Bolognese…. for days

02/05/2020 by Laura 1 Comment

We were surprised when we didn’t find this recipe here on the blog, since it’s something we make a couple times a year. With a little searching, it turns out we had posted it “way back when”. It was not our best work…I hope you find this updated, refreshed post much more appealing!

This is a “go big, or go home” recipe. It’s a bit of work and is best when left to simmer all day. We’ve adapted it to our biggest stock pot*, by tripling the recipe. We like to stock our freezer with this sauce, for a quick meal or to make an extra special lasagna. Use the best ingredients you can afford, including imported Italian tomatoes…they do make a difference.

* Le Creuset #34, 13.25 quarts. Weight is 21 pounds. Not sure how many more years I’ll be able to toss this baby around the kitchen!

Bolognese Sauce

Adapted from Food & Wine, September 2003, 25 Favorite Classics, by Marcia Kiesel

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

4 garlic cloves, minced

3 ounces thinly sliced pancetta, finely chopped

1 medium carrot, finely diced

1 medium onion, finely diced

1 celery rib, finely diced

1 pound coarsely ground beef chuck

1 pound coarsely ground pork

1/4 pound mortadella, cut into 1/4-inch dice (optional)

1 small can tomato paste

1 cup dry white wine

Two 28-ounce can Italian whole tomatoes, chopped, juices reserved

1 1/2 cups beef stock

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

2 tablespoons chopped basil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup heavy cream or 1/2 and 1/2

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

In a medium enameled cast-iron casserole, melt the butter in the oil. Add the garlic, pancetta, carrot, onion and celery and cook over moderately low heat until the onion is golden, about 5 minutes.

Add the ground beef and pork and cook over moderate heat, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until no pink remains, about 8 minutes.

Stir in the mortadella and tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook, stirring, until reduced by half, about 3 minutes.

Add the tomatoes with their juices, the stock, nutmeg and 1 tablespoon each of the parsley and basil and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until very thick. I like to simmer this sauce at least 4 hours.

Reduce heat to very low, stir the cream and the remaining 2 tablespoons of parsley and 1 tablespoon of basil into the meat sauce. Season the sauce with salt and pepper.

We like to serve this over pappadrelle or buccatini pasta, alongside a tossed salad and great Italian bread. Buon appetito.

First of Fall – Pork Chili Verde

09/21/2017 by Laura Leave a Comment

Wow! Somebody flipped the “summer heat” switch to the “off” position! I am grateful for cooler, more moderate temperatures, but it seems the change was a bit extreme! There’s been at least a 20′ difference in temperatures from last week to this. We knew rain was coming, so we scrambled to get the last of the garden clean-up / harvesting / fall planting done. I ended up with a fair amount of peppers and tomatillos, which, along with the cool, rainy weekend, inspired me to make this dish. We added a few more tomatillos, poblano peppers, garlic and onion from the farmers market, and we were set.

For the Pork Chili Verde (this makes a lot, we froze half)

for the tomatillo pepper slurry

8 poblano peppers

12-15 fresh tomatillos, husked and rinsed, stem removed

2 large white onions, peeled and quartered

8 cloves of garlic, peeled

8-10 assorted peppers – jalapeno, Fresno, Serrano, based on your taste and desired heat level!

Heat your oven to 500′. Place all the peppers, tomatillos, quartered onions, and garlic on a sheet pan. Roast the vegetables until they begin to brown and are softened. This will take about 25 minutes.

Remove the stems and seeds from the roasted peppers. Place all of the roasted veggies and any juice from the roasting pan, in the large bowl of your food processor and pulse until smooth.

for the meat

4 pounds lean pork cut into 1″ cubes (I used boneless, thick cut pork loin chops)

flour, salt and pepper for dredging

neutral, high heat oil for browning

1 large, sweet onion, diced

1 can/bottle beer – an ale of your choice

2 cups fresh or frozen chopped Hatch green chili (I bought a ton directly from Hatch in August. Canned chili ok, but not as flavorful.)

