The Aftermath: Coming Together in Support for Sandy

Food brings people together. It is a statement so true that I have written about it over and over and over again. In most cases I say this for idyllic circumstances, where I’m surrounded by people I love, laughing over plates of delicious food, or philosophizing about something or other while sipping cider, tea, or mead. Food is a way of connecting with people as one of our most basic needs are met, physically warmed as it reaches our stomachs and emotionally warmed as we discover how extraordinary life is with those we love.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, there are those out there still picking up the pieces the storm had left in its wake. While the worst I experienced were flickering lights, empty water jugs artfully flung into the grass from the porch, and a toppled birdbath, my family was still safe and warm from Sandy’s screaming winds. For days some families were without power, or unable to leave their streets because of fallen trees and large debris. Thousands had to be evacuated from their homes, and additional thousands lost them entirely. And unfortunately, we lost a few sentient beings in the storm’s havoc.

Here I was, working on my own life, and as if reawakened I was suddenly aware what was going on around me. There are others out going through the same thing I am, and I no longer feel so alone in my experiences. In times like these people realize that they aren’t alone, that they’re cared about and their lives are meaningful. So whoever you are, wherever you are, whether I know you or not, I wish you well and hope you are safe.

When the lovely Jenn of Jenn Cuisine posted “Food Bloggers Support for Sandy”, I felt that this would be a great opportunity to reconnect with others in the world, creating a virtual buffet of warmth and delight of the senses for a shared cause. This isn’t about gluten-free eating; and to be honest, it really isn’t about Sandy (although it was the event that brought Jenn and Barbara [of Creative Culinary] to create this awareness). It’s about connecting with your neighbors: the ones living next door and the ones in the states Sandy hit the hardest. It’s about remembering that, regardless of political/national/ethnic orientation, we are still people who live, breathe, laugh, cry, suffer, love, and eat.

Perhaps you will donate to the various organizations Jenn listed towards disaster relief. Perhaps you will volunteer your time to providing food and other provisions yourself. Or maybe, just maybe, you will create a dish in the hopes to create awareness and reach out to whichever neighbor happens to need you most.

Regardless, I dedicate this meal to the people who volunteered, rescued, survived, and persevered during Hurricane Sandy.

Roasted Pork Loin and Vegetables

2 lb. Pork Loin
1 lb. Brussels sprouts
3 Sweet potatoes (a little larger than hand-sized), chopped into bite-sized pieces
2 Apples (I used small Fujis), coarsely chopped
4 Garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 Red onion, coarsely chopped
70 ml Rendered chicken fat*
120 ml Apple cider
1 tsp. Sea salt
1 tsp. Dried tarragon
1/2 tsp. Mignonette pepper**
1/4 tsp. Powdered rosemary

Preheat the oven to 450°F.
In a x” baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, set the whole pork loin in the center to bake uncovered for 35 minutes.
In a large mixing bowl, fold the remaining ingredients until completely integrated and well mixed.
Remove the pork from the oven, pour the vegetables around the meat, and cover with aluminum foil.
Place the pan back in the oven, reducing the heat to 375° to bake for an additional hour.
Take off the foil and cook for another 30 minutes, or until the center of the meat reaches 177° and the vegetables are soft and have browned slightly.
When done, slice the meat into thick cutlets, and serve each cut with a heaping spoonful of veggies (you could also make a quick gravy with the leftover juices).
Serve warm.

Makes 6 – 8 servings.

*I usually have a jar of the stuff after making my oven-baked chicken. But if you don't happen to have this on hand, you can substitute it with your preferred cooking oil/fat.

**This is Penzeys Spices's version of "coarsely cracked pepper", so whatever cracked peppercorns you have will work beautifully.

The Bento Box Snapshot: Pork roast with rice and veggies

Before my 4:30 class starts, I thought I’d post the first "Bento Box Snapshot" of the semester! I can tell my Mondays are going to be busy. From 1:30 p.m. to 7:10 p.m. I have class, with 1 hour 45 minute break in between. With fifteen credits to take to graduate (three classes or nine credits for my anthropology minor and one class or three credits for my last conflict resolution class as an undergrad), as well as CARmunity starting up again, applying for grad school and looking for a part-time job, I have a feeling BBSs will be rather common this semester.

And that’s fine by me.

For lunch I packed another rice cracker sandwich with roasted turkey and gouda slices with a granny smith apple and a dollop of peanut butter.

As for dinner, I sliced up last night’s pork roast with a side of a combination of sweet brown and black rice. Along with my protein and grain is a salad, consisting of Kumato (or Olmeca) tomato, carrot, red bell pepper, cucumber, and labneh. There is some coconut aminos sprinkled around… somewhere. Oh yes, and sea salt and cracked pepper brings it all together.  

