Beggarow Barbecue Pork

My Grandmother Osburn is a fabulous cook, but that's not the first thing that comes to mind when I think of her.  I think of Beggarow, her home in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, an ancient house and acreage steeped in family lore and memories. 

I think of the smell of the box wood hedge in the hot sun.  The creek full of crayfish.  The rooms full of treasured family artifacts, each with its own story.  The coolness of a house built of thick stone walls and plaster hundreds of years before air conditioning was invented.  The gardens where we learned the three distinct shapes of sassafras leaves and how to tell when a raspberry was truly ripe.  The long-unused root cellar built into a hill across the road where we once found a perfectly preserved rabbit skeleton.

Grandmother shared the house with my Grandfather, a man who I think of every time I ladle soup into storage containers at the restaurant.  Again I am a little girl at the old kitchen table surrounded by every container he can find, pouring water as he patiently explains volume in his slow breathy voice.  I know without looking that the corners of his mouth are turned up with amusement as I try to guess which jar will hold the liquid in my glass perfectly.
 
But back to the fabulous cook part.  My Grandmother snipped recipes from magazines and newspapers and had a huge collection of cards containing handwritten recipes passed down the generations.  She fried scrapple and new potatoes on an old gas stove.  She snipped herbs from her garden to make a sauce for her poached salmon and brewed iced tea to drink on the creeping-thyme-perfumed terrace.  At her table I learned to love asparagus and wilted lettuce salad and potato chips fried in lard. My grandparents ate their most elaborate meal at lunch and then had something simple for supper, which I found tremendously exotic.

A few years ago our extended family met at Beggarow for one last time.  My sister and I volunteered to cook a celebratory meal and searched through Grandmother's recipes for something to please a crowd.  This pork, cooked until fall-apart-tender, was so well received by our family that we started making it into Pulled Pork Sandwiches for the Cafe.  I recommend a heaping pile of coleslaw and potato chips on the side, preferably the kind fried in lard!

The Pork Roast after its Spice Massage

Beggarow Barbecue Pork

3 lb. Rolled Boneless Pork Shoulder



The Rub:
2 tablespoons Paprika (smoked if you can find it)
¼ C. Sugar
½ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1 tablespoon Salt
1 ½ teaspoons ground toasted Cumin
1 ½ teaspoons freshly ground Black Pepper

The Baste:
½ C. Apple Cider Vinegar
½ C. Apple Cider or 1 T. Maple Syrup

The Sauce:

All Ready to Pull!

Drippings from the pork
1/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 Cup Sugar
1/4 Cup Ketchup
1 ½ teaspoons Salt
2 teaspoons Dry Mustard or 1 tablespoon Dijon-style Mustard
1 teaspoon freshly ground Black Pepper
1 clove Garlic, minced

Combine the rub ingredients in a small bowl.  Place the pork in a roasting pan and rub all over with the mixture, and sprinkle any remaining into the pan. Place in a 300° oven and roast until the center of the meat reaches 180°, about three to four hours. Every hour, or when you think of it, baste with the cider and vinegar mixed together. Let the meat rest until cool enough to handle, pour off the drippings and then shred the meat with two forks or your hands. Mix the sauce ingredients up, add the drippings and combine with the meat. 

Autumn Pizza

Every Thursday morning at the Cafe I bake batches of Focaccia Bread.  It's a soft, wet dough that bakes into a spongy, chewy bread full of holes and fragrant with olive oil and rosemary.  We cut it into large squares and stuff them with chicken and roasted vegetables, or split them and layer the halves with ham, apples and cheddar.  They also stand in nicely when we run out of hamburger buns, an inevitability on busy weekends.  More often than not we mix up an extra batch of dough for pizzas.  We let our imaginations run wild, usually inspired by a quart of just-picked strawberries, a bagful of fresh herbs, or a bowl brimming with colourful heirloom tomatoes.  We're incredibly lucky.  Many of Union Street Cafe's present and past staff are gardeners.  And all the gardeners I know, especially my Dad, grow way too much for their own use.  So in through the kitchen door it comes, in bags and baskets and boxes: truly seasonal inspiration. And always gratefully received.
 This time last year: Kid Friendly Meals

Roasted Squash and Sausage Pizza with Greens
Here is last week's creation!  Feel free to sub in pita or pre-made crust if you don't want to bother making your own.  Just bake until the cheese is beginning to brown.

