Cross-Culturalism at its Finest: Roast Pork with Manischewitz and Zaatar

Plotnik is doing his bit for Cultural Diversity. It started with Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock's "Southern Cooking," which is a unique look at a style of cooking which seems simple on its face, but in fact involves techniques that are as Southern French as Southern USA. Edna Lewis was from Central Virgnia and Scott Peacock is from Alabama. Peacock befriended, learned from and eventually moved in with Lewis in Lewis's old age. (He still runs their Watershed Restaurant in Decatur, Georgia, which is not only JJ-aka-PP country but the one-time home of Chef Pickle.) JJ-aka-PP gave Plottie the cookbook for Christmas and last night he started out to make "Bay Studded Pork Shoulder with Wild Mushrooms."



But the recipe calls for braising the meat in a bottle of port, or, Peacock says, you can use red wine instead. Plotnik got a GREAT idea! Which wine is both sweet and yet grape-y, and both wine and not-really-wine?



Of course! He's had a leftover half bottle of Manischewitz concord grape hiding in back of the bread crumbs in the fridge since either last April or the April before that. It never spoils. It can't spoil. And what can be more Southern than something sweet, indestructible and also cheap?

OK, so we're talking about a kosher wine and a pork roast here. You don't often hear 'Manischewitz' and 'pork' used in the same sentence. But here's how Plotnik looks at it: as we speak, the Israelis are destroying Palestinian schools and killing as many Arabs as they can, while Gazans are still lobbing missles into Israel and talking about driving the infidel into the sea. How's that attempt at cross-culturalism going?



Plotnik would prefer it if we'd all just leave our old worlds behind, pick up a napkin and sit down together for lunch. He decided to add a teaspoon and a half of Zaatar instead of Lewis's suggested powdered thyme, just to complete the idea. He makes this zaatar himself from a Palestinian recipe, and it is mostly thyme, with allspice and a few other flavorings tossed in.

The finished Roast Pork with Manischewitz and Zaatar was one of the most scrumptious meals that has ever rolled out of The Great Plotnik Meatball Kitchen. The Duck agrees. Thank you Edna and Scott, JJ and Pickle, and L'Chaim to all y'all.