November 9, 2009
Posted by Chichi Wang, November 3, 2009 at 9:30 AM
[Photographs: Chichi Wang]
If beef tongue is something of a monstrosity, then pork tongue is the smaller, subtler of the two. Even so, at five or more inches in length, the tongue of a pig is not to be sneezed at. Floppy like the sole of an old shoe, a pork tongue possesses the look and feel of any mammalian tongue. An arched, dorsal base, dotted with papillae, curves slightly into an elongated tip. On the underside, the flesh of the muscle peers out from pockets of gristly fat. As with most mammalian tongues suitable for eating (i.e., beef, lamb, and calves), pork tongues need a lengthy cooking time to become tender.
Confiting the tongues confirmed my unalterable faith in the power of fat. Is there anything that can't be improved with a good stewing in fat? The procedure for confiting the pork tongues was no different than that of duck or goose: an initial salting, following by stewing and storage in fat or lard. Like duck and goose, pork tongue takes on a silky texture when treated with fat; unlike poultry, the entire organ is pure meat without any of those fussy bones to eat around.
Continue reading »
Posted by Nick Kindelsperger, November 2, 2009 at 4:15 PM
[Photograph: fuchsiadunlop.com]
I've been meaning to make this recipe for at least a month. Ever since I laid eyes on Fuchsia Dunlop's Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook: Recipes from Hunan Province, I've been drooling over the recipe on the book's cover: Chairman Mao's Red-Braised Pork. "Men eat it to build their brains," Chairman Mao's nephew is quoted as saying in the book.
The pork in question is pork belly, which is an added plus. Spiked with dried red chiles and star anise, it's a simple dish, not too spicy or over the top. The whole thing could be completed in under an hour—not bad for what amounted to a very authentic Chinese recipe.
Think of the dish as more of a blank slate for other flavors. Dunlop suggests adding every from water chestnuts, mushrooms, mustard greens, to spare ribs. But really, just about anything would taste good in this broth.
Continue reading »
Posted by Kristen Swensson, November 2, 2009 at 10:15 AM
Editor's note: On Mondays, Kristen Swensson of Cheap, Healthy, Good swings by these parts to share healthy and delicious recipes with us. Take it away, Kristen!
[Photograph: Kristen Swensson]
Sometimes, creating healthy recipes takes quite a bit of planning. There are ingredients to be bought, quantities to be recalculated, and substitutions to be made. Some fail.
Others succeed. Many an evening, I emerge from the kitchen tired but victorious, content that another nutritious meal can be shared with the interweb.
Sometimes, it's raining and pork chops are on sale.
Pork Chops with Green Apple and Tomatillo Sauce, originally from the June 2004 issue of Gourmet is a lovely twist on the American classic. The pork is flavored by a cumin and coriander rub, which melds wonderfully with the tart, slightly spicy apple topping. As center cut pork chops are pretty lean, it's on the lighter side calorie-wise, too.
Continue reading »
Posted by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, October 30, 2009 at 10:25 AM
Note: Read my breakdown of the burger's components to see how I came up with this recipe.
- makes 4 burgers -
Ingredients
8 ounces pork butt, trimmed of gristle, and cut into 1-inch cubes
8 ounces good-quality slab bacon, trimmed of rind, cut into 1-inch cubes
12 slices crisp cooked bacon
4 Bacon Attack! buns (recipe below)
4 tablespoons baconnaise
Procedure
1. Place feed shaft, blade, and 1/4-inch die of meat grinder in freezer until well-chilled. Meanwhile, place meat and bacon chunks on rimmed baking sheet, leaving space between each piece and place in freezer for 10 minutes until meat is firm, but not frozen.
2. Combine meat in large bowl and toss to combine. Pass meat through grinder twice. Form into four patties, about 4-inches wide and 1/2-inch tall. Refrigerate until ready for use.