1 small Butternut Squash, peeled and cut in small dice
2 T. Olive Oil
1/2 t. Salt
1/2 recipe Focaccia Bread (make the dough and let rise)
generous 1/2 C. Alfredo Sauce, optional
1 bunch Rainbow Swiss Chard, chopped and steamed until tender, or 1 recipe Greens with Caramelized Onions
1 lb. Sweet Italian Sausage, cooked and sliced thinly (try Meadowbrook's in the Valley)
2 C. shredded Mozzarella
2 T. freshly grated Parmesan Cheese

Preheat the oven to 400°.  Toss the squash with the olive oil and salt and spread onto a baking sheet.  Roast for 20-30 minutes, until squash is tender and beginning to brown.  Leave the oven on.  Prepare the focaccia dough and gently press into a generously oiled 13x18" pan.  I find this easiest to do in two or three stages, as the dough resists stretching and needs time to rest in between efforts.  Spread the dough with the the Alfredo sauce.  Top with the squash, the chard, and sausage.  Sprinkle with the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.  Bake for 15-25 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and beginning to brown.

Itty Bitter Broccoli

Broccoli Raab is a delicious leafy and slightly bitter version of broccoli.  It has tiny florets on top of thick stems and is sold in bunches.  I've been growing it in my garden for the last few years and it's really easy: the seeds can be planted directly in the early spring, and when the plants get about 8 inches tall you can start harvesting the tops (the plant will continue to grow).  Like many of the greens I used to hate as a kid, they are addictive when braised with garlic and olive oil, and especially mouthwatering paired up with sausage and cheese.  The blanching step here greatly reduces the bitterness of the raab.  If you can't find it, substitute kale or Swiss chard or even spinach (no need to blanch chard or spinach first).
Incidentally, did you know that your tolerance (and hankering) for Bitter increases as you get older?  Little kids are generally very sensitive to acrid tastes, but less sensitive than the grown-ups to sour.  That's why they like to suck on lemons, and also why they will not like this.  Our kids just had the sausage on bread with ketchup and mustard.

Broccoli Raab and Sweet Italian Sausage Sandwiches

1 Baguette, cut into 4 pieces
1 bunch Broccoli Raab
1 T. Olive Oil
1 Onion, diced
1 clove Garlic, minced
1 lb. Sweet Italian Sausage, cooked and sliced
1 C. Shredded Mozzarella

Preheat oven to 400.  Slice each baguette chunk in half horizontally and place on a baking sheet.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 1 T. salt.  Add the broccoli raab and cook for two minutes, until the stems are just tender.  Remove and drain in a colander, then rinse with cold water.  Chop into bite sized pieces.  Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in  a large pan over medium high heat and saute the onion.  After a few minutes, when the onions have softened but are not browned, add the garlic and the chopped raab.  Stir and cook a minute, adding salt and pepper to taste.  Remove from the heat.  Layer greens, sausage and mozzarella on the baguette halves.  Bake for about ten minutes, until the cheese has melted and is beginning to brown.

November Harvest

It's getting to that time of year when you know it's all about to change. You may not know when, but it's coming. I've made my tire appointment, we've already burned through a noticeable quantity of firewood, and for a good two weeks before the clocks changed, the kids got on the bus in the dark.

