Why Is Pork Celebrated

It's the pork month!

This is cause for celebration for carnivores everywhere, fitting neatly into our growing appetite for the more thrifty cuts. It used to be a treat to eat pork on special occasions. In some countries, they roast an entire pig  which would be placed in the center of the table. Then the whole family, children and all, would be able to pick away at their favorite part.

In my case, I buy the best pork I can afford. Most weeks, I get through between seven and ten kilos. See? We love pork as well! When I hear about roast pork chops, my mind starts to tell me of something gratifying as being not only a tastier meat but a source of high quality protein with lots and lots of  vitamins and minerals, which is excellent for boosting our immune systems and keeping us healthy.


Pork provides a low fat meal, provided that it is trimmed. Pork is an ideal choice for for weight watchers and those  following a  healthy and balanced eating plan. Recent studies have shown that South African Pork is significantly lower in fat than many other countries and is even approved by the  Heart and
Stroke Foundation.

Pulled Pork BBQ Recipe for the Pork Month

Since I got married to a Carolinian, I've so much indulged myself into delicious pork BBQ's. I couldn't forget one of my delicious BBQ experience while we were in Charlotte (before we got married) at the Old Hickory House which was a famous regular destination for grub. It almost tastes like this pulled pork BBQ recipe which I got online from Susan of Slow and Simple. Carolinians probably would never go wrong with BBQ.

Ingredients

4 lb pork roast
2 onions, sliced, divided
1 onion, chopped
5 or 6 whole cloves
2 cups water
16 oz bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce
salt and pepper 

Directions

Place one sliced onion at the bottom of Crock Pot. Stud pork roast with cloves and season with salt and pepper. Place roast in slow cooker on top of the sliced onion. Cover with the second sliced onion and add enough water to fill Crock Pot two thirds of the way. Cover and cook on low 8 to 12 hours.
Remove roast. Remove and discard cloves, bone and fat as well as any water, onions and grease remaining in pot.

Award-Winning Charleston Carolina BBQ Sauce

When pork roast is cool enough to handle, use a fork or your fingers to pull it apart until the entire roast is shredded. Return the pulled pork to the crockpot. Mix in the chopped onion and BBQ sauce and cover. Heat on high for 1-3 hours or until the onions are soft. Serve on large, crusty buns with a mustard based Carolina-style BBQ sauce. Garnish with dill pickle spears, thinly sliced raw onion and pickled pepperoncini (Italian banana peppers). Serve with crisp, homemade slaw.

My Carolinian husband would put the cole slaw on the pulled pork sandwiches, just like old tradition. I think I'm trying this recipe using beef for a one-pot beef roast. I'm really proud to say I married a guy from North Carolina!

Quick Lemony Tuna Toasts with Capers

One of the greatest advantages of toasted bread snacks is it's being quick to prepare. Whether bread, bun or bagel-based, toasted snacks allow for ingenuity and imagination for something that's more than just a bread snack. Try this lemony toasted snack is a winning combination that appeal to young and old. This toasted snack recipe is an international favorite that you can bring into your tables.


You Need:

• 200g ( 7oz) tuna brine, flaked
• 2 teaspoons small capers, rinsed and drained well
• 21/2 teaspoons lemon rind, finely-grated
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• Salt to taste
• Freshly-milled black pepper
• 10cm (4 in) length cucumber, thinly sliced
• 2 slices white bread
• 2 teaspoons softened butter or margarine
• 75g (21/2 oz) Mozarella cheese, sliced
• Lemon balm or parsley, to garnish

Procedure:

Stir flaked tuna in capers, lemon rind and lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste. Toast the bread and spread with butter or margarine. Cover with cucumber slices then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Divide tuna mixture between toast slices then cover centers with mozzarella. Transfer to foil-lined grill pan and heat under a hot grill until cheese melts. Garnish with lemon balm or parsley. Serve right away while cheese is still warm.

Tip: You can pile tuna mixture on slices of toasted French bread, grill as instructed and serve on a bed of mixed salad leaves.

Dutch Oven Chicken and Corn Stew Recipe

I got this new Dutch Oven stew recipe at Texas Cooking Online and thought you might also enjoy it. The corn kernels would be so lovely to chew then.

