pork – TasteFood

gluten-free, Main Course, one-pot, Pork, Soups and Stews, Winter

Pork Stew with Prunes and Armagnac

December 9, 2019December 9, 2019by Lynda Balslev4 Comments

’Tis the season for Armagnac – in your food as well as your glass:

In this window of time between Thanksgiving turkey and Christmas excess, take a break from fancy feasts and indulge in a robust and rustic one-pot meal. This wine and brandy-laced stew is guaranteed to warm you in the cold weather. After all, while libations are certainly for sipping, don’t overlook their power to enhance flavor in food, such this pork and prune stew fortified with Armagnac. If this recipe doesn’t warm you, I’m not sure what will.

Armagnac is a brandy produced in the southwestern region of France. Like cognac, Armagnac is derived from grapes – but the difference veers from there. While cognac is twice distilled, yielding a smoother pour, Armagnac is distilled only once, which lends more nuance and character to its flavor. And while this certainly makes for intriguing and wonderful sipping, it also adds delightful complexity to soups, stews, sauces – even desserts.

In this recipe, Armagnac teams up with luscious prunes and pork to create a rich and homey stew perfumed with juniper and rosemary. Just remember to pour yourself a splash to enjoy while you are preparing the meal.

Pork Stew with Prunes and Armagnac

Active Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 3 to 3 1/2 hours, plus steeping time
Serves 6

20 prunes, pitted
1/2 cup Armagnac brandy
3 pounds pork shoulder, excess fat trimmed, meat cut into 1 ½ -inch chunks
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 ounces bacon, coarsely chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
3 medium shallots, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 bottle full-bodied red wine
1 cup high quality beef stock
1 bouquet garni: 4 juniper berries, 3 rosemary sprigs, 2 thyme sprigs, and 2 bay leaves wrapped in cheesecloth and tied with a kitchen string

1. Combine the prunes and Armagnac in a bowl and let stand at least 1 hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
3. Season the pork on all sides with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven or oven-proof pot with a lid. Add the pork in batches, without overcrowding, and brown on all sides. Transfer to a bowl and repeat with the remaining pork.
4. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon pork fat from the pan. Add the bacon and sauté until its fat renders. Add the carrots and onion and sauté until the onions soften and the carrots are crisp tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.
5. Return the pork and any accumulated juices to the pan. Add the prunes and Armagnac, the wine, bouquet garni, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover the pan, transfer to the oven, and cook until the meat is very tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours, stirring once every hour or so.
6. Remove the stew from the oven, discard the bouquet garni, and taste for seasoning. Serve with mashed potatoes, polenta, or crusty bread.
(The stew may be prepared up to two days in advance. Warm over low heat or in a 300°F oven before serving.)

gluten-free, Grilling, Main Course, Pork, recipe, Summer

Chipotle Braised Pork Carnitas

June 30, 2019June 30, 2019by Lynda Balslev1 Comment

Getting Piggy with Carnitas:

Now that it’s summer, it’s time to dig into spicy, meaty, two-fisted pork carnitas. Carnitas are perfect party food. They are fun to assemble and messy to eat, best washed down with a cold beer while eaten outdoors. What could be more fun?

The key to carnitas is to let the meat cook low and slow until it’s fork tender. In this recipe, the pork braises in a smoky, citrus-infused beer broth that imbues the meat with flavor and spice. The cooking process takes several hours, but it’s relatively hands off, simply requiring the occasional turn. The biggest challenge will be the wafting aroma of the simmering pork, which will surely test your patience. Hang in there. You can do it.

The final step is optional but highly recommended. Once the meat is shredded, arrange it in a baking dish or grill pan, toss with some of the basting juices and grill or broil at high heat until the meat begins to caramelize. Pile the meat on tortillas with salsa, guacamole, or your favorite fixings, and you are good to go. (Just remember the napkins.) If you have any leftovers, use the meat in sandwiches or loaded on homemade nachos the next day.

The pork can be grilled, which will keep the heat outdoors on a warm day, or it can be cooked in an oven. If using a grill, then brown the meat on the grates before transferring to a deep grill pan or grill-proof Dutch oven with the braising liquid.

