Recipe: Pork plan #2, or Turkey Plan for Investment Cooking

Pork plan #2

3 (1lb) bags dried black beans
Instant beef bouillon (6 TB granules)
2 (8oz) boxes no boil lasagna noodles
1 long loaf (16oz) soft Italian bread
8oz wide egg noodles
Cider vinegar (1/2 C + 2 TB)
Dijon mustard (1 1/2 TB)
Taco dinner kit (12 taco shells, seasoning, and sauce)
vegetable oil
all purpose flour (2TB)
2 (8oz) cans tomato sauce
1 (3lb) jar spaghetti sauce with mushrooms
1 (10 1/3 oz) can beef broth

16 oz bag frozen spinach
caraway seeds
garlic powder
ground black pepper
ground cumin
ground nutmeg
1 boneless pork leg roast (shank half, about 8lbs), fat trimmed to 1/4 ", tied in several places
2lbs ground turkey
2lbs (32oz) ricotta cheese
1 C parmesan cheese, grated
3lbs onions
2lbs baking taters
12 oz carrots
8 ribs celery (from 1 bunch)
1 head (about 1 1/2lbs) green cabbage
6 medium sized scallions
2 small red &/or green peppers

Some equipment needed
zip lock style bags
waxed paper,
heavy duty aluminum foil
plastic wrap
assorted freezer containers &/or bags

To Begin:
Start the pork roast
1 Place one oven rack in lowest position & other in middle. Heat the oven for 450F.
2. Get out pork roast & rub all over with 1TB oil, then sprinkle with 1ts each garlic powder & salt & 1/2 ts pepper. Place on a rack in roasting pan & insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part. Cover loosely with foil.
3. Roast on middle rack for 30 min, then reduce oven temp to 350 F, and roast 3 1/2 hours, or until meat thermometer reaches 160F.

Meanwhile,
Continue with preparations for all 6 recipes.
1. Get out food processor (opt), cutting board, knife, onions taters, carrots, celery, cabbage, apples, scallions & bell peppers.
2. Peel onions & cut half of them in 2 lengthwise, then lengthwise into thin strips. Put into an 8" square baking dish & toss with 1TB oil. Cover & set aside. These will go into the oven after pork has cooked 3 hours. After roasting, they'll be added to the fajita-style pork tacos & hot open faced pork sandwiches.
3. Scrub taters. Cut each into 6 wedges. Put into a 13x9" baking dish. Halve carrots lengthwise, then crosswise. Add to potatoes & toss with 1TB oil. Cover & set aside.
4. Cut remaining onions & celery into 1" chunks. Chop onion chunks fine (in batches, with on/off turns if using processor). You'll have 4 1/2 C . Mound on waxed paper, chop celery fine. Mound on waxed paper
5. Coarsely shred cabbage. Bag & set aside.
6. Peel, halve & core apples. Cut into 1" chunks. Bag & set aside.
7. Slice scallions , bag & set aside.
8. Seed & cut bell peppers into 1/2" pieces. Bag & set aside.


Now you're ready to prepare cannelloni casserole from start to finish, and prepare the Cuban black bean soup & deviled cabbage, noodles & pork UP TO THE POINT WHERE THE COOKED PORK IS ADDED. For the most efficient use of time & tools, prepare recipes in order given. Be sure to watch the clock, because after the pork has cooked 3 hours, you need to put taters, carrots & onions in oven to roast.

Cuban black bean soup
serves 20
1. Have ready a 6 quart & 5 quart pot, or 2 of either size on the back burners (or a 10quart pot). Rinse 3 lbs dried black beans in colander & pick over to remove pebbles. Put half beans in each pot.
2. To each pot add 3 quarts of water, 1 1/2 C each onions & celery, 1 (8oz) can tomato sauce, 3TB bouillon granules, 1 TB garlic powder, 1 1/2 ts ground cumin & 1/2 ts pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover & simmer for 3 hours stirring occasionally, until beans are very tender but not disintegrating.
3. Mash some beans (not all) in the pots with a masher to thicken the soup.
Stop here. You now have to wait until the pork is ready before continuing.

