Introducing Culinary Chemistry, an explorative epicurean column that ventures into the unknown and alcohol-infused sides of home cooking by food and beverage enthusiast and writer, Margo Greenman. Kitchen-tested and editor-approved, follow this weekly column to accumulate an archive of what are certain to become instant kitchen favorites.
This past weekend I had the privilege of attending the Maryhill Winery winemaker dinner in Stevenson, Wash. The wines served paired exquisitely with four courses of gourmet food at the Skamania Lodge (hint, hint Drifters teaser!). Having enjoyed the evening so much, I decided to extend the experience into this week’s Culinary Chemistry with a Maryhill-infused entrée perfect for a dark and stormy Northwest night. As always, you can substitute my recommendation for your favorite local wine, but, for best results, I suggest sticking to a dry varietal like a Pinot Gris or Chardonnay.
Here’s my recipe for braised pork shanks with white wine gravy, adapted from Tim Love’s recipe for Braised Pork Shanks.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup all purpose flour + additional for roux
2 tablespoon chili powder
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
6 pork shanks
olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups dry white wine (I used Maryhill’s 2011 Pinot Gris)
6 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon Herbes de Provence
butter for the roux
Directions:
In a bowl, mix together flour, chili powder, and 1 tbsp. each of kosher salt and pepper. Toss pork shanks in mixture until well coated.
In a large skillet, heat 2 tbsp. olive oil, and brown pork shanks on all sides. This will take about 10 minutes.
Set pork shanks in a French oven and set aside. Return to the skillet and add onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Sautèe until soft.
Add 2 cups wine (reserve the other cup for the gravy) and bring to a boil. Simmer until mixture reduces (about 2 minutes) and pour over pork shanks.
Add chicken stock and Herbes de Provence to the French oven and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low, making sure pork shanks are submerged under the liquid, cover and let cook for about 2 1/2 hours, or until pork is fall-off-the-bone tender.
Once the pork has finished cooking, remove from French oven and place on a platter, and cover to keep warm.
Strain the liquid in the French oven, removing veggies, and return liquid back to the French oven. Add 1 cup of wine and bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and add your roux (a roux is a mixture of melted butter and flour that is used to thicken gravy, soups and sauces. I used 2 tbsp. melted butter + 2 tbsp. flour, but you may want to adjust these proportions depending on how thick you like your gravy).
Pour gravy over pork shanks and serve with your favorite green and grain. I like asparagus broiled in the oven with olive oil, salt and pepper, and rice cooked with sautéed chanterelles foraged from the forest. Bon Appètit!