Chipotle Beer Braised Pork Carnitas

Active Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: about 5 hours
Serves 6 to 8

1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 (4 pound) boneless pork shoulder, excess fat trimmed
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
6 garlic cloves, smashed but intact
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 cup Mexican beer
1 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon brown sugar

Accompaniments:
Warm flour or corn tortillas
Guacamole
Salsa
Fresh cilantro
Sliced green onions

1. Heat the oven to 300°F (or prepare the grill for indirect cooking over medium-low heat, 275 to 300°F).
2. Mix the cumin, paprika, chili powder, sugar, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Rub the spices all over the meat. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. (Or refrigerate for up to 24 hours, and remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking.)
3. If using the oven, heat the 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large Dutch-oven over medium heat on the stovetop. Add the pork and brown on all sides, turning as needed, about 8 minutes. Remove the pork and pour off the fat. (If using the grill, brown the pork over direct medium heat on the grill grates, and pre-heat a grill-proof Dutch oven over indirect heat while the pork is browning.)
4. Add the garlic, onion, beer, orange juice, chipotles, lime juice, and brown sugar to the Dutch oven. Bring to a boil over medium heat, scraping up any brown bits if on the stovetop.
5. Add the pork to the pot. Cover the pot with a lid or aluminum foil and transfer to the oven (or transfer to indirect low heat on the grill). Braise the pork until fork tender, about 4 hours, turning every hour or so.
6. Remove the pork from the braising liquid and transfer to a cutting board to cool while you reduce the sauce. When cool enough to handle, shred the meat. Place the meat in a baking dish or grill pan.
7. Boil the braising sauce over medium-high heat until reduced to a sauce consistency, 8 to 10 minutes. Strain the sauce, and drizzle some of it over the shredded pork (the pork should be lightly coated but not wet).
8. Grill or broil the pork at high heat until the meat begins to caramelize, 2 to 4 minutes.
9. To serve, spoon some of the pork in the center of a tortilla. Top with guacamole, salsa, fresh cilantro, and scallions. Roll up and eat.

Cookbooks, Food Blog Events, Main Course, Pork, product review, Uncategorized

Red Cooked Pork Belly Recipe plus a Cookbook and Stir Fry Pan Giveaway!

September 14, 2016October 10, 2016by Lynda Balslev28 Comments

Leave a comment below through October 9, 2016 to be entered into the GIVEAWAY for a free copy of the award winning cookbook “Phoenix Claws and Jade Trees: Essential Techniques of Authentic Chinese Cooking” AND a free Anolon Nouvelle Copper/Stainless Steel Covered Stir-Fry pan.

Mid-Autumn Festival is the second most important celebration after Chinese New Year in the Chinese holiday calendar. Family members gather for a feast and enjoy the harvest moon. This year the holiday falls on September 15, and in partnership with publisher Clarkson Potter and Anolon Cookware, I am giving away a copy of Chef Kian Lam Kho’s award winning cookbook “Phoenix Claws and Jade Trees: Essential Techniques of Authentic Chinese Cooking.” It’s a perfect book for you to learn how to properly cook authentic Chinese food.

I had the pleasure of tasting Chef Kian’s wonderful cooking at a private event sponsored by Cook’nScribble earlier this year. Not only is Kian a food writer, cooking teacher and food consultant in Chinese cuisine, he is the creator of the the Chinese home cooking blog Red Cook. His first cookbook, Phoenix Claws and Jade Trees, was the recipient of the Julia Child First Book Award from IACP (International Association of Culinary Professionals). Among the dishes Kian prepared at the event I attended was Red Cooked Chicken, a traditional method of slow cooking chicken in a concoction of soy sauce, sugar, garlic, and aromatics. For this giveaway I decided to make his family recipe for Red Cooked Pork, which I discovered has the unique (and very appealing) additional step of caramelizing the sugar first, then browning unctuous chunks of pork belly in the caramel before braising. Say no more.

In addition to winning a copy of Kian’s book, the lucky winner will ALSO receive a new Anolon Copper and Stainless 12.5-inch Covered Stir Fry pan, which is the perfect vessel for preparing the recipe below for Red Cooked Pork. Its deep shape is ideal for stir frying, with a sturdy handle for moving between cooktops and oven, and its copper, aluminum and magnetized stainless steel base delivers optimum heat control and performance on all cooktops, including induction.

Let the celebrations begin!

UPDATE: Congratulations to Jennifer Anne Keefer, who is the winner of the drawing and giveaway!

Red-Cooked Pork – Home Style

Reprinted with permission from “Phoenix Claws and Jade Trees: Essential Techniques of Authentic Chinese Cooking” by author Kian Lam Kho and Photographer Jody Horton; Published by Clarkson Potter, Sept 2015.

