Cumin Pork Roast with Wild Mushroom Sauce

This rich mushroom sauce features a suprising Southwestern accent, courtesy of jalapeno chiles, cilantro and oregano. Not only is it sensational with the pork roast, it is terrific served over mashed potatoes or baked potatoes. Cook the Pork Roast all day in your crock pot for a meal that is almost effortless at the end of the day. Something that I have also discovered is that you can put a frozen roast in the the crock pot in the morning and cook on low all day. The results are the same as if you had a thawed roast.


Cumin Pork Roast with Wild Mushroom Sauce


1 3 1/2-pound pork roast
1/2 cup water
4 teaspoons ground cumin divided
2 tsp salt

2 tablespoons butter
14 ounces mushrooms, sliced (any variety of mushrooms work)
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon chopped shallots (can be easily omitted if you do not have them on hand)
2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon finely chopped jalapeño chili (with seeds)
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons finely chopped oregano
1 14 1/2-ounce can low-salt chicken broth or juice from the pork roast that has cooked in the crock pot
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/4 cup dry Sherry

Place frozen or thawed pork roast in a crock pot (small crock pots produce the best results) along with water, salt and 3 tsp of cumin, cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or until meat easily pulls apart.

At dinner time, melt 2 tablespoons butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, shallots, garlic and jalapeño; sauté until mushrooms are very tender and beginning to brown, about 15 minutes. Add chopped cilantro, oregano and 1 teaspoon cumin. Next gradually whisk flour into Sherry in medium bowl to blend. Add Sherry Mixture and Broth to the mushroom mixture bring to a boil, whisking until smooth. , Bring to a simmer for about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve this over mashed or baked potatoes. Yummy!

Helpful hint: You can also cook baked potatoes in a crockpot if you are not going to have time at the end of the day to complete them.

Crock Pot Baked Potatoes

6 medium baked potatoes
olive oil

Prick potatoes with fork and rub with olive oil. Place in crock pot
Cover and cook on high for 3-5 hours or low for 6-10 hours

The Mushroom Sauce Recipe is an adaptation of a Bon Appetit Cookbook Recipe

Spicy Shrimp

My Bon Appetit Cookbook never fails me. Again, I have found a recipe that is super easy and takes about 15 minutes to make. This shrimp can be eaten a multitude of ways: as an appetizer, with rice, with pasta or with French Bread to soak up all the great sauce. When I cook this I don't bother heating up the oven as the recipe calls for, I just throw them into a skillet or a wok for a couple of minutes. (This recipe is my own adaptation of the original)


Spicy Shrimp

1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp Cajun or Creole seasoning (use one that doesn't list salt as one of the first ingredients)
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp soy sauce
Pinch of cayenne pepper (use to your taste)
1 pound uncooked large shrimp, peeled, deveined and butterflied

Lemon wedges for serving

Combine first 6 ingredients in glass dish; whisk to blend. Add shrimp to mixture and toss to coat. Refrigerate for up to 1 hour (I think that 10 to 15 minutes is plenty because the marinade is so flavorful)

Cook shrimp and all of the marinade in a skillet or wok heated over high heat until shrimp are opaque in center about 4 to 5 minutes. You may also place these in a 450 degree oven on a baking sheet for about 10 minutes.



The next post will be from the Martin Epstein Test Kitchen: Pasta with Beans and Beef

Yummy Yummy Grilled Chicken in a Pan

This chicken is something that takes a little while to cook, however, it's an absolute breeze to make. It is a terrific crowd pleaser. I always like to make two of these at a time and then have lots of leftovers for sandwiches, salads or pasta. Oh! and if you want you can bake this chicken instead of grilling.

For the Chicken:
1 whole chicken
3/4 cup applesauce
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

For the Dry Rub:
1 tbsp brown sugar
2-1/2 tsp paprika
2-1/2 tsp garlic powder
1-1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground coriander

Heat grill to low medium about 300. If you can leave one section of your grill unheated it will work best this way. In a bowl combine applesauce and Worcestershire sauce mix well. Place chicken in a square pan that will hold the chicken without smooshing it too much, breast side up. (a Pyrex square baking pan works wonderfully) Coat the inside cavity of the chicken with applesauce mixture, then spread the rest of the mixture all over the chicken, covering as much of the chicken as possible.

Combine all of the dry rub ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Then sprinkle some of the dry rub inside the chicken. Spread the rest of the rub on top of the applesauce mixture. Be sure to use all of it. It might look like a lot but it forms a scrumptious crust on the chicken.

Place the chicken as far away from the direct heat of the grill as you can and close grill lid. Baste chicken a couple of times throughout the cooking process (this will help build a great crust). Cook chicken until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the chicken reaches 175 degrees. This should take around 2 hours depending on the size of your chicken, maybe more or maybe less.

If you prefer to bake the chicken, bake it at 350 degrees for approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes, until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the chicken reaches 175 degrees. Again, the time varies depending on the size of your chicken.

Believe me! You will love this and if you don't belive me ask Leah Erickson.