2-4 cups of chicken stock

1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

2 tablespoons of cumin

Avocado slices, chopped cilantro, sliced green onion, cooked rice, charred tortillas, sour cream and shredded cheese for serving.

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add 2-3 tablespoons of oil. Place 1 cup of flour, one tablespoon of salt and one tablespoon of pepper in a zip lock bag. Dredge the cubed pork, in small batches and add to the hot oil. Do not crowd the pan. Turn the pork to ensure all sides are browned evenly. Repeat this process until all the meat is browned, adding additional oil as needed.

In the same pan, sauté the chopped onion until golden, scraping up all the bits from the bottom of the pan. Deglaze the pan with the beer. Let simmer 5 minutes. Add the meat back to the pan, then the pureed veggies, and the chopped green chili, cilantro and cumin. If too thick, add a cup or two of the chicken stock. Stir well, cover and simmer over low heat, about 6 hours. Stir frequently and adjust the salt as needed, also adding additional stock if needed.

I also made a batch of black beans to serve along side, and a delicious, but non instagram worthy, apple pie for dessert. Ahh fall! I wish you could have all smelled the kitchen.

To plate, place a scoop of rice on a plate or bowl. Add a serving of stew. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream, cilantro and green onions. I served black beans and charred tortillas along side.

I really hope you’ll give this recipe a try. It’s one of our favorites. Great left over and freezes well too.

Have a wonderful evening, and thanks for stopping by.

Laura

Spicy Sesame Pork and Noodle Soup

03/07/2016 by Laura Leave a Comment

This recipe exemplifies “WHY” I love to cook! Calling for unfamiliar ingredients and new techniques, all leading me to new discoveries at the Asian market. I know these are the same things that will prevent many from making this recipe!

Starting as a kid, with the Time Life Foods of the World cookbooks, food has always allowed me to explore unknown places and cultures, without leaving my kitchen. The pictures, the recipes and finally; the meals, opened me up to new taste experiences. Luckily, the shrinking world (and Food TV) has made it easier to find “exotic” spices, seasonings, herbs, fruits and vegetables, that were a struggle to locate 30 years ago.

I am a big fan of warm, comforting bowls of broth, meat and noodles. They taste especially good after a week on the road, eating the nightly “specials” at some non-descript hotel! When this recipe showed up in my in box from Food 52, I knew I had to make it. It was originally posted by a food blogger from Hawaii, Gingerroot. The three day prep time, an extra trip to the Asian market and using every stock pot I own, were all worth it. This is absolutely delicious. I am excited that I have extras in the freezer, waiting for me to return from the next road trip!

Unlike most of my posts, I am not going to include detailed, step by step instructions. Food 52 did an amazing job, so refer to the link if you need help.

Spicy Sesame Pork with Noodles

adapted from this recipe

For Stock

3 pounds meaty pork neck bones – I used Pork Shanks
1 medium onion, rough chopped
2 medium carrots, preferably organic, scrubbed and rough chopped
1 tablespoon tamarind paste
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 smoked ham hock
5 whole cilantro plants, including roots, well washed – I used one bunch of Cilantro
5 whole scallions, including roots, well washed

Preheat oven to 400° F.

Brown pork bones in a little oil, on both sides, over medium heat, in a large stock pot, that will fit in the oven. Cook about 15 minutes. Add carrots and onions to pan, piling vegetables on top of the bones. Roast for 30-45 minutes, until vegetables begin to char around edges and bones begin to caramelize. Add 14 cups water. Water should be covering bones by about an inch. Be sure and scrape up all browned bits from the bottom of pan.

In a small bowl, whisk tamarind paste, tomato paste, and 2 tablespoons water from the stockpot. Whisk this mixture into the stockpot. Heat stock over medium-high heat until nearly boiling, and then reduce to a slow simmer. Continue simmering (uncovered) for 2 hours.