On Love and Barbeque

It was a perfect day for an August wedding. There was a faint tint of summer becoming fall in Holliston, and the white wash of the church stood out against the bright colors of the blue sky that crowned it and the old buildings that surrounded it. There was such love between the newlyweds on Saturday, and it was quite the sight to see.

I think it was Aaron (one of the best men) who said that, to paraphrase, many quotes about marriage talk about imperfection. He quoted Rocky (“She's got gaps and I got gaps, and between the two of us, our gaps meet and we sort of fill each other in.”) and McLoughlin (“A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.”). He talked about how Galen and Amy, now the fabulous Mr. And Mrs. Wall, created a home where he felt there will always a couch and a cold beer waiting for the people who need it.

His and Alex’s (the other best man) speeches really touched me. Actually, the whole wedding thing had my gears turning.

This is the “Love” part of this post, so bear with me if you would.

The Happy Couple: Amy and Galen (my cousin)

Aaron was right: Love isn’t perfect. It isn’t a one-size-fits-all kind of concept. Your Soul Mate can make you angry. You can make the Love Of Your Life cry. Everyone around you seems to have The Advice for The Perfect Relationship that, apparently, you’re  not in. Then they go on to say what you are ready for and what you aren’t. Like when to get married, for example.

I think the best way to tell how a wedding ceremony and reception truly affects you is how much you can relate to the couple in question. Here there was this woman with the larger than life personality marrying a man where all you needed to do was dig a little deeper to see just how broad he is… and I saw it. I saw a bit of the boyfriend and myself there, surrounded by loved ones and dancing our first dance and eating our cake. I saw the ceremony that formally sealed the pact we have already informally created. I saw the life we shared together, and I was inspired.

I knew then what I had already known: we are in love and it’s quite possibly the forever kind. The love we share isn’t perfect, thank goodness. If it was, then it wouldn’t get better and we wouldn’t learn a thing. We wouldn’t make mistakes or progressions that led to personal enlightenment by stepping outside the box for a change.

Love isn’t just a concept for when things are wonderful, new, and perfect. Love is the idea where every emotion on the sentiment spectrum applies. You take what you have, and what may not be the likeliest cohesion just may surprise you both.

Take weddings and barbeques, two things that definitely make a right.

I think this is a good time as any to add in the “Barbeque” part of the title. It must have been two weeks ago when I decided to make pulled-pork barbeque in the presser cooker. The result was a perfectly succulent meat substance… with an overpoweringly spicy and watery broth. Now make no mistake you guys, I dig spice and I dig spicy even more. Get me a ghost chili pepper and I’ll make something from it. But I was disappointed, however, because I wanted a kick that didn’t kick the Burt-man to his knees and a sauce that truly delivered.

Then I remembered there was still half a grain-free nectarine crisp still in the fridge. And Mama Dazz did say she wanted me to incorporate it for that night’s dinner…

It went very well with the plantains*.

Pulled-pork Barbeque

2 lb Pork roast, cubed
24 oz Chicken stock
1 oz Dry white wine
4 tbsp. Olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp. Apple cider vinegar
1 Yellow onion (sm.), finely diced
1 Carrot, finely diced
2 Garlic cloves, finely diced or crushed
3 tbsp. Salsa fresca
2 tsp. Chili powder
1 tsp. Chili pepper flakes
2 tsp. Paprika, preferably “smoked”
1 tsp. Cumin
1 tsp. Sea salt
1/2 tsp. Ground pepper

3 – 4 Ripe nectarines, peeled and halved
2 oz Almond meal (not flour)
2 tbsp. Almond slivers
1 tbsp. Honey

Place all of the ingredients, except the last four, into the pressure cooker on med-high heat (with the lid securely fastened) for 45 minutes to an hour.
Turn off the heat and let it sit until the pressure has subsided (about half an hour).
Remove the lid and in a large bowl or saucepan, scoop up the cubed pork and break them into strands.
Add the remaining ingredients to the broth and cook on medium to medium-low heat for 15 minutes.
Turn of the heat and with a hand mixer (or very carefully with a typical blender due to splashing), emulsify until the sauce is consistent.
Place the pork back in with the liquid.
Serve over your favorite bread as an open sandwich with a side of plantains.

Serves 8 – 10 people.

*For the plantains: Peel 3 – 4 and cut them each into four equal chunks. Flattened them at least 1/4” thick (I did this with my tortilla press in between a gallon-sized Ziploc® bag, formed them into a letter fold), and place them on a greased, aluminum foil lined baking sheet. Cover the baking sheet with aluminum foil and “steam” them for 45 minutes at 350°F. Set the oven at “broil” and brown both sides to your preference of doneness. Makes 12 – 16 pieces and can serve 4 – 8 people as a side/starter dish.