Pig Roast

As promised, here are a few shots of the pig roast. I've figured out a way to get the photos off my camera without actually finding the cord, so expect more blog posts soon!

wrapped in tin foil and chicken wire, stuffed with plums

after cooking underground, unearthed

ready to dig in

digging in

Rustic Carbonara

In this recipe, I was aiming for a heartier version of spaghetti carbonara (in the hearty vs delicate scale). I used whole wheat pasta and thick-cut prosciutto instead of the more traditional guiancale, and I added lots of fresh peas for some color and texture (and vegetable content). I really liked the result: the sauce turned out creamy and the dish overall somehow didn't feel too heavy or rich. It's also really easy to pull together-- the whole thing took about 20 minutes.

Whenever I make carbonara, I think of Katie, who makes it a lot. I made this while listening to her mix made on Char and Ryan's awesome interface, Flotate. Check it out.

You'll need (serves 2):

1/2 lb whole wheat spaghetti

2 whole eggs + 2 egg yolks

1 slab thick-cut (1/4-1/2 inch) prosciutto

1T fresh rosemary, minced

1c grated parmesan and/or parmesan-like cheeses, plus more for serving

1lb fresh English peas, shelled (about 3/4c peas)

lots of freshly ground black pepper

chopped parsley for garnish

Start the pasta water; by the time the pasta's done, the sauce will be ready. 3 minutes before pasta is done, add peas to cook too.

Cut the prosciutto into small cubes and saute (dry, no oil) over medium-high heat in a cast iron or heavy skillet until toasty and aromatic.

While the prosciutto cooks, beat eggs with cheese, rosemary, and pepper in a large bowl.

When pasta is al dente, reserve 1c pasta water and drain noodles. Slowly beat in 1/4c pasta water until eggs turn creamy (use more if you need). Add proscuitto, pasta and peas, and toss to coat.

Serve, sprinkled with parsley, with more cheese on the side.

Morcilla-Stuffed Squid

Morcilla is Spanish-style blood sausage. It's meatier than boudin and has a coarser grind. The one we got (at The Spanish Table) was combined with rice, which makes a really nice, substantial stuffing mix. If this kind of thing scares you, you can easily make this recipe with normal bulk sausage.

You'll need (serves 2-3):

6 squid bodies, cleaned (remove inner cartiledge)

4 links morcilla or other sausage

1 onion, chopped

1/2T cumin

1t cayenne

1T paprika

1c red wine

for the sauce:

7 cloves garlic, crushed and sliced

1/2 onion, chopped

4 shallots, sliced

1T tomato paste

1 8oz can tomato sauce

1T paprika

In a large heavy skillet, heat some olive oil and saute the chopped onion until brown, about 8 minutes. Remove the sausage from its casing and add it to the skillet, crumbling it up with your fingers as you add it. Stir to combine; add spices to taste. Deglaze with red wine and let simmer until almost dry. Taste and adjust spices. Remove from pan and let cool.

When the stuffing is cool enough to handle, stuff squid bodies (but don't stuff them too much-- they'll shrink quite a bit when they cook). Secure opening with toothpicks.

Add oil to skillet (same skillet-- don't clean it out) and brown stuffed squid lightly, about 5 min/side. Remove. Add sauce ingredients: onion, shallot, garlic. Let cook slowly over low heat until golden, about 10 minutes, stirring so garlic doesn't brown. Add tomato paste; let caramelize, then stir to combine. Add tomato sauce and paprika; return squid to pan. Add some chicken broth or water so that liquid comes halfway up squid. Let simmer about 45 minutes, until squid is tender (can be easily pierced with a fork).

leftovers, in the pan

cross-section of stuffed squid

Pork Medallions with Bulgur Pilaf

The nice thing about this dish is that it takes only minutes to make. The bad thing is that you have to eat it right away, as in before-you-can-take-a-picture right away. But it's tasty, quick and easy, so I made it again for lunch a few days later-- for blogging purposes only, of course. Now you have lots of pictures to enjoy.

