Laab Moo (Thai Ground Pork Salad)

I don't know if this qualifies as salad. It does involve cooking (the pork.) And majority portion of the dish is the pork. And we normally eat it warm with rice and/or other fresh vegetables (like cabbages and cucumbers.) But once you have all the ingredients together, all you have to do is toss everything together.

Don't let the cooked pork and "warm" salad fool you though. This dish is refreshing (from mint and lime) and filling at the same time.



Laab with cooked jasmine rice.

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound ground pork


• 1 tablespoon uncooked rice


• 1 bunch of fresh mint - picked for leaves


• 1 lime


• 1 teaspoon crushed dried red pepper


• Fish sauce

Directions

1. In a large non-stick pan, toast a tablespoon of rice until it start to brown slightly. Let cool a little then transfer to a spice grinder (I used clean coffee grinder) and grind for 5 to 10 seconds.


2. Cook the pork on the stove top on that same non-stick pan without any added oil or seasoning. Stir occasionally.


3. When the pork is thoroughly cooked, transfer into a large salad bowl. Add ground toasted rice, mint leaves, lime juice, dried pepper and fish sauce.

Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Tart Cherries

Some of the best recipes I find are listed as "healthy", which is funny because that's not what I usually look for in a recipe. Apparently, tart cherries are good for the heart! This one comes from Blue Kitchen, with a few changes that I have made below. An excellent weekday dinner and nice enough for company. For the two of us, I used a smaller pork tenderloin and adjusted the other ingredients accordingly. The cooking method make the pork amazingly moist and the tart cherry/onion sauce was delicious.

Roast Pork Tenderloin with Tart Cherries
Serves 4 to 6 [see Kitchen Notes]

• 1-1/2-pound pork tenderloin [or 2 1-pound tenderloins]
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1/2 tablespoon fresh rosemary needles, plus 2 sprigs [see Kitchen Notes]
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 t. butter
• 1 medium yellow onion, sliced thinly
• 1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup beef broth
• 1/2 cup Port (or you can use apple cider)
• 1 cup dried tart cherries

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Pat pork tenderloin dry and season generously with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with rosemary needles. If necessary, cut tenderloin into 2 pieces to fit in large ovenproof skillet. Pork tenderloins often are separate pieces of meat formed together; their favorite pastime is coming apart when you handle them for cooking, so I tied the one I cooked in a few places with kitchen string.

Heat the aforementioned ovenproof skillet [which should also have a lid] over a high flame. Add oil and brown tenderloin[s] on all sides, about 6 to 8 minutes total. Transfer meat to a plate and reduce heat under the skillet. Add about 1 t. of butter and sauté onion until caramelized, which takes about 20 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 45 seconds or so. Add broth, cider and cherries to skillet, stirring to combine.

Return meat to skillet, turning to coat with broth mixture. Cover skillet and transfer to oven. Roast tenderloin until just cooked through, about 15 to 20 minutes. An instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest part should register 150-160ºF. With most pork produced in the United States, a little pink inside is okay. Transfer meat to platter or cutting board and tent with foil. Let it rest for 10 minutes. Slice into medallions and serve, with cherry sauce spooned over them.

Minimalist Pork

I was at the library yesterday, which happens to be right down the street from San Francisco Meats & Deli , so I stopped in and bought this lovely pork loin. I hate those ones that you get at the grocery store, that are so lean that it's impossible to keep them from drying out. That layer of fat on the top - that's the flavor!

I checked out Mark Bittman's The Minimalist Cooks at Home, which is no longer in print - a shame, because I really like what I have read so far. Bittman explains in detail why he created each recipe, and how it works to achieve the desired result. There are some black and white photos to illustrate some technique, but other than that there are no pictures - usually a turn-off for me, but with this book I make an exception.

It just so happened that there was just the pork recipe inside that I was looking for, "Roasted Pork with Applesauce". I almost didn't realize it (no picture!). I must have read it at least 6 times before taking the plunge to go ahead and make it, and even so, I cut the pork loin in half so there would be some left in case it didn't turn out.

