I suppose that could be a funny title for a blog post, but
the fact is that a few years ago I could barely boil water. Yeah, there were
many trips to my parents’ house or my grandparents or one of my aunts. There’s
a lot of people in my family and most can’t cook for one but are more on the
level of feeding the brigade. Still, I was eating more and more take-out. That
wasn’t a good thing for me, the Type I diabetic. I recognized it pretty quickly.
So, what did I do? Nope, I didn’t buy a cookbook or three. I didn’t start
watching cooking shows on the television. Why? Because I am a diabetic and if
you’ve ever watched some of the shows on The Food Network, they are
cringe-worthy for a diabetic. A lot of diabetic cookbooks are designed for Type
II Diabetes. But, most importantly, why would I shell out the money when I have
a family who already cooks for someone like me. Truthfully, we are a family of
diabetics.
So, I waltzed into my parents’ house bright and early on a
Sunday Morning and asked my mother to teach me a few of her recipes. Here came
the issue—I hate the feel of certain things like raw meat, raw fish, couldn’t
crack an egg to save my soul, and I had no problem putting forth my disgust of
the art of cookery.
“It’s just food, Bella!”
My mother about went ballistic on me. Seriously, I think
back then I was more wanting to watch the act than participate in the process.
Irish mom combined with non-cooking ½ Irish daughter= recipe for many an
argument.
Still, if one wants to learn how to cook, one must get one’s
hands dirty.
That fateful morning and after paternal intervention to cool
certain hotheads, we sat down to make one of my favorites.
Braised Pork Roast with Whole Wheat Couscous. (This can be
made in a slow cooker, braised in a pot on the stove, or cooked in a pressure
cooker)
Spice Rub/Spice Blend:
1 tsp. coriander
1 tsp. cumin (ground)
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. cinnamon (a little more or a little less. My mother
uses 1 tsp. in her spice blend whereas I use a little less than that.)
½ - 1 tsp. cayenne pepper (a little more or a little less
depending on your taste)
¼ tsp. ginger (ground)
Mix together in a bowl.
Take a 2-4 pound pork butt roast with the bone in (I know it
looks super fatty, but you are going to need the marbled fat if you don’t
expect it to turn to shoe leather). Pat your beautiful piece of pork dry then
brush or rub it with enough olive oil to give it some shine—about 1 – 2 Tbsp.
The recipe for the spice rub is enough for a good-sized pork
roast. Rub the spice rub into the meat covering all sides and ends. I also rub
my pork on a plate as I will use the excess that falls off in the braising
liquid.
Cover with cling wrap and put in the refrigerator for an
hour or up to overnight. This is a very forgiving rub and it takes quite
quickly to pork.
Time to braise. NOTE: I do, on occasion, sear mine
off like my mother does, but it isn’t necessary.
Place rubbed pork roast in whatever cooking vessel you are
using. For this recipe I prefer to do this on the stove top but as I stated
before it can be cooked in a crock pot or in a pressure cooker.
Add to pork:
1 14 oz. can of reduced sodium tomatoes (truthfully, it
doesn’t make a difference if you aren’t watching sugars and sodium what kind
you use)
2 C. reduced sodium beef broth (again, if you aren’t
watching your sodium then whatever is on sale will do) If you do not have beef
broth, water works just as well.
1-2 bay leaf (depends on the size of the bay leaf)
1 Tbsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. coriander powder
1 star anise (if you don’t like the flavor of black
licorice, this can be omitted.)
2-5 dried red chilies (if you don’t like heat, then just
sprinkle in a dash or two of dried pepper flakes or omit completely)
1 tsp. garlic powder or one clove of garlic minced.
Also, add whatever of the rub that has fallen to your plate.
Cook:
Bring all ingredients to a simmer and cover. Turn roast
several times during the cooking if you are using the stove top method. In the
final hour you can add onions, peppers and/or brown lentils if you want this
more stew-like. For the pressure cooker, make this on the side and add later.
On the stove, the pork roast will cook up to 6 hours,
depending on the size of the roast. It cooks 8 hours in the crock pot. For a
pressure cooker, follow the manufacturer’s instructions. The roast will fall
off the bone when cooked. Do not let it go much further than this.
Serve:
Whole wheat couscous or brown rice go well with this braised
pork but we often eat leftovers on rolls as a sandwich. I can’t attest to
whether it freezes well or not as we rarely have enough left to freeze. ;)
I do hope you enjoy what is one of our Sunday dinner favorites.
Best!
Bella
