Hello Autumn! We are coming into one of my favorite cooking seasons now. Autumn, with all of its delicious flavors and colors.
Cooling temperatures also mean that we are not afraid to turn our oven on, and the autumn harvest means that we have an abundance of fresh local vegetables available for us to enjoy! I do so love the Autumn!
I also love Pot Roasting. Especially when it means combining tender pork with fresh carrots and cabbage wedges! This Pot Roasted Pork with Cabbage and carrots is one of my favorite meals to cook when the temperatures start dropping and the nights begin to draw in.
A long slow braise results in succulent moist pork, tender roasted carrots, butter tender cabbage and a rich gravy that is to die for.
The other day I picked up a boneless pork loin rib roast. It looked so good. I knew I was in for a real treat!
The boneless rib is the rib portion of the loin, closest to the shoulder. A similar cut to the center pork loin but with more marbling and better flavor. It is comparable to the prime rib in beef, except a whole lot cheaper!
The rib end has slightly more fat than the center so therefore juicier and is easier to carve with the bones removed. It adapts well to a brine, marinades, glazes, dry rubs. And it works beautifully in an oven braise such as this recipe I am sharing today!
Garlic is a flavor that marries very well with pork. In order to inject real garlic flavor into my roast I like to insert slivers of garlic. (I do this to beef roasts as well.)
Its such an easy thing to do and really adds to the flavors of meat, vegetables and gravy. You will need a small sharp knife. I make deep cuts all over the top of my roast and push slivers of garlic down into them. Just make sure you don't cut all the way through.
You will need a small head of cabbage and about 4 carrots and a small onion.
I rubbed the pork all over with salt and pepper and Bell's seasoning when I had finished inserting the garlic. Bell's seasoning is a type of poultry seasoning.
Then I strained all of the pan juices into the saucepan, pressing the onion to extract all of that flavor and scraping any puree which gathered on the bottom of the sieve into the gravy as well.
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Its pretty much only available in New England, but I make my own, which is very close to the real thing. You can find a link to my recipe for it in the recipe notes below.
You will find that it is something which you will find yourself turning to time after time. Its great in stuffings and stews and for rubbing onto pork or chicken. I make a fresh batch every year and it always gets used up!
I like to peel and slice an onion, which I place in the middle of my large casserole/lasagna type of baking dish. I don't have a roaster as such, not yet.
I place the rubbed pork on top of the sliced onion, where it acts as a sort of trivet for the meat. Kind of like a roasting rack, but with a heck of a lot more flavor!
The onions not only flavor the meat and hold it up, but they also add great flavor to the gravy. My son in law doesn't like onions and won't eat anything he thinks has onions in it. I cannot imagine.
The onions absorb lots of flavor from the meat, its a kind of symbiosis where they help each other out beautifully. I always press the onions through a sieve when all is said and done and you cannot imagine how tasty that onion puree makes that gravy!
The cabbage gets cut into quarters. I leave the core in. This helps to keep the cabbage intact while it cooks and it does get really tender.
I place one quarter into each corner of the pan. I then place the peeled and quartered carrots around the cabbage and roast.
Finally I pour two cups of chicken stock into the pan. The magic elixir that will not only help to tenderize everything, but also add even more flavor.
I like to use the Knorr gel stock pots. I was so happy to find them here in Canada. I really think they are the best things to use in cooking, and I use them a LOT.
You will either need to use a roasting pan/dish which has a cover, or you will need to tightly cover the roast in aluminum foil. I chose the latter and I used three layers. I wanted to really keep all of the moisture in there.
You can now go off and do whatever else your day is calling you to do and let the oven do all the work. About an hour and a quarter later, your meat and vegetables should be cooked and tender. Of course this timing depends on the size of your roast.
Generally speaking pork will take about 25 minutes per pound to roast to perfection. Once that is achieved, I uncovered everything and poured a tablespoon of maple syrup over top of the meat.
Just to add an additional layer of flavor and glaze it a tiny bit. Another 15 minutes and the meal was done.
I had meltingly tender cabbage, almost buttery in texture. Oh how I love that stuff. My carrots were nicely cooked as well. For a meal like this you don't want your carrots to be crispy tender.
Roasted tender is what you want. And of course both ingredients also add flavor to the pan juices. You will need to remove your meat and vegetables to a platter and loosely tend them while you make that tasty gravy!
This vintage Corelle sauce boat and plate was a gift from my sister.
I love it!
I took a leaf from my sister when it came to making the gravy. She always melts some butter in a sauce pan and whisks in flour. There was not a lot of fat on the meat, so I felt okay using butter.
Once the butter starts to foam, I whisk in the butter and cook the two together for about a minute or so. This helps to cook out the flour taste.
