Recipe: Chinese-Style Pulled Pork

Posted on January 28, 2020 by Burnt My Fingers
Chinese-Style Pulled Pork

Chinese-Style Pulled Pork, just waiting to be paired up with some Thai-Style Cole Slaw

Chinese-Style Pulled Pork is a natural for the Instant Pot, cooking to melting tenderness in just an hour. We started with this recipe but added a sweet-and-sour element plus star anise which gives it the funk of a HK noodle dish. The natural accompaniment is, of course, a cole slaw with Asian flavors like this one. Makes enough to feed a crowd, 12 servings or so.

Ingredients:
1 pork shoulder, approx 4 lbs, cut in half (if it has a blade bone that’s a natural point of separation)
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup chicken stock or water
1/2 cup soy sauce
¼ c Chinkiang vinegar or unsweetened rice vinegar or white vinegar
¼ c Shaoxing wine (optional)
¼ c oyster sauce (optional)
¼ c brown sugar
2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced thin
8-10 garlic cloves, peeled
2 t powdered cumin
2 t paprika (use smoky Spanish paprika if you have it)
1 t five spice powder
3 heads star anise
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 T cornstarch

Method: pat dry the pork roast and salt and pepper liberally. Add oil to the inner bowl of the Instant Pot and heat on Sauté setting. Brown the pork in two batches, turning so all sides come into contact with the oil and get a crispy sear. Remove to a plate and add onion, garlic and ginger. Sauté till fragrant then add cumin, paprika, five spice and star anise and heat till fragrant, stirring frequently. Turn off Instant Pot.

Add liquids and brown sugar and stir to dissolve sugar. Add pork and seal; pressure cook on high for 60 minutes with natural release.

When done, pork will be falling apart tender. Remove the pieces carefully to a chopping board and chop into bite size pieces, discarding bone and outer layer of fat. Strain solids out of the cooking stock and return it to the Instant Pot. Use Sauté setting to reduce somewhat. Remove a small amount of stock to a cup and mix with 2 T cornstarch till thoroughly emulsified without lumps. Add more liquid from the stock to create a smooth slurry, then return this to the Instant Pot and thicken, stirring constantly. Pour over reserved pork in a bowl and serve, over rice or in a Chinese style pulled pork sandwich with Asian cole slaw on a bun.

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Cavender’s Greek Seasoning

Posted on January 23, 2020 by Burnt My Fingers
Cavenders Greek Seasoning

We’ve been using Cavender’s Greek Seasoning since the 80s at least, and the artwork on the label has not changed in all that time. The chef appears to be sticking a fork in the steak with his left hand and shaking on seasoning with his right. It’s anybody’s guess what those white things are on the grill; hopefully they are not folds of his jacket.

Cavender’s Greek Seasoning is something we always have in our kitchen. Although it’s advertised as the only seasoning you need, we mainly use it on grilled meats, especially steaks. An ideal prep will have Cavender’s on one side of the steak, Burger House Seasoning Salt on the other.

So what is this versatile stuff? It comes not from Greece but from a remote corner of the Ozarks. And, though the artwork makes it look like it’s been around forever, in fact it was introduced a mere 50 years ago. Spike Cavender grew up in Texas and Oklahoma and loved to hunt wild game; he developed this mix as a seasoning for his bounty. He and his wife moved to the Ozarks to take advantage of the outdoor environment and started producing it for sale in 1969.

The ingredients in order are salt, black pepper, corn starch, garlic, MSG, oregano, flavor base seasoning (hydrolyzed soy protein, sugar, onion powder spice extractives), parsley and “five other spices.” The cornstarch is undetectable and you wonder why others (like Burger House) don’t use it to keep their product from clumping. And it’s heartwarming, if you love MSG as we do, to see it as the fifth ingredient. As to the mysterious “five other spices”, our guess is they include a bitter herb (mint or oregano) and thyme, though this copycat recipe adds cinnamon and nutmeg.

Cavendar’s is still a one-product company (unless you count a salt-free version of the seasoning) yet they manage to have nationwide distribution in a way that other specialty products, like Durkee’s, