Recipe by Damon Lee Fowler, featuring
Salt Table Savannah Spanish Moss Seasoning Blend
Pork and mushrooms are naturals for autumn, and both are perfect mates for Salt Table’s Savannah Spanish Moss Blend. Here they all come together in a great stew for chilly autumn evenings by the fire. Serve it with lots of crusty bread for sopping.
Serves 8
Ingredients:
- 3 pounds lean, boned pork shoulder
- About ¼ cup canola oil or bacon drippings
- Salt Table Savannah Spanish Moss Blend
- 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and diced small
- 1 large carrot, peeled and diced small
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1-2 cloves garlic, lightly crushed and peeled
- 1 cup Madeira or medium dry sherry
- About 5 cups chicken or beef broth or about 2½ cups of each
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped flatleaf parsley for garnish
How to make it:
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400° F. Trim the meat of excess fat and gristle and cut it into 1½-to-2-inch cubes. Wrap it well with paper towels and pat it dry. Put enough oil or drippings in a large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven (preferably enameled iron) to cover bottom by about ¼-inch. Warm it over medium heat.
- Unwrap the meat and season it well with Savannah Spanish Moss Blend, then add enough pork to the pan to fill it without crowding. Raise the heat to medium high and brown it on all sides. Remove the meat to a plate or platter and repeat the with remaining meat.
- Spoon off all but 2 tablespoons fat and adjust the heat to medium. Add the onion, carrot, and celery to the pan. Sauté until the onion is golden, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and toss until hot. Turn off heat and return the meat to the pan and sprinkle it with the flour. Stir well and put the pan in the center of oven and bake 4 minutes. Remove, stir, and bake 4 minutes longer.
- Remove the pot from oven and reduce the temperature to 300 degrees. Add enough broth to just cover the meat. Cover the pot tightly, return it to oven, and bake half an hour, then reduce the temperature to 275 degrees and bake until the meat is fork tender, about 3 hours.
- When the stew is almost done, wipe the mushrooms clean with a dry cloth, trim and quarter them, and sauté them in 2 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat until they’re beginning to color at the edges. Season Savannah Spanish Moss Blend and turn off the heat.
- If when the stew is ready the sauce is too thin, remove the meat to a platter and put the pot over direct medium heat. Cook until reduced and thickened. Return the meat to the pan and fold in the mushrooms. Let it heat through and serve, garnishing each serving with parsley.