January 28th, 2009 | Filed under: entree, recipe | Tags: pork, prunes, roast, rosemary, wine
I know most people associate prunes with rather unfortunate circumstances, but that’s not really fair to the poor prune. When used in savory recipes, they add a juicy sweetness that’s particularly good with roasted meats. My grandmother used to make the most succulent roast chicken with prunes that was beloved by the entire family. (In fact, I think I’ll post that recipe soon. Mmm…)
While your meat roasts, the prunes caramelize and dissolve, making a deliciously sticky sauce for whatever else is sharing the pot. This recipe is best for its simplicity. Just sear a seasoned pork loin, add prunes, rosemary, red wine and smoked paprika, cover and let simmer for about 45 minutes. The result is sweet and smoky with a little rosemary flavor. Perfect for slathering on top of your pork roast.
As a bonus this dish makes your house smell absolutely delicious. So delicious, your neighbors will be jealous (and hungry). Make sure you’ve got enough for leftover sandwiches — crazy delicious!
Related: Guava & Prune Stuffed Pork Shoulder
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February 11th, 2008 | Filed under: entree, recipe | Tags: bacon, guava, pork, prunes
photo credit: Not me. Meutia Chaerani / Indradi Soemardjan from Wikipedia.
Tom and I had a dinner party for some friends and family on Saturday night and I did not take a single picture. I’m not really sure how that happened, except for the fact that I was completely exhausted by the time my guests arrived. In fact, my mom brought us cortaditos (Cuban coffee with a bit of evaporated milk) at my request because I didn’t think I’d make it through the festivities otherwise.
The day began before sunrise when Tom’s alarm went off and he got up to film some videos on a Carnival ship. Then there was a flurry of last-minute shopping, de-boning, marinating, cleaning and cooking and suddenly it was 7:30 and my guests had arrived. The menu looked something like this:
Hors d’oeuvres: Crispy Hominy (one day I’ll get around to posting this recipe), Pita Chips and Black Bean dip, little toasts with chorizo/cherry tomato bake and Manchego cheese
Main course: Roasted pork shoulder stuffed with guava shells, bacon and prunes, and roasted with a brown sugar/malt soda glaze. Side dish was pine nut and green onion pilaf.
Dessert: Berries with cardamom whipped cream, fancy vanilla sugar crystals and Ghiradelli toffee and dark chocolate squares
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