Serves 4 as an appetizer, 2 as a main course

1 1/2 pounds pork belly
2 tablespoons sugar
3 garlic cloves
2 scallions, cut into 2-inch pieces
3 whole star anise
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 cup Shoaxing cooking wine
1 1/2 cups pork stock, the liquid from parboiling, or water, plus more as needed.

Put the entire pork belly in a stockpot and add enough water to cover the meat completely. Bring the water to a boil, then turn down the heat to medium. Parboil the pork belly, uncovered, for 20 minutes, continuously skimming off the scum that forms on the surface. Drain, and let the pork belly cool. Then cut it into pieces about 1 1/2 inches square.

Combine the sugar with 3 tablespoons water in a wok over medium heat. Continue heating until the sugar syrup just begins to turn yellow. Add the cubed pork belly to the wok and brown it with the caramelized sugar, stirring the meat regularly to prevent burning. If you like, cover the wok with a splatter guard to prevent the fat from splattering.

Add the garlic, scallions, star anise, both soy sauces, wine, and stock to the wok. Bring the liquid to a boil, then transfer the contents to a clay pot or Dutch oven. (Alternatively, this dish can be cooked in a slow cooker.) Simmer, covered, over low heat, stirring the meat every 15 minutes to prevent scorching the pork on the bottom, for 1 hour or until the meat is tender when pierced with a knife.

Remove the meat and put it in a bowl. Reduce the sauce over medium-high heat until it reaches the desired consistency. Return the meat to the pot and reheat before serving.

To be entered into the giveaway for a free copy of “Phoenix Claws and Jade Trees: Essential Techniques of Authentic Chinese Cooking” AND a free Analon Nouvelle Copper/Stainless Steel Covered Stir-Fry pan, please leave a comment below with a valid email link through October 9, 2016 (your email address will not be visible on the website). One lucky winner will be chosen via random drawing and contacted via email drawing on October 10, 2016 to receive both prizes. So sorry, but only readers with U.S. addresses are eligible for the giveaway.

Disclosure: The cookbooks for the giveaway are sponsored by Clarkson Potter. The stir fry pan used in the post and provided for the giveaway is sponsored by Anolon.

Appetizers, entertaining, gluten-free, Meat, Pork, Winter

Homemade Country Pâté (Pâté de Campagne) with Cranberries and Pistachios

December 21, 2015July 25, 2018by Lynda Balslev4 Comments

~ Country Pâté with Boar, Pork, Cranberries, and Pistachios ~

I always make homemade pâté for the holidays. It’s a great appetizer to serve at a party with charcuterie, as well as a delicious savory addition to a fireside dinner. Homemade pâté is surprisingly easy to make and can be prepared well in advance of any festivities. Its method incorporates “packing” – which, in charcuterie terms, involves jamming a terrine mold with ground spiced meat, spirits, eggs, and cream and baking it in a water bath. The resulting baked brick of spiced and fortified meat is weighted down and banished to the refrigerator to sit for a day or two to become comfortable with it’s brash flavorings while anticipation builds – just as it would the day before Christmas as you eye unopened presents placed beneath the tree. When the time is right (2 days at least) the terrine is retrieved from the refrigerator and its wrapping discarded, uncovering a rich, meaty country pâté, chunky with nuts and fruit.

I have fiddled with this recipe over the years, and lately become enamored of wild boar. Boar reminds me of Europe, where it’s a frequent ingredient in charcuterie. It may be purchased in specialty stores, through a butcher or mail order. Since it’s so lean, it’s important to combine the boar meat with a fattier cut such as pork shoulder. Alternatively, you can substitute veal for the boar meat.

Country Pâté with Boar, Pork, Cranberries, and Pistachios

Begin at least two days before serving to allow the flavors to develop. You can either grind your own meat, or simply have your butcher grind the meat for you.