3. Slice buns. Brush lightly with bacon fat or butter (or leave plain), then place under broiler or in toaster oven until golden brown, about 1 minute. Spread 1 tablespoon baconnaise on top half of each bun, followed by three slices crisp cooked bacon.
4. Cook patties in well-seasoned cast-iron or non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until well-browned and crisp on first side, about 2-3 minutes. Flip patties and cook on second side until cooked through, about 2 minutes longer.
5. Transfer patties to burger bun bottoms, close sandwiches, and serve.
Bacon Attack! Buns
- makes 6-8 buns -
Ingredients
1/4 pound bacon, cut into 1/4-inch lardons
1 large egg
2 tablespoon active dry yeast
2/3 cup warm water
3 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
Procedure
1. Cook bacon in skillet over low heat, stirring frequently, until well-rendered and crisp. Transfer bacon bits to small bowl, reserving rendered fat separately (you should have about 1/4 cup of rendered bacon fat - if you have more, set aside all but 1/4 cup for another use. If you have less, add vegetable oil to make up the difference)
2. Separate egg, reserving white and yolk separately. In a bowl of standing mixer, combine yeast, water, sugar, egg yolk, salt, rendered bacon, and bacon fat. Whisk to combine. let stand for 5 minutes. Add flour and combine in standing mixer fitted with dough hook attachment. Dough should be soft and sticky (it won't pull away from sides of bowl). Knead for 5 minutes until smooth and elastic.
3. Preheat oven to 425°F and set oven rack to upper-middle position. On well-floured work surface, divide dough into 6 to 8 even pieces (depending on if you want large or small buns) and shape each into a ball. Place on greased baking sheet about 2 inches apart and flatten slightly with palm of well-floured hand. Spary with non-stick spray, cover with plastic, and let rest 15 minutes until slightly risen. Meanwhile, whisk egg white until slightly frothy.
4. Bake for 4 minutes. remove from oven, brush with egg white, and return to oven until golden brown and well-risen, about 4-8 minutes longer. Set on wire rack to cool.
Posted by Chichi Wang, October 27, 2009 at 9:15 AM
[Photos: Greg Takayama]
To those who claim there's nothing better than a juicy steak, I offer the stomach as this week's counter-argument. Nose-to-tail eating affords a whole range of enticing textures. We often judge food by its taste, but texture is equally significant.
Chewy, stringy, mushy, spongy: though nothing one would want in a steak, these adjectives take on positive connotations for offal. Consider tripe, which is meant to be chewy and spongy in a tender, slowly-stewed kind of way. Tendon, another underappreciated part, turns soft and mushy after many hours of cooking.
Charred on a cast iron or hot griddle, the different layers of pork stomach become soft, chewy, and crisp all at once. It's the most powerful argument we have for offal: to seek a novel culinary experience, we can turn towards the non-fleshy parts of the animal.
Continue reading »
Posted by Chichi Wang, November 3, 2009 at 9:30 AM
[Photographs: Chichi Wang]
If beef tongue is something of a monstrosity, then pork tongue is the smaller, subtler of the two. Even so, at five or more inches in length, the tongue of a pig is not to be sneezed at. Floppy like the sole of an old shoe, a pork tongue possesses the look and feel of any mammalian tongue. An arched, dorsal base, dotted with papillae, curves slightly into an elongated tip. On the underside, the flesh of the muscle peers out from pockets of gristly fat. As with most mammalian tongues suitable for eating (i.e., beef, lamb, and calves), pork tongues need a lengthy cooking time to become tender.
Confiting the tongues confirmed my unalterable faith in the power of fat. Is there anything that can't be improved with a good stewing in fat? The procedure for confiting the pork tongues was no different than that of duck or goose: an initial salting, following by stewing and storage in fat or lard. Like duck and goose, pork tongue takes on a silky texture when treated with fat; unlike poultry, the entire organ is pure meat without any of those fussy bones to eat around.