Leaves have changed, been admired, and shaken themselves free.  Giant bonfires of scraped-together cornstalks one night yielded a gorgeous and surreal autumn vista by morning: smoke hanging low over the Valley floor and all the colour and orange-gold light. In the garden, I'm still harvesting kale, swiss chard and broccoli and wondering how I'll find the time to plant the garlic. I can still pick raspberries a few at a time, and if I looked really hard, I could find a sound tomato. Still, it's after Halloween and long past the first pumpkin pie.
 Last week, we ordered piles of last-of-season greens, beets and herbs from Katrina Fairn and Angie Schoonhoven. I'm sad to let this connection go for the winter, we've had such a good time at the Berwick Farmer's Market and I miss it. I'm wondering when it's going to get cold and stay cold.

Fall and winter are cozy time for me in the restaurant. In the summer, when we're sweating to death and wondering why in hell anyone would order French Onion soup, it's hard to remember that the kitchen can be such a welcoming place come cooler weather.

I'm looking forward to the dishes we cook for the holiday season: Carrots baked in Honey and Butter, Turnip with Garlic Cream, Sweet Potatoes and Maple Syrup, and Roasted Vegetables of all kinds, including Parsnips, Celeriac, and Beets. For now, though, I'm hanging on to end of fall. I made this dish for Sean and I a few nights ago, it's just the kind of thing when you have your foot firmly in two seasons at once.

Roasted Butternut Squash with Greens and Sausage serves 4

1 small Butternut Squash, peeled, seeded and chopped

2 T. Olive Oil

Salt

1 Onion, diced

2 cloves Garlic, minced

16 C. mixed Chopped Kale, Swiss Chard, or any kind of greens

1/2 lb. Cooked Sausage, cut in rounds (or substitute 6-8 oz Smoked Tofu, cut in strips)

Green Tomato Pickles or PC Fig and Balsamic Sauce

Preheat the oven to 350°. On a baking sheet, toss the squash and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil together with a little salt. Roast for 20-25 minutes, stirring after ten minutes, until fully softened and browned. Set aside. Meanwhile, heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for ten minutes or so, stirring often, until they are soft and caramelized. Fire in the garlic, kale and ½ t. salt. Stir and cook for a minute, then add ¼ C. water and cover. Cook for five minutes covered, then and add the chard or other greens and cover again. Cook for five minutes, until the greens are nearly softened, then uncover and add the sausage or smoked tofu. Toss and cook until the water has evaporated and the sausage is heated through. Divide the squash amongst four plates, then pile the greens on top and grind on some pepper. This is amazing served with homemade pickles, but if your auntie won't share with you, the fig sauce is rather good on top.

Pumpkins and Squash

Last week I stopped at Forsyths's Farm Market just outside of Berwick to buy some pumpkins and gourds for decorating and was happy to see that Brice had grown some gorgeous Warted Hubbard squashes. Hubbards are huge and have a surprisingly delicious dark orange flesh. For $3.99, one could have all the squash a family could eat for months!

Large squash like these are a trick to break into, but a large knife and some care and patience will help. Once you've cut the squash into large pieces, discard the seeds and stringy pulp and cut away the peel with your knife. Pile the pieces into a roasting pan, cover with foil and bake at 350° until falling-apart tender. Pass the pieces through a food mill or process until smooth. Use some right away, and freeze the rest in 2 to 4 cup portions in freezer bags. I like to flatten the bags so they stack neatly in my freezer. Use your squash in “pumpkin” pies, in soups, cakes, or any recipe calling for squash or pumpkin puree.

Brice (King of Squash) Forsyth also had Sweet Mama, Ambercup, Acorn, Butternut, Buttercup and Sweet Dumpling squashes on display in bins, along with Pie Pumpkins. Many of these winter squashes store very well in a cool place for a few months, but they can also be frozen for longer storage. Simply cut in half, scoop away seeds and place face down on a baking sheet. Bake until very tender, then cool a little and scoop the flesh away from the peel. Process as above.

Sausage Stuffed Squash serves 4

My mom perfected this when I was a teenager. I loved it! I remember storing a squash in my dorm room closet and making this for my friend Mari. We were vegetarian at the time, so we left the sausage out and it is really good that way, too. You may want to add a little cooked bulgur or soy crumbles.