4. After the cooked pork has cooled, dice enough, including browned sides & ends of roast, to make 3 1/2 C (about 1 1/4 lbs)
5. Stir half into each pot. Cool the soup completely. Refrigerate in airtight containers (to suit your families needs) up to 5 days. Reheat on stovetop. Or freeze up to 4 months.
6. To serve, mound 1/2 C hot cooked rice in each soup bowl. Add soup & a dash of vinegar or hot pepper sauce, garnish with cilantro sprigs & lemon slice.

Turkey Cannolloni
If no-cook noodles are unavailable, cook 20 manicotti shells as directed on box & stuff with turkey mixture instead. You can freeze (without sauce) on cookie sheets lined with plastic wrap. Then assemble in pans & add sauce before baking.

1. Have ready the 5 12x8" heavy duty foil pans.
2. in a large bowl, soak 20 no boil lasagna noodles in cool water 20 min or until soft.
3. Meanwhile, in a 4 quart pot, cook one 16 oz bag frozen spinach in 1C water for 4 min, or until fully thawed. Drain in colander. Press out excess water.
4. Wipe out pot. Heat 2 TB of oil in pot over M-H heat. Add remaining 1 1/2 C onions & cook 5 min, stirring often, until softened.
5. Crumble 2lbs ground turkey into pot. Cook 7-10 min, breaking up turkey until no longer pink. Remove pot from heat. Cool 5 min.
6. Stir in 32oz ricotta cheese, the spinach, 1 C grated parmesan cheese, 2 ts garlic powder, 1 ts each salt & pepper & 1/2 ts grated nutmeg until blended.
7. Drain the noodle s& cut each in half crosswise.
8. Put level 1/4 C of filling across the middle of each noodle. & roll up.
9. Place seam-side down in foil pans, 8 per pan. Top each batch with 1 C bottled spaghetti sauce with mushrooms. Cover the pans with foil.
10. Refrigerate 1 or several pans up to 3 days. Bake (covered) for 30 min at 350F until bubbly. Or freeze, tightly wrapped & unbaked, up to 4 months. To serve, bake the frozen casserole (covered) for 1 hour at 350 F.
11. To serve, top with extra parmesan cheese & accompany with a crisp green salad & breadsticks.

Deviled cabbage, noodles & pork.
Refrigerate cooked cabbage mixture in same bag you used to store the raw cabbage.

1. Wipe out pot used to make cannelloni filling. In small bowl, mix 1/2 C plus 2TB cider vinegar, 1 1/2 TB Dijon mustard, & 1ts each caraway seeds & salt.
2. Heat 2 TB oil in pot over m-h heat. Add shredded cabbage & stir fry 3-4 min or until wilted & crisp tender. Stir in apple chunks & scallions.
3. Pour in vinegar mixture & 1/3 C water & bring to a boil. Reduce heat to M-L. Cover & simmer for 7-10 min, stirring occasionally, until cabbage is tender. Let cool 10 min.
4. Spoon mixture into zipper lock food storage bags. Cool completely before sealing. Stop here. You now have to wait until the pork is done before continuing.
5. After cooked pork has cooled, cut enough in 1" long, 1/4" wide strips to make 2 3/4 C (about 1lb). Add pork to cabbage mixture.
6. Refrigerate in airtight containers up to 3 days. Reheat on range top. Or pack in freezer containers & freeze up to 4 months. Thaw in a covered saucepan over low heat. Increase heat & cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through.
7. To serve, stir 8oz cooked & drained wide egg noodles, & snipped dill into heated cabbage pork mixture. A hearty pumpernickel brad goes well with this.
Per serving: 645 cal, 43 g pro, 70g car, 22g fat, 158 mg chol, 805 mg sod.

Fajita-style pork tacos
For this recipe, the filling can also be used to make burritos in flour tortillas or served plain over rice or noodles.
1. Remove taco seasoning mix packet from taco dinner kit. Put taco shells & sauce packet in cupboard until needed.
2. In small skillet, heat 1TB oil over m-h heat. Add bell pepper chunks & cook 3 min. Stir in taco seasoning mix & 1 C water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to m-l. Simmer uncovered for 7 min, stirring occasionally.
3. Remove skillet from heat & let cool slightly & spoon into a 1 quart size freezer container or bag.
STOP HERE.
You now have to wait until the pork is ready before continuing.

