Moroccan-Style Pork Shoulder Roast

After coming and shearing my sheep, Constance also drove up to Granite Falls and sheared fellow guild member, Becky Zegstroo's two lambs. I visited Becky and Chris' place (Farm Visit post) not too long ago. Becky, with her deceptively quiet demeanor, sent me this fun photo of herself. I fell in love with their Jacob Sheep and...



...their young Highland cow. I think she is absolutely adorable!



Becky sent me this photo of the boys after their shearing. If anything they are even cuter! I know Becky can't wait to get her fleece back from being processed and to start spinning. There is such immense satisfaction to be found in using that which you have raised yourself, both fiber and food.

The following is a recipe Chris made for a guild pot luck last year and getting the recipe is how I met Becky. As soon as I tasted it I knew I had to have the recipe. It is so good! It is a remarkable combination of comforting and exotic, savory and sweet, complex but easy -everything I love in a casserole. After discovering who had brought it, I introduced myself to her, begged the recipe and later e-mailed a reminder (I'm shameless when in pursuit of food). I'm so glad I persisted because I may not have got to know Becky otherwise. And now I have this great recipe! In a couple of weeks when the pig we raised this summer returns from the butcher's shop as packaged pork, Chris' casserole is one of the first things I'm going to make.

Moroccan-Style Pork Shoulder Roast
Submitted by The National Pork Board to Allrecipes.com

Trim visible fat from 4-5 lb. boneless pork shoulder roast
Drizzle with 2 T. soy sauce
Rub with 2 T. curry powder
Brown roast in 1-2 T. olive oil in Dutch oven

Add:
2 sweet potatoes (or golden nugget squash), peeled and cut into large chunks
1-2 sweet (red, yellow or orange) peppers, coarsely chopped
1/2 c. dried fruit, mix of apricots, plums and raisins
15 oz. can lite coconut milk
1/2 c. OJ
Cover with lid and roast in 350 degree oven 1 1/2 - 2 hours or until potatoes (or squash) are tender. For traditional Moroccan-style: Remove meat and vegetables to a platter. Coarsely shred meat. On stove top, heat Dutch oven and bring sauce to a boil. Cook 5 minutes to thicken slightly. Either, pour sauce over meat and vegetables on platter, or serve alongside in small pitcher, with a mound of cooked couscous. For a less traditional potluck or casserole style: return meat and vegetables to Dutch oven (or simply remove the lid for the last 15-30 minutes while roasting and shred meat in Dutch oven) and mix in cooked couscous.
Note: Couscous is one of the easiest things in the world to cook. What's available in the USA is instant couscous. You simply put 2 1/2 c. instant couscous (I buy mine in the bulk foods section) in a dish, add 2 1/2 c. boiling water and 1/2 t. salt. Stir vigorously. Cover and leave 10 minutes. Mix in 2 T. olive oil and fluff or rub to break up lumps. If you want it steaming hot, put in a 400 degree oven to heat for 20 minutes. Stir or fluff again before serving.