Then I strained all of the pan juices into the saucepan, pressing the onion to extract all of that flavor and scraping any puree which gathered on the bottom of the sieve into the gravy as well.
Oh my. What a lovely gravy this is. I could drink it like hot chocolate. It IS that darned delicious!!
With a few boiled potatoes on the side or some mash, you have a meal fit for a King or a Queen here. I guarantee nobody will be complaining and your house will smell wonderful!
You cannot ask for a better pork with cabbage recipe. This ticks all of the boxes.
Tender succulent meat. Check! Beautifully cooked vegetables. Check!!. Flavor filled gravy. Check!!! This was the perfect way to usher in Autumn! Happy Fall, Y'all!
Pot Roast Pork with Cabbage & Carrots
Yield: 4
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 1 H & 45 MTotal time: 2 Hour
Moist and tender roast pork with a flavor filled gravy and tender wedges of cabbage and carrots on the side.
Ingredients
- 1 Pork Loin Rib Roast (mine was about 2 1/2 - 3 pounds in weight)
- 3 fat cloves of garlic, peeled and cut into slivers
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 tsp Bell's Seasoning (can use Poultry seasoning)
- 1 small onion, peeled and sliced
- 4 carrots, peeled and cut into 3 inch lengths
- 1 small head of cabbage, cut into 4 wedges
- 2 cups (480ml) chicken broth
- 1 TBS Maple Syrup
To make the Gravy:
- 1 TBS butter
- 1 TBS flour
- pan juices from the roast
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Have ready a large deep roasting casserole dish.
- Using a sharp knife, make deep stabs in the surface of your roast. Take care not to cut all the way through to the bottom. You just want pocket. Shove a sliver of garlic into each pocket. Rub the roast all over with the salt, pepper, and Bell's seasoning.
- Place the sliced onion in the middle of the roasting casserole. Pop the pork roast on top of the onion. Place the cabbage wedges and carrots around the roast. Pour the chicken stock into the pan and then cover the pan completely and tightly with a heavy sheet of foil. If you pan has a lid, just pop on the lid.
- Roast the pork in the preheated oven for 25 minutes per pound of meat. I roasted mine for approximately 1 1/4 hours. The juices should run clear, and the vegetables should be tender.
- Uncover and spoon the maple syrup over the pork. Return to the oven for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and remove the pork and vegetables to a serving platter. Loosely tent with foil while you make the gravy.
- To make the gravy, melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the flour and whisk to combine, cooking over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Strain the juices from the roasting pan into the saucepan through a fine mesh sieve. (I like to push the onion through to a puree. It adds nice flavor to the gravy. Discard any solids.) Cook, over medium heat, whisking constantly until the mixture comes to the boil and thickens.
- Serve the pork cut into slices along with the vegetables. Pass the gravy at the table.
- Potatoes go well with this. Mashed, roasted, boiled, baked. All are good.
Notes:
You can find my recipe for Bell's Seasoning here.
Honey Mustard Roasted Potatoes. I have never made a secret of the fact that my favorite vegetable is the humble potato.
I love potatoes in any which way, shape or form. Boiled, mashed, baked, roasted, fried. If its a potato I am all over it. In fact if I could choose only one thing to bring with me to eat on a deserted island it would be the potato.
There is nothing you cannot do with a potato. They are an incredibly versatile vegetable that can transform themselves into main courses, side dishes, breads, desserts and even candy!
You can also make alcohol with them. Incredibly versatile any which way you look at them!
I can almost guarantee that you are going to fall in love with this recipe for honey mustard crispy potatoes that I am sharing with you today.
Not only is it very simple to make, but its also incredibly delicious. I mean . . . who does not love a crispy potato?
Combine that crispiness with the flavors of honey and mustard, and you have a totally winning combination!
You might be tempted to think that these would be sweet, but you would be wrong. They are the perfect combination of sweet and salty and they go with just about anything under the sun, making them an ideal side dish!
I used red potatoes for this recipe. My potatoes were all about 2 inches in diameter, and to make this recipe which is a smaller batch, it took approximately 8 potatoes.
To get evenly sized cubes (and you want that so that they all cook in the same amount of time) I cut my potatoes into quarters first and then each quarter into halves and then in half yet again. (Did that make sense? I hope so!)
It doesn't matter how you cut them really, only that they are evenly sized, or as evenly sized as you can get them.
These cubes first get tossed together with some oil. I use a light coloured olive oil. You don't want to be using extra virgin. Olive oil is much healthier than regular oil, but save the extra virgin for salads and such. Don't be wasting it on cooking if you can help it or unless it is absolutely specified.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil has a very distinctive and unique taste and can alter the flavor of what you are cooking, so don't be adding it unless you want that additional flavor.
I just use the light, which is still olive oil, but not the strong flavor. It has all of the same health benefits of the evo. The main difference it is has been filtered and so the taste is milder.
it also has a higher smoke point than evo, which makes it ideal for frying or cooking with.