Continue reading »
Posted by Nick Kindelsperger, November 2, 2009 at 4:15 PM
[Photograph: fuchsiadunlop.com]
I've been meaning to make this recipe for at least a month. Ever since I laid eyes on Fuchsia Dunlop's Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook: Recipes from Hunan Province, I've been drooling over the recipe on the book's cover: Chairman Mao's Red-Braised Pork. "Men eat it to build their brains," Chairman Mao's nephew is quoted as saying in the book.
The pork in question is pork belly, which is an added plus. Spiked with dried red chiles and star anise, it's a simple dish, not too spicy or over the top. The whole thing could be completed in under an hour—not bad for what amounted to a very authentic Chinese recipe.
Think of the dish as more of a blank slate for other flavors. Dunlop suggests adding every from water chestnuts, mushrooms, mustard greens, to spare ribs. But really, just about anything would taste good in this broth.
Continue reading »
Posted by Kristen Swensson, November 2, 2009 at 10:15 AM
Editor's note: On Mondays, Kristen Swensson of Cheap, Healthy, Good swings by these parts to share healthy and delicious recipes with us. Take it away, Kristen!
[Photograph: Kristen Swensson]
Sometimes, creating healthy recipes takes quite a bit of planning. There are ingredients to be bought, quantities to be recalculated, and substitutions to be made. Some fail.
Others succeed. Many an evening, I emerge from the kitchen tired but victorious, content that another nutritious meal can be shared with the interweb.
Sometimes, it's raining and pork chops are on sale.
Pork Chops with Green Apple and Tomatillo Sauce, originally from the June 2004 issue of Gourmet is a lovely twist on the American classic. The pork is flavored by a cumin and coriander rub, which melds wonderfully with the tart, slightly spicy apple topping. As center cut pork chops are pretty lean, it's on the lighter side calorie-wise, too.
Continue reading »
Posted by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, October 30, 2009 at 10:25 AM
Note: Read my breakdown of the burger's components to see how I came up with this recipe.
- makes 4 burgers -
Ingredients
8 ounces pork butt, trimmed of gristle, and cut into 1-inch cubes
8 ounces good-quality slab bacon, trimmed of rind, cut into 1-inch cubes
12 slices crisp cooked bacon
4 Bacon Attack! buns (recipe below)
4 tablespoons baconnaise
Procedure
1. Place feed shaft, blade, and 1/4-inch die of meat grinder in freezer until well-chilled. Meanwhile, place meat and bacon chunks on rimmed baking sheet, leaving space between each piece and place in freezer for 10 minutes until meat is firm, but not frozen.
2. Combine meat in large bowl and toss to combine. Pass meat through grinder twice. Form into four patties, about 4-inches wide and 1/2-inch tall. Refrigerate until ready for use.
3. Slice buns. Brush lightly with bacon fat or butter (or leave plain), then place under broiler or in toaster oven until golden brown, about 1 minute. Spread 1 tablespoon baconnaise on top half of each bun, followed by three slices crisp cooked bacon.
4. Cook patties in well-seasoned cast-iron or non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until well-browned and crisp on first side, about 2-3 minutes. Flip patties and cook on second side until cooked through, about 2 minutes longer.
5. Transfer patties to burger bun bottoms, close sandwiches, and serve.
Bacon Attack! Buns
- makes 6-8 buns -
Ingredients
1/4 pound bacon, cut into 1/4-inch lardons
1 large egg
2 tablespoon active dry yeast
2/3 cup warm water
3 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
Procedure
1. Cook bacon in skillet over low heat, stirring frequently, until well-rendered and crisp. Transfer bacon bits to small bowl, reserving rendered fat separately (you should have about 1/4 cup of rendered bacon fat - if you have more, set aside all but 1/4 cup for another use. If you have less, add vegetable oil to make up the difference)
2. Separate egg, reserving white and yolk separately. In a bowl of standing mixer, combine yeast, water, sugar, egg yolk, salt, rendered bacon, and bacon fat. Whisk to combine. let stand for 5 minutes. Add flour and combine in standing mixer fitted with dough hook attachment. Dough should be soft and sticky (it won't pull away from sides of bowl). Knead for 5 minutes until smooth and elastic.
