One of the first things I learned to cook was a pork roast. It was 1971, I was a new bride, and a center cut pork roast was 49 cents a pound. I know, I’m old. 

My grandfather Louie seared the center cut loin in his cast iron skillet and then roasted it in a low oven for hours. As the pork roasted, he basted it with its own rendered fat. Louie picked rosemary and thyme from the huge bushes he grew in San Francisco’s sandy soil. He finely chopped and scattered the fragrant herbs over the golden roast like a green blanket. During the last hour of roasting he’d throw in chopped potatoes, carrots and fennel. All from the vegetable garden behind his apartment house. It was years before I ate a store-bought carrot. And when I did, I wondered what had happened to it to make it so flavorless. 

Below is a recipe from our cookbook, The Entertaining Encyclopedia. Robert Rose Publishing, 2009. 

Cindie and I developed this recipe and tested it to rave reviews. The trick is to not overcook the pork. We sliced it thin. Delicious. 

I remember the past through food. Cooking from those recipes reminds me of the people I love and of those happy times. That's my kind of nourishment.

Just for fun, the platter in the picture was my grandparents’ china. Truly a taste of home!