Anise Seed is a scent that reminds me of Christmas. My mom would make these wonderful German cookies called Springdale and the bottoms were covered in Anise. The herb is so versatile in any type of cooking. It has a long tradition in Europe adding flavor to all kinds of meats. It is also a great digestive aid and can help a colicky baby; dogs are in love with it as cats love catnip. Anise Star Essential Oil is also a popular flavoring in Asian cooking. We will explore this scent at another time.
I focused on a meat dish using Anise Seed. I noticed I added a bit more of the essential oil than I normally use in a recipe. It works because you have the dried cherries absorbing enough of the anise and leaving some in the liquid for the reduction. Surprisingly, it is not over powering. You will have leftover liquid from the roast that you can make a sauce for another dish, or it could be great in an Asian soup. This is not a terribly labor intensive recipe, but it does take a bit of time. Most of it is in the slow cooking process. It’s a great recipe for a weekend dinner.
- 4-5 lb. pork roast (with or without the bone)
- 4 Tb oil (I like to use Pecan Oil, but Olive oil will do)
- 1/2 cup of soy sauce
- 1/2 cup of sugar
- 1 Tb of salt
- 1 tsp of ground mustard seed
- 4 cups of water
- 1 cup of sherry
- 25 drops Anise Seed Essential Oil
- 1 cup of dried cherries or cranberries
- 1 cup of scallions for garnish (optional)
In a small bowl, add the dried cherries, sherry and anise seed essential oil. Let it stand and set aside. Heat the oil in a deep sauté pan or Dutch oven to medium high. Brown the roast on 5 minutes each side. In a small bowl, mix the soy sauce, sugar, salt and ground mustard seed. Pour over the roast and add the water. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 1 -1/2 hours. Each thirty minutes turn the meat over in the liquid. Check with a meat thermometer that the roast has come to temperature (160 degrees) or is no longer pink inside. Take the roast out and allow it to rest for 10 minutes on a plate.
Heat a small sauté pain on high heat. Take 1/2 cup of the roast liquid. Pour into the small sauté pan along with the soaked dried cherries with its liquid. Reduce the liquid by half. It will take about 13-15 minutes. Pour the reduction sauce over the roast. Garnish with the green onions and serve with any remaining sauce.
Next week I will feature a recipe using Allspice Essential Oil.
Happy Cooking!