For my birthday, we went to our favorite French bistro, Cafe des Ami. It is tucked in the second floor of a building in downtown Parkville (a small old town, 20 minutes north of Kansas City). The owners are French, there are copper pots hanging on the walls, candlelight, great wine and delicious food.
I always order the same thing – we start with the black truffle pate and then I have the Seafood Bouillabaisse, served rustic style in a Le Creuset directly on the table. Our daughter had a cream of broccoli soup with a side of roasted carrots and mashed potatoes. When we take her to nicer restaurants, we encourage her to order sides or soup that appeal to her instead of kids’ meals that are usually the same everywhere (chicken strips, butter noodles, pizza, etc…). She ends up with a small sampling of new flavors and broadens her palate with a smaller investment than ordering her a full-size entree.
Mike typically goes for a filet, but this time he opted for a delicious sounding Braised Pork Shoulder in a Rosemary Broth. Oh my goodness. It was pull apart tender and the rosemary was so subtle. I recreated it this weekend and paired it with Emma’s spring vegetable sides to create one of the best meals we’ve had lately. The list of ingredients is short and simple, but they somehow marry to become completely delicious. It would be the perfect Spring Supper or Easter Lunch, as it is very hands off, though it does require 6-7 hours in the oven.
The broth marries everything together, so I served it in shallow soup bowls.
This is an easy dinner for a crowd, just two platters and a stack of bowls. This dinner would easily feed 6-8.
Rosemary Pork & Vegetables (Print Recipe)
4 pound Pork Shoulder
4 cloves of garlic
4 sprigs of rosemary
2 tablespoons of sea salt
olive oil
water*
…
5 carrots
1/2 head of cabbage
8 green onions
1 cup of frozen peas
Begin by making a the rosemary garlic rub by mincing the leaves of 1 sprig of rosemary (1 tablespoon), and 4 cloves of garlic. Combine with sea salt. Rub on pork shoulder. In a dutch oven (or large pan with lid), heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Sear the pork for 3-4 minutes on each side. Add 3 cups of water and 2 sprigs of rosemary. Cover the pot and put in a 300 degree oven for 6 hours.
Meanwhile, prep the vegetables that will cook in the broth at the end of the cooking time. I like to cut the cabbage into 2 inch pieces, and slice the carrots and green onions lengthwise. After 6 hours, the pork will be tender.
Remove the pork from the broth and let it cool on a plate. Add the cabbage, carrots and green onions to the rosemary pork liquid still in the pot. Simmer on the stove for 20 minutes until they are tender. Add the frozen peas at the end.
To serve, place pork in the center of a large platter, then spoon vegetables around. Spoon broth over the pork and vegetables. Serve remaining sauce on the side. I love this with mashed potatoes, crusty bread, noodles or soft rolls. Yum!
Emma mixed the rub together and mashed the rosemary and garlic salt.
This is the pork after being seared, then water added to the pot to pick up all of the bits and make a delicious broth.
After the pork cooks, the vegetables are simmered in the liquid.
Family Style service is my favorite. Doesn’t this look amazingly comforting?