Both are much longer lasting and have longer shelf lives than traditional oils. They are now pretty much the only kinds of oils I keep in my kitchen. I do also have Canola, but that's it.
The yellow mustard I used in this is American style mustard. It is very brightly colored and has a much milder flavor than other mustards. The brand I used is French's ball park mustard.
My husband would never eat that kind of mustard. He said it wasn't mustard, but then his taste buds for mustard had probably been burnt out by English mustard which is extremely hot.
I remember making him sandwiches to take in his lunch when I first moved over to the UK and slathering English mustard on them like I did North American mustard. Big mistake.
They about blew his head off. After a few days he made a polite request for me not to use as much. I had no idea of the difference in flavors. It is a world of difference. So . . . don't use English mustard here.
They also use a little bit of Dijon mustard, which also packs heat, but in a much milder form. I love Dijon mustard and use it alot. In fact I prefer it on my sandwiches over any other kind.
The honey I used here is regular clover honey, in liquid form. You don't need any special kind of honey. Just liquid honey. It is used in an equal quantity as the mustard.
Other than that you only need salt, pepper and a bit of garlic powder for flavoring. Do be careful not to use garlic salt. Just the powder. I also prefer coarse pepper.
These all get mixed together and poured over the potatoes, tossing them together until they are evenly coated.
Spread out on a lined baking sheet that you have spritzed with a bit of low fat cooking spray and Bob's your Uncle. I like to give them plenty of space in between. Its easy to do when you are cooking in a smaller quantity, a bit harder when you are doing more.
If you are doubling the recipe, I recommend using two baking sheets, and lined as well. Because of the sugar content of the honey you don't want them sticking. Sticking means all of that golden brown goodness gets left behind instead of on the potato!
I like to stir them at least once during the cook time not only does this help to prevent them from sticking and burning, but it also gives them more of a chance to brown evenly.
As with anything that cooks in the oven like this, the outer edges get browned faster. If you stir the potatoes up a bit, then more of them have the chance to sit on the outside of the pan at some point at least!
If you wanted to you could add some herbs, thyme would be nice, but its not really necessary. These taste pretty good just as is!
Easy to make with very little prep work Honey Mustard Roasted Potatoes make the ideal mid-week side dish to serve! I enjoyed them with some pork, but I think they would work wonderfully with ham and I think they would also be ideal next to a nice grilled piece of salmon!
I just think they are great full stop! I really hope you will give them a go!
Honey Mustard Roasted Potatoes
Yield: 2 - 3
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 40 Min
A deliciously tasty side dish. Quick and easy and oh so scrumptious! You can easily double the quantities to serve 4 to 6 people.
Ingredients
- 1 pound red potatoes, cut into bite sized cubes (about 8 smallish potatoes)
- 1 TBS oil
- 3 TBS liquid honey
- 2 TBS yellow mustard
- 1/2 TBS Dijon mustard
- 1/4 tsp coarse black pepper
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder (not salt)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375*F/190*C/ gas mark 5. Line a medium baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray it with some non-stick cook spray.
- Combine the potatoes in a bowl with the oil. Whisk together the remaining ingredients and toss them into the bowl. Gently stir all together until everything is evenly coated.
- Spread out evenly on the prepared baking sheet.
- Roast in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, give them a stir and return for a further 10 minutes, at which time they should be tender, with crisp edges and are turning golden brown.
I would be the first to admit that I am a very old fashioned girl with very old fashioned tastes. I love to try new things and to be a bit out there at times, but basically it is the simplest things in life which bring me the most pleasure.
In both the way I live my life and in the things that I eat. There is nothing I love more than a nice pot of a delicious old fashioned beef stew, made the way my mother made it, the way her mother made it and the way her mother before made it.
Things like Beef Stew are very much a generational thing and something which I can make with my eyes closed. I learned from watching my mother do it, and have added my own twists and turns to it through the years.
I was really craving stew today and decided that it should not matter that I am only one, I can still fashion myself a traditional beef stew recipe that won't end up with me having to eat it for a week.
This stew is nothing fancy, and I must apologize for my photos in advance as well. It was rather late in the day when I went to take them, so they are not the best.
I hope that doesn't put you off from making this delicious dish however! Dumplings and all! If you are looking for a full sized version, you can find it here. Fit for the God's Oven Braised Beef Stew.
For me, the perfect stew has to contain a few "MUST HAVE" ingredients. First of all a good beef is paramount.
Buy the best stewing beef that your money can buy. Try to get one that doesn't have a lot of fat on it. You want a bit of fat and you want it to be nicely marbled, but you do want more meat than fat.
Yes, I am that woman you see in the grocery store, poring over every single pack of stewing beef looking for just the right one! Tell me I am not alone in this!
