Slow-Roasted Pork Shoulder with Garlic, Citrus, and Cilantro by Alison Roman

You know when you’ve recently had something so good that afterwards you can’t help but compare anything else you have that’s like it? Well I recently made a Melissa Clark Instant Pot carnitas recipe (yes, I know, Instant Pot, a shortcut, I get it, also, get over it) with chipotle peppers and fresh-squeezed orange juice and limes. I let the pork cook in the pot, but fried it in the leftover fat to give it a crispiness at the end. Wow, it was spectacular. 

Alison’s pork shoulder recipe doesn’t purport to be carnitas. She doesn’t even want you to shred the pork, just slice it! But the flavor profile is so close to that of carnitas, and frankly, the meat was way too soft after 3+ hours in the oven to hold together in slice form, leaving me no choice but to shred it. So how could I not compare it to Melissa Clark’s carnitas? It was simply out of my hands. I couldn’t compare texture, because, different recipes. But in terms of flavor, Melissa’s was more particular in flavor, and Alison’s surprisingly more mild. I found myself craving Melissa’s leftovers, but let Jordan take care of Alison’s. Jordan loved Alison’s pork, but then again, he loves any shredded pork. At the end of the day, I’d choose Melissa’s carnitas. Just putting this out there. 

Given the subtle flavor profile and moist, juicy form of the pork, this recipe would work really well if you’re serving picky eaters, or children, or bringing food to a potluck where you’re not sure how everyone feels about spice. The main flavors here are the citrus (lots of orange and lime), some coriander, and plenty of garlic.

Here’s a quick rundown. Brown some seasoned pork shoulder in a large pot (preferably a dutch oven) on all sides to render fat at the bottom of the pot. Pour most of the fat out but keep enough to cook two halves of a large orange and two heads of garlic cut in half, plus spices like thyme, coriander seeds, and chile flakes. Pour in a cup of freshly squeezed orange juice and some water and stir. Put the pork back in the pot and cover it before placing the pot in the oven for three or more hours at a low temp. 

At this point, I left my apartment to go to a workout class. By the time I returned an hour and some change later, the smells of garlic and orange practically hit me in the face as I walked through the door - in a great way! After another two hours of smelling the pork, I pulled the pork out of the pot to rest and added lime juice to the juices in the pot. I quickly noticed that the pork had softened past the point of slicing (which I had suspected and wasn’t mad about), and decided to shred it. After pouring the leftover juices mostly over the shredded meat, along with the softened garlic cloves, the meat was ready for serving. We ate it with warmed corn tortillas and Alison’s Iceberg Salad. And don’t get me wrong - it was good pork! Just more mild in flavor than I prefer. 

152 recipes cooked, 73 to go.

Garlicky Broccoli and Greens with Hazelnut and Coriander by Alison Roman

Here we have another simple-to-make side that goes well with pretty much any main dish you can think of. Its ingredients are few and flexible, and it’s bursting with flavor and texture. This recipe comes from nothing fancy. 

The tenets of this dish are the greens - broccoli and kale, olive oil, garlic, lemon, a crunchy nut, and chopped coriander seed. Alison tells you that both grilling and roasting the greens are viable options. I’m confident that grilling would be delightful - I’d love to have taste some char marks on the broccoli stems. But alas, I don’t own a grill. Oven roasting it is. 

The torn kale and heads of broccoli are quartered - stem included! - tossed with oil, and roasted until slightly crispy. The inclusion of the stem was a relatively new choice for me - I usually get rid of it because it can be tough to chew and lacks flavor. Because of this dish, I’m no longer afraid of serving broccoli stems. When quartered, roasted and seasoned, they are a filling, tender bite of green that doesn’t overwhelm you with the fact that it’s a hunk of broccoli stem. Cutting them into quarters is really the right call here. 

Quartered broccoli & kale before they get crispy in the oven

While the greens are roasting, the garlic, hazelnuts, olive oil and coriander seeds get mixed together to prepare a seasoning bath into which the greens will eventually dive and relax. A few comments on the titular ingredients, hazelnuts and coriander seeds. 

I just don’t like hazelnuts. Their taste is revolting to me. I think I’ve always disliked them, but I didn’t consciously realize it until last year. I was travelling for work and had an hour to get lunch in the airport before my flight. Since the company was paying, I chose a sit-down restaurant. I ordered a beet and arugula salad with goat cheese and hazelnuts. After the first few bites, I noticed my mouth was scowling. Something in this salad tasted funky. I tried each ingredient separately to deduce the issue, and lo and behold, the hazelnuts were infecting the whole dish. It’s difficult to describe exactly what’s so off-putting to me. The only word that comes to mind is musty? Now that I know about my hazelnut aversion, I understand why I thought Nutella was gross as a kid. 

Anywho, if you too think hazelnuts taste musty, then I say swap those puppies for another nut like chopped almonds or pistachios, and call it a good day. 

If you’ve never purchased coriander seeds (found often at Whole Foods or in the bulk spice section of a place like Sprouts), now is the time. The crunchy texture of these tiny chopped seeds are the X factor in this dish, making it not your ordinary vegetable side. Coriander seeds don’t have to be one of those spices that you bought for one particular recipe and then languish on your shelf for the next 5 years, untouched. Once I discovered coriander seeds a few years ago, I’ve found myself reaching for them frequently. You just have to try them to fall in love. 

Alison tells us one more lovely thing about this side dish: it is still delicious when served at room temp. If you’re like me and you find it stressful to time your cooking so that all parts of your meal are simultaneously piping hot, then put your mind at ease, and make this dish first. It can sit on the table well ahead of mealtime, watching you prep its fellow delicious partners. 

3 recipes cooked, 222 recipes to go.