Anticipation for me is one of the best aspects of Christmas. I remember when I was a small child I would lie in bed trying to stay awake, waiting and wondering if I would hear Santa Claus as he brought the presents for my little brother and me. Then I remember the anticipation as we waited for mom and dad to get us out of bed and to the living room to see what would be under the Christmas tree on Christmas morning. All of the dreaming about what presents we might get for Christmas was almost better then actually getting the presents!
I remember that anticipation as a child and the brand of anxiety that accompanies it. This can be a way to describe to you what life is like while we are on duty in the firehouse. Once you’ve signed into the watch office log book that you have relieved so and so, you are on duty and when the bell hits, you are responsible for your response. As a new recruit, hearing that bell go off for an alarm was almost as good as Christmas! …and waiting for it to hit was almost as good as going on the run itself. I must admit that through the years I don’t wait for that bell to hit with as much anticipation or anxiety. It has become part of the job and a regular part of life. When we get a new recruit into the station I always get a kick out of the way the new guy reacts when the bell hits. It is like watching a little kid on Christmas morning!
I am not going to appologize for the fact that my celebration of Christmas revolves around that anticipation of the birth of the baby Jesus. If that’s not your thing, well, that’s okay. I’m not offended and I hope you’re not offended by my sharing about my experience. It is just that the Christian church has just begun the Advent season, that period of anticipation and waiting for the coming of the Christ child. I know that Christmas comes around each year and depending on how long you’ve blessed this planet with your presence, this whole time of year can become just a regular part of life. It is my hope that this Christmas you can find some of that anticipation like the new recruit has when that bell hits, or the wonder that a wide eyed child has on Christmas morning. And most of all, I wish you Peace!
Suey’s Pork Crown Roast with Stuffing and Red Currant Sauce
By Michael “Suey” Sulak, Seattle Fire Department, Station 8, Ladder 6
Resources:
For Stuffing:
12 – ½ inch thick slices of a baguette, each slice cut in half
6 tablespoons butter
½ cup celery tops (including leaves), finely chopped
½ cup sweet onion, finely chopped
1 ½ lbs Granny Smith apples, cored, peeled and diced
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
⅓ cup sugar
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh sage, chopped
⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
For Roast:
1 9 – 11 lb crown roast of pork, fib ends frenched
1 ½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
4 to 5 slices of thick bacon
Tin foil
For Red Currant Sauce:
2 cups water
1 jar of red currant jelly (approximately 18 oz)
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
½ cup Marsala wine
Tactics:
For Stuffing:
Preheat oven to 350°F
Put the slices of baguette on a baking sheet and bake on middle rack until lightly toasted, about 15 minutes. Remove and cool. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the celery and onions and sauté until onions are clear, about 5 minutes. Stir in the apples, salt, pepper, sugar, thyme, sage, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Turn down the heat to low and cook covered, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender, about 15 minutes. Finally stir in bread, parsley, chives, and pecans. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
For Roast:
Position the oven rack in the lower part of the oven. Take strips of tin foil and wrap the tips of the rib bones so they don’t burn. Salt and pepper the roast inside and out and put in a large roasting pan. Pack the stuffing into the center of the crown. Wrap the outside of the roast below the bone with overlapping strips of bacon and secure them with toothpicks. Put roast in oven and roast for 30 minutes. Remove the roast and form a piece of tin foil to cover the stuffing loosely. Put roast back in oven until and instant read thermometer reaches 155°F when inserted into center of the meat (about 2 ½ hours). Transfer the roast to a cutting board, (reserving pan drippings) cover loosely with foil and let roast stand for 20 minutes. Remove string, slice between the bones to make chops, leaving roast in crown shape. Slide onto serving platter.
For Red Currant Sauce:
Place roasting pan with drippings over stove burner(s) on medium high. Add water and bring to a boil to deglaze the pan, stirring and scraping up the brown bits. Add the jelly, bring to a simmer and whisk until jelly melts. In a separate sauce pan, melt the butter and add the flour to make a roux. Simmer for 3 minutes over medium high heat until golden. Add to jelly sauce and whisk well. As sauce thickens, add the Marsala wine. Heat through and serve in a gravy boat. Makes 8-10 servings.
*Note: The term “Beanery” is still alive and well in the Seattle Fire Department and is still the name we apply to the kitchen today. Because of low wages early in SFD’s history, the firefighters could often only afford to buy beans for their meals. Beans were cheap and provided a high source of protein. The procedure was to soak the beans overnight and simmer them all day long in the kitchen…thus the term “Beanery.”