2 small or 1 large Buttercup Squash, cut in half and seeds removed

Pretty Little Pie Pumpkin from Waxwing Farm

1 lb. Sausage or ground pork

1 Onion, diced

2 cloves Garlic, minced

3 stalks Celery, diced

1 T. Flour

1 can Tomatoes

1 t. Dried Thyme or ½ t. Sage

Salt and Pepper

¼ C. Toasted Walnuts or Sunflower Seeds

½ C. Grated Cheddar

Preheat the oven to 350°. Place the squash on a baking sheet cut side down. Bake for about an hour, until the squash is tender when pierced with a knife. Meanwhile, make the filling. If the sausage is in casings, remove them. Place the sausage in a large pan over medium-high heat and add the onion, garlic and celery. Cook and stir until sausage has browned and onions and celery have softened. Sprinkle in the flour, then add the tomatoes and their juice, squishing the tomatoes in your hands as you add them to break them up. Stir and cook another five minutes, until the mixture bubbles and thickens. Remove from the heat. Taste and add a little salt if necessary, and season with black pepper. Turn the squash over and press down on them gently to flatten the bottoms so they are stable. Spoon the filling into the shells (there may be some leftover) and sprinkle with the walnuts or sunflower seeds. Top with the cheddar and return to the oven for 15 minutes, until the cheese has melted and is beginning to brown.

Pumpkin Gingerbread

I love baking with pumpkin, and this recipe is the result of years of experimentation! It's a delicious combination of gingerbread with a pumpkin pie filling. Why not? Gingerbread makes a great “crust” for pumpkin pie, and the swirling mosaic of pumpkin and cake is as beautiful as it is delicious.

Well, maybe not beautiful, but beautifully delicious!

Spice Mix

2 t. Cinnamon

1 T. Ground Ginger

1 t. Freshly grated Nutmeg

½ t. Cloves

1 t. Salt

Gingerbread:

1/3 C. Melted Butter

1 C. Molasses

1 Egg, lightly beaten

1 C. Orange Juice

2 ½ C. Whole Wheat Flour

1 t. Baking Soda

4 t. Spice Mix

Pumpkin part:

2 C. Pumpkin, cooked and mashed (or canned)

1 ½ C. Milk or Blend

½ C. Sugar

2 Eggs

4 t. Spice Mix

Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter a 9x13 pan. Combine all the spices in a small bowl and set aside. For the gingerbread, combine the butter, molasses,eggs, orange juice, flour, baking soda and 4 teaspoons of the spice mix in a large bowl. Whisk until thoroughly combined and pour into the pan. In the same bowl, combine the pumpkin, milk, sugar, eggs and remaining 4 teaspoons spice mix. Pour the pumpkin mixture evenly over the gingerbread. Bake for 40-55 minutes, until the gingerbread is firm and springy and the pumpkin custard is set.

Fast and Picky

My friend Katie has a truly funny mama blog. It's called Katie Anna. Don't read it while you're eating, because you will laugh out loud involuntarily and you may ruin your computer. Anyway, she suggested recently I come up with some good quick supper ideas that work for families, something I'd been thinking about a lot. That's because school has started, along with Brownies and Beavers. And I'm now packing two little lunches (the night before, so far, so good) with the kiddies' likes and dislikes in mind. Even someone who really enjoys cooking can get a little tired of the whole dinner thing, especially with children who don't appreciate their efforts. As my daughter gummed her Duck Confit at one year of age, I had hopes of raising mini epicureans, but now I keep it simple. That way, they don't cry when I put supper on the table.

My weeks go best when I plan a menu. If you enjoy reading food magazines or cookbooks at all (and I'm guessing that if you're reading this, you might) spend some time noting things you'd like to try. Then make a list of your family's tried and true favourites. Think about the week to come and slot things in accordingly. If you get really organized, you can take care of some things when you have the time, like on the weekend. Many prepared soups and casseroles keep well for up to a week, even improving (to a point). Make a grocery list so you're only running to the store once a week.

