(Mod from- nothing, really)
I should tell you something- I don't measure. But I'm going to do my best to eyeball accurately. I measure some when I'm baking- just because baking is so complicated- but cooking? Cooking is something that should be done by feel, I think.
So- company dinner (for four), with leftovers (because leftovers make lunch on Saturday so much easier!) - We have a braised pork roast with apples and onions, roasted carrots, potatoes, and Brussels sprouts, and mustard sauce. I was the only one at dinner who likes Brussels sprouts, but they are so good, and they looked so nice on the plate. I always like to have a colorful plate.
Braising is one of my favorite ways to cook meat (I braise everything- chicken, sausages, pork) - because it makes the meat so flavorful and so tender! Here's part 1 of company dinner- the most important part- the meat!
Ingredients:
1 pork roast (mine was a pound and a half)
2-3 onions, cut into quarters
2-3 apples- seeded and quartered
Worcester Sauce (I used 5 generous shakes)
Balsamic vinegar (about a quarter cup)
2 cups beef broth (or 2 cups water with beef bullion cubes OR better than bullion, which is AWESOME and much more affordable than buying cans of broth)
 |
| mmm.... thyme-ey.... |
Salt, pepper, thyme, oil- I like either grapeseed oil or good olive oil. Grapeseed oil is very plain and won't add any flavor, but it has a really high smoking point, and I really love using it.
Heat your oil in a cooking vessel (I use a dutch oven. LOVE my dutch oven. It's my favorite thing to cook in), and while it's heating, liberally dose your meat with salt (coarse salt- Kosher salt or sea salt), black pepper, and thyme. When the oil is hot, toss your meat in and let it brown. Brown all the sides. Mmm. When it's nicely browned, and the oil is popping and it smells amazing, add your vinegar, and Worcester sauce (this will result in an explosion of noise and smell!) - make sure to scrape the brown bits off the bottom of your pot- and then add your beef broth.
Toss in the apples and onions, cover it, turn it down to low- and forget about it for a few hours. The really fantastic thing about the braising is that if say.... you think your company is coming for dinner at 6, and then someone texts you and says, "Oh wait- we're going to be there at 7:30, sorry," - you can just keep your stuff in the pot on super low and roll with it. :)
So yeah- that's it. You could add your potatoes and carrots to this, and cook everything in one pot. Cook at least an hour and a half- and up to 4 hours or so. The end result is a gorgeously cooked piece of meat, which will practically fall apart when you cut it. Enjoy!
