Despite dodging Hurricane Joaquin (or did Joaquin dodge us?) there was still a shit ton of rain this past week... so much so our little basement flooded on Tuesday night. Don't worry, we're fine! The apartment is fine and the cats are fine (in fact, they had a blast playing/nesting on the pile of sopping blankets in our hall). But after the place dried out and we picked up some sandbags to prevent future disasters, all we really wanted to do was spend the weekend indoors, sheltering from the rain, playing Settlers, drinking wine, and watching West Wing.
It also seemed like a good opportunity to eat as much fall food as we could fit in our fat little mouths. So my roommate pulled an apple pie out of the freezer, I made a mushroom soup, we drank some pumpkin beer, spiked some apple cider, and I got really excited about parsnips.
I adore roasted parsnips. They're a little peppery, a little nutty, and go perfectly with sweet apples and spicy chorizo. Bring this to a fall potluck or think of it as an alternative side for your Thanksgiving spread? Honestly though, I'll eat this by itself topped with some crumbled goat cheese. Vegetarians can skip the chorizo and add some paprika to the apple sauce.
Stuff
2 lbs parsnips
2 shallots
2 apples (gala or another sweet variety)
6 oz chorizo
pour of maple syrup
good pour of apple cider vinegar
pinch chili flakes
olive oil
salt & pepper
Steps
Preheat the oven to 400F. Wash and chop the parsnips into 2" sticks. Toss in a baking tray with the maple syrup, olive oil, chili flakes, salt and pepper. Roast in the oven until tender (approx. 50 minutes), stirring half way through.
Peel and dice the apples, shallots, and chorizo. In a saucepan on a medium heat, sauté the shallots in olive oil for 3 - 4 minutes, add the chorizo and the apple. Cook for another 4 - 6 minutes. Add the apple cider vinegar and turn up the heat. When the apples start turning soft and the liquid has reduced, remove from the heat.
Mix the shallot, apple, chorizo sauce with the parsnips. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Summer vacation is over and I'M BACK! After one hell of a summer spent hoping about between Boston, Vermont, Norway, the Outer Banks, New York, Montreal, and the swift Potomac, I am settled back in DC and ready to face plant into fall.
Here's the thing, when the season starts to change I have an urge to begin cleaning and sorting... It doesn't happen in spring (why would you clean your entire house when you're about to spend every waking moment outside)? But fall starts and I begin going through my wardrobe, clearing out the fridge, and cooking as if the apocalypse is nigh.
While I was on a fridge cleaning mission, I found a couple winter brews from last year (my roommate and I have a thing for seasonal beer and last year we maybe went a little overboard...) I figured I better use them up before they hit the shelves again in a couple of months. Plus, in my freezer was 2lbs of pork shoulder that had been sitting there since April. I thought surely there's a way to use the beer and the pork, clear some fridge and freezer space, and have delicious lunches all week? So Christmas Beer Pulled Pork became a thing.
I reckon you could do this with another beer, you'd maybe want one that was on the sweeter side or was spiced similarly to winter ales (I bet fall beers would work a treat). You could also do it without the beer, for a more traditional pulled pork dish.
Stuff
2lbs pork shoulder
1 seasonal beer
2 tbsps brown sugar
1 tsp hickory salt
1 tsp chipotle chili
1 tsp black pepper
pinch coriander
apple cider vinegar
maple syrup
hot sauce
Steps
Preheat oven to 300F. In a small bowl mix together the dry ingredients. Line a baking tray with foil. Score the skin of the pork, but not the meat. Season the pork on all sides with the spice rub. Place in the tray skin side up. Pour in the beer and roast for 3 - 4 hours.
Once cooked through (internal temp 160F), remove from the oven and remove the crispy skin. Shred the pork, mixing in juice from the pan and bits of the crispy skin as you go.
Season pork with apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, and hot sauce to taste.
Fun fact: I pickled the pickles for this sandwich and I'll share that recipe shortly!
Mini sausage rolls are a British party snack similar to the American pigs in a blanket. They're a kids party staple that I've never quite grown out of because, let's face it, they're basically just meat wrapped in butter. They're easy to make and go down a treat with guests of all ages. I know this because we threw down for the Oscars at the end of February and these disappeared fast.
I try not to eat too much meat but for a party or special occasion it's nice to treat yo' self. There are a couple of places I can buy decent meat, one close to work (Stachowski's) and close to home (Meats and Foods). They do excellent dogs/sandwiches as well, so if you're ever in DC--check them out.
This recipe is insanely easy, mainly because I use store bought puff pastry. But hey, if it's good enough for Ina, it's good enough for me. Depending on the size of the party, I'll usually make a couple of batches ahead of time and then re-heat them before serving. Traditionally, sausage rolls are just sausage and pastry, but I always add a few extras because I'm not seven anymore and mustard is my jam.
Stuff
1 sheet of puff pastry
1 pork sausage
spoonful of mustard
sprig or two of thyme
dash of worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper
egg/milk (to glaze)
Steps
Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and lay out the pastry. Just below the center, spread the mustard in an inch think line all the way across the pasty.
Take sausage meat out of its skin and and arrange in an inch thick log on top of the mustard. Drizzle worcestershire sauce over the sausage. Sprinkle thyme leaves across the pasty and lightly season with salt and pepper.
Fold top half of the pastry over the sausage and press the edges together with a fork. Trim the edge to get a neat line. Gently slice the pastry log into inch wide segments and slash the top of each segment.
Glaze the log with egg or milk. Bake in the oven for 30 mins or until pasty is golden and sausage is cooked.
Once cooked, remove from oven, cut the segments apart, and place on cooling rack. These can be eaten hot or cold, but are best when they're fresh out of the oven!