I was getting a lot of resistance at mealtimes until I discussed the issue with my co-worker, Alexis (remember, your childless friends often have the best parenting advice). She suggested to let the kids pick what's for dinner once a week, thereby winning cooperation, and it's worked really well. My daughter has even taken over cooking that meal (yes!), so we plan something she can handle, like quesadillas or macaroni and cheese. That inspired my son to want to help, too.

Perfectionist mommies and daddies, be flexible about what you call dinner. The first time we ate waffles at 6 pm, I felt guilty. Scrambled eggs and toast with a little fruit on the side might seem weird, but it's nutritionally sane and it's fun (hard to choose a wine, though). The same goes for sandwiches. Set up a Subway-style sandwich bar with roasted chicken or ham, sliced pickles, cucumbers, (in my son's world, these count as two separate vegetables) tomatoes, peppers, cheese and some good bread and condiments. Then place your order.

Other do-ahead Kitchen Witch recipes your kids might enjoy include the Baked Tofu and Thai Pork Burgers (while you top yours with cilantro and chili sauce, they can mask the taste of that nasty basil with ketchup and mustard).

Big Batch Chili

At our house, this is a favourite. The optional toppings make it fun and kid-friendly. You may notice it's vegetarian, but feel free to add a pound of browned ground beef or cooked diced chicken.  It makes a big batch but it freezes brilliantly.

1 T. Olive Oil

1 large Onion, diced

2 cloves Garlic

2 Sweet Peppers, diced (green or red or one of each)

4 stalks Celery, diced

3 T. Chili Powder

2 t. Salt

3 Cans of Beans (Black, Kidney and White Beans are nice, but it's your choice!)

2 28 oz cans diced Tomatoes

1 small can Tomato Paste, optional

2 C. frozen or fresh Corn

Topping Ideas: Plain Yogurt or Sour Cream, Shredded Cheese, Sliced Olives, Banana Peppers, Diced Avocado, Hot Sauce, and Crushed Tortilla Chips

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, peppers and celery, and stir and cook for about ten minutes, until softened and aromatic. Add the salt and chili powder, and stir another minute. Add the beans with their liquid, and the tomatoes with all their liquid. Stir up the pot and bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low and let cook for about half an hour. Stir in the optional tomato paste and ground beef or chicken if you like, and the corn. The chili is ready to serve once the corn has heated through. Serve the toppings at the table and dig in!

Made-to-Order Quesadillas 
 

These are really just Mexican grilled cheese sandwiches. Choose a decent whole wheat tortilla and talk your kid into as many vegetables as they can handle (sometimes, that's none). At the Cafe, we mix up a filling of black beans, diced mango, red pepper, charred corn and green onion and place a handful of that on top of the cheese. It's delish.

For each quesadilla:

1 large (or small!) Tortilla

a handful grated Mozzarella or Cheddar Cheese

Refried Beans straight from a can, or process 1 can Black or Kidney Beans with 1 clove Garlic and
1 T. Chili Powder until smooth

Optional Fillings: Diced Peppers, Green or Red Onion, Tomatoes, Corn, Pineapple, Mango, Diced leftover Chicken, Pork or Beef

Salsa and Sour Cream for serving

Preheat the oven to 350° if making a quantity of quesadillas. If you're making only one or two, just heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Spread some beans and sprinkle cheese over the whole tortilla and add as many of the optional toppings as you would like. Place the tortilla in the pan. When the bottom has browned and the cheese has melted, fold the whole thing in half and transfer it to your plate. If you're making lots of quesadillas, fold each quesadilla in half once filled and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes until filling is hot. Serve with salsa and sour cream on the side.

From the Freezer Meatballs

I got this idea from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food. Meatball in the freezer=money in the bank. Saute them straight from frozen and serve with veggie sticks and mashed potatoes, bake them (no need to thaw) on top of a pizza, or add directly to simmering tomato sauce (yours or the store's) and cook for ten minutes before serving them with spaghetti. Isn't that brilliant? Thanks, Martha.

