Cooking on DeVoe (S18, Ep 1)

Christmas Cooking has begun.   Our favorite butcher closed down a few months ago, so I am left to scramble trying to make everything as it should be.  I have truly been blessed by my Grandmother for imparting the recipes and been able to cook these very special dishes with her.  I know that Mor is looking in on me, knowing that I am keeping our heritage and customs alive.  

I went to Whole Foods to purchase their pork sausage to make one of the dishes that we eat on Christmas Day or All Meat Christmas as Mike likes to call it.  I started out by making pork broth.  I feel the best way to get the strongest tasting broth is to use neck bones.  I simply roast the bones with leeks, carrots, parsnips, celery. and garlic. Washing leeks is a pain but they are so very dirty.  When the bones and veggies were roasted to perfection, I put them in the stockpot added water along with all the little brown bits of deliciousness and some more herbs and simmered on a very low flame til the meat fell of the bones, about 3 hours.  I forgot to take pics.

My mom had the great pleasure of picking all the meat off the bones, I browned the sausage, took them out of the pot then. 

I added some flour to start the gravy as I scraped up all the browned bits. 

 I started to add the pork broth.

Then added back the sausage.  They just looked so yummy happily swimming in the brown deliciousness.  Mor would be so very proud of me.

I served them with spaetzle.  I forgot the red cabbage.

The gravy is worth boasting about, I made damn good gravy.  I wish I could say the same about the sausage.  They needed more seasoning, they were lacking in internal flavors.  Oh, well.......I need to find another butcher.

I wish you were here with me......I miss you so very much