On sour cream and braised items.....

       

     This might sound weird but one of the things that I like pairing braised items of any kind with is sour cream. I'm not saying that I put sour cream on whatever I'm braising every time, but I find that the tanginess of it lightens up the dish and enhances the flavor of the protein being showcased. At times I'll mix a bit of lemon or lime juice in the sour cream to brighten it even more; this works extremely well with braised lamb shanks. The other day I made some pork cheeks that I served with spiced bulgur wheat, mint and strained yogurt. I found that the yogurt shares the same effect as the sour cream does on braised items. I take some greek yogurt and strain it through a cheese cloth lined china cap for a couple of hours until it becomes creamy and thick, at this point I take it out of the china cap, season with salt and add some lime juice. The citrusy yogurt played off the heaviness of the pork cheeks and brought out all the spices and herbs that were incorporated into the braised cheeks and the bulgur wheat.....