It’s Easter season and thank goodness for that. The winter has been virtually unbelievable this year. But there does seem to be a normal change in seasons and Easter and Passover mark this change with our deepest appreciation.
Easter’s most popular dishes seem to include lamb and pork— both of which have profound religious significance. With eating vegetarian being practiced by growing numbers of those who celebrate Easter, there are a few popular vegetarian dishes for this group that many meat eaters may also enjoy: breakfast tempeh, garlic-potato crostini, Italian Easter pie and Easter creme bruleé.

While vegetarian Easters are clearly on the rise in popularity, pork or lamb still hold sway for most Americans. The reference to lamb in Christianity goes back to the book of Genesis when Abraham was asked to sacrifice his son. Easter lamb represents Jesus and relates his death to that of the lamb, sacrificed on the first Passover. Christians traditionally refer to Jesus as “the lamb of God”. Today lamb is most often enjoyed at Easter as roast leg of lamb or parts of lamb seasoned with rosemary, garlic and olive oil on the grill. However you prepare it and whatever meaning it holds for you, it’s all good.

In the United States, pork is also a traditional Easter food. We are told that the first hams were ready around the time Easter arrived. Thus, ham was a natural choice for celebrating Easter dinner. This week’s recipe is a favorite Easter dish—that is, dinner with pork in all its many wonders. The number of pork dishes is virtually endless such as roast pork tenderloin, applesauce pork loin, stuffed chops with mushroom gravy or marsala sauce, Filipino pork recipes with pineapple, BBQ ribs, pulled pork or easy ham glaze recipes.

Today’s Easter recipe for braised pork shoulder highlights a solution I discovered recently for getting around the long cooking time that braising requires for cuts of meat that are tough. By merely cutting the roast into 2-3 inch slices, rather than one large chunk of meat, you can achieve the soft, tender results in half the time. And by adding the delicious arborio rice to the braising liquid of the dish from the beginning of the braising process, you can avoid standing over the dish like we all do when preparing risotto. Enjoy this wonderful dish in 2- 2½ hours time and relax with friends and family while the children are searching for Easter Eggs.

Easter Braised Pork Shoulder With Risotto
Serves 4-6

Ingredients
4 to 5 lb pork shoulder, sliced
4 garlic cloves, diced
1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
½ cup fresh chopped Italian parsley
½ tsp cumin
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 medium carrots and 2 parsnips, each cut 3 inches on an angle
2 cups chicken stock, (not broth )
½ cup red wine ( e.g. Sirah or Cabernet)
2 cups Arborio rice
1 tbsp sea salt
½ tbsp freshly ground pepper

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Season the pork with garlic, rosemary, thyme and cumin.
3. Distribute the sliced onions, carrots, parsnips and chopped parsley in a 3” high roasting pan, 14” x 9”.
4. Pour the rice over the vegetables
5. Lay the pork slices over the rice
6. Pour 1 cup of the chicken stock and all the red wine over the pork and cook for one hour.
7. After one hour, pour the rest of the stock into the pan and cook for an additional hour.
8. Taste the broth and see if it needs a pinch or two more salt. Insert the point of a paring knife into one of the pork slices. If easily inserted, turn the stove off. If not lower the temperature to 250 F for another 30 minutes and remove from the stove.
9. Cover with aluminum foil to rest until ready to eat.
10. Plate each dish with one slice of pork, rice, vegetables and broth.
Enjoy and include a nice green salad on the side with a lemon vinaigrette.
Happy Easter.
Please send comments, questions or observations of interest to Chef Alan at [email protected]. For details about past columns, catering or Chef Zox’s blog, please visit www.zoxkitchen.com.