For the pilaf, saute 1/2 onion, chopped, and 1c chopped mushrooms until onions are golden and mushrooms soft. Add 1c bulgur; saute 2 minutes. Add 2c chicken broth; bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook, covered, about 20 minutes. Add 1/2 bunch kale, chopped, and stir well to combine. Cook until kale turns bright green (about a minute) and serve.

For the pork, slice a pork tenderloin into 1 inch chunks. Pound lightly to even out. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. 

Brown in hot oil in a non-non-stick skillet about 1 minute/side. Set aside. Deglaze skillet with Marsala wine. Let boil slightly to reduce; stir in 1T butter. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour sauce over medallions. Serve!

Grilled Garlic Rosemary Pork Tenderloin with Pomegranate Spice Gravy and Wild Rice Pilaf

Jesse attacked his plate before I could get a good picture in. There are a lot of recipes on this post, so bear with me. The Pomegranate Spice Gravy is a delicious, and potentially vegetarian, sauce that can be drizzled over anything-- fish, chicken, rice-- to add flavor and sticky goodness. This time I went for pomegranate juice instead of molasses to cut down on the sweetness a bit. But first: the pork tenderloin.

Grilled Garlic Rosemary Pork Tenderloin

This is so quick and easy, and uses minimal ingredients. You'll need:

1 pork tenderloin, silverskin & any fat removed with a sharp knife
1T chopped fresh rosemary
3 garlic cloves, cut lengthwise into slivers
1t good olive oil

Rub the tenderloin with salt, pepper, and olive oil. Make little slits with a sharp knife and insert garlic slivers (make sure they're fully inserted or they'll fall out while cooking). Now, if you happen to have an electric grill with an aroma diffuser (hey, I do), put your rosemary in the diffuser with 1/2c water. If not, rub the rosemary all over the pork. Put the pork on a very hot grill or barbecue and cook 8-10 min/side, until a thermometer reads 140 degrees. Remove from heat and let sit as long as you can stand (ideally 10 minutes) before slicing, against the grain, into 1/4-1/2 inch slices.

Wild Rice Pilaf

This is Jesse's mom's recipe, and it's delicious. We used a wild rice combo (it's cheaper and more colorful!). And, by the way, wild rice is not rice, but aquatic grass.

You'll need:

1c wild rice
2c beef broth (or chicken or veggie broth)
1 large shallot, minced
6 cremini mushrooms, minced
1 medium red onion, minced
2 stalks celery, minced
2T butter

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute all veggies together for about 7 minutes, until mushrooms give off their liquid. Add rice and saute to coat grains; add broth, bring to a boil, cover, and simmer until tender and liquid is absorbed, about 1 hour. Remove from heat and let sit, covered, 10 minutes. Fluff and serve.

Pomegranate Spice Gravy

topped with marrow-- see below

The word "gravy" here might be a bit misleading-- this sauce is more syrupy in consistency. It's based on this recipe.

You'll need:

4 veal bones, optional
1 large onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 rib celery, chopped
6 garlic cloves, smashed & roughly chopped
1 3-inch piece ginger, peeled and cut into disks
2 star anise
1 stick cinnamon
2t black peppercorns
2c red wine
2c unsweetened pomegranate juice
1/2c *low sodium* soy sauce
2t fish sauce
2t hoisin sauce
1T dark brown sugar
1T Wondra flour (or 1t cornstarch dissolved in 1t warm water)

First step, optional: Wash, dry, and salt the bones. Brown them in a dutch oven in very hot grapeseed oil. Remove & set aside. Lower heat to medium.

In the same oil, add onion, carrot, celery, garlic, and a pinch of salt. Saute 15-20 minutes. Add ginger, star anise, cinnamon and peppercorns. Return bones to pot if using. Add all liquids (wine, pomegranate juice, soy sauce, fish sauce and hoisin). Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer 30 minutes. Check for sweetness; add 1T brown sugar if necessary. Keep cooking, covered, as long as you want.

this is what you take out
notice the tasty marrow in the bones...