3. Preheat oven to 425°F and set oven rack to upper-middle position. On well-floured work surface, divide dough into 6 to 8 even pieces (depending on if you want large or small buns) and shape each into a ball. Place on greased baking sheet about 2 inches apart and flatten slightly with palm of well-floured hand. Spary with non-stick spray, cover with plastic, and let rest 15 minutes until slightly risen. Meanwhile, whisk egg white until slightly frothy.
4. Bake for 4 minutes. remove from oven, brush with egg white, and return to oven until golden brown and well-risen, about 4-8 minutes longer. Set on wire rack to cool.
Posted by Tara Mataraza Desmond, October 27, 2009 at 11:15 AM
Editor's note: Philadelphia food writers Joy Manning and Tara Mataraza Desmond drop by each week with Meat Lite, which celebrates meat in moderation. Meat Lite was inspired by their book, Almost Meatless.
Pork, mushrooms and broth simmer together to make this sauce rich with complex savory flavors. The studs of sweetness from the pears are an unexpected but appetizing partner for the other ingredients. Plus, the pears soften and help thicken the ragu, while keeping their shape and adding texture to the final dish.
Just a quarter-pound of pork forms the foundation of the sauce, creating the fond (better known as "tasty brown bits"), which are deglazed up from the bottom of the pan and into the simmering liquid. Use ground turkey, chicken or veal if you prefer any of them over pork. For a vegetarian version, brown the mushrooms first and proceed with the rest of the recipe.
Continue reading »
Posted by Chichi Wang, October 27, 2009 at 9:15 AM
[Photos: Greg Takayama]
To those who claim there's nothing better than a juicy steak, I offer the stomach as this week's counter-argument. Nose-to-tail eating affords a whole range of enticing textures. We often judge food by its taste, but texture is equally significant.
Chewy, stringy, mushy, spongy: though nothing one would want in a steak, these adjectives take on positive connotations for offal. Consider tripe, which is meant to be chewy and spongy in a tender, slowly-stewed kind of way. Tendon, another underappreciated part, turns soft and mushy after many hours of cooking.
Charred on a cast iron or hot griddle, the different layers of pork stomach become soft, chewy, and crisp all at once. It's the most powerful argument we have for offal: to seek a novel culinary experience, we can turn towards the non-fleshy parts of the animal.
Continue reading »
Posted by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, October 23, 2009 at 10:41 AM
Note: Read about making animal-fat mayonnaise for a full recap on the science behind these recipes. The jarred mayonnaise added to the food processor at the start makes it easier to create a more stable emulsion. If you are an experienced mayonnaise-maker who has no problems with mayonnaise breaking on you, you may omit the jarred mayonnaise. The mayonnaise can also be made in a bowl with a whisk. This mayonnaise can be made with vegetable oil in place of the rendered animal fat - though flavor will suffer.
- makes about 2 cups baconnaise -
Ingredients
3/4 cup rendered bacon fat, melted
3/4 cup canola oil
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons mayonnaise (optional)
1 tablespoon water, plus more to correct consistency
lemon juice to taste
salt and pepper to taste
4 strips crisp bacon, crumbled
2 scallions, white and green parts, finely sliced (optional)
Procedure
1. Combine bacon fat and canola oil in 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Whisk to combine.
2. Add egg yolks, Dijon mustard, mayonnaise, and water to bowl of food processor. Run processor for 5 seconds to combine. Scrape down sides of processor bowl with rubber spatula. With processor running, slowly drizzle fat into bowl in a thin, steady stream, stopping and scraping down sides as necessary. Add lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste, and adjust consistency with water until thick, smooth, and creamy, but not mouth-coatingly waxy. Stir in cumbled bacon bits and sliced scallions, if using. Store in refrigerator in air-tight container for up to two weeks.
