Good morning. “Sister, I do what I do, and I do it better than most, and I take some satisfaction in that,” John D. MacDonald wrote in “One More Sunday.” (The novel is, I think, out of print, but available from your more demanding libraries.) ‘I am like a very dependable dog. They throw a stick into a jungle and I can go in there and bring it back.
That’s me with pork shoulder: smoked or slow roasted, shredded for tacos, grilled for gyros. I am constantly on the lookout for new recipes for that simple, delicious cut of meat. I often cook with pork shoulder, and better than many, and it leaves me satisfied.
So I’m thrilled to try Ali Slagle’s new recipe for Garlic Braised Pork Shoulder (above), wobbly and fragrant, perfect for tearing apart and serving over polenta or piling on top of a sandwich. Whole heads of caramelized garlic flavor the meat and the accompanying stew, which you can further enhance with oregano and thyme.
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Garlic Braised Pork Shoulder
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To go along with it, I think I could make Kay Chun’s new recipe for a savory fruit salad, which relies on crunchy fennel to counter the soft, juicy fruit. (Some people hate pairing fruit with meat. If you’re one of them, this simple slaw should fit the bill.)
Other things to cook up this weekend: Superiority Burger’s crispy fried tofu sandwiches; Vallery Lomas’ blackened fish with quick grits; and the simplified niçoise, David Tanis’ potato and green bean salad. Those are fair meals.
But if you’re lucky enough to have access to a grill, you might want to consider Steven Raichlen’s revealing recipe for a reverse-seared steak, which I think pairs well with my grilled romaine recipe. (Basically, you cook the steak slowly, away from the coals, until it reaches an internal temperature of 110 degrees. Then you let the meat rest for a while, build up the heat, and give it one final blast to seal the outside. sizzle and bring the temperature to about 125 degrees for rare, 135 for medium-rare.)
And how about a Texas sheet cake for dessert? (It’s coming up in graduation season. Sheet cakes should be everywhere.) That or some rhubarb chips.
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It has nothing to do with how you poach an egg or blanch asparagus, but I think it’s important that you read an essay written by my boss, AG Sulzberger, in the Columbia Journalism Review. It is titled: “The essential value of journalism.” That value is independence, and as AG said earlier this week, it’s not just one of our core values. “It’s a promise we make to the public.”
I saw Kyle Dunn’s painting ‘Initiation’ on the Harper’s Magazine website. It made me sad to miss his show on PPOW in Manhattan. (It closed on the 13th.)
As an opportunity to see Bellefonte, Pennsylvania presents itself: Do. I made a pit stop there last week on a long drive east of Ohio. Bellefonte is an extraordinarily beautiful town: charming old Victorians perched on the hills rising from the railway line and river, where trout swim above the low falls in Talleyrand Park.
Finally, here’s your daily dose of Palestinian hip-hop and electronica: Shabjdeed, Muqata’a and Al Nather, “Bansak.” Play that nice and loud and I’ll see you on Sunday.