One of my approaches to cooking is to find a good, easy, and reliable technique, and to play with it using different ingredients. Braising is a good example. It’s pretty foolproof, and can be done ahead of time, which is always a good thing when you’re busy, or you’re making food for a crowd. It’s also inexpensive, since the best cuts of meat for braising are the toughest, and often the least expensive (though that has changed in the past decade or so, as our food-oriented culture turns to cuts that use to be discarded or dismissed, which has driven up their price). I have in mind things like pot roast, shoulder steaks, lamb shanks, pork hocks, tongue, ox-tail, etc. The steps are simple: 1) marinate or season, then sear or brown on high heat or on hot grill whatever cut you choose; 2) prepare a braising liquid/sauce); pour same over browned meat in ovenproof dish (this could also be done in a crock pot, but I prefer the oven); and 3) cover, bake at low heat (300 or less) for 2-3 hours, or until meat is tender, and falls of the bone. Time can vary, and you need to check to make sure it’s done. You should also watch the liquid level, to make sure the dish doesn’t dry out. What follows is a recipe I made today, with a few variations at the end.
Braised pork shoulder steaks, with garlic, peppers, onions, and tomatoes.
Ingredients 3 large pork shoulder steaks
6 cloves garlic (minced)
3 cloves garlic (chopped)
1-2 hot peppers
1 medium onion, diced
2 cups peeled tomatoes (I grill large tomatoes at the end of the season, when I’m trying to keep up, and peel, chop, and throw them in sauces)
2-3 small sweet peppers (red or yellow, no green; could be spicy)
olive oil
paprika
2 cups, chicken stock (preferably homemade, but purchased will do)
salt, pepper to taste
1. Marinate pork steaks: pour olive oil on, rub in garlic, finely minced peppers, salt, pepper, paprika, let stand for as long as you can, up to several hours.
2. Sear pork steaks on hot grill; roast several tomatoes for sauce; reserve in roasting pan.
3. Prepare braising liquid: saute onions, peppers, in olive oil, salt and pepper liberally; add chopped garlic, more paprika; add stock and chopped tomatoes, bring to boil, simmer a few minutes (this is going to cook in the oven, so you don’t need to cook it too much at this point). Add more salt if necessary. (You should always be checking for seasoning.)
4. Pour braising liquid over meat; it is best when the meat is fully covered. Cover, and roast in 300 degree oven 2-3 hours, or until done. You should check the meat periodically, to make sure it’s done (and not overdone and dried out).
5. Turn off oven, and let the entire dish rest for at least 15 minutes. This lets the meat absorb the braising liquid, that has cooked down with the meat, making a richer stock. Adjust seasoning (and it may be just right).
I served this disk with mashed potatoes, corn, and bread, but you could also serve this with noodles, spaetzle, rice. And you can also shift the emphasis of the dish in terms of seasoning. Some variations:
-with cumin/Cuban inspired: add to rub generous spice blend of cumin, black pepper, salt, garlic; add cumin to braising liquid.
-Pork chile verde: salt, pepper, garlic rub; use braising liquid with tomatillos, roasted anaheim chiles, cilantro, lime, dash of cinnamon (I may post this recipe elsewhere; it’s a bit more involved–but a good one).
-you can also go in an Italian direction, and think of this as a kind of meat sauce for pasta.
FoodIowa 