 

 Chicken and Corn Stew



Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 2 celery ribs, chopped
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced or put through a garlic press
• 2-1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 large red-skin potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 4 cups chicken stock or canned chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 10-ounce package frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size piece
• 1 cup half-and-half or whole milk
• sweet paprika

Directions

In a dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. Sauté the onions, celery, carrots and garlic until softened and onion is transparent, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until flour is incorporated and there are no lumps.

Add the potatoes, chicken stock, salt, white pepper and bay leaf, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.

Add the corn and chicken, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes. Stir in half-and-half and simmer just until heated through, about 3 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaf. Sprinkle with paprika just before serving.

Check seasonings and add salt and pepper, if desired.

Slow Cooking in a Clay Pot - For the Best Pot Roast

If you enjoy slow roast recipes, have you ever considered using a clay pot cookware? Clay pots allows you to benefit from the wisdom of generations through an ancient method of cooking. Using beer, wine, spices or butter are among the ingredients for the most ancient-tasting dish, but since you can cook without adding any fat or liquid to your dishes if you choose to use a clay pot cookware, your end product still comes out tender and flavorful because of the clay's ability to release moisture into food as it cooks. This process makes it the most perfect for the most flavorful slow roast.

Cooking in clay pot is very much like working with a slow cooker. Modern clay pot cookware is made of various quality materials, including terracotta and sand. You will see some that are glazed while others are not. Whichever clay pot you use, one fail-safe dish to prepare is a pork roast.

Just one word of advice, you don't need to add liquid to the food that you cook in a clay pot. The pot will create enough steam and any additional liquid will cause the food to become soggy, losing its real flavors.

I can remember grandma cooking with a deep and heavy earthenware pot. I saw how clay pots require no special cooking techniques or adaptations of style, it simply sits comfortably on the back-burner seeking but a stir or two every now and then, but only allowing whatever ingredients she happens to have on hand.

Grandma's Clay Pots

 Personally, I have loved these earthy soups and stews. Now that I'm married, I believe it's my turn to take advantage of the comforting warmth they radiate in both your stomach and your kitchen, through my hand me down clay pots and the modern clay pot terracotta. 

Modern Clay Pots

A Terracotta Cookware - Your Smart Kitchen

Piral Terracotta Clay Pot

The flavor, essential nutrients and vitamins retained in food along with the ability of clay pot cookware to render the most natural flavors in foods makes it my most recommended cookware.

Barbecued Short Ribs

We know how popular barbecued short ribs are almost everywhere. Here is a simple but amazing recipe, and although this may sound time consuming, it is very easy to make. Your whole family will be more than pleasantly surprised!

Ingredients:

- 3 1/2 pounds beef short ribs
-1 1/2 cups water
-1 medium onion, sliced
-1 tablespoon vinegar

Sauce:

-1/2 cup ketchup
-1/4 cup chopped onion
-2 tablespoons lemon juice
-2 garlic cloves, minced
-1 teaspoon sugar
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1/8 teaspoon pepper

Procedure:

In a Dutch oven, combine ribs, water, onion and vinegar. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 1 hour, turning ribs occasionally. Drain. Arrange ribs in a single layer in an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Combine the sauce ingredients and spoon over ribs. Cover and bake at 325 degrees F for 1-1/4 hours, or until meat is tender. Serve over hot rice.

Italian Shredded Beef Sandwiches

Beefy sandwiches couldn't be easier. You can even make your sandwich healthy by choosing the whole grains. A favorite super easy meal to make kids will love.

Ingredients:

- 1 (2 1/2 pound) boneless eye of round beef roast
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 1 (6 ounce) can Italian flavored tomato paste
- 6 teaspoons HERB-OX beef flavored bouillon granules
- 1/2 cup water
- 12 Kaiser rolls
- 12 (1-ounce) slices provolone cheese

Procedure:

Place the roast in a 31/2-quart slow cooker. Add onion, tomato paste, bouillon granules and water. Cover and cook on HIGH 5-6 hours or until meat is tender. Remove roast from cooker. Using two forks, shred meat. Return meat to cooker, stirring to coat with sauce. Divide meat evenly among Kaiser rolls. Top with cheese. Serves 12.