Serves 20

1 pound ground boar shoulder (or veal)
1 pound ground pork shoulder
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 pound bacon, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing terrine
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup Calvados
1/4 cup shelled unsalted pistachios
1/4 cup dried cranberries
Coarsely ground peppercorns for garnish

1. If you are grinding your own meat, then cut the boar and pork in 3/4-inch cubes. Place the meat in a large bowl and add the garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, allspice, coriander, and cloves. Mix to thoroughly combine, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight. Grind with a meat grinder before proceeding.
2. If you are using ground meat, combine the boar and pork in a large bowl. Add the garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, allspice, coriander, and cloves. Mix to thoroughly combine, then cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
3. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) Add the bacon to the meat and return the meat to the refrigerator while you prepare the onions.
4. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until translucent but not brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature. Add to the meat.
5. Combine the eggs, cream and calvados in a small bowl. Add to the meat and mix well.
6. Butter a loaf pan or terrine. Press one third of the meat into the terrine. Sprinkle half of the pistachios and half of the cranberries evenly over the surface. Press another third of the meat into the terrine. Top with the remaining pistachios and cranberries and cover with the remaining meat. Cover the terrine tightly with foil and prick 2 to 3 holes in the foil. Place the terrine in a baking pan. Pour boiling water into the baking pan halfway up the sides of the terrine.
7. Bake in the oven until a meat thermometer inserted in the center reads 155°F, about 1 1/2 hours.Remove from the oven and remove the terrine from the water bath. Place a terrine press over the pate (or a cutting board with cans on top) and cool completely. Transfer the weighted terrine to the refrigerator and refrigerate for 1 to 2 days before serving.
8. To serve, un-mold the pate and scrape off any congealed fat. Cut into slices, about ½-inch thick. Garnish with the peppercorns. Serve with cornichons, Dijon-style mustard, and fresh French baguette or country bread.

gluten-free, Grilling, Main Course, Marinades, Pork

Smoky Chipotle Glazed Ribs

October 8, 2015by Lynda Balslev4 Comments

The summer season has ended but grilling season certainly has not. In fact, once autumn rolls around, rich grilled meats are a perfect complement to the cool crisp weather – especially when we’re talking about ribs slathered with a spicy smoky barbecue sauce. For deep flavor, these pork ribs are coated with a robust spice rub and left to marinate before roasting. Then they roast, low and slow, on the grill until the meat is tender and juicy, before getting a good glaze on iwht a chipotle BBQ sauce.

Smoky Chipotle Glazed Ribs
Serves 4 to 6

Rub:
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
1 tablespoon ground chipotle pepper

2 racks baby back pork ribs

Sauce:
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 large garlic clove, minced
2 chipotles in adobo, minced, with juices
1/2 cup heavy bodied red wine
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt

1. Combine the rub ingredients in a small bowl. Spread the ribs on a rimmed baking sheet and coat on all sides with the rub. You can either grill the ribs immediately, or – better yet – cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. The longer the ribs marinate, the better the flavor.
2. Prepare the grill for indirect cooking over low heat (about 275°F). Grill the ribs until the meat is tender, about 2 1/2 hours, turning occasionally.
3. While the ribs are roasting, prepare the sauce. Heat the oil in a small saucepan and add the garlic. Saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the sauce is thickened and reduced by about half, about 15 minutes.
4. Remove from the grill and cut into individual ribs. Adjust the grill for direct cooking over medium heat. Baste the ribs with some of the sauce and grill until crispy and slightly charred, 6 to 8 minutes, turning as needed. Serve with the remaining sauce. And pass the napkins.

entertaining, Main Course, Meat, Pork

Chipotle Pork Carnitas

February 22, 2013May 20, 2019by Lynda Balslev16 Comments

~ Chipotle Beer Braised Pork Carnitas ~

Carnitas are perfect weekend food. Festive and fun to eat, they are great for a casual party or a large family gathering. Begin the meat early in the day so that it will slow cook in the oven while you go about your daily business. As the meat breaks down, it will be infused by the beer and chipotle braising liquid until it’s falling apart tender at the bone. A little shredding and a final turn in the oven with the reduced sauce turns out smoky, spicy, caramelized pork, ready to pile on tortillas with salsa and guacamole. If you have any leftovers, the meat may be used in sandwiches or loaded on homemade nachos the next day.

Chipotle Beer Braised Pork Carnitas

Serves 8

2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (4 pound) bone-in pork shoulder
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
4 garlic cloves, smashed
1 cup Mexican beer
1 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon brown sugar

Accompaniments:
Warm flour or corn tortillas
Guacamole
Salsa
Fresh cilantro
Sliced green onions

Heat oven to 300 F. Mix the cumin, paprika, sugar salt and pepper in a small bowl. Rub the spices all over the meat. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a dutch oven. Brown the pork on all sides. Remove the pork. Add onion, garlic, beer, orange juice, chipotles, lime juice and brown sugar to the dutch oven. Bring to a boil, scraping up any brown bits, then reduce heat to a simmer. Return the pork to the pot. Cover and transfer to oven. Cook until pork is very tender, about 3 to 4 hours, turning every hour or so.

