Pork Roast (Pieczeń Wieprzowa) in the Polish Style

I love a pork roast (pieczeń wieprzowa in Polish) and the one I made last night was one of the best. I call it "In the Polish style" as it is heavy on the garlic. Don't cut back on the garlic, though, because, as the roast bakes the garlic cloves caramelize and become sweet bits of goodness within the roast. 

Pork Roast (Pieczeń Wieprzowa) in the Polish Style--Perfect for Sunday dinner!

Ingredients

1 package Lipton Mushroom Onion Soup mix

1 cup of water

Olive oil spray

1 3-to-4 pound Publix Boneless Boston Butt Roast

1 large onion, halved

3 stalks celery, coarsely chopped

4 cloves garlic, halved

1 teaspoon garlic powder

4 medium potatoes, cut into chunks

4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped

2 teaspoon fresh thyme, finely chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and coarse black pepper to taste

2 tablespoons corn starch dissolved in 1/2 cup water

Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix Lipton Mushroom Onion Soup mix with 1 cup water and set aside.

Spray a Dutch oven with olive oil spray or coat with olive oil.

Coarsely chop 1/2 of the onion. Put onion and celery in bottom of Dutch oven. Place roast on top. Make 8 1-inch slits about 1-inch deep in top of roast and place a half clove of garlic in each slit.

Pour soup mix over roast. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and coarse black pepper. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon garlic powder on top of roast.

Cover Dutch oven and place on top of stove and heat just until it just comes to a boil. Remove from heat and place Dutch oven into oven and bake for 90 minutes. Remove from oven.

Combine potatoes, carrots, and 1/2 onion coarsely chopped in a large bowl. Add rosemary, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste, and stir to combine. Add to pork roast.

Return pork roast to the oven and bake covered for an additional 60 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 15 minutes. Place pork on cutting board and remove strings. Cut pork into 1/2 inch slices. Removed vegetables from Dutch oven and place in serving bowl.

Roast pork, sliced for serving.

Add corn starch slurry to Dutch oven, stir to combine with drippings in the pan and bring to a boil on top of stove. Reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes or until gravy thickens. Plate pork roast and vegetables.  Top with gravy if desired or serve on the side. Leftovers make great pork barbeque sandwiches!

Sliced pork sandwiches with BBQ sauce and a side of coleslaw. Yum!

Easy Andouille Sausage and Gulf Shrimp Jambalaya

Easy Jambalaya. Chopping the onion, celery and green pepper took the longest.

We have such beautiful pink shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico here in Fort Myers, Florida, that it's easy to go down to a seafood market and get great wild shrimp for a reasonable price. There is no comparison of shrimp that is farmed and shrimp that is wild-caught.

Jambalaya is a popular dish of West African, French and Spanish influence, consisting mainly of meat and vegetables mixed with rice. Traditionally, the meat always includes sausage of some sort, often a smoked meat such as andouille, along with pork or chicken and seafood. The vegetables are usually a sofrito-like mixture known as the "holy trinity" in Cajun cooking, consisting of onion, celery, and green bell pepper, My recipe included shrimp and ham along with the sofrito base.

Jambalaya and New Orleans are an instant connection. I love to visit there and sample their great cuisines from Southern to soul to Creole. I made an easy Jambalaya last night and it turned out so well that I decided to share the recipe here. 

INGREDIENTS

1 pound 15-20 size Gulf shrimp, peeled and deveined

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup sweet yellow onion, chopped

1 cup green pepper, chopped

1 cup celery, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2/3 cup diced ham

1 cup Andouille sausage, sliced and quartered

1 and 1/2 cups long grain white rice

1 can, 14.5 ounces, petite diced tomatoes

3 cups reduced sodium chicken stock

1 teaspoon Creole seasoning, divided

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon paprkia

2 bay leaves

Hot sauce (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Peel and devein shrimp. Toss with 1/2 teaspoon Creole seasoning and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder. Set aside in refrigerator until needed.

Heat olive oil in large frying pan. Add onion, green pepper and celery and sauté for about 5 minutes. Add garlic, ham and Andouille sausage and continue to sauté for another 5 minutes.

Add rice, tomatoes, chicken stock, 1/2 teaspoon Creole seasoning, paprika, and bay leaves. Bring to boil, then reduce to low heat and simmer, covered for about 25 minutes. Check every 7 to 10 minutes and stir gently to preventing sticking. Add additional chicken stock if necessary. Rice should be tender, but not mushy.

Add shrimp to rice and stir gently. Taste for seasoning. Add salt and pepper to taste if necessary. Continue to simmer, covered for about 4 minutes. Check to be sure shrimp is cooked. If necessary, continue cooking for 2 minutes. You do not want to overcook the shrimp or they will be tough.

Serve in soup bowls. Provide hot sauce on the side for those who like their Jambalaya spicy!

About 4 servings.