SRC Reveal: Dishing the Divine

Good morning sugar plums!

I hope your Christmas was lovely! Did Santa bring you all the love (and treats) you could ask for? I cleaned up - that's for sure! And I don't just mean for Christmas either... I'm talking about the Secret Recipe Club.

The Secret Recipe Club is a project I participate in, in which you are assigned another participant's blog (it's a secret though - the person doesn't know you have their blog) and you have to create something that they've listed in their recipe index. Not only does this push you to look at blogs and get to "know" someone you might not have before, but it also stretches your cooking creativity. How much fun is that??

This month I was assigned Dishing the Divine and let me tell you - this was by far, my most favorite SRC assignment yet. Paula's openness regarding her recipes and the communication she encourages on her blog is refreshing as well as generous. Too often we bloggers talk at people - we need more dialogue both about food and the relationships it creates. In this, a lot of the food on her blog is made from real ingredients with time and love and are based on what's available locally and in season. This philosophy really reflects how I like to eat so I can't tell you how stoked I was to find dishes made from scratch. In fact, I had a very difficult time narrowing down what I wanted to replicate. Some of the dishes I didn't make (but will certainly do so in the future are:

• Parmesan Crusted Goat Cheese in Basil Infused Olive Oil
• Pumpkin Black Bean Soup 
• Spring Mushroom Soup with Aromatic Vegetables 
• Zucchini with Walnuts and Fresh Herbs 
• Chicken Pot Pie

Ultimately, I made my decision based on a recipe I have been meaning to make for ages but haven't had a recipe from which to start from. Sure, I had to get up at 7am to get things going for the day and my bread maker bit the dust, but in the end, the flavor was all worth it. 

Side note: Bread maker dying was not such a bad thing. Not only was it a relief to free up the space on my utility shelf that was getting awfully crowded, but I actually find making bread by hand inherently satisfying and holistically therapeutic. Kneading the dough actually makes me feel connected to a legacy of real, slow food that has nourished us for centuries. And will continue to do so as long as corporate food doesn't obliterate us. So go ahead, knead some dough. It's a good work out for your arms and the texture and flavor of homemade bread kills store bought every time.

For this month's SRC assignment, I made Slow Cooker Southern Pulled Pork and Golden Pull-Apart Butter Buns. Both were delicious and I made minimal changes to the recipes. Actually, the buns were left as is, while I added just a couple extra hints of seasoning to the pork. I hope you'll make these recipes and enjoy them as much as I did. And go check out Dishing the Divine - she is divine.

Slow Cooker Southern Pulled Pork
(printable recipe)

Ingredients:

2.5 Lb Happy Pork Shoulder.

1 Spanish Onion, peeled & chopped. 

3 Cloves Garlic, peeled.

1 1/2 Cups Apple Cider Vinegar.
2 Tbsp Brown Sugar.
1 Tbsp Hot Pepper Sauce.
1 Tsp Cayenne Pepper.
1 Tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes.

1 Tsp Dried Mustard.

1 Tsp Smoked Paprika.

Few Dashes Worcestershire Sauce.

1/2 C Bold BBQ Sauce.

Kosher Salt & Fresh Cracked Black Pepper.

What to Do:

Pat the meat dry with paper towels and season well on all sides with a good dose of salt and pepper. Place into a slow cooker. Pour the vinegar around the pork. Cover and cook on low for 11 to 12 hours, basting with the juice every 3 or 4 hours.

Remove the pork from the slow cooker and if yours has any bones, discard them. Strain out the liquid and save about a cup or so. Shred the pork using tongs or two forks and return to the slow cooker. Stir the remaining ingredients into the reserved liquid.

Mix into the shredded meat in the slow cooker. Cover and keep on warm until serving.

Serve on a bun with some pretty fantastic coleslaw (stay tuned for recipe!).

Golden Pull-Apart Butter Buns
(printable recipe)

Ingredients:

3 1/2 Cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour.
2 Tsp Instant Yeast.
2 Tbsp Potato Flour/Starch.
3 Tbsp Dried Milk Powder.
2 Tbsp White Sugar.
1 1/2 Tsp Sea Salt.
4 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, room temperature + 2 Tbsp melted.
2/3 C Water, lukewarm.
1/2 C Milk, lukewarm.

What to Do:

Combine all of the dough ingredients in a large bowl and mix and knead – using your hands, a stand mixer, or a bread machine on the dough cycle – to make a soft, smooth dough.

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and allow the dough to rise for 60-90 minutes, until it’s just about doubled in bulk.

Gently deflate the dough and transfer it to a lightly greased work surface. Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces. Round each piece into a smooth ball.

Lightly grease two 8″ cake pans. Space eight buns in each pan.

Cover the pans and allow the buns to rise until they’re crowded against one another and quite puffy, about 60-90 minutes. Toward the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Uncover the buns and bake them for 22-24 minutes, until they’re golden brown on top and the edges of the center bun spring back lightly when you touch it. 

Remove the buns from the oven, brush with melted butter, and turn onto a cooling rack.

Serve with pulled pork or just chow warm with some extra butter.

Eat.

P.S. That's right. I dolled up those little sandwiches - they're pretty much the cutest pulled pork sliders in the world.

P.P.S. If you wanna check out the lovely lady that made one of my recipes this month, click here.

This post is linked up with The Hearth and Soul Blog Hop via the 21st Century Housewife.