Posted by Kerry Saretsky, October 22, 2009 at 5:30 PM
[Photographs: Kerry Saretsky]
When you think of Savoy, think of the Alps. There is something about the chill of a mountain that encourages you to eat your way into a pot-bellied stove, as if eating the food will lend you the experience of baking with it in a very warm and cozy place. Perhaps that is why anything "savoyarde" seems to contain three very comforting ingredients: gooey and smelly Reblochon cheese, potatoes, and ham—like tartiflette. It's hearty and perfect for winter.
Ironically, my first taste of Savoy was in a small seaside town in Provence called Cassis during the height of summer. I parked myself at a little crêpe establishment, and after some consideration, ordered the crêpe savoyarde. The crêpe was stuffed with running Reblochon cheese and potatoes, and on top of the envelope-fold of crêpe was placed a drape of jambon cru, like prosciutto. It was rich and wholesome and far too heavy for summer, so that I staggered back up the hot, hot hill to my house, feeling more like I resembled a snowman than a girl. But the crêpe's flavors worked so well together that I thought to myself instantly, "I want to make this into a pizza."
Continue reading »
Posted by Caroline Russock, October 20, 2009 at 1:30 PM
Like Arthur Schwartz, author of The Southern Italian Table, I grew up in a Jewish household. Schwartz was flanked by Italian neighbors in the apartment building where he grew up, exposing him at a young age to the joys of not only Jewish food but also to Southern Italian cuisine. Not being blessed with Italian friends or neighbors, my experience with Italian food was limited to jarred red sauce and turkey meatballs up until the time I made my first trip to Italy.
I am a bit hesitant to admit that until that point my experience with sausage was limited to a frozen breakfast link or two, eaten with my (non-kosher) grandparents during vacation. As you would likely assume, the first real Italian sausages I ate were mind-blowing. Watching the butchers hand-stuff the casings, detecting the subtle differences from shop to shop, grilling them in a wood-fired stove, I was a quick sausage convert.
This recipe for Sausage Canapés is a great way to showcase especially fresh and well-spiced sausage. In this preparation the pork is just cooked through, and the juices are absorbed by the bread below, rendering it infinitely porky and delicious. The recipe calls for sweet sausage, but I think that the hot version would do just as well, or better yet, mix it up with a link or two of each.
Continue reading »
Posted by Chichi Wang, October 20, 2009 at 12:30 PM
"Stewing the pig's ears affords a precious by-product: a pot of flavorful stock."
[Photographs: Chichi Wang]
The Fergus Henderson meal I shared with my Serious Eats comrades on Friday night had me hankering for more pig. That evening I left the restaurant carrying a giant foil package with the half pig's head we ordered, skull and all. Still, there was one part I wished we'd had in a pair: the ears. Roasted with the rest of the head, the tip of the ear was as hardy as a dog treat; the inner canal offered more chewable cartilage. I'd gnawed contentedly on that singular ear, but it left me craving my favorite preparation for pig's ears: deep-fried, crisp and irresistible.
I use pig's ears like some cooks treat pancetta. Slivers of fried pig ears are the perfect garnish to a bowl of freshly made pasta or dry spaghetti; plopped over poached egg, ears are an unbeatable topping for frisée aux lardon–style salad. Crisp, slightly chewy, and delicately crunchy with a layer of cartilage, this is one nasty bit that has it all.
Continue reading »
Posted by Chichi Wang, October 6, 2009 at 9:30 AM
[Photograph: Chichi Wang]
This week, The Nasty Bits leaves the world of bones and innards and treks to the other side of nasty. Generally, this series chronicles the unconventional parts of conventionally eaten animals, but what if we examined entire animals that are just plain ugly? There are too many to name comprehensively, but a few candidates come to mind: furry guinea pigs, scaly alligators, armored armadillos, slithery snakes and eels, tiny birds like ortolan, twitchy squirrels, wart-covered sea cucumbers, and grasshoppers and other insects.