But I kept liking what it said. This was a recipe that Bittman came up with because while he liked the taste of using jam or marmalade on roasted pork, he didn't like the sugary sweetness. Through experimentation, he found that creating a "crust" of applesauce yielded a sweet, but not too sweet, result. In theory, perfect. But roasting applesauce on pork? Weird? Mushy? Like baby food meets meat?

I had nothing to fear. The recipe was as simple as can be, and did everything that it said that it would. The high heat caramelized the applesauce, and it kept the meat incredibly moist. I cooked it longer than the 45 minutes that the recipe called for - maybe even 20 minutes longer, at 400, to make sure that some of that fat melted down and that the sauce browned and blackened a bit (the best part!) I also liberally salted and peppered it, because I love the contrast of salt and sweet. And seriously, 2 ingredients (besides salt and pepper) - you can't get more minimalist than that.

This is for 4 servings, 15 minutes work time, 60 minutes estimated total.

Roast Pork with Applesauce

• One 1.5 to 2 lb pork loin
• 2 C applesauce, preferably unsweetened
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 500. Set the oven rack as close to the oven is as practical (take the thickness of the roast into account).

Meanwhile, put the applesauce in a fine strainer over a bowl or in the sink to allow excess liquid to drain.

Line a roasting pan with a double thickness of aluminum foil and brush the foil with a little oil.

When the oven is hot, sprinkle the roast with salt and pepper, then spread an even layer of the applesauce all over it, using up all of the applesauce. Sprinkle with a little more salt and pepper and roast, checking every 15 minutes or so to make sure that the applesauce doesn't burn. It's ok if it darkens and browns, or even turns dark brown, as long as the top doesn't blacken. (my note: i liked a little bit of blackening)

Begin checking the pork with an instant-read thermometer after 45 minutes. When the internal temperature reaches 155 degrees, remove from the oven. Let rest 5 minutes before carving.

Bacon Bread

I bought My Bread: The Revolutionary No-Work, No-Knead Method by Jim Lahey, the god of no-knead bread. It wasn't for me. It was going to a friend. But since it was in my hands I had to read through it first. The book was beautiful. The author's story of how he came to the no-knead method was fascinating and funny at times. There was one master recipe which was explained in detail both with words and pictures. Although all other recipes seem like variations of the master recipe, they were very intriguing and inventive. I almost kept the book for myself.



Before giving the book away, I tried one recipe: Pancetta Bread. Well, you already know from the post title that I didn't make pancetta bread. I made bacon bread.

This was the first time I used bread flour - the higher protein flour (and therefore higher gluten) than all purpose.



This recipe does not kid around with bacon. It calls for 300 grams of it. That's almost 3/4 pounds of bacon. I love it.


I baked half as rolls on baking sheet and the other half in a dutch oven.

The bread came out super delicious. Thin and crisp crust. Chewy, soft and airy texture even the ones I baked on baking sheet. And bacon - so much of it! It would be delicious as grilled cheese but it was all gone before I could do anything - even taking a good shot of the loaf.

The best thing about this is that it's super easy to make. You basically just mix everything together, leave it for a day. Shape and bake.

Oh, one more thing I love about the book is that there was one picture of a bunch of dutch ovens - all of them far from shiny and perfect. They were dirty with burnt mark. Some of them even looked chipped. Yay! I wasn't the only one with ghetto dutch ovens after all!

Slow-Cooked Pork with Umbrian Lentils

This is a recipe that I adapted from one in November's Delicious magazine, my new favorite cooking magazine from the UK (right up there with Olive).

The original recipe calls for a 1 - 1.5 kg ribless pork belly. The butcher looked at me like I was nuts when I asked for this, explaining that it was not a common item.

"Do you want bacon?" he asked.

"No, I am making it in a slow cooker."

"Hm, pork loin will be too lean. Shoulder should work."

So, I left with a large chunk of pork shoulder with some nice fat marbled through it and on the top, and hoped it would turn out.

