Pacific Palate – The One Hundred Mile Diet

This week I talked with Alisa Smith and James MacKinnon, freelance journalists who live in Vancouver, and who are living the ‘Hundred Mile Diet’.  This means they are not eating any foods that are produced with ingredients that are grown or raised further than 100 miles away from Vancouver.   They began their year-long experiment in March of last year and have been documenting it in columns on The Tyee.ca.

They inspired me to create my own One Hundred Mile menu over the weekend at my home in Cobble Hill.  Pictured is my pulled pork roast with blueberry sauce, potatoes fried in duck fat, and blueberry vinaigrette beet salad.  Pretty good, if I do say so myself!  The recipe follows, but if you’re too lazy or don’t have enough time to source the ingredients, you can head to Raincity Grill in Vancouver to enjoy a One Hundred Mile Menu there, until April.  In the meantime, here are the recipes you need, which will work, even if you can’t find ‘local’ ingredients.

Braised Pork Shoulder Butt with Blueberry Sauce, Beet Salad and Roasted Potatoes        Serves 4

I came up with this recipe for my own ‘100-Mile Diet’ and to use as many local products as possible in its construction.  All the ingredients, with the exception of salt and pepper, were produced within 100 miles of my home on Vancouver Island.  Take the challenge; see what ingredients you can find close to home.  You might be surprised.

For the Pork:

1 2-3 pound pork shoulder butt, tied
2 cups Merridale House Cider or apple juice
1 bay leaf
1 large sprig fresh rosemary
2 sprigs fresh thyme
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pre-heat oven to 325F.  Season the pork all over with salt and pepper and place it in a Dutch oven or heavy ovenproof pot.  Add in the bay leaf, rosemary, thyme and cider, cover, and roast in the oven for about 3 hours, turning the pork roast from time to time so all sides have a chance to get some colour. When the pork can easily be pulled apart by a fork, remove from the pot and set aside, tenting with foil to keep warm.  Strain the juices into a small pot or measuring cup, and then proceed with the blueberry sauce.

For the Blueberry Sauce
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
¼ cup blueberry or cider vinegar
1 tbsp. honey
salt and pepper to taste

Put the pot you roasted the pork in on your stovetop and turn heat to high.  Add in the vinegar and stir, scraping up any browned bits at the bottom of the pot.  Then add the blueberries and the strained juice you reserved from the roast.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and add the honey.  Simmer until the berries are soft and broken and the mixture thickens to a sauce consistency.  (blueberries are high in pectin which will add in the thickening process) Season to taste.

For the Beets:

3 large beets
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 tsp. honey
1 tbsp. blueberry or apple cider vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
Place the beets, rosemary and thyme on a large piece of tin foil and fold in the edges to contain the contents.  Put the foil on a baking sheet and roast with the pork for two hours, or until the beets can be easily pierced with a fork.  Remove from oven and let cool.  Peel the beets and cut into half-inch dice.  Put the diced beets in a bowl and stir in the honey, vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. 

For the Potatoes:
4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into half inch dice
2 tbsp. duck or goose fat (or butter or olive oil)
salt and pepper to taste

Heat a frying pan on medium-high heat and add the fat and the potatoes.  Stir and fry the potatoes until they are soft on the inside and browned and crispy on the outside.  Season with salt and pepper.

To Assemble the Dish:

Place a mound of potatoes on the centre of each plate.  Carve the pork or pull apart with a pair of forks and mound it on top of the potatoes.  Spoon some beets around the potatoes and pork, then spoon some of the blueberry sauce on top of the pork.  Enjoy!