Whereas we may fondly gaze at the pig and think of bacon, or look at a cow and anticipate a steak, there's nothing ostensibly appetizing about the majority of the meat and seafood we eat. As Jared Diamond has argued, only a few animals on the planet (something like fourteen out of one hundred and forty-eight possible candidates) are suitable creatures for domestication. These are the animals that, over centuries of breeding and manipulation, have come to look like things we'd want to put in our mouths. On the other hand, the rest of what's edible in the animal kingdom is often unseemly and feral in appearance.
Eels are sly, wild creatures that look distinctly out of place in the kitchen. Nevertheless, their delicate meat, akin to a flaky and lean fish, is worth seeking out. I almost never turn down a chance to work with eel, so when I spied a water tank filled with the slithering creatures, I knew that dinner would involve some wrestling.
Continue reading »
Posted by Tara Mataraza Desmond, September 29, 2009 at 11:30 AM
Editor's note: Philadelphia food writers Joy Manning and Tara Mataraza Desmond drop by each week with Meat Lite, which celebrates meat in moderation. Meat Lite was inspired by their book, Almost Meatless.
I love this kind of recipe. It's simple enough but not at all boring. It's cheap, can be made ahead, reheats beautifully and is suitable for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Plus, though I always enthusiastically welcome a pate brisee crust, rich and flaky with butter, this shredded potato crust is a thick, flavorful base that complements the savory filling and crisps around the edges like your favorite hash browns.
Sausage is an excellent ingredient for adding meaty taste and texture in very small amounts. This recipe calls for a single link, just about a quarter pound of sausage. I opted for mild Italian pork sausage, but substitute your own preference (turkey, chicken or breakfast sausages would work well) to change the flavor profile.
If you make the quiche ahead, let it cook nearly completely, cover it well and refrigerate until ready to eat. Reheat in a 350° F oven for 15-20 minutes, until warmed through. Cover with foil to prevent the crust from burning. Alternatively, cut the quiche into wedges and microwave them to reheat.
Continue reading »
Posted by Joshua Bousel, September 25, 2009 at 8:00 PM
Each week Joshua Bousel of The Meatwave drops by with a recipe for you to grill over the weekend. Fire it up, Joshua!
[Photographs: Joshua Bousel]
My favorite sausages in the world are the incredibly juicy and spicy beef links smoked in Elgin, Texas. A few years ago I attempted to reproduce them, only to fail miserably. Traveling about two hours southwest to Houston, there's another sausage I love and thought would be a little easier to tackle: smoked pork with cheddar and jalapeño.
The flavors of this sausage run only as deep as its name, so I started by grinding pork, fat back, and chunks of sharp cheddar together. Then I threw in a bunch of chopped jalapeños, salt, pepper, and more grated cheese, and gave the mixture a whirl in the Kitchen Aid to emulsify the meat and fat a bit before stuffing it into hog casings. Smoked over applewood chips for about two hours, the pale sausage emerged from the smoker, transformed into beautiful orange links.
The flavors were pretty spot-on and cheddar oozed out, which balanced the spiciness of the peppers in a plump and juicy link. The only issue I had was after cooling down, the skins shriveled. This didn't stop anyone from enjoying the sausage, but one eater suggested giving the sausages a bath in ice water as soon as they come out of the smoker to prevent this in the future. I'll give it a try next time, but for now, these sausages were definitely good eats.
Continue reading »
Posted by Joy Manning, September 22, 2009 at 11:30 AM
Editor's note: Philadelphia food writers Joy Manning and Tara Mataraza Desmond drop by each week with Meat Lite, which celebrates meat in moderation. Meat Lite was inspired by their book, Almost Meatless.
[Photograph: PHIGONGGOI on Flickr]
The story of this recipe begins with me standing in front of the open refrigerator, surveying the unused CSA produce that would need to be tossed if not cooked immediately. My husband was suspicious as I piled the vegetables on the counter and told him I was making dinner.
"You know how I feel about green peppers and eggplant," he complained, one eyebrow way up.