The recipe also called for lentils de Puy, the beautiful tiny lentils found in France. The store did not have them, so I bought Umbrian lentils (above), which were absolutely beautiful and worked well, since they hold their shape and don't get mushy like regular lentils.

The whole thing was supposed to cook on low for 6-7 hours, which is what I did. Well, it wasn't nearly done by then. I turned the slow cooker up to high and the meat finally started to break down, becoming perfect by about 10:30pm - 3 hours later than when I had planned dinner! But the wait was worth it - it tasted wonderful, and the flavors blended nicely. I added the carrots and celery for an even more flavorful broth, and substituted sour cream for the creme fraiche.

Slow-Cooked Pork with Umbrian Lentils

• 2-3 lb. pork shoulder
• 1 T. sea salt
• 1 T. fennel seeds
• 2 red onions, cut into wedges
• 1/4 c. chopped carrots
• 1/4 c. diced celery
• 4 garlic cloves, smashed
• 200 g Umbrian (or Puy) lentils - about 1 cup
• 1 c. white wine
• 1 c. chicken stock
• handful fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 T. sour cream

Put some olive oil in a pan and sear the pork on all sides.

Remove from the pan and let cool.

Add to the pan the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic and cook until slightly softened.

Add the white wine and chicken stock and turn off the heat.

Rub the pork all over with the sea salt and fennel seeds.

Add the lentils to the slow cooker, followed by the stock/vegetables.

Place the pork on top of the lentils/vegetables mix.

Cook on high for a couple of hours, and then turn to low - cooking time approx 7 hours - until the pork starts to break down.

Add the parsley and sour cream to the lentils mixture and stir.

Makes about 6 servings.

I served mine with roasted and mashed parsnips to soak up all of that delicious sauce. Mmmm!

Left Over but Not Forgotten

I hate leftovers. Perhaps I have talked about this before, but it bears repeating because I really do hate them. Part of it is that I have a very low boredom threshold, and therefore need a lot of variety in my diet (hello, 875 Yelp reviews - sigh). Part of it is that the next day's re-heated meal can never match the beauty and taste of the original presentation. It will always be a little wilted, dried out, soggy, browned, whatever. Leftovers just look sad to me, like bum clothes - once lovely, now soiled and tattered, shadows of their former selves.

The thing is, I also hate to throw out food.

So this just forces me to be creative with leftovers. I am pleased to say that all of my meals today were made with leftovers from Saturday night's dinner, and they were all good!

Sweet Potato Pancakes with raisins for breakfast:

Seared Ahi on Arugula with Lemon Vinaigrette for lunch:

Chili-Lime Pork Tacos for dinner:

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?

We don't entertain often enough. Sometimes it seems so daunting - all of the cleaning, shopping, preparing, and the clean-up afterwards, but you know what? It's totally worth it, and each time I do it, I am reminded of how much I love having my house full of friends, having fun and enjoying our cooking, whether it's fancy or casual. It's so easy to get caught up in the details, but it really doesn't matter if all of the plates match, or if you have cloth napkins, or even if there are enough chairs. You make it work and you have a good time.

Last night, we had about 9 people over for a casual dinner. We didn't even start planning the menu until the afternoon, but it was a nice excuse to tidy up some of the accumulating piles on the dining room table and put flowers in the vases. I always have to use my good china and silver, since I have more place settings, but it still feels pretty low key. Plus, I believe that stuff should be used only once a year and then kept in a drawer the rest of the time. I don't bother polishing the silver unless it's a major holiday - just stick it in the dishwasher and put it out for people to help themselves. The trick to a big dinner party for me is to do it pot-luck style, otherwise you just spend all night serving everyone.

My husband and I have had the same routine for years - I am in charge of the appetizers and side dishes, and he handles the proteins. I am usually in charge of dessert as well, but as I was already behind, I called upon one of my friends to bring something - and she surprised us with a homemade coconut cream pie!