4. After the cooked pork roast & roasted onions h ave cooled, dice 12oz pork (to make 2 C ) & measure out 1/2 C onion.
5. Stir the pork & onion into the bag containing the seasoning mix.
6. Refrigerate up to 4 days. Reheat on stove top or freeze up to 4 months. Thaw in a saucepan until heated through.
7. To serve, heat taco shells as directed on taco-kit box. Fill the shells with shredded lettuce & filling then top with shredded cheese. Serve with taco sauce included in the kit.
Makes 12 tacos. Per taco: 299 cal, 7g pro, 25 g car, 20g fat, 12mg chol, 1,534 sod

Finish the pork roast & roasted vegetables
1. By now the pork has been roasting for about 3 hours & it's time to put the pans with the potato & carrot mixture & sliced onions on the oven rack under the pork. Roast for 1 hour, stirring once or twice, until vegetables are lightly browned & very tender.
2. When pork & veggies are cooked, remove the pork to a cutting board (don't wash the roasting pan, you'll need it to make gravy.) & put baking dishes on a heatproof surface. Let everything cool for about 1 hour.
3. Meanwhile, make the pan gravy. Pour the drippings from the roasting pan into a 1 C measure. Spoon 2 TB of fat off top & into roasting pan. Discard the remaining fat (the clearer liquid on top of the dark juices in the cup)
4. Put the roasting pan across 2 burners (you may have to move a soup pot). Sprinkle 2 TB of flour & 1/2 ts pepper over the fat in pan. Whisk over M-H heat until smooth, scraping up browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Gradually whisk in 1 (10 3/4 oz) can beef broth plus 1/4 C water until blended. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat & simmer for 5 min, or until thickened, stirring 2 or 3 times. Makes 2 C.
5. Divide the pork. With a sharp carving knife, cut off & discard all the visible fat. (You should have about 5lbs of cooked meat.) Trim off & save the browned sides & ends (this will be added to the soup) Score the top of the pork to divide into 5 equal pieces (the narrow end will have less meat then the wide end) . Starting at the widest end, cut about 2 - fifths (about 2lbs) of the pork into thin slices. Wrap half for the roast pork with vegetables & remaining slices for the hot open face pork sandwiches (recipes follow). Cut remaining pork into thirds, 1lb plus the browned sides & ends for soup, 1lb for deviled cabbage, noodles & p0ork, & 12oz for tacos.

Roast pork with vegetables.
Serves 4
1. Cover baking dish of potatoes & carrots with foil. Reheat in 350F oven for 20 min.
2. In large skillet, reheat half sliced pork in 1 C of the gravy.

Per serving 499cal, 38g pro, 47 g car, 17g fat, 106 mg chol, 256 mg sod

Hot open faced pork sandwiches
Serves 4.
1. Have 4 quart sized containers or bags (or, if serving within 3 days, assemble in 1 container).
2. Divide remaining sliced pork into 4 portions & put each into a container with 1/4 C of remaining roasted onions & 1/4 C of gravy.
3. Refrigerated up to 3 days. Reheat pork in a covered saucepan over low heat. Or freeze up to 4 months. Thaw in fridge. Add 1TB water for each portion & reheat pork in a covered saucepan.
4. To serve, cut a loaf of soft Italian bread crosswise into 4 pieces, split & top with the pork mixture. Kaiser rolls can be used instead of the bread.
Makes 4 sandwiches, per sandwich; 548 cal, 41 g pro, 49 g car, 19g fat, 107mg chol, 847 mg sod.

Cooks tip
You can roast a 12 to 14lb TURKEY or use 5lbs of cooked skinless boned TURKEY meat instead of the roast pork. Rub the turkey with oil & season as directed for pork. Roast, following directions on turkey wrapper. Let cool as directed for pork. Remove the skin & meat from the drumsticks & thighs. Cut up & use for soup & tacos. Slice breast meat to serve with roast vegetables, hot sandwiches, & cabbage dish.