I have lots to talk about from yesterday. I tried another veggie burger and John cooked his porchetta.
Starting with the Trader Joe’s Vegetable Masala Burger, I liked it much better than the Hilary’s World’s Best Veggie Burger. This burger had a nice vegetal taste with a slight spice at the end. It was also lower in calories and fat and is labeled vegan. I ate it in a pita pocket with lettuce and tomato (the same as I did for the Hilary’s) and did not feel that it needed a sauce or anything else to enhance it. It definitely does not taste even remotely like a beef burger but that is okay with me. I usually do not like the taste of the pretenders.
Trader Joe’s Vegetable Masala Burger
Nutritional information for the Trader Joe’s Vegetable Masala Burger
Here it is in the frying pan. The instructions are for either cooking it on the stove top or on the grill. I imagine it falls apart if you cook it in the microwave.
Yum, tasty veggie burger in a pita pocket
And so ends the vegan portion of my day. John bought a large pork shoulder (butt) for the porchetta and made it according to the Milk Street magazine instructions. The shoulder separated into two pieces so we decided this would be the trial-run one and the larger one we would make for Christmas Eve. It takes all day to cook at a low temperature.
Here is a picture of it from the magazine
The roast is opened like a book and rubbed with a fennel/garlic paste. Then it is rolled up and tied and has to sit in the fridge for 24 to 48 hours. Then as I said it needs to cook for like 6 hours. It came out very tender and tasty and will make a fine centerpiece for our celebration. We used an electric knife to cut it which makes the slicing much easier.
Porchetta with smashed new potatoes and broccoli salad
Omnivore 