After 2 hours, using a sieve, strain out vegetables, pressing down on solids so liquids go back into stockpot. One at a time, carefully take out bones and put them on a plate near your stockpot. Using small tongs and a fork (or two forks) remove the meat. Transfer meat (should have between 3-4 cups depending on how meaty your bones were) to a container with a tight fitting lid and refrigerate. Return bones, including cartilage and fat, and any liquid that may have accumulated on the plate, to stockpot. Continue simmering for 1 hour. At this point, you can allow mixture to cool slightly before refrigerating overnight. The next day, remove congealed fat layer from surface of stock before simmering for a final hour, adding the smoked ham hock, whole cilantro plants and scallions. Strain out hock and aromatics with a sieve, pressing down on solids to allow liquids back into stock. Repeat cooling and refrigerating step.

Alternatively, you can make the stock in one day by adding the smoked hock and aromatics after three hours of simmering (skipping the extra overnight in the fridge), and continue cooking for the final hour. Cool stock enough to refrigerate overnight (see above in step 8).

Seasonings For the Soup

14-16 ounces rice vermicelli (from an Asian market or section of the grocery store – Do not substitute gluten free rice noodles) *Feel free to substitute your favorite Asian noodle instead, such as ramen
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1/2 chopped cilantro
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4 cups shredded Savoy or Napa cabbage
3 cups reserved pork meat, chopped
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 1/2 tablespoons Aka (Red) Miso paste found in the Japanese section of an Asian market or some grocery stores
1-2 tablespoons Gochujang** (fermented Korean chili paste) found in the Korean section of an Asian market or some grocery stores
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 cup Katsuo Furikake (Roasted Sesame Seed and Dried Bonito mix) *found in the Japanese section of an Asian market or some grocery stores

Take stock out of refrigerator and remove congealed fat layer from the surface of soup (stock should be more like jelly than liquid).

Heat stock over medium-high heat until nearly boiling, and then reduce to a slow simmer.

If you have them, use a suribachi (ceramic Japanese mortar with rough grooves on the inside of the bowl) and surikogi (wooden pestle) to grind katsuo furikake into a paste. If you do not, a regular mortar and pestle will also work. Add ½ t sesame oil midway through grinding to help mixture come together.

When almost all of the sesame seeds are mashed, add in 1 T of gojuchang. If you know you love heat, add 2 T. As you turn the pestle around the mortar, the gojuchang will ball up around the sesame seed mixture. Whisk this into the stock and allow soup to simmer for 20 minutes. If there is still a lot of sesame-gojuchang paste stuck in the mortar, add a little bit of stock to the bowl, stir, and pour mixture into the pot.

Turn off heat.

Place miso paste in a small bowl and whisk in enough hot stock (2-3 T) to liquefy the miso. Pour this into stock and stir to incorporate. Allow mixture to cool and refrigerate overnight.

Finishing the Soup

Remove your soup from the refrigerator and slowly heat it up.

In another pot, cook rice vermicelli according to directions on the package, and then drain in a colander, rinsing with some cold water to stop the noodles from cooking.

In a skillet large enough to hold pork and cabbage, heat sesame oil over medium heat.

Add chopped pork and stir to heat through. Add cabbage and stir to take off raw edge. Turn off heat, stir in balsamic and a pinch of salt.

Portion rice noodles into soup bowls.

Top each bowl with pork and cabbage.

Ladle steaming broth over each bowl.

Generously add chopped green onions and cilantro to each bowl and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Thanks for visiting. Have a wonderful evening!

Laura

**Gochujang – Awesome Korean Spicy condiment. A little sweeter than Siricha.

Memorial Day Fiesta – Pork Adobada Tamales

05/26/2014 by Laura 1 Comment

I began a rainy, drizzly Memorial Day weekend with another wonderful class at The Pantry at Delancey. This time it was a tamale class, taught by Rob Tallon. Yes, I have made tamales before, and yes I have posted them before… and as much as I liked my previous tamales, I was always left thinking they could be better! I was right. The tamales we made this weekend were outstanding, amazing, delicious, and absolutely the best EVER! [Read more…]

Low-Carb “Mock” Mashed Potatoes II and Savory Roast Pork

01/18/2014 by Laura 2 Comments

I recently discovered the wonderfulness of “mock” mashed potatoes, made with cauliflower, which I previously posted. While they were amazing, I thought they could be a little heartier and drier. So, the research and testing began. Many people use celery root in place of the cauliflower. Tried that….didn’t really care for it. That led to the concoction below – which combines celery root and cauliflower! It is my new personal favorite.

