January 2016
A portfolio site should...
...consider its audience and offer content they can engage with. Ideally, this content adds dimension to whoever’s behind it.
But it’s a disconnect to find personal site where you expect a portfolio site. To succeed, both purposes need to be clear and integrated. So I opened Copy Kitchen.
The idea came out of looking at agency site after agency site. Excellent design but their content doesn’t vary. Unique approach. Laser strategy. Us. Stuff. The best of them do push beyond with blogs full of real business insights written by very smart, very tapped-in people. Still, something’s lacking.
Now I’m just a writer. I can’t compete on site design or business brilliance. But I am a human. Like you. We have things in common. For example, food.
I get bored cooking. I shortcut. I experiment. Maybe you’re like that. My recipes are written all over or just lists of ingredients. But they’re easy and yummy.
I cleaned them off, cleaned them up and filled them in. Here they are. And there's one below to start you off. So pour the wine, turn up the tunes and get chopping.
Cumin Braised Pork Shoulder
Plan
There’s less meat on a pork shoulder than there seems. You’ll find a slab of fat on one side and big bone in the middle. Count on a 3-pound roast to feed six, when served with abundant rice, black beans and something green. In general, halve the raw weight when estimating portions.
A few hours in the oven delivers the essential flavor, but start in the morning for falling-off-the-bone deliciousness.
Shop
| 3-4 pound | Pork shoulder, also called pork butt | |
| 1/4 cup | Oil (canola is fine; no need to waste extra virgin on this) | |
| 2 | Small garlic heads, or one large | |
| 1 | Large onion | |
| 4-6 cups | Chicken broth or bouillon | |
| 2-3 cups | Red wine (box wine is fine) | |
| 1/2 bottle | Liquid Smoke | |
| 1 teaspon | Salt | |
| 4 tablespoons | Ground cumin | |
| 1/2 teaspoon | Ground cayenne |
Prep
| Preheat the oven to 325°. |
| Mince or crush the garlic. |
| Chop the onion. |
Cook
| Heat the oil in a large oven-proof pot (6-quart is good). |
| Toast the garlic in oil 2-3 minutes. Chase it around so it doesn’t burn. |
| Add the onion and sauté 5-10 minutes, until it’s caramelized. |
| Push the onion and garlic to the sides of the pot. |
| Sear the pork shoulder 3-5 minutes on each side. |
| Pour in the broth, wine and Liquid Smoke. Shake the Liquid Smoke before pouring. The liquids should cover at least half of the meat. |
| Add salt, cumin and cayenne and stir. |
| Cover with foil and crimp. Cover with the lid. |
| Cook at least two hours. |
| Turn the shoulder so the dry side is in the liquid. |
| Cook at least two more hours. |
| Check. The meat should be loose. If you have time, continue cooking up to eight hours. Check every 1-2 hours, until the meat falls off the bone. |
| Serve with broth over rice. |
Store
| Refrigerate any leftovers in plenty of broth. |
| Reheat in broth. This dish reheats very well. |