Winter came, and it’s still here.
By now, many of us have skied, snow-shoed, ice-skated, and ridden sleighs and sleds. There have been snowball fights lost and won. Freezing feet have been warmed by roaring fires and milky hot chocolate, thick with melting marshmallows, has been sipped — then guzzled as it cools.
But have our root vegetables and tough cuts of meat been braised to sweet-savory perfection with the help of cider? This fermented drink comes in many forms — bright and fruity, bone dry, slightly sweet, tannic, funky, and sometimes all of it at once. This complexity makes it an arguably more delicious way to tease flavor out of the lowly sweet potato or pork shoulder than the more commonly reached for wine and beer.
With this in mind, we reached out to a few of our favorite foodies and cider aficionados for their favorite way to upgrade winter staples. Read on for the recipes and get ready for a new twist on winter staples.
Mike Daley’s Cider-Roasted Pork Roast with Kraut and Hopper Glaze
Mike Daley is the culinary director of Healthy Living. He and his wife eat gluten-free, so he loves to use cider as a way to coax flavor out of food.
“Classics like cooking bratwurst in beer take on a whole new life with Citizen Cider’s The Dirty Mayor, one of my favorite brands to cook with,” Daley explains. “The ginger in it is a perfect pairing for the sausage.”
When it comes to larger cuts of meat, especially pork, cider is essential. Daley loves to use the ciders from the Burlington, Vermont, based cidery for this, too. “Brining meat with cider gives it a sweeter flavor,” Daley says. “The Lake Hopper has a nice floral component from the cascade hops which adds some herbal notes to the brine. I love reducing it down with some cider vinegar and some butter to glaze pork, and it’s wonderful in barbecue sauce for summer ribs.”
This winter, Daley says he’s been roasting pork shoulder in Citizen Cider’s The Lake Hopper.
CITIZEN CIDER PORK ROAST
Serves 6
Ingredients
4 pounds pork shoulder, trimmed and trussed
32 ounces (2 cans) Citizen Cider The Lake Hopper
4 cups apple cider vinegar
1 Granny Smith apple, sliced
1 small onion, sliced thin
3 ribs celery, sliced thin
10 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons mustard seed
3 cinnamon sticks, whole
3 star anise pods, whole
10 cloves, whole
3 rosemary sprigs
Half bunch thyme
3 bay leafs
¼ cup kosher salt
2 cups sugar
Directions
Day 1: Combine everything except the pork in a large sauce pot and bring to a boil. Transfer the brine to a deep container and let cool. Once cold, place the tied pork shoulder in the brine and let sit for 24 hours.
Day 2: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the pork from the brine and discard. Season the pork with kosher salt and cracked black pepper. Place the pork on a roasting rack in a heavy-duty pan.
Cook for 45 minutes, rotate and cook for an additional 15 minutes. Check the internal temperature of the roast with a thermometer. It should be cooked to 145 degrees Fahrenheit internally, so give it extra time as needed. Remove from the oven and let rest for 30 minutes.
Remove the strings and carve. Save the drippings and pour them over the pork.
Serve with Citizen Cider Apple Sauerkraut and Emily Ritchie’s Cider-Braised Sweet Potatoes (recipes below) — and, of course, Citizen Cider’s The Lake Hopper.
CITIZEN CIDER APPLE SAUERKRAUT
Serves 6
Ingredients
1 ½ pounds green cabbage, sliced thin
1 ½ pounds onion, sliced thin
1 pounds Granny Smith apples, cores removed and skin on
16 ounces apple cider vinegar
32 ounces (2 cans) Citizen Cider The Dirty Mayor
8 ounces sunflower or canola oil
1 ½ ounces kosher salt
Directions
In a blender or food processor, combine the apples, vinegar and cider. Blend until smooth and set aside.
In a wide heavy-bottom pot, sweat out the onions and cabbage until they are translucent. Season with salt and add the puree. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until all the liquid is gone. Add salt as needed.
MAPLE LAKE HOPPER GLAZE
Ingredients
16 ounces (1 can) Citizen Cider The Lake Hopper
8 ounces apple cider vinegar
4 ounces Vermont maple syrup
8 ounces cold butter, cubed
Directions
Combine the cider, vinegar and maple syrup in a small pot. Bring the contents to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Reduce by two-thirds and then turn off the heat.
Whisk in the butter one cube at a time, continuing until the cube completely emulsifies into the base. Repeat until all the butter is in the sauce.
Finish with chopped parsley and thyme, pickled mustard seeds, or just serve as is.
Emily Ritchie’s Cider-Braised Sweet Potatoes
Emily Ritchie is the executive director of the Northwest Cider Association, the oldest cider trade association in the country. When the organization was founded in 2010, there were 10 cideries in the Northwest region. Now, there are more than 200.
Ritchie uses a range of ciders from the Northwest for her recipes, and she encourages creativity and exploration.
“Cider is a great substitute in many recipes that call for a liquid, such as white wine or broth,” Ritchie says. “Since there’s such a wide range of flavors and styles — from sweet to dry to fruit flavored — just think about what you want out of your final dish.”
Richie cites a few examples. “If you want tart elements use a crab apple or citrus fruit cider, but if you want complexity add a cider flavored with botanicals such as cardamom or ginger,” she says. “I love this recipe because it is flexible based on what you can find in your local area.”
CIDER-BRAISED SWEET POTATOES
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
2 pounds orange-flesh sweet potatoes
¼ cup butter or olive oil
3 teaspoons fresh thyme, reserving 1 teaspoon for finishing
½ teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
½ teaspoons salt, plus finishing salt
¾ cup hard apple cider (any style, depending on your preference)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 475 degrees Fahrenheit. Peel sweet potatoes and slice horizontally into half-inch thick matchsticks, up to 4 inches long.
Melt butter and pour over potatoes. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of thyme, pepper and salt over the potatoes, tossing to thoroughly coat them. Using a rubber spatula, put potatoes on a rimmed cookie sheet, scraping sides of the bowl to get all butter and seasonings. Pour cider over potatoes, then cover with foil and place in oven for 15 minutes or until crisp and tender. Remove foil and cook uncovered for another 10 minutes. Sprinkle the final teaspoon of thyme and finishing salt over the potatoes.