2 lb. Ground Beef or Pork (or a mix of both)

¼ C. Minced Parsley

3 cloves Garlic, minced

1/2 C. Grated Parmesan Cheese

¼ C. Breadcrumbs

2 Eggs

1 t. Salt

Pepper and maybe a grating of fresh Nutmeg

Combine everything in a bowl. Form into about 80 little meatballs, placing each one on a baking sheet. Freeze until solid and store in a resealable plastic bag.

Basil

When I was young, a friend of my dad's would often roar up from Delaware on his bike, blast into our lives for a week, and make everything interesting for a while. Often with a new pretty girlfriend in tow, Redz would soak up a year's worth of Nova Scotian life, telling ridiculous jokes, making my dad swear more than usual, and cooking. He also had a lot of energy for my sister Meagan and I, referring to us mostly as Rug Rat and Linoleum Lizard, names he had given us as infants. He drew us silly pictures and took us for rides on his motorcycle. Once he answered the phone with his Delaware accent, and the person on the other end thought they had dialed Luigi's, the pizza place in town. “Do you guys have turkey subs?” the poor sucker asked. “Well, we do”, he said, “only problem is, them turkeys are still runnin' 'round out back. Ain't had time to kill 'em today!”
Whether Redz introduced us to pesto or not is of some debate. I know he did, my mom isn't sure. Anyway, my mom was really into her herb garden at the time, and since basil is the queen of herbs, it was held in high esteem. She would sprinkle shreds of it on a tomato and mozzarella salad, and stir it chopped into green beans stewed with garlic and tomatoes. However we discovered pesto, even as kids, Meagan and I were hooked.
More recently, I've been including basil in wraps with baked peanut tofu and as a garnish for Pad Thai. I'm also growing Thai Basil this year, which has a hint of licorice flavour, and Ruben Basil, which is dark purple and makes a shocking pink herb vinegar. Basil is amazing in a grilled pineapple salad, and in my favourite sandwich: Just toast two slices of good bread, rub it with a cut garlic clove and a smear of mayonnaise. Top one with thick slices of tomato and whole basil leaves, then put on the top. Cut in half and devour!
Basil is easily frozen. Just strip off the leaves, put them in a food processor with about 1/4 C. olive oil to each 8 cups basil leaves. Pulse until well chopped, then transfer to small bags and freeze.

Pesto

Here is a good basic pesto recipe, one you can freeze in small bags for a taste of summer anytime!
8 C. loosely packed Basil
8 Cloves Garlic
½ C. Sunflower seeds
½ teaspoon Salt
1 ½ C. Olive Oil
2 C. Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese (I use Holmestead)

In a food processor, pulse all but the cheese until smooth. Stir in the cheese by hand. Package into small freezer bags and freeze. Pesto can also be stored in the fridge for a week or two. Make sure to tamp down the solids so there is a good layer of oil on top.


Green Beans with Tomato and Basil

1 T. Olive Oil
1 Onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 large Tomatoes, chopped (or half a 28 oz can)
1 lb. Green Beans, steamed or boiled until just tender
1/4 to 1/2 C. chopped Basil

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring often, until softened and beginning to brown. Stir in the tomatoes and cook until they have broken down into a sauce-like consistency, about 10 minutes. Stir in the beans and basil, along with salt and pepper to taste, and let cook a few more minutes. This dish is great hot or at room temperature.

Thai Pork Burgers

1 lb. Ground Pork (we love Meadowbrook!)
1 t. Salt
1 T. Fish Sauce
1 T. Sugar
1/2 C. chopped Basil
2 cloves minced Garlic
1/2 C. chopped Green Onion, optional

Combine everything in a large bowl. Form into 4 patties, or for cute mini burgers, form into 12 patties. Grill or panfry until no longer pink in the centre. Serve with Sweet Chili Sauce and sprigs of Cilantro, Red Onion slices, Mayonnaise and whatever else suits your fancy!