Remove pork from the braising liquid and transfer to a cutting board to cool slightly. When cool enough to handle, shred the meat. Place the meat in a baking dish. Strain the braising sauce into a saucepan. Boil until reduced to a sauce consistency. Drizzle over the shredded pork. Transfer the pork to oven and broil until the meat begins to caramelize, 3 to 5 minutes.

To serve, spoon some of the pork in the center of a tortilla. Top with guacamole, salsa, fresh cilantro and scallions. Roll up and eat.

Barbeque, Grilling, Meat, Pork

Super Bowl Party Food: Dry Spice Rubbed Pork Ribs

February 2, 2013June 13, 2014by Lynda Balslev10 Comments

~ Dry Spice Rubbed and Grilled Pork Ribs ~

Call me a fair weather fan (or a championship series fan) when it comes to football. I don’t pay much attention during the season, but once it gets down to the final stretch I am right there on the couch with all of you potatoes. As this season would have it, I was nearly in a connundrum, since I am a die-hard New Englander residing in San Francisco. Who would I root for? That question will remain unanswered (sigh) since the Ravens removed any potential conflict of interest. Now I am a resolute 49ers fan, which is a good thing, since that means I am now welcome in my friends’ homes to watch the game. And for the big occasion I suggest this finger-licking-spicy-good rib recipe for your Superbowl Party.

Dry Spice Rubbed Baby Back Pork Ribs

The key to making these ribs is in the method. Begin with a dry rub which coats and permeates the meat with a sweet, spicy, smoky flavor as the ribs cook long and slow in a low-heat oven. You can start the ribs early in the afternoon; pop them into the oven and forget about them for 3 hours. Thirty minutes before serving, remove and transfer to the grill to cook just long enough get all caramelized and crispy.

Serves 6-8

For the rub:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon cayenne (or to taste)

3 racks baby back pork ribs

Preheat oven to 200° F. Combine all of the rub ingredients together in a bowl and mix well.
Pat ribs dry with a paper towel. Arrange in one layer on 2 rimmed baking sheets. Rub the spices all over the ribs on both sides, coating well. Bake in oven for 3 hours.
Prepare grill for indirect medium heat. Grill ribs on a rack over indirect heat, turning, until the meat darkens and crisps, 10 to 12 minutes.

These ribs are good as is, with the crispy exterior and succulent meat. If you like your ribs more wet, baste with your favorite sauce just before removing from grill and serve with additional sauce on the side.

Barbeque, Denmark, Grilling, Main Course, Pork

Summer Beach Grill Party: BBQ Baby Back Ribs

June 30, 2012August 6, 2015by Lynda Balslev8 Comments

Last weekend we celebrated the summer solstice with our annual BBQ and bonfire at the beach. This is a Nordic tradition we happily packed up with us from Denmark, where the longest day of the year is celebrated in true viking-style with feasting, fire, libations, and an effigy which is burned to ward off evil spirits. Since the sun sets over the sea at 9 pm in California and not at midnight during the Scandinavian midnight sun, we enjoy an abbreviated version, Pacific-style, before the park rangers shepherd us off the beaches – or the residents call the police. This year was spectacular, with warm weather, tame winds and a hopping crowd of 50 wannabe vikings. As hosts, we took responsibility for the Danish beer, grillables and fire setting, while everyone else brought side dishes desserts, beach chairs, lots of kids and wine. It truly takes a village! On the menu were these sticky spiced ribs – inspired by a delectable recipe from my friend Karen who brought them along last year. (She is on tour in Italy right now with her band which is another story in itself.) Continue Reading Grilled BBQ Baby Back Ribs

Breads, Pasta, Rice, Grains, Main Course, Pasta, Pork

Adult Spaghettio’s: Anelletti with Bacon, Peas and Sweet Potato

June 27, 2012July 4, 2012by Lynda Balslev9 Comments

~ Anelletti, Bacon, Sweet Potato, Peas, Sage, Parmigiano ~

This recipe is a celebration of bacon. Not just any bacon, but a wedge of my own home-cured bacon: a wicked habit I developed after a year of making my own charcuterie courtesy of Charcutepalooza. Since then, I always have a stash of bacon on hand, portioned from a hefty slab I cure every few months.