Mock Mashed Potatoes, Round 2

1 large head of cauliflower, rinsed and separated into small florets

1 large celery root (Celeriac), washed, peeled and cut into small cubes

16 ounces of chicken broth

4-5 cloves of garlic, peeled

1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

2 Tablespoons of butter or low fat sour cream, or both

salt and pepper

Place the celery root, cauliflower and garlic in a medium sauce pot. Add the chicken stock. Bring to a simmer and cook until soft, about 12-15 minutes. Drain well in a colander. Put back into the sauce pan and return to the stove on a very low simmer, for about 5 minutes, to remove as much of the residual liquid as possible. Meanwhile, line a baking pan with a few layers of paper towel. Spread the veggies on the paper towel to continue the drying process.

When you feel they are as dry as possible, return the veggies to the pan, add the additional ingredients and mash, with a potato masher, stick blender or electric mixer. Keep warm over very low heat until ready to serve.

For the Roast Pork with Oven Roasted Vegetables

1 Boneless Pork Roast

1 large fennel bulb, halved and sliced

2 carrots, peeled, sliced on the diagonal into 2-3″ pieces

1 large onion, halved and sliced

6-8 garlic cloves, sliced

12 – 14 Brussels Sprouts, halved (Or any other vegetable you prefer)

1/2 cup dry white wine

Herbs de Provence

Salt and Pepper

1 Package of Brown Gravy Mix, your choice (Yes, sometimes I use these things!)

Place all the vegetables, except the Brussels sprouts in the bottom of a roasting pan. Season with salt and pepper. Place the pork roast on top of the vegetables. Season the roast with the Herbs de Provence, Salt and Pepper. Pour the white wine over the vegetables.

Roast in a 325′ oven until the internal temperature of the roast is 160′. Set the roast on a cutting board and cover with foil to keep warm. Put the Brussels sprouts in the roasting pan, and return to the oven for another 20 minutes.

Make the gravy while the veggies are roasting. Taste all for seasoning. Slice the roast. Serve with the “mock” mashed potatoes, gravy and roasted veggies.

Székelyalmás (Pork with Apples and Cider Cream Sauce) with Farro

11/22/2013 by Laura Leave a Comment

A friend recently asked how I come up with all the different things I end up cooking, which I thought was a great question! My personal email box is filled with blog posts from my favorite bloggers, daily recipe blasts from Saveur, Food and Wine, Bon Apetite, and Food Network TV, just to name a few. While most of these are deleted after a quick glance, there are those that stand out do to their uniqueness, or familiarity, or implied adventure into the unknown.

This Transylvanian recipe, published by Saveur in February of 2012, was so delicious and different! I made it with pork chops, but I could see making it with a whole pork loin, and being a very elegant presentation. Though the recipe recommended white rice, I served the dish with farro. The nutty farro went perfectly with the sauce! http://www.saveur.com/gallery/Transylvanian-Recipes?page=6

Ingredients

1/3 cup olive oil

4 tbsp. unsalted butter

4 pork loin chops – boneless, bone in – your choice

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/2 cup flour

2 tart apples, such as Granny Smith, peeled, cored, and cut into 8 wedges each

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 small yellow onion, finely chopped

1/2 red Fresno chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced

1 1/2 cups hard apple cider (Buy a 750ml bottle, and serve the rest with the meal!)

1/2 cup chicken stock

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

1 tbsp. finely chopped marjoram

1 tbsp. finely chopped parsley

Instructions

Heat 2 tbsp. each oil and butter in a 12″ skillet over medium-high heat. Season pork on both sides with salt and pepper, and dredge half the pieces in flour; add to skillet, and cook, turning once, until lightly browned on both sides, about 1 minute.

Transfer to a plate, and set aside; repeat with 2 tbsp. oil, remaining butter, and remaining pork and flour; transfer all pork to plate.