I hate eating meat that is full of gristle and fat. There is a happy medium.
Onions are another thing that a good stew must contain. No fancy onion. Just a plain old brown onion, peeled and diced.
You also want a goodly portion of root vegetables. I like to use carrots, parsnips, rutabaga (swede) and potatoes. There is nothing fancy here.
There is nothing fancy here. Just good old fashioned root vegetables peeled, and sliced or diced. Some people like to add celery, and you certainly can, but I never bother.
One thing you need to do when making a pot of stew is to brown your beef really well. This will add much flavor and color to the stew.
I cut my meat into one inch cubes and toss it together with some seasoned flour. The flour will melt off the beef in the long slow cooking and help to thicken the stew.
It also adds to the caramelization of the meat.
Crowding the pan is probably the single most common problem that people encounter or practice when browning off beef for any purpose. If you crowd your meat in the pan it won't brown properly.
Its that simple. It is better to work in smaller batches, removing them as they brown and adding more, than to dump everything in all at once. This is the secret to a well flavored and colored stew.
You probably won't need to work in batches for this stew as there is not that much meat, but you still don't want to crowd the pan. A lot depends on the circumference of your pan.
Once I have my meat all browned I add the vegetables (with the exception of the potatoes) to the pan and I let them cook and caramelize a bit, soaking up all the goodness left in the pan.
Finally I add all of the aromatics and herbs along with some beef stock. You can just add water if you want, but stock does give it a nice flavor. Some people add red wine.
I never, or hardly ever have things like red wine in the house and so I add a bit of balsamic vinegar which give that added boost of flavor,
Other things I like to use are a splodge of tomato ketchup, some creamed horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, and some herbs.
Thyme, parsley, summer savory and a broken bay leaf. I break the bay leaf to release the flavors. It does make a difference. If you can't find summer savory use marjoram. You could also add a bit of rosemary, but I never do.
You want to be a bit judicious with the salt and pepper. I really don't add any until the end. Stock can sometimes be salty.
And some of the other ingredients can be as well. Lets not forget that the beef was browned in seasoned flour as well.
I let the stew cook, covered in a slowish oven for about an hour to an hour and a half, then I add the potatoes. I don't want my potatoes totally falling apart, so that is why I wait a bit longer to add them.
Finally you can make some dumplings to drop on top during the last fifteen minutes of cooking. Its not necessary, but its always nice.
Today I just used Bisquick baking mix to make Bisquick dumplings. Very easy. Just drop them onto the hot stew, recover and bake for a bit longer. I went and had a shower and by the time I was done, everything was ready to eat.
And it was totally delicious. I was a happy camper, enjoying some of my favorite comfort food. Stew and dumplings. It doesn't get much more comfy than that!
Plus I had the leftovers to enjoy the next day. Stew is one of those delicious dishes that always improves even more in flavor overnight. Enjoy!
Beef Stew for Two
Yield: 2 - 3
Cook time: 3 H & 30 MTotal time: 3 H & 30 M
A down-sized version of my favorite beef stew, perfectly sized for two. It may be smaller in size but is every bit as delicious as the full sized version!
Ingredients
- 3/4 LB of stewing beef, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 TBS flour
- salt and black pepper to taste
- a splash of light olive oil
- 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into coins
- 1 medium parsnip, peeled and sliced into coins
- 1/4 of a small rutabaga (swede) peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1 large baking potato
- 2 cups beef stock
- 1 TBS tomato ketchup
- 1 TBS balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp creamed horseradish
- 1 small broken bay leaf
- 1/4 tsp each thyme, summer savory and parsley flakes
- 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
Dumplings: (optional)
- 1/3 cup of Bisquick baking mix
- 1/3 cup of milk
Instructions
- Toss the beef cubes together with the flour, along with some salt and pepper to taste.
- Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed stove top/oven safe casserole dish/Dutch oven, over moderate heat. (You will not need a really large one, but it should hold at least four to five cups.)Add the beef cubes and brown them all over.
- Once they have browned add the onions, garlic, carrots, swede and parsnip, along with the herbs. Sauté over medium heat for about 10 minutes, then add the stock, ketchup, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, and Balsamic vinegar. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer while you are preheating the oven.
- Preheat the oven to 325*F/160*C/ gas mark 3.
- Cover the casserole tightly and pop it into the oven. Bake for 1 hour.
- Peel your potato and cut into large chunks.
- Add the potato to the casserole, give everything a good stir, and return to the oven, again, tightly covered.
- Bake for a further 1 to 1 1/2 hours until the meat and vegetables are tender.
- If you are making the optional dumplings. Stir together the baking mix and the milk to combine and dollop on top of the hot stew. Cover tightly and return to the oven for a further 15 minutes. Delicious!
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