FRY BREAD WITH BRAISED MEAT, PEAS AND SHAVED ROOT VEGETABLES

Stieber fell in love with Navajo fry bread on a fatherson trip out West when he was a teenager. The dough is extremely simple but delicious beyond the sum of its components, usually served in the southwest as “Navajo tacos” covered in chile, cheese, shredded lettuce and many of the other usual suspects. At Eat Me Speak Me it’s used as a foundation for tasty stews or dishes made from meats and vegetables glazed in buttery pan sauces so the bread sops up all the goodness.

FOR THE BREAD:

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons kosher salt 6 teaspoons baking

powder

2/3 cup hot water Canola oil, for frying FOR THE PEAS:

1 cup of dried peas or beans, (Sea Island red peas recommended) 4 cups of water Kosher salt, white granulated sugar, cider vinegar to taste FOR THE MEAT:

1 1/2 pounds Boston butt or similar braising cut of meat

1 head of garlic

Salt and sugar to season For finishing the dish: Roughly two bunches worth of baby root veggies (carrots, turnips, fennel, etc – your choice depending on what’s in season) sliced as thinly as possible on a mandoline, or with a vegetable peeler 1 cup pork or chicken stock 1 lime, juiced

1 stick of butter cut into

small pieces Kosher salt and crushed red pepper to taste To braise the pork butt: Preheat oven to 280. Season the meat liberally all over with kosher salt and white granulated sugar. Place the meat on a roasting rack with water covering it halfway, as well as a head of garlic split down the middle. Cook for two hours then flip the meat so the part in the liquid is now exposed and vice versa. Cook for another two hours and then check for doneness. The meat should wiggle like Jello and pull apart easily. Shred the meat by hand when it cools and reserve for later.

For the peas:

While the meat is braising, cook the peas or beans you soaked overnight in water by pouring them into a pot and covering them with water, bringing it to a boil and then reducing the heat to a hard simmer. Cook for about 30 minutes to an hour depending on the particular legume. They should still be toothsome but have yielded away their grainy starchiness. Just before they are ready, add salt, white sugar and cider vinegar to taste and continue cooking until they’re done completely in another few minutes. Adding salt earlier will make them mushy.

To make the dough: Miix the flour, hot water, baking powder and salt together with a spatula or gloved hand. It will be very sticky – that’s OK. Cover the surface of the dough with plastic wrap and allow it to rest for at least 2 hours.

When you’re ready to fry up your bread, heat oil in a deep saucepan to 350-375 degrees. Slather the dough with canola oil (and your hands when you grab a piece of dough to drop in the hot oil, or else it’ll stick like crazy), rip off a piece of dough the size of a golf ball and stretch it in your hand like pizza dough. Drop in hot oil and when the bottom side looks golden brown, which takes about 1-2 minutes, flip the dough and cook the second side. Remove from the oil and drain on paper towel. Be sure to season the bread with a pinch of kosher salt when it comes out of the fryer and is still hot.

To finish the dish:

Get a large pan hot over medium-high heat. Add a thin layer of canola oil and a few pieces of butter. Sauté the braised pork and peas for a minute or two, then turn the heat to high and add about ½ cup of stock to the pan, a few more pieces of butter and lime juice. Season with kosher salt and a little crushed red pepper flakes and boil until the butter emulsifies with the stock and makes a glossy looking sauce in the pan. Add the shaved roots and turn the heat off so they very lightly wilt without losing all of their integrity. Pour the saucy, meaty, legumey mixture all over some warm fry bread in a bowl, garnish with some herbs and enjoy!

Serves: 4

Per serving: 800 calories (percent of calories from fat, 65), 30 grams protein, 41 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber, 58 grams fat (22 grams saturated), 154 milligrams cholesterol, 1,621 milligrams sodium.