Roasted Tomatillo Salsa with Pork Shoulder

Sometimes you need something sweet: sweet and delicious. After a reemergence of candida, I have unfortunately been unable to indulge. Candida is an evil yeast (technical term) that lives in your intestinal tract and feeds off of sugars, especially when your immune system is compromised by a lack of good bacteria, something that might happen if you have had too many rounds of antibiotics.

I digress. The point here is that I cannot currently eat any sugars of any type: no table sugar obviously, but also no fruit, no dairy products, no carbohydrates of any kind, and no root vegetables, either. Forget alcohol. I cannot describe just how much this sucks, especially when you enjoy food as much as I do, but also because it makes going out to eat nearly impossible. The only things that are really ON the menu are greens, meat and nuts, but only nuts that aren’t likely to get moldy: no peanuts. Oh, no vinegars either. And maybe stay away from caffeine. SHOOT ME NOW.

There is a bright spot in all of this. It is called roasted tomatillo salsa over pork shoulder. It is never better to be a concoctionist than when your diet must be restricted: it’s sort of the opposite of Iron Chef, where you have one ingredient to incorporate into all dishes. With candida, you are low on options, but not so low that there is nothing available. So, without further ado, here’s a delicious recipe of something that comfort even the most candida-riddled gut:

Roasted Tomatillo Salsa with Pork Shoulder

I got inspirations from these recipes that I found online. I was looking for a traditional tomatillo chile verde recipe, but being in Panama I don’t have access to the same chiles that they have in Mexico. However, thisone was a good place to start. (Sorry kids, it's in Spanish, but you can use a translator app if you can't read it). I didn’t really like how they recommended cooking the pork, however, so I used this recipe more closely for the pork directions.

Pork:

4 -5 lbs pork shoulder, bone in, trimmed of excess surface fat 

3 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons pure chile powder
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon granulated or minced garlic
1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon lime zest

You cannot buy pork shoulder on the bone in Boquete, so I just got pork shoulder off the bone. (If you can get pork shoulder on the bone, DO IT. It means the meat will be more tender when it’s done).  I rubbed it with the spices described in the recipe, but I found that the portions weren’t enough, so I pretty much tripled them. Then I added a chile lime dry rub that my friend had in his cupboard.

I did not use a disposable pan; I’m not quite sure why that is considered important. Instead, I rubbed the pork shoulder with the spices and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Then I browned it in the oven at 500 degrees for about 30 minutes.

While the meat was resting and browning, I made the salsa.

Tomatillos are a green tomato that grows inside a paper-like sheath. They’re a staple of Mexican green salsas, and have a really tangy almost citrus-like flavor. 

Salsa:

1 pound of tomatillos, cut in half and roasted in a dry pan.
2 serrano chiles, or another spicy chile if serranos aren't available (I used deseeded habañeros)
4 cloves of garlic, roasted
1 onion, cut into thick slices and roasted
1 large bunch of cilantro, washed

The recipe didn’t call for it, but I cut the tomatillos in half and roasted them in a dry cast iron pan along with the onions and garlic. The goal is to get them to start to carmelize without burning them too much. Once I was finished roasting them, I added about a cup of water to the pan not only to clean it but to “deglaze” it to some extent. (I’m not sure you can use that term if you’re not talking about meat, but that’s what I did. I then poured the liquid, the tomatillos, onions and garlic into a food processor, added a handful of cilantro and two deseeded habañero peppers and blended it. At that point, add salt to taste, remembering that there is also salt in the pork rub. 

One note about peppers: when I first tried the salsa before baking it on the pork, it was a lot spicier. If you’re really into spice, add more peppers or keep the seeds in, knowing that the salsa will mellow as it cooks.

Once the meat has browned, remove it from the oven, douse it in the tomatillo salsa and cover with foil. Lower the heat in the oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit and put the pork back in.

The original recipe said to cook for 2 1/2 hours. It was done before then, but as my friend Nate (who is much better with cooking meat than I am) pointed out that the longer it’s in there, the more tender it will get.

The only downside to this dish was that the pork did not seem tender enough. However, Nate pointed out that that has to do with the way it’s cut here, and the fact that it was not available with the bone in. Like I said before: if you’ve got an option for pork shoulder with the bone in, DO IT.

Otherwise, it was DELICIOUS, and even better the next day. Although the tomatillo salsa is pretty good by itself, the juices from the pork make it A LOT better. See? Not all candida diet food needs to be tasteless crap.

Apple Sweet Potato Roast Pork

"This pork roast is baked with all the right fall and cold weather ingredients: honey, orange juice, apple juice concentrate, brown sugar, sweet potatoes, and apples. It is a great “white” meat to serve over the holidays." - Kristin Wood, Icicle Ridge Winery -->

Contributed to Savoring Leavenworth: Pairing Local Wines with Regional Recipes for Leavenworth, Peshastin and Cashmere by Kristen Wood, Icicle Ridge Winery.

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Serves: 8-10

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 to 4 lb. boneless pork loin roast, fat trimmed

1/3 cup honey

1/4 cup orange juice

1/4 cup frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed

2 teaspoons ground black pepper (or 1 teaspoon for less “zip”)

1 tablespoon brown sugar, packed

3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and quartered

3 large apples, cored and quartered

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a large ovenproof Dutch oven with vegetable oil and place on the stove on high heat.

