Sisters, Oregon View with
Quilts on Fence, c.2009
Giclee Print
, Lantern Press
Buy at AllPosters.com
 

Save on Clearance
at Target.com

La Belle Cuisine - More Pork Recipes

Fine Cuisine with Art Infusion

"To cook is to create. And to create well...
is an act of integrity, and faith."

Mammy's Pork Shoulder with
Tomatoes and Sauerkraut

"Vegetables are interesting but lack a sense of purpose when
unaccompanied by a good cut of meat."
~ Fran Lebowitz

Recipe of the Day Categories:

   Recipe Home

   Recipe Index

   Recipe Search   

   Appetizers

   Beef

   Beverage

   Bread

   Breakfast

   Cake

   Chocolate

   Cookies

   Fish

   Fruit

   Main Dish

   Pasta

   Pies

   Pork

   Poultry

   Salad

   Seafood

   Side Dish

   Soup

   Vegetable

   Surprise!

Interiors Remembered II
Dennis Carney
Buy This at Allposters.com

Cooking.com

Your patronage of our affiliate partners supports this web site.
We thank you! In other words, please shop at LBCGift Galerie!

Shoo Fly
Pauline Eblé...
Buy This at Allposters.com
 

La Belle Cuisine

Mammy’s Pork Shoulder with
Tomatoes and Sauerkraut

Winter (such as it is here in South Louisiana) is fast becoming a memory. And
every year around this time, I find myself considering the typical cold-weather
dishes that have escaped me once again. Even though the weather is quite mild
(as in gorgeous!) this weekend, I have decided to evoke the spirit of my beloved
maternal grandmother in the form of one of her all-time favorite recipes.
Note that I use the term “recipe” quite loosely here, as this was never written
down. As with much of her excellent cooking, she just “threw it together”.
Over the years, I have assisted her in throwing this dish together countless
times, as well as concocting it on my own.
This is approximately how it goes…

One 3- to 4-pound bone-in fresh pork shoulder half
(preferably arm “picnic” – we call this a
fresh picnic ham)
3 cloves garlic, cut into slivers
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable oil (or bacon grease)
for browning the meat
2 or 3 onions, chopped coarsely
1/4 cup dry white wine (if you happen
to have some)
One 15-ounce can tomatoes with juice
(either dice the tomatoes yourself,
or purchase the diced variety)
One 1-pound can best-quality sauerkraut
(Mammy did not have this luxury, but
I use imported German “Weinkraut,”
such as Gundelsheim brand “Authentic
German Sauerkraut seasoned with wine")
A pinch of sugar (to tame the acidity
of the tomatoes and sauerkraut)
1 bay leaf
About 1/2 cup chicken stock or broth
and/or white wine

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. With a small sharp knife, make slits all
over meat and insert a garlic sliver into each slit. Pat the pork dry and
season it liberally with salt and pepper.
Place just enough oil or bacon grease in a large Dutch oven (or heavy ovenproof pot with lid) to cover the bottom. Over moderately high heat brown the pork on all sides, turning occasionally. This should take about
8 to 10 minutes. When the meat is browned well on all sides, transfer it
to a platter.
Add the onions to the pot and sauté them well over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and starting to turn golden, about 5 minutes. Deglaze the pot with 1/4 cup white wine. Add the tomatoes, sauerkraut, a pinch of sugar and the bay leaf to the pot and stir well to combine. Return
the pork to the pot, nestling it into the tomato-sauerkraut mixture. Use your judgment: Add enough chicken stock and/or white wine to suit your taste.
The right amount will depend in part on how much juice was included in
the canned tomatoes and sauerkraut. We like the finished mixture to be
somewhat on the moist side.
Cover the pot tightly and braise pork in the middle of the oven until it is
very tender, about 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Check occasionally to ensure there is
enough liquid to avoid scorching.
Carefully transfer the pork to a large platter. Taste the tomato-sauerkraut
mixture and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper as necessary.
As you can well imagine, this dish will taste even better the day following
its preparation (and better yet the day after that). And it almost goes
without saying that you will want to serve it with mashed potatoes.

Featured Archive Recipes:
Gigi's Choucroute
Gigi's Favorite Ribs and Sauerkraut
Emeril's Favorite Choucroute Casserole
Fresh Ham with Sauerkraut
Jaeger Eintopf (Hunter Stew)
Sausages and Pork Chops Baked
with Fruited Sauerkraut
Schlachttopf mit Sauerkraut
Tourte of Sausage and Winter Fruits