I remembered a leftover link of sausage that might gild the vegetables, so to speak, and I grabbed that, too, thinking, "Hey, maybe I'll come up with something that will work for Meat Lite on Serious Eats!" But about an hour into the project, I realized there were some issues with this recipe. Like the fact that it took me two hours to make it. And also, it basically requires a mandoline or slicing-blade attachment for the food processor. Plus, when I was done, there was a scary, scary mountain of dishes to be done.
As I was cooking, I declared it way too much trouble to turn into a recipe anybody would want to have. But then I tasted it and changed my mind. Even my husband, who hates half of these ingredients, declared it a winner. Also: It feeds an army and freezes very well for future meals.
Continue reading »
Posted by Chichi Wang, September 22, 2009 at 9:30 AM
[Photographs: Chichi Wang]
When we think of eating organs, we imagine the red, glossy innards of various beasts and fowl. The skin, however, the largest organ of them all, is a boon for the cook and meat lover. When stewed, skin adds body and gelatin to the stock; when baked or fried, its crisp qualities are incomparable.
I'd never worked before with such a large section of pig skin; usually my forays into skin involve some kind of poultry. The swath of pig skin I purchased was at least three feet in length and a foot across. With just a thin layer of fat attached, the skin was supple and white with a pale-pink suggestion of meat on its underside. I was struck with the strangest inclination to wrap it around myself like a shawl.
Instead, I salted the skin and left it to cure in the refrigerator for five days, following directions for "Pork Scratchings" in Fergus Henderson's Beyond Nose to Tail. With his typical flair, Henderson pronounces the crisped pieces of skin to be "a most steadying nibble." Salted, soaked, and stewed in fat, the skin puffed up in the oven to a golden-brown hue. Crisper and chewier than typical pork cracklings or chicharrones, the skin was an addictive snack as well as a meaty topping for potatoes and soup--a steadying nibble, indeed.
Continue reading »
Posted by Joshua Bousel, September 18, 2009 at 7:00 PM
Each week Joshua Bousel of The Meatwave drops by with a recipe for you to grill over the weekend. Fire it up, Joshua!
[Photograph: Joshua Bousel]
Due to some complications at my previous residence--including a nosy neighbor who was convinced I was burning down the hood every time I fired up the smoker--it's been over two years since I've made pulled pork, a shame that's hard to live down. With my new digs has come confidence, and this past weekend I smoked up two beautiful pork butts.
Brined in a molasses-and-salt mixture then rubbed down, the pork butts started smoking over a combination of oak and applewood at 10 p.m. on Saturday night and emerged from the smoker 16 hours later. So tender, they began falling apart as I lifted them out. After an hour's rest, they were easily pulled, piled high on a bun, and topped with North Carolina-style vinegar sauce (adapted based on your comments). Pulled pork is one of the few foods I openly brag about making incredibly well--this experience solidified that claim even further. Smokey, spicy, and juicy, the meat was everything pulled pork should be.
Continue reading »
Posted by Caroline Russock, September 17, 2009 at 12:45 PM
[Flickr: Robyn Lee]
I consider Spaghetti alla Carbonara one of my culinary secret weapons. No matter how sad the state of my refrigerator, chances are that I have all of the ingredients on hand to produce a steaming and satisfying plate of carbonara. I've learned over the years that as long as I have a few eggs, a chunk of Parmigiano-Reggiano, and some sort of cured pork product, I will never go hungry nor will I be disappointed.
There might be a few other incarnations of pasta that are equally as quick, but none deliver the richness of this simple mix of bacon, eggs, and pasta. If you have never made this dish before, Ari Weinzweig's recipe from Zingerman's Guide to Better Bacon is a great place to start. Boil the pasta, crisp up some pork (bacon, pancetta, guanciale, even diced salt pork will do), drain the pasta, add it to the rendered pork fat, mix in the eggs and grated cheese, toss with a generous amount of black pepper, and you are finished.
