Pre-Valentine's Day Noms

My precious first attempt at a pernil, which I made as a fine counterpoint to all the south Indian cooking I've been doing as of late.

Delicious "cake pop" cherry bombs I made, kind of like a fist full of Bavarian Chocolate Cake. NOM!

I have a cocktail too, which I was going to share. A cocktail I think no one else has done yet. But perhaps I'll save that for another day. Perhaps.

forever roasted pork

4 pounds pork shoulder, butt end, boneless (have your butcher bone it for you if you're not sure of your butchering skills)
2 T extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
1½ t finely chopped fresh sage leaves
gray salt and freshly ground black pepper
about ¼ c fennel spice, recipe follows

bring pork to room temperature by removing it from refrigerator 1 to 2 hours before cooking. preheat the oven to 275°F. heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until hot. add the onions, cover pan, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until light brown. be patient, and don't turn up the heat. add the sage and season with salt and pepper. cook until the onions cease throwing off water, about 3 minutes. remove from heat, allow to cool on plate.

open up the pork roast and spread a good amount of the fennel spice and add the onions directly to the middle of the roast. fold the roast back over the onions and tie closed with kitchen string (actually, i used something called food loops. they're silicone, and don't take the crust with them when removed) season well all over with the remaining fennel spice.

arrange the meat in the roasting pan, drizzle with more olive oil and cook until the meat is very tender, about 8 hours. it is ready when it pulls away easily if picked at with a pair of tongs. it is often easiest to cook the meat overnight, or put it in the oven in the morning and let it cook all day. it does not need to be attended. you'll want to, because it will smell so good you won't be able to keep your face out of it, but it really requires no more work at this point.

fennel spice rub:
1 c fennel seeds
3 T coriander seeds
2 T white peppercorns
3 T kosher salt

put the fennel seeds, coriander seeds, and peppercorns in a heavy pan over medium heat. watch carefully, tossing frequently so the seeds toast evenly. when light brown and fragrant, pour the seeds onto a plate to cool. they must be cool before grinding, or they will gum up the blades if you use a coffee grinder. if you're truly patient though, you could use a mortar and pestle.

pour the seeds into the coffee grinder and add the salt. grind to a fine powder, shaking the grinder occasionally to redistribute the seeds. store in a tightly sealed glass jar in a cool, dry place, or freeze.
yield: about 1¼ cups

Re-Rolled Roast Loin of Pork

Preheat Oven: 400*

Ingredients:

1 rolled loin of pork, untied, pounded until it is even thickness
1/2 Cup apple butter (not apples and butter combined, it's a preserve "APPLE BUTTER")
2 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard
1 Tbsp. Herbes de Provence
Handful of raisins
Handful of walnuts, chunked
1 granny smith apple, peeled, cored, cubed

Procedure:

1. Unroll loin of pork. Pound until even thickness.
2. Mix apple butter, dijon mustard and herbes de provence, and smear on UP SIDE (side facing you/up) of the loin of pork.
3. Scatter raisins, walnuts and apple chunks on loin.
4. Roll back up and tie securely.
5. Spray some pam or put some olive oil on outside and dust with more Herbes de Provence or just some salt, pepper and garlic powder.
6. Roast as normal. (Normal for me would be sticking it in a 400 degree preheated oven for the first 20 minutes; Decrease to 350 and cook for another 30-40 minutes).