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| Beautiful Tulips in DC - Easter Weekend 2009 |
Living in New York, far from my home in Wisconsin, there are certain holidays that are always celebrated with family, namely Christmas and Thanksgiving. Everyone flies or drives home to be with one another, enjoying home-cooked dinners, a bottle of wine or two, and of course sharing stories, both old and new.
For one reason or another, other major holidays do not hold the same place as Christmas and Thanksgiving. Easter, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, and other great American holidays are hard for people living a flight away from their home. While I become a little down that I'm not home, firing up the grill with my family or childhood friends, there is a bright side to these holidays. In places such as New York, there are many others also not able to make it home. As a result, little "families" are formed, coming together to share their individual family traditions, foods, and stories.
Starting last year, we have hosted a couple of our good friends in New York for a Midwestern style Easter dinner. We baked a honey ham and buttermilk biscuits, steamed green beans, and of course served a cheesy casserole (diced potatoes, cream sauce, and cheese). Another Midwestern tradition was the twelve layer Jello salad, which is six different Jello flavors made two ways (one plain, one with either a dab of sour cream or evaporated milk), and poured onto one another in a 12" x 9" glass pan. It takes time and lots of patience...but it's beautifully delicious.
This year, we had the same little "family" over for Easter dinner, except one of the two friends was traveling in Europe for work...so he had to celebrate from afar. The three of us enjoying a Southern-style BBQ meal. Our friend brought over a refreshing spinach salad, served with a creamy poppy seed dressing, with fresh strawberries and red onions tossed in.
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| Pork Shoulder Braised with Apples, BBQ Spices, and White Wine |
I slow-roasted a lovely cut of pork shoulder, which I later shredded and coated in a homemade smoky barbecue sauce. I served the BBQ pork on kaiser rolls with a creamy cole slaw. On the side, we enjoyed another classic America holiday dish (common in the Midwest), green bean casserole and a healthy grapefruit-red onion-cucumber quinoa. And like any good BBQ meal, we had homemade BBQ baked beans and cold beer.
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| BBQ Pork Sandwich topped with Creamy Cole Slaw; sides of green bean casserole & quinoa |
For dessert, we served angel food cake, topped with my mom's classic cinnamon cream sauce. Yum!
Happy Easter and Passover (belated at this point) to everyone! I hope you were able to enjoy a meal with your friends and family, either at your childhood home or wherever you call home.
Recipes
BBQ Slow-Roasted Pork Shoulder Sandwiches
Ingredients:
3 to 4 lb. boneless pork shoulder, brined, rinsed, & dried
4 cloves garlic, smashed
2 bay leaves
1 medium onion, sliced
1 apple, sliced
1 cup water
1 cup dry white wine
BBQ spices: 1/2 tsp cumin, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, 1 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp celery seed, 1 T chili powder
1-2 cups barbecue sauce, or more to taste
1 cup cole slaw or fresh red onion slices
4 kaiser rolls
Directions:
1. If you have time, brine the pork for 3-4 hours; remove from brine, rinse, and pat dry. If not, it will be okay...but brining will produce a more moist final product.
2. Preheat oven to 275 F.
3. In a large round casserole dish, place onion on the bottom.
4. Mix BBQ spices together, then rub into the pork.
5. Place the pork onto the onions in the dish.
6. Pour water & wine into the dish, careful not to pour it directly onto the pork (this would wash off some of the BBQ spice rub).
7. Add the garlic, apple, and bay leaves around the sides of the pork, placing them in the liquid.
8. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 6-8 hours, or until the pork is very tender and falls apart easily.
9. Remove from the oven, and place pork in a large bowl. Using a fork, shred the meat. Remove any large pieces of fat while shredding.
10. Place shredded pork into a large pot, add 1/2 cup of the liquid in the roasting dish.
11. Add 1 cup barbecue sauce. Mix well. Simmer on low for 10-15 minutes.
12. Add more barbecue sauce to taste. Add salt or other spices (e.g. cayenne for more kick) to taste.
13. Serve on kaiser rolls, topping with cole slaw or fresh red onion slices.
Barbecue Sauce
Ingredients:
1 slice bacon, roughly chopped
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 cup onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 T. tomato paste
2 cups ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
2 T. red wine vinegar
1 T. dry mustard
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp chipotle pepper powder
1/2 tsp ancho chili pepper powder
1/2 tsp ground oregano
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp black pepper
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
Salt, to taste
1 T. Olive oil
Directions:
1. Heat a large sauce pan to medium; add oil
2. Add bacon; fry for 1-2 minutes
3. Add onion
4. Saute for 4-5 minutes, or until onion softens
5. Add tomato paste; stir into onion-bacon mixture
6. Add vinegar; stir
7. Add all the other ingredients; stir very well
8. Simmer on low for 25-30 minutes
9. Taste the sauce and adjust to your taste
10. Once its to your liking, turn off the heat and place in a food blender
11. Puree until smooth
12. Place in a glass bowl and refrigerate until chilled
Creamy Cole Slaw
Ingredients:
6 cups shredded cabbage
2 cups shredded carrot
1/2 cup mayo
2 T. vinegar
1/2 T. brown mustard
1/2 tsp celery seed
Salt & Pepper
Directions:
1. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl
2. Taste and adjust mayo, vinegar, mustard, salt & pepper to taste
3. Chill for at least an hour before serving
Green Bean Casserole (French's recipe)
Ingredients:
1 (10 3/4 oz.) can Cream of Mushroom Soup
3/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 lb. fresh green beans, cut in 1" pieces and steamed
1 1/3 cups French's Fried Onions
Directions:
1. Mix soup, milk and pepper in a 1 1/2-qt. baking dish. Stir in beans and 2/3 cup French Fried Onions.
2. Bake at 350°F for 30 min. or until hot.
3. Stir. Top with remaining 2/3 cup onions. Bake 5 min. until onions are golden.