For appetizers, I made a cheese board, some roasted spiced nuts (which I made in the morning and let cool), and crab/artichoke dip on cucumber slices. For the extra-special appetizer, I made Medjool Dates stuffed with blue cheese and wrapped in bacon, which I popped into the oven to get crispy-good. There was actually silence in the room when they came out - the power of bacon!

The crab dip was supposed to be beautifully piped onto the cucumber, just like I had seen in my Martha Stewart appetizer book, but for the life of me I could not get it out in any sort of recognizable shape. Oh well, it's one of those moments where you curse Martha Stewart and her staff of many, and grab a spoon and finish the job.

For dinner, my husband made a bone-in pork roast which he brined a few hours before people arrived. Normally I don't think about serving pork to company, but it was absolutely delicious - fork-tender, moist, and very flavorful. With that, I roasted some sweet potatoes, made a warm green bean salad, and a mache/arugula salad with pomegranate seeds, toasted walnuts, and blue cheese. I made the mistake of using the Gin Dressing from a few days ago - the women loved it, and the men hated it! It's nice when your friends are comfortable enough to say what they do and don't like - one of the guys exact words were "That recipe should stay in the 70s". We had a laugh about it and went on with our evening. For the non-meat eaters, my husband made a marinated seared Ahi tuna, which was also wonderful, and remarkable considering the fact that he hates fish and has only cooked it a handful of times.

All in all, I think it turned out to be a very nice fall meal, and as everyone left at about 1:00am, full and tired from laughing so much, I was struck with a renewed sense of home and tenderness for my San Francisco family.

Spicy Pork Salad with Sugar Snap Peas, Garlic Scapes and Cilantro

I wouldn't call this a recipe. It's more like tossing everything I had together and it turned out to taste good. If you look at all the Thai spicy salads I made, you probably get the gist of my formula.

cooked meat + some raw greens and herbs + lime + fish sauce + chilies = spicy salad



From last week's CSA pickup, I got half a quart of sugar snap peas, 3 stalks of garlic scapes and a huge bunch of cinlantro. I used 2 stalks of garlic scapes and half the cilantro in stir-fried pea shoots.


Weird veg - garlic scapes - taste like mild garlic. The leaves on the background are pea shoots.

So I chopped up the remaining scape, sliced sugar snap peas and tossed them with about 1/2 pound of cooked pork shoulder and 2 cups of chopped cilantro. Then seasoned with 2 limes, about a tablespoon of fish sauce, chopped 8 fresh chilies and a squirt of honey. And now I have dinner and some leftover for lunch tomorrow.

I'm a Carnita-vore

Carnitas. One of the best preparations of pork that was ever created, Mexican style. The foundation of one of the best tacos that you can eat.

What a perfect candidate for our new best friend, the Slow Cooker.

Here's an example of what the best about slow cookery: turning the everyday into the divine. I bought a 3 lb. boneless pork shoulder at the market, a most humble piece of meat, which cost around $7.00. I cut it up into 1 - 2" chunks, seasoned it with salt, pepper, Mexican oregano, and a bunch of other spices (truth be told, my husband came home and "doctored" it according to his tastes, which are very good - I saw garlic salt and fresh-squeezed orange juice go into the pot). I topped it with roughly chopped onion, set the heat on low, and walked away.

6 hours later, the meat was fragrant and falling apart, ready to be hand-shredded. Now, the key to carnitas is the 2nd step, which is putting the cooked meat into the oven. It lets the juices settle into the meat, and the top gets crispy crunchy which is so important for the depth of texture and taste. I have found that slow cooking meat usually has 2 steps, either browning before it goes into the pot, or roasting afterwards - otherwise you end up with mush - tasty mush, but mush.


Everyone has their own opinion for what makes a great taco, but this combo worked great for me: carnitas, avocado, tomatoes, onions, salsa verde, sour cream, and lots of cilantro on a handmade corn & wheat tortilla.


Talk about economical - the 3 lb roast made enough for more than 3 days worth of meals. Because I bought all of the produce at a local fruit & vegetable stand, I don't think I spent over $15.00 total. It would be great for a family meal or having a few friends over for movie night, with lots of good beer on hand, of course.