Once you learn the basic formula you can add your own touches. Fresh herbs are always a nice addition—I am particularly fond of parsley and chives. You can deglaze the pan with white wine for a little added acidity or add a touch of cream if you like your pasta a bit saucier.
Win 'Zingerman's Guide to Better Bacon'
As always with our Cook the Book feature, we have five (5) copies of Zingerman's Guide to Better Bacon to give away this week. Enter to win here »
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Posted by Caroline Russock, September 16, 2009 at 5:00 PM
The following recipe is from the September 16 edition of our weekly recipe newsletter. To receive this newsletter in your inbox, sign up here!
I have a problem with salad. This problem has nothing to do with a leftover childhood fear of vegetables—in fact, I loved vegetables as a little kid. My problem with salad is that I absolutely hate making them. I love the mindless chopping of vegetables and the preparation of a perfectly tart dressing, but washing and drying greens—do I really have to? (I'll admit that I have no idea why I have developed such an irrational scorn for preparing greens.)
That's why when it comes to me making a salad at home, it had better be a good one. This recipe for Dandelion Green Salad with Hot Bacon Dressing from Zingerman's Guide to Better Bacon by Ari Weinzweig is a good one, indeed. The combination of flavors is unbeatable: salty fatty pancetta, bitter vegetal dandelion greens, and a tang and astringency from the mustard and vinegar. The hot bacon dressing wilts the greens into a stage somewhere in between raw and cooked. This salad could easily be turned into a satisfying breakfast or lunch with the addition of poached eggs and a few slices of toast, or act as a handsome side dish at dinner. Think of it as an anti-salad, and don't worry too much about getting the greens perfectly dry.
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Posted by Caroline Russock, September 15, 2009 at 1:45 PM
When you decide that you are going to write an entire book devoted to bacon, it's pretty much a given that the recipes are going to be good. Ari Weinzweig has filled Zingerman's Guide to Better Bacon with some truly wonderful baconcentric recipes, but this recipe for Bacon Fat Mayonnaise is pure genius.
By whipping up some rendered bacon fat with egg yolks, lemon, some mustard, salt, and pepper, you have made what is essentially a spreadable BLT. Once you have a jar of this stuff in your fridge, the possibilities are endless. Can you imagine the deviled eggs that this stuff would make? Or what about a bacon-tinged chicken salad or even a humble fried egg on a roll? I told you: genius. This recipe also caters to all of the lazy bacon eaters out there who love bacon but are hesitant to dirty a pan every time a craving strikes.
Win 'Zingerman's Guide to Better Bacon'
As always with our Cook the Book feature, we have five (5) copies of Zingerman's Guide to Better Bacon to give away this week. Enter to win here »
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Posted by Chichi Wang, September 8, 2009 at 8:30 AM
"There is nothing quite like them--that feral taste combined with a mouthfeel not quite as tender and fatty as liver, nor as chewy as gizzards."
[Photographs: Chichi Wang]
Of all the nasty bits on earth, liver and kidneys must be some of the nastiest. Their function--to process and disperse toxins from the diet--makes for a risky undertaking for the offal cook. Truly foul, these organs are a real treat when you can find them fresh.
Given the nature of their function, livers and kidneys are a direct reflection of the life of the animal, a tell-tale sign of its diet and treatment. Naturally exposed to toxins, livers and kidneys are far more likely than muscle tissue to develop stress and disease-related damage such as cysts and tumors. This is especially so for the kidneys, which filter the animal's urine.
The kidneys' main function is to purify the blood by removing nitrogen-rich waste and funneling the waste into the urine. At their worst, kidneys possess an "off" taste, the likes of which I could never quite identify until I learned the nature of the organ. If you've ever worked with less than impeccable kidneys, you've probably smelled them before you've tasted them--that acrid, pungent scent of animal waste.
Look for kidneys from a butcher who will leave the natural layer of fat around the organs. Keeping kidneys intact will almost always be better than buying the cut-up alternative.
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