Total Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
Shopping List
1,3 kg of good quality pork shoulder with skin, cleaned
½ teaspoon of sea salt, black pepper, smoked paprika
½ teaspoon of cinnamon and satureja
A pinch of cayenne pepper
1 large onion, peeled and quartered
4 cloves of garlic, crushed and peeledInstructions
Preheat the oven to 160 degrees.
First, place all the spice and herbs into the mortyr (salt, black pepper, paprika, cinnamon, satureja and cayenne pepper). Blend until you have a smooth texture.
Score the skin.
Next, by using a plastic glove or with hands rub it all onto pork. Make love to it until is all nicely covered in the beauty. Done.
Skin-side down into a cold non sticking frying pan on high heat. Nicely sear from both sides for about 3-4 minutes, depending on the thickness. Take off the heat.
Put onion and cloves of garlic into the bottom of a small tray. Gently place the pork on the top and baste it with 1 cup of warm water.
Bake in the oven for about 3 hours. Take it out from time to time and baste with the juice. In a half time take it out and flip. If needed baste with some more water. If it is darkening too much, cover the pork with some aluminium foil.
After 3 hours, take it out and poke the meat with a wooden spatula. If it gets all the way through, the meat is done. Tender and falling apart.
Do not throw the juice, nor the veggies. That will be a great addition to the sauce, later on.
Shred the meat with hands or 2 forks and store before further processing. Yummy already now!
Makes 10 serves.
Healthy Pulled Pork Sandwich
Now, what’s healthy? Accordingly to my opinion, almost all the food in small amounts and combined well. For instance, if you take a nice juicy pork, shredded it into less fatter pieces and accompanied with spaghetti squash and fresh buns. This cannot be unhealthy, let me tell you. I would offer it even to kids from 5 plus. The only rule is the limit. It is hard, I agree, but you can divide it into more portions like a snack for 3 days. Pretty, isn’t it!
The Spaghetti Squash is a very versatile veggie with lots of nutrition within. Basically, you can just bake it and serve it with any kind of meat, pasta dishes, soups or curries. Very mild and yummy texture. Try it!
Shopping List
The Squash:
300g of ripe Spaghetti Squash, washed, halved and cleaned (makes about ½ of a small squash)
A splash of olive oil
Sea salt, ground black pepper
A pinch of nutmeg
The Sauce:
A knob of lard or 1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped (saved from the pulled pork roast)
2 cloves of garlic, crushed, peeled and finely chopped (saved from the pulled pork roast)
A pinch of chili
1 teaspoon of cardamom
1 bay leaf
½ of the amount of shredded pulled pork
1 tablespoon of tomato purée
2 teaspoon of raw sugar
A splash of Worcestershire Sauce, Balsamic Vinegar and whiskey
A splash of Heinz Ketchup
½ tin of chopped tomatoes
Fresh buns or kaiser to serve with
Instructions
The Squash
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
Place the squash face up in a small baking tray lined with some baking paper. Sprinkle with olive oil, season with sea salt and pepper. Flip and repeat.
Bake in the oven face down for about 30-40 minutes, depending on size of the squash. You know that it is ready, when the skin darkens a bit. Poke it with a fork. If it is soft, it is done.
Take it out and gently turn. Let it cool down for a bit.
Next, scoop the juicy squash with a fork into a small serving bowl. Sprinkle with some olive oil, a pinch of sea salt, black pepper and nutmeg. Set aside and cover.
The Sauce
In a medium frying pan melt a knob of butter on high heat. Add all the onion and sauté for about 3 minutes until nicely softened.
Then, stir in the garlic and let it smell out. Add all the spices: chili, cardamom, bay leaf and mix for 1 more minute.
The pulled pork in. Nicely roast it for 2 more minutes and stir in the tomato purée.
Sprinkle with sugar, Worcestershire Sauce, Balsamic Vinegar and whiskey. Reduce. Simmer for 2 more minutes.
Next, add splash ketchup and chopped tomatoes. Let it simmer on low heat until serving. Taste.
Presentation
Scoop the squash strands with a fork into a small serving bowl. Sprinkle with olive oil and sea salt. Add pinch of black pepper and nutmeg. Taste.
Then, layer your sandwich. Spaghetti Squash and generous amount of the saucy pulled pork. Cover with the top bun and bite into heaven. Serve with a chilled glass of beer.
My Culinary tip is red sauerkraut. When there is no squash around, try to substitute the squash for red sauerkraut. You won’t regret it, trust me.
Makes 5 serves.
Pulled Pork with Sweet Potato Fries and Hot Coleslaw
Wow wow wow. Seasonal, nutritious and so comforting. Serve as an romantic dinner or gathering with friends. You cannot go wrong with this one.
Does the coleslaw need any introduction? Scrumptious Coleslaw.
I am not ashamed to admit that the one I really used to admire was the coleslaw from KFC. It has a perfect texture, spiciness and grated to a perfection. Some people do not mind the bite in it. However, if you grate it finely, it releases more juice and gives it a bit different taste. Simplicity of seasoning is a winner. Ground black pepper is must!
My Hot Coleslaw makes a perfect side dish to any kind of grilled meat – pork chops, beef steaks, sexy chicken or turkey. Just try the best combination and snack with me!
Thanks to my friend blogger Pickled Plum Caroline, I discovered the beautiful taste of baked sweet potatoes fries. Sweet potatoes consist of huge amount of Vitamin A and makes a good alternative to white potato, especially for those who suffer of diabetes or gout condition. Limit is the key. Do not be afraid to try those. Just a little olive oil, cinnamon or garam masala can make wonders.
Total Time: 40 minutes + few hour chilling the coleslaw in the fridge
Shopping List
The Coleslaw:
½ head of white cabbage, washed, cleaned, chopped and finely grated
¼ head of celeriac, cleaned, washed and finely grated
1 shallot, peeled and finely chopped
1 small paprika (violets look pretty), washed, cleaned and finely chopped
1 medium white, yellow and red carrot, peeled, washed and finely chopped
½ lemon
½ cup of plain yogurt
3 heaped tablespoons of mayonnaise
1 teaspoon of Dijon Mustard
A pinch of chili
1 teaspoon of sea salt and ground black pepper
The Pulled Pork:
½ the amount of shredded pulled pork
A knob of lard/butter
The Sweet Potato Fries:
3 long thin sweet potatoes, peeled, washed, chopped in wedges
A splash of olive oil
Sea salt and smoked sweet paprika
Instructions
The Coleslaw
Place all the ingredients into a large mixing bowl: cabbage, celeriac, onion, paprika and carrots.
Sprinkle well with lemon juice.
Stir in the yogurt, mayonnaise and mustard. Flavour up with a pinch of chili, salt and black pepper. Taste and taste. Work the taste to perfection. The best coleslaw is laid in the fridge few hours before serving.
The Pulled Pork
Nothing is this easy: melt lard in a medium frying pan on high heat. Throw a generous amount of shredded pulled pork in. Roast for a couple of minutes until it darkens a bit and get nicely crispy. Taste and season accordingly. Done.
The Sweet Potato Fries
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
Drain out the potato wedges. Season them with salt and mold into a large baking tray.
Sprinkle with olive oil and mix. Bake for about 20 minutes. In half of the time flip them over.
Once they are ready, take them out and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and paprika. Serve with pulled pork and delicious coleslaw. Enjoy with a glass of dry white wine.
Makes 5 serves.