When a droplet of water sizzles in the oil, add the pork roast. Cook, turning, until all sides are browned, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat.

In a medium bowl, combine the honey, orange juice, apple juice concentrate, pepper and brown sugar. Spoon over the pork roast in the Dutch oven. Place the sweet potatoes around the pork.

Cover and bake until the pork registers 150°F on a thermometer, or 20 minutes per pound: about an hour and 20 minutes for a 4 pound roast.

About 20 minutes before it’s done, place the apple quarters around the pork. Bake, uncovered, basting frequently, until the apples are just tender.

Let the pork stand for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve pork roast in slices with the sweet potatoes and apples.

Wine Pairing Suggestions:

Eagle Creek White Riesling

Wedge Mountain Winery Dry Lemberger

Red Wine Cherry Pork

 

The first cherries of the season are out! Try this recipe with your favorite variety or a new one!

Red Wine Cherry Pork 

Contributed to Savoring Leavenworth: Pairing Local Wines with Regional Recipes for Leavenworth, Peshastin and Cashmere by Joanne Saliby, Wenatchee World Living Well blog.

Prep time: 25 minutes

Marinate time: 1 hour

Cook time: 30 minutes

Serves: 4-6

2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons grapeseed oil, divided

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1/4 teaspoon thyme

1-1/2 lbs. pork tenderloin, trimmed of silver skin

Salt and pepper

1 cup brown jasmine rice

1/4 cup onion OR shallots, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1-1/2 cups dry red wine

Sprig of fresh thyme

1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup mushroom or vegetable broth

1/4 cup dried OR 1/2 cup fresh tart cherries, finely chopped

4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1-2 grinds black pepper

Combine 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil, lemon zest, thyme and salt and pepper. Rub pork with the mixture and let rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Start the rice about 15 minutes before beginning to cook the pork and cook according to package directions.

Heat a medium sauté pan on the stove over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil. When the oil is hot, place the pork in pan and lower heat to medium. Brown the pork on all sides. Remove and place in small ovenproof dish. Bake the pork until the temperature reads 155°F. Remove, cover and let rest for 10 minutes.

Remove and save drippings from the pork. In the same pan, heat 2 teaspoons grapeseed oil, onion and garlic on medium heat until softened. Add wine. Reduce to 3/4 cup. Add thyme, drippings, chicken and mushroom broth and cherries.

Simmer until reduced to 1-1/4 cups. Remove thyme sprig. Remove from heat. Whisk in butter a few pieces at a time until fully incorporated. Add salt and pepper. Slice the pork into 1/4 inch pieces and serve over rice, drizzled in sauce.

Recipe Tip

As a general rule, it takes 20 minutes per pound to cook pork tenderloin at 350°F. Use a meat thermometer for best results.

Wine Pairing Suggestions:

Bella Terrazza Vineyards Estate Cabernet Franc

Horan Estates HVH Red Blend

Wedge Mountain Winery Lemberger (Semi-Sweet)

Roast Pork Loin with Bartlett Pear Sauce

Although I couldn't make it to the Taste of Spring Festival in Leavenworth yesterday, I was there for a very important part of it on Friday: the official judging of locally prepared pear dishes. Strangely enough, there weren't ANY submissions under savory pear dishes -- they were all desserts. Pamela Kiehn's roast pork loin with Bartlett pear sauce would have been a fantastic submission, regardless of the competition. This may seem like more of a winter dish, but considering it snowed yesterday, I can't say winter's quite over yet.

Roast Pork Loin in Bartlett Pear Sauce. Picture by Richard Uhlhorn.

Roast Pork Loin with  Bartlett Pear Sauce

Contributed to Savoring Leavenworth: Pairing Local Wines with Regional Recipes from Leavenworth, Peshastin and Cashmere by Pamela Kiehn, Beecher Hill House.


Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 1-2 hours
Serves: 6-8
Pork
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 to 4 lb. pork loin roast
Sauce
1 cup butter (2 sticks), divided
1/2 cup carrot, finely grated (about 1 medium carrot)
1 large sweet onion
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups beef stock
1/8 cup Worcestershire sauce
3 to 4 firm but ripe pears (Bartlett pears recommended), divided
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup flour

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix olive oil, mustard, honey, salt and pepper and rub onto the roast. Bake until the meat reaches 155°F, about 1-1.5 hours; about 25 minutes per pound of pork loin.
Sprinkle the peeled and diced pears with lemon juice to prevent them from browning; set aside.
About 45 minutes before the roast is done, melt one stick of butter in a large sauté pan to start the sauce. Sauté carrot and onion over medium-high heat until soft – about 5 minutes. Add chicken and beef stock, Worcestershire and about one pear. Simmer until sauce is reduced by half, about 30 minutes.
When the roast is done, remove from oven and let rest.
Pour the juices into your sauce and add salt and pepper to taste. In a separate pan, melt 1 stick of butter. Slowly stir in flour to create a roux. Once it starts to turn golden brown, add the roux to the saucepan and simmer until it thickens. Stir the pears into the sauce and heat through.
Slice pork roast and serve drizzled with sauce.


Wine Pairing Suggestions:
Boudreaux Cellars Riesling
Cascadia Winery Apple Wine
Silvara Vineyards Riesling