For Shame

Today was the Nth annual Shepard Christmas Brunch -- all the extended family members get together for a day of food, cheer and in today's case, snow. At the brunch, cousins, aunts, uncles were all asking about the blog. Why hasn't it been updated? My only excuse is that I was too busy, but really that's a poor excuse. I had no idea I had all these rapt readers! I will now attempt to redeem myself with one single word: pork.

A few weeks ago, I was watching Diary of Foodie on PBS and saw this amazing recipe prepared. It look fantastic and we simply had to try it!

Cider-Braised Pork

(from http://www.epicurious.com/)

• 1 (3- to 4-lb) bone-in fresh pork shoulder half
• 2 garlic cloves, cut into slivers
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 lb onions (5 or 6 medium), halved lengthwise, then cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 3/4 cup unfiltered apple cider
• salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 325°F. Score fat and any skin on pork in a crosshatch pattern. Make slits all over meat with a small sharp knife and insert a garlic sliver in each slit. Pat pork dry and season with salt and pepper.

Heat oil in a 4- to 5-quart ovenproof heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown meat on all sides, turning occasionally with the aid of tongs and a carving fork, about 8 minutes. Transfer pork to a plate.

Add onions to pot and sauté over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and starting to turn golden, about 5 minutes. Add 3/4 teaspoon salt and sauté, stirring occasionally, until onions are golden and caramelized, 8 to 10 minutes more. Stir in cider and return pork to pot.

Cover pot with a tight-fitting lid and braise pork in middle of oven until very tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Transfer pork to a serving dish with the aid of tongs and carving fork. Boil cooking juices with onions until mixture is reduced to about 2 cups, 2 to 3 minutes, then season with salt and pepper and serve with pork.

We served ours with sauteed swiss chard and some cornbread. The verdict: It was tasty, but needed a little something extra in the sauce. The comments on epicurious.com suggested mustard, cumin or cloves and I would agree with that. On the plus side, we turned our leftovers into pork quesadillas the next night and the leftovers were great!