BRAISED PORK, SAUSAGE AND PERSIMMONS

Prep Time: 2½ Hours
Yields: 6–8 Servings

Comment:  
Usually, pork and rice dishes are meant to be savory. However, in this dish Fuyu persimmons are added to the ingredients to give the finished presentation a nice, sweet flavor. The Germans of Louisiana were great rice growers and would consider this the perfect accompaniment. It was often flavored with other ingredients such as peas, sliced green onions and even saffron.

Ingredients:
1 (2½-pound) boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1½-inch pieces
1 pound fresh Cajun green onion pork sausage
2 cups Fuyu persimmons, peeled and diced
salt and black pepper to taste
granulated garlic to taste
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 cups diced onions
1 cup diced celery
¾ cup diced green bell peppers
¼ cup minced garlic
1 tbsp ground cumin
2 tsps ground coriander
1 tsp ground turmeric
⅛ tsp cayenne pepper
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
2 cups beef stock
½ cup sliced green onions
3 cups cooked white rice

Method:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Pat pork dry with paper towels then season to taste with salt, pepper and granulated garlic. In a 6-quart Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat until smoking lightly. Cut green onion sausage into 4-inch links and brown on all sides. Remove and set aside. In the same Dutch oven, brown pork in 2 batches, about 5–7 minutes per batch. Return browned pork to the pot and add onions, celery and bell peppers then cook 7–10 minutes or until vegetables are wilted, stirring often. Add minced garlic, cumin, coriander, turmeric and cayenne then cook another 3–5 minutes, stirring well. Add tomatoes and stock, bring to a rolling boil and reduce to a simmer. Add cooked sausage, cover and transfer pot to oven. Braise pork until fork-tender, about 1½ hours. Remove pot from oven, uncover and scatter persimmons over pork. Return pot to oven and braise an additional 30 minutes. Remove pot from oven, stir in green onions then season to taste with salt, pepper and granulated garlic. To serve, place an equal portion of rice in the center of each serving plate and top with pork, sausage, persimmons and sauce.