the shrimp in a single layer cut side down with the tails curling up and towards the center of the dish. Pour the remaining marinade over the shrimp. Spread the butter mixture evenly over the shrimp. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until hot and bubbly. If you like the top browned, place under a broiler for 1 minute. Serve with lemon wedges.

Source: Food Network