Once again I found myself this week at the dinner hour when I hadn’t shopped and the refrigerator was bare. (How does this happen when I cook and write about food?) In this situation, an easy improvised pasta dinner is on the menu. Naturally, I reached for a hunk of bacon, cubed and fried it, rendering a slick of fat. Normally I would discard the fat and proceed from there, but since it was my own bacon, I wasn’t ready to part with it, preferring to celebrate it somehow, so I dumped a chopped sweet potato unearthed from the vegetable bin into the pan, frying the potato until glistening and tender. Not quite finished, I gave a few semi-wilted sage leaves a reprieve (I said my refrigerator was empty) and fried them until crisp. Now I was ready to discard the bacon fat, all but a tablespoon, which I used to sauté a little garlic and and a handful of peas just long enough to release the garlic’s aroma and brighten the peas. Then all of the ingredients, redolent with bacon, converged in a bowl with a wonderful pasta I discovered in my pantry, smuggled home from a long-ago trip to Italy. I call them adult spaghettio’s. Continue Reading Anelletti with bacon, Peas and Sweet Potato

Condiment, cookbook, Main Course, Pork, Uncategorized

Momofuku Bo Ssam – Lacquered Pork in Lettuce Leaves

January 24, 2012January 17, 2020by Lynda Balslev38 Comments

Slow-Roasted Pork Wrapped in Lettuce with Ginger, Scallions and Red Chilies

Normally I can’t resist tweaking a recipe, but not this time. As soon as I read this article and recipe in the New York Times for Momofuku Bo Ssam, I began to plan my week around making it. Adapted from the Momofuku cookbook by David Chang and Peter Meehan, this Korean-inspired recipe has perfection written all over it. Despite its exotic name with a restaurant pedigree, I might call this dish Lacquered Slow-Roasted Pork. The meat alone is a masterpiece, oven-roasted to a crispy, caramelized heap with nothing more than copious amounts of sugar and salt. It’s then wrapped in lettuce (ssam), brightened with an intoxicating muddle of ginger and scallions and thoroughly electrified with a fermented bean and chili sauce which will rock any Scoville Scale.

In this recipe, the method and ingredients are slightly modified from the original recipe.

Bo Ssam: Slow-Roasted Lacquered Pork with Ginger, Scallions and Chile Sauce

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

4 pounds pork butt (shoulder)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup kosher salt, plus extra for sprinkling
1/4 cup light brown sugar

Ginger-scallion sauce:
1 bunch scallions, about 8, white and green parts, thinly sliced
1/4 cup freshly grated ginger
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
1 teaspoon light soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sherry vinegar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Red chili sauce:
1 tablespoon fermented bean and chili paste
1 teaspoon sweet chili sauce
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil

For serving:
Cooked basmati rice
Butter lettuce leaves or little gem leaves
Optional: Fresh cilantro sprigs, toasted sesame seeds, and/or minced red chile pepper for garnish

Method:

1. Place the pork in a large bowl. Combine the granulated sugar and 1/2 cup salt in a small bowl. Rub all over the meat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

2. When you are ready to cook, remove the pork from the oven, discard any accumulated juices, and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

3. Heat the oven (or a grill) to 300°F.

4. Place the pork in a roasting pan. Roast in the oven (or over indirect heat on the grill) until the pork is falling-apart tender, about 4 hours, turning and basting occasionally.

5. While the meat is roasting, prepare the ginger-scallion sauce and red chili sauce. Combine all of the ingredients for the ginger-scallion sauce together in a bowl. Taste for seasoning and set aside. Combine all of the ingredients for the red chili sauce together in a bowl. Set aside.

6. Remove the meat from the oven and transfer to a cutting board. Pour off and reserve the accumulated fat and juices.

7. Increase the oven (or grill) temperature to 500°F.

8. Shred the pork, and return to the roasting pan. Drizzle with some of the reserved fat to lightly coat and moisten the meat. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the pork and return to the oven or over indirect heat on the grill. Roast until the meat begins to crisp and caramelize in parts, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the meat to a serving platter.

9. To serve, place a spoonful of cooked basmati rice in the center of a lettuce leaf. Top with the pork, the ginger-scallion sauce, and a drizzle of red chili sauce.

10. Optional: Garnish with fresh cilantro sprigs, toasted sesame seeds, and/or minced red chile pepper.