We have already established that I am so not a meat and potatoes kinda person. But how about meat and grits? Slowly, I am being broken into eating Southern. Just when I think I have myself all figured out. You know, the what I will and what I won’t eat scenario, I surprise myself. Okay, I hear you- it’s not like I went and cooked a pigs head or something extraordinary. It’s just grits and a pork loin. It might be just grits and pork, no big deal except: I adored my dinner. Adored it beyonds words, which is why it has taken me two days to even begin to speak of my meal on Sunday. I didn’t want the night to end it was so…………simple but out of this world. It would have been better if the homemade freezer pickles were pickled. No, this cook had to wait till the next day to add those to her meal. It was a meal that almost didn’t happen because well it’s spring and the gravy made me think it was a little too heavy for this time of year.

For some of you, you might find this a cold weather dish. Something reserved for the chilly days of fall or winter. Despite that it was 75 degrees in Charleston and we are in the throws of spring, a dish of such nature was warranted for our Sunday dinner. You see you only need a touch of the gravy to just moisten the meat. Really not much as the braised pork is moist on its own.

This Yank has been baking up a storm doing some catering. This weekend in particular my jobs required me on my feet with my back to the 350 degree stove for about 7 hours each day. I have a small kitchen. By Sunday, I was feeling the heat, especially when you add the 200 degrees my body temperature is registering of late. I was on fire, it was that plain and simple. I can’t cook or think or talk or do anything for that matter when I am on fire. To remedy this situation I crank the air conditioning down to below 65 degrees, lower if I could get away with it. At least the 65 degrees gives me half a chance to get through the day without killing someone because I am so hot.

The husband on the other hand, gets to walk around the house in a sweat shirt with the hood on while his teeth rattle because he is so cold. I offered to get him a blanket to keep him warm while he watched golf, but he declined. Was that a scarf and gloves I saw him wearing? I was barely comfortable and he was freezing. He tried to sneak in the hallway and turn the AC off a few times. As if I am making up that I am sweating like a pig. So, I had to go turn the AC back on. He is thinking it’s only spring and it’s going to be a cold summer for him. I am thinking it’s going to be a hot summer for me.

Once again I am the comprosiver which is why I offered him a cold weather meal. See what a good sport I am. I am so glad for my quick thinking to appease him, as I am savoring our Sunday meal again. The first image is just of leftovers. You know, those sad meals we have to reheat because we are too tired to make something new. Just kidding! I love leftovers and they were actually quite divine. But on the other hand the original meal. The one cooked Sunday night, well that was just grand. The pickles were a splendid thought, but a late one at that. Too late to have with dinner. So I would just have to dream on. The slits in the pork roast, yielded perfectly flavored creamy garlic cloves to go with the hash. Splendid.

Eight deep slits wide enough to house a clove of garlic, dried thyme and a turkish bay leaf was the beginning of the preperation. Added to this were sliced onions and some stock. Wine was the other option, but stock did just fine for me. The pork loin was topped with parchment paper and put in the oven to braise for 6 hours while my kitchen smelled better as the day went on.

Braised Pork Hash

Scott Peacock, Gourmet Magazine January 2008

1 (5-6) lb pork shoulder (preferably with bone and skin)

1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

8 Turkish bay leaves

2 medium onions

3 cups dry white wine

1 tablespoon butter

3 tablespoons flour

Equipment: a 6-8 quart heavy nonreactive pot

• Preheat oven to 325degrees with rack in the middle
• Cut eight deep slits randomly over top and sides of pork with a paring knife.
• Sprinkle a little thyme and a little pepper into slits, then insert garlic and a bay leaf in each.
• Sprinkle remaining thyme, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper over pork, then put in pot.
• Scatter sliced onions and any leftover garlic around meat.
• Add wine and bring to a boil.
• Cover with a sheet of parchment, then lid, and braise in oven until meat is very tender, 4-5 hours.
• Cool, partially covered, about 30 minutes, then transfer meat to a platter.
• Strain liquid through a sieve and reserve onions.
• In a small saucepan keep liquid hot, removing the layer of fat on top.
• Remove layer of fat from top of pork. If you want you can fry this up and get it crispy to eat with pork.
• Discard bay leaves, and cut pork into 1/2 inch pieces, return to pot adding onions.
• Heat butter in 12 inch saucepan adding flour. Cook till medium brown.
• Remove from heat and slowly whisk in 2 to 2 1/2 cups of the braising liquid to make gravy.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Add about 1 cup of the gravy to the meat and onion mixture, just enough to moisten.

Cooks’s Note: Why hold back on the garlic. I actually put one clove in each whole and was glad for my decision. I had to raise my oven to 350 degrees for the last hour and a half. I also couldn’t find a good pork shoulder so used a loin. It worked out well.

What can I say about the creamy grits. Nothing other than I knew they were going to be wonderful before I even added the 1/2 stick of sweet cream butter and heavy cream. Sometimes when stirring you can just tell that the food is going to turn out better than ever. This was one of those nights.

Creamy Grits

1 cup grits( I used 1/2 white & 1/2 yellow) wonderful combination. Not instant!!!

2 1/2 cups water

2 cups milk

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/2 stick butter

1/2 cup heavy cream

Place all ingredients except butter and cream in pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook until thick 20 to 30 minutes. Stir often with a whisk. About a minute or two before done, add heavy cream and blend well. Then add butter. Maybe reheated the next day. Tastes great but will loose that heavenly creamy texture and gentle taste.

What could I have possibly been thinking by not starting the pickles the night before, so they were ready to eat. I don’t know but will never make this mistake again. These are easy, crisp, taste wonderful and are sure to be added as a staple in my home from now on. I used small pickling cucumbers, in fact they were barely 1 inch around. They keep for about 6 weeks in the refrigerator. You can adjust the sugar and vinegar to suit your taste. Just make sure the cucumbers you use do not have wax on them. Never in a million years would I think that freezing them would make them crisp. On the contrary, I would have bet mushy. Despite my reservations about making pickles this well, I was proven wrong. They were crispy and fresh tasting.

Homemade Freezer Sweet & Sour Pickles

Roni Lundy, Butter-beans to Blackberries

4 cups of paper-thin sliced cucumbers

water

2 tablespoons kosher salt

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup white vinegar

• Slice your cucumbers as thin as possible. Don’t peel them or remove the seeds.
• Put sliced cucumbers in a glass bowl or crock (not metal or plastic) and cover with just enough salted water to cover them.
• Soak at room temperature for 2 hours.
• Drain, but don’t rinse reserving the water.
• Dissolve the sugar in the vinegar.
• Pour over the cucumbers and add enough brine to cover.
• Put in a freezer container (plastic okay) and liquid.
• If dividing into two containers divide liquid in equal portions.
• Freeze overnight, this is how they get crisp.
• Take out of freezer the next day, they will thaw in a few hours.
• Store in refrigerator, they keep for about 6 weeks if they last this long.

Yes, Sunday was a splendid day. Perhaps Sundays will once again be reserved for a special dinner in the evening. We are finishing renovating an older home. Move-in is in a few weeks; once the new kitchen is done. My mind is ticking away with Sunday dinner thoughts that will soon include family and friends to share in the days efforts. What a way to start the week. A day of giving thanks, a day of cooking, and an evening of shared fellowship while dining on a meal full of Southern bounty. Oh, how I am enjoying these new discoveries. I am feeling at home in a different way and it is good.