Return skillet to heat, and add remaining oil; add apples, garlic, onion, and chile, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 3 minutes.

Add cider, and cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes.

Add stock, cream, and mustard, and bring to a boil; return pork to skillet, and add marjoram. Reduce heat to medium, and cook until pork is cooked through and sauce has thickened, about 10 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with parsley; serve with rice or *farro.

*If Farro is new to you, check out the great article here from NPR’s Kitchen Window!

http://www.npr.org/2013/10/02/227838385/farro-an-ancient-if-complicated-grain-worth-figuring-out

French Inspired “Pork and Bean” Stew

04/29/2013 by Laura 2 Comments

This one pot wonder is inspired by a post on the blog “Not Without Salt”, who was just named the Best Food Blog 2013 by Saveur Magazine! The original version was created for a pressure cooker and featured in the new “Pressure Cooker Perfection” cookbook from America’s Test Kitchen. I have made this recipe twice now. I fully intended to use my pressure cooker the first time I made this, but it was far too small for this recipe. So I improvised. The first time I used the crock pot and the second time I braised the stew in the oven about 5 hours. I actually think the crock pot version was slightly better. Regardless, this is a fabulous “stew”, that not only fills your tummy at dinner time, it also fills your kitchen with the most amazing aromas as it cooks!

Ingredients

8 ounces, 1 1/4 cups, dried cannellini beans, soaked overnight in water*

*You could use two cans of cannellini beans. You would need to rinse them extremely well, and add the last hour of cooking.

3-4 pound boneless pork butt roast, cut into 1-2″ fat trimmed cubes and seasoned on both sides with salt and pepper

2 yellow onions, coarsely chopped

8 cloves garlic, minced

6-8 carrots cut into 2″ chinks

1 large fennel bulb cut into 1″ chunks

2 Tablespoons Herbs de Provence

2 bay leaves

1/3 cup flour

1-2 cups dry white wine

2-3 cups chicken stock

high heat oil for browning

salt and pepper

Brown the pork in a skillet (if using the crock pot) or Dutch oven (if braising in the oven) in about 2 tablespoons of oil. Brown in 2-3 batches, don’t crowd the pan.

Once all the meat has been browned, drain the excess oil, leaving about 1 tablespoon in the pan. Add the onions and saute about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and saute about 5 more minutes. Scrape up all the lovely bits from the bottom of the pan.

Sprinkle the 1/3 cup of flour over the onions and garlic. Saute about 1 minute to cook in the flour. Add the Herbs de Provence and the Bay leaves.

Add in 1- 2 cups of wine. Stir briskly, scraping the pan to incorporate all the “goodies” from the bottom of the pan. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the liquid is reduced by half.

Reduce the heat and add the ingredients back into to pan as listed below. (If using the crock pot, layer the ingredients as listed, and then pour the onion, garlic and wine reduction over them.)

Add in the drained, soaked beans followed by the pork, the carrots and fennel. (If using canned beans, do not add them yet!) Add chicken broth to ensure all ingredients are covered. (If using canned beans, do use about 1-1 1/2 cups broth.) If using a Dutch oven, bring all to a simmer and then move to 325′ oven for about 5 hours, stirring every 45 minutes to an hour. (If using canned beans, cook 4 hours and then add the beans, cook one more hour.) If using the crock pot, cook 6-7 hours. Again, if using canned beans, add them in at the last hour of cooking time.

To serve, plate in a bowl and garnish with chopped parsley. Serve with crusty french bread, a tossed green salad* and a Washington Pinot Grigio.

*If I had skipped the salad, I would have skipped the trip to the ER to get stitches in my hand! I was dishing things up at 7pm. I went to open a bottle of salad dressing. The bottle was broken, just under the cap. When I went to turn the cap, it fell off and the glass at the top of the bottle sliced my palm. It was pretty deep and I knew I needed stitches. So, everything got turned down to “warm” and we headed to the neighborhood ER. 3 stitches and only one hour later, we sat down to this lovely meal. The salad dressing bottle is below. I am not going to show you the hand, or the stitches!