About 15 minutes before serving, remove bones, anise and cinnamon. Run mixture through a food mill (or just strain through a fine mesh strainer) and return to pot. Sprinkle in Wondra flour, stirring to combine. Bring to a boil and cook until it's as thick as you want it, probably about 3 minutes.

Roasted Brocccoli

to interested parties:
we drank a delicious 2004 Poppy Pinot

This is the easiest, and tastiest, way to cook broccoli. You can also do this with cauliflower. Just cut into florets, toss with olive oil and coarse salt, and roast at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. We made this the other day and had to make another batch because we ate it before sitting down to dinner-- it's that good.

Pork Stir Fry with Noodles

This is the same recipe as this post, but with broccoli added, served over some surprisingly delicious fresh chow mein-style noodles. When you make any noodle or pasta dish with sauce, under cook your noodles by about a minute, then finish cooking them in the sauce, so they soak up sauce and become flavorful. I think this stir fry is especially good with noodles because of all the tasty sauce the recipe makes.

Milk-braised Pork Chops with Herbed Spaetzle

Ever since Jesse & I had the braised rabbit spaetzle at The Alembic, we've been craving its luscious dumplingness. Spaetzle, or spatzle with an umlaut over the a (which I can't seem to type here), is a tiny dumpling-like egg noodle. They're surprisingly easy to make, but are usually made with a spaetzle maker, and are named for their characteristic shape (spaetzle means "small sparrow"). But we just used a ricer, and got great results.

There are a lot of recipes floating around the internet; we used this one, adding fresh thyme & sage to the basic batter. (Jesse said he'd add another teaspoon of salt to the batter next time.) We "riced" the batter directly into boiling water, then scooped them out with a slotted spoon into a buttered bowl (they cook pretty instantly-- they'll float to the top when they're done). Before serving, we heated some butter, tossed in 1 large shallot, minced, then added the spaetzle and cooked, stirring, until the pieces were slightly browned. This goes really well with parmesan. Or braised rabbit. It was a good match for the pork, too.


The pork chops were inspired by this recipe. I browned the pork chops in some of their own fat that I'd trimmed off, rendered with the heating oil & butter, then removed before adding the meat. I also seasoned the flour with cayenne, onion powder, and some other spices I had lying around... they were very good but I think brined are better. Also, this might be the most unkosher recipe I've ever seen.

Spicy-Sweet Pork Stir Fry with Cabbage and Mushrooms

I made this with pork, because I had a pork tenderloin lying around, but you could easily use sliced chicken breast or a tender cut of beef. Serve with steamed or brown rice.

You'll need:

1 pork tenderloin (they're usually about 1 lb)

Marinade/Sauce:
4T hoisin sauce
2T dark soy sauce
2T light soy sauce
2T rice vinegar
1T chili-garlic sauce (or Sriracha & 1t crushed garlic)
a splash of Mirin wine, if you have it
1t corn starch

1 onion, thinly sliced
shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/2 chinese cabbage, thinly sliced
1T grated ginger
5-6 cloves chopped garlic
1 sliced serrano chili
1/2c peanuts, partially crushed
2 green onions, sliced
1T grapeseed oil

Remove silver skin and any fat from pork. Slice into thin rounds-- this is easier to do if you freeze the pork for 30 minutes. Combine marinade ingredients in a bowl; taste and add more chili-garlic sauce if too sweet, or more Mirin or hoisin if too spicy. Add pork and marinate 15 minutes, while you cook the veggies.

Heat oil in non-stick skillet. Saute onions until golden brown; add mushrooms, and saute until browned. Add cabbage, ginger, garlic, and serrano chili. Stir to combine; cook until cabbage begins to wilt. Add pork and marinade; simmer, stirring, until pork is cooked through and tender. Remove from heat and stir in peanuts and green onions.

Pork Chops with Apples and Butternut Squash

I bought brined pork chops from Cafe Rouge. If you don't have access to pre-brined chops, just brine them overnight in salt, sugar, and water. This meal is dedicated to Liz, who requested a recipe using fewer than five ingredients. This more or less fits the bill.

