New Year's Resolution: Help Me Help You

Happy New Year, all!  My apologies for my long absence from the blogosphere. My husband and I were in Kentucky over the holidays visiting my parents, and our trip was unexpectedly extended a couple of days when our flight home was canceled. When we were able to get home, we were swept up into work, New Year's events, and a sick cat.  Everything is okay for now, and I hope to be a better food blogger in 2011.  I'm not going to make that an official resolution, though, because that's a surefire way to make sure it doesn't happen! 

I received a totally adorable pink netbook computer as a Christmas gift from my dear husband, which should increase my ability to blog in the new year (allowing me to do so from any room in the house!).  Unfortunately, the screen is defective, and we're having to ship it back for a replacement. In the meanwhile, I thought I'd ask for some help from you, my dear readers (all three or four of you), and share a New Year's-themed recipe (sorry, no pictures!).

First, my request.  What do you want to see in this blog in 2011?  Recipes for specific dishes?  How-to's on specific things (the proper way to dice an onion, how I prefer to peel garlic quickly, etc.)?  Just pictures?  Please be specific if you can--I can keep going posting some of my favorite recipes, but I'd feel less self-indulgent if I knew my posts might be helpful for useful!

Now back to cooking.  Growing up in my family, it was a tradition to have a pork roast and sauerkraut on New Year's Day.  I never quite got into the southern tradition of black-eyed peas, despite all my years living in the south, so I needed to figure out my own pork and sauerkraut.  Last year I tried to the recipe from my edition of Joy of Cooking, and let me tell you--it was a winner.  I'm told this recipe only appears in the most recent edition, as my mom had never heard of it.  What makes this so yummy is that is pleases both those who like sauerkraut (me, in smallish doses) and those who don't!  The kraut in this case is made up of half fresh cabbage (which is braised along with the pork in broth and beer and herbs) and half rinsed sauerkraut.  It still has a tang, certainly, but it's much milder and not as vinegary as what many of us expect.  I made the same recipe again this year, and was once again very pleased (and so were my dinner guests!).

And so, here is the recipe.  Enjoy!  (Below the cut.)

Braised Pork Roast with Sauerkraut, from The Joy of Cooking, 75th Anniversary Edition (2006)
Serves: 8.  Time: 3 to 3.5 hours, plus time for the roast to "marinate" (2 hours to overnight)

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
• 4 pound Boston-style pork shoulder, butt or blade roast, excess fat trimmed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil or bacon fat
• 4 cups shredded cabbage
• 2 cups thinly sliced onions
• 1/2 cup diced carrots
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced leeks (white part only)
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 pound sauerkraut, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 12 ounces dark beer
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
• 1 teaspoon dried savory
• 2 bay leaves

Directions 

1. In a small bowl, mix together the sweet paprika, salt, black pepper, sage, thyme, and dry mustard with a fork. Pat the meat dry and rub with the spice mixture. Allow to "marinate" in the refrigerator for 2 to 24 hours.
2. Position a rack in the center of the oven (or lower if your Dutch oven is tall) and preheat to 325 degrees. 
3. In a large heavy Dutch oven, brown the meat over medium heat on all side in the bacon fat or olive oil.
4. Remove the meat to a plate temporarily.
5. Pour off the rendered fat, leaving 2 tablespoons in the pan. Add the cabbage, onions, carrots, and leeks. Cover the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat until the vegetables are softened and the cabbage is wilted, about 10 minutes.
6. Add the garlic and continue to cook for another minute. Add the sauerkraut, chicken stock, beer, caraway seeds, dried savory, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil.
7. Return the meat to the pan, nestling it into the cabbage mixture. Cover and braise in the oven for 2 hours. Check the meat. It should be fork tender. If not, cook for 30 to 60 minutes more.
8. Remove the meat from the pan and skim off any fat from the pan juices. Slice the meat (it will probably fall apart and require very little slicing) and serve with the vegetables and pan juices.

I also serve mine with plain (but creamy!) mashed potatoes, which I think provide a nice balance to the tangy sauerkraut.  I know the ingredient list is long, and it's a long cook time, but truly, this recipe is very easy.  I bet you have half the ingredients already--I know I did (though that's partly because I bought some of them last year! ha!).  Once you get the roast in the oven, you've got 2+ hours to take a nap, play with the cat, or get into trouble.  A perfect meal for when you're having guests!