This week we adapted a recipe from Christopher Kimball’s cookbook, Milk Street Tuesday Nights. These days, we use what we have, and a giant pork shoulder was the meat on offer at Wegmans. I cut off pieces for this recipe before slow-cooking the rest of the pork shoulder to use in various ways throughout the week. The good news is that it was a hit with the whole family. The bad news is that we have no leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch!
Sweet Soy-Braised Pork
3 tablespoons oil, divided
3 large shallots, finely chopped (1 cup)
4 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
1 jalepeno pepper, half seeded and diced, half sliced into thin rings
2 pounds pork shoulder, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
3 tablespoons soy sauce
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons molasses (not blackstrap)
1 tablespoon lime juice, plus lime wedges, to serve
Steamed rice, to serve
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, to serve
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a skillet over medium-high. Add shallots, garlic, ginger, diced jalepeno, reduce to medium and cook, stirring, until golden, about 7 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside. Return skillet to medium-high and heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil until shimmering. Add the pork in an even layer and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and discard any fat in the skillet.
In the same skillet over medium-high, add 1 cup water, the soy sauce, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, scraping up any brown bits. Pour off and discard any oil in the bowl with the shallot mixture, then stir the shallot mixture and the pork into the skillet. Cover and simmer over medium-low until the pork is tender, about 35 minutes, stirring once, halfway through.
Stir in the molasses and cook, uncovered, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Off heat, stir in the lime juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with steamed rice and top with jalepeno rings and cilantro.
This old-fashioned version of strawberry shortcake is the perfect taste of spring. Once you have it this way, you’ll never again go back to the supermarket discs of spongy yellow Twinkie-esque cake!
Strawberry Shortcake
3 cups flour
3 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
8 tablespoons butter (1 stick)
1 1/2 cups milk
Strawberries
Sugar
Whipped cream
Heat oven to 450 degrees. Mix flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Cut in butter with a pastry knife until pieces are the size of small peas or coarse breadcrumbs. Stir in milk to make a sticky dough, and smooth into a pie plate, making a slight depression in the middle to ensure even baking. Bake until no longer gooey inside, about 15-20 minutes.
While shortcake bakes, stem and slice strawberries. Add sugar to taste, and let rest at room temperature until shortcake is ready.
Slice shortcake into wedges. Serve topped with strawberries and whipped cream.
I asked Phil to be a guest chef for just the shortcake production, and he got a front row seat for Ben’s antics.
Phil asked if he had put in two or three cups of flour and Ben answered, “Both,” and giggled maniacally under further questioning.
When asked to get each ingredient, he tried repeatedly to put ranch dressing in the line-up.
Phil asked him to get the pastry knife, and Ben brought a soup ladle.
Thank goodness Wednesday only comes once a week!