The pork should be cooked after the apples are sliced and the squash is done, as it only takes 15-20 minutes. Start doing the squash 1 1/2 hours before you want to eat (you can forget about it for the first hour, though).


Pork Chops

You'll need:
1 1lb chop/person, with plenty of fat on the outside, about 1 inch thick
pepper
1T olive oil
1T butter

Pat chops dry and pepper both sides generously. Do not salt. Heat oil & butter in a cast iron or other oven-safe heavy skillet. When foaming subsides, brown chops on both sides, about 3 min/side.

Apples

You'll need:

2 apples/person
1 shallot/person

Quarter, core, and peel apples (it's easiest in that order). Slice them thinly and set aside with a bit of lemon juice, so they don't turn brown. Also slice the shallots, thinly.

When chops are browned, remove them from the pan and add shallots, apples, salt and pepper. Cook about 10 minutes, until apples are soft and begin to caramelize. Return the chops to the pan and place the pan in a 400 degree oven (with the squash, which should be almost done).

Squash

1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed
2T butter, cut into small pieces
goat cheese to top (I used Bucheron)
salt
pepper
1T whole allspice, freshly ground
1/2c walnut pieces, toasted (be really careful toasting nuts-- they burn very easily. When they're as toasted as you want them to be, remove them from the pan onto a cool plate immediately).

Start this way in advance (at least 1 1/2 hours). Toss everything together and place in 400 degree oven. When squash is tender and browned (about 1 hour), mash or put through a potato ricer into a small gratin dish.

Mix squash puree with toasted walnuts and butter pieces. Dot with goat cheese and put back in oven until cheese is bubbly and brown and pork chops are done.

Leftovers 101: Pork Tenderloin

I had two meals' worth of pork left over from the tenderloin I made the other night. I had a sandwich yesterday, with avocado, tomato, greens, and gruyere (gruyere goes well with the mustard crust, but cheddar would be tasty too), but there's only so many pork sandwiches a girl can eat.

So this morning, I used the last of the pork in my breakfast. Be sure to take it out of the fridge in advance or put it in the micro briefly to take the chill off.

Start with a medium boiled egg:

Bring salted water to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
Pierce a hole in the larger, rounded side of the raw egg with a pin.
Gently lower the egg into the water using a ladle or large spoon; cook for exactly 5 minutes.
Run the egg under cold water, and then *gently* crack the eggshell with the back of a spoon.
Peel the egg very carefully (this is the hard part; the egg white will be just set, and the yolk will be totally runny).

Slice the leftover pork thinly and fan out on a plate. Cut the egg in half and place it on the pork; let the yolk cover the pork. Serve with buttered toast.

Mustard Encrusted Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Apples and Brussel Sprouts

You need:

1 pork tenderloin, silver skin removed with a sharp knife
3T dijon mustard
fresh sage and thyme (or whatever herbs you want)
1 small shallot
dry bread crumbs

brussel sprouts
cooking apples (I used Jonas Gold)

a meat thermometer

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees

2. Clean brussel sprouts: remove end and slice in half. Toss with salt, pepper, and good olive oil. Place in roasting pan and put in oven while you prepare the pork.

3. Peel apples and cut into 1" dice. Set aside.

4. Salt and pepper tenderloin and sear on all sides in hot grapeseed oil. Let cool slightly.

5. Mix the mustard with minced shallot (about 1T), chopped sage, and thyme leaves.

6. Coat cooled tenderloin with mustard mixture and then bread crumbs.

7. Remove roasting pan from oven; mix apples with brussel sprouts, and push veggies to the sides. Place pork in center and return to oven. Cook about 20 minutes, until pork reaches 150 degrees. Let rest 5 minutes (temperature will raise to 155).

Serve with a grain-- I made a simple bulgar wheat pilaf.

Around the World, Two Ways

Around the World, Two Ways

November 18, 2007

This was a feast to rival our last.
For more lovely photographs by Karen,
or a slideshow of the cooking process, see here.

We wanted to do every course two ways-- roughly an "east" and a "west" (except hors d'oeuvres). All food is from the Saturday Berkeley Farmers' Market, Monterey Market, Tokyo Fish, and the coffee/tea market next to Monterey. All wine is from Vintage Berkeley.

Katie & I shopped & cooked
Karen made the delicious souffle you see in the "Oranges" course
and took all these gorgeous photographs
Katharine brought aperitifs and desert wine
Ridwan brought the fish course wine
Gus brought the pork course wine


Thank you to everyone for making this a delicious meal.

~

Hors d’oeuvres

Shiso leaf and beet with goat cheese and spiced almond

Watermelon radish chips with arugula-walnut pesto and filet cubes

~

Campari & Soda
~

Fish

Miso tuna tartare on daikon ribbons with
sesame sprinkle, nori chips, tobiko and wasabi cream

Arugula, smoked trout, and fennel salad with horseradish cream

~
Jean-Marc Brocard Petit Chablis 2005
~

Butternut Squash Dumplings

Almond sage ravioli with amaretto brown butter
&
Green curry wonton with lemongrass
coconut reduction and Thai eggplant
~
Jean-Marc Brocard Petit Chablis 2005

~

Pork Belly

Thyme roasted with zesty applesauce and celery remoulade
&
Five spice with papaya salad and spicy dipping sauce

~
Borgogno Barbera d' Alba 2006
&
Weingu Niklas Sudtiroler Lagrein 2005
~

Oranges

Chinese Orange Surprise

Grand Marnier Souffle
~

Royal Tokaji 2000
~

Pork Hominy Stew

1-2lb boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1-1.5" cubes. Coat with kosher salt, freshly ground pepper, and chili powder. Let marinate in the refrigerator, covered, for 3-4 days.


One day before serving, remove from refrigerator and bring to room temperature. Brown cubes on all sides in hot grapeseed oil. If necessary, brown in batches; do not crowd pan. Remove pork and place in bowl.

Add oil if necessary to pan; saute 2 large onions, chopped. Scrape up brown bits as onions release liquid. When onions are translucent, add salt, pepper, 1T chili powder and 2T dried coriander. Stir to combine. Add 5 cloves sliced garlic, 2 peeled, cored, and sliced apples, and 2 large sweet peppers, diced. Saute, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add pork and any accumulated juices and about 1lb early girl tomatoes, halved. Stir to combine. Add about 1c chicken broth and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer 1/2 hour.

Add 1 can drained and rinsed hominy. Cover and simmer until pork is tender, about 1 more hour. If you like your stew soupy, it's ready; otherwise, remove the meat and boil to reduce, or thicken with 1t cornstarch dissolved in water.


Eat the next day so the flavors have time to develop. For added deliciousness, reheat with some cooking greens (kale, collard greens, etc)-- I used mustard greens, which have a sharpness that goes well with the flavors in this dish. Cook, stirring, until greens wilt. Garnish with cilantro.

Quick Summer Dinner

Barbecue sausages (we got fresh pork-and-beef sausages from the farmer's market) and serve with bulgar pilaf-- saute onions, salt, and dried herbs in butter; when onions are translucent, add bulgar and saute; add chicken broth, bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover to cook.

Kale salad with Oro Blanco grapefruit (remove all skin and membrane) and avocado-- let grapefruit juice lightly dress kale, add white wine vinegar, olive oil, and salt and pepper.

pork tenderloin cutlets with tarragon sauce and kale mashed potatoes

clean tenderloin and slice diagonally into 1-inch pieces. pound pieces between plastic wrap until uniformly thin (about 1/4 inch). dredge in flour seasoned with salt and pepper. saute until golden, about 4 minutes on the first side and 2 on the second, in olive oil. remove and keep warm. add shallots to pan; add butter if necessary. when shallots are cooked, deglaze pan with vermouth and add chopped tarragon and dijon mustard. reduce. pour over pork and serve with kale mashed potatoes: http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/001566.html (i followed the recipe almost exactly but whipped the potatoes with butter and cream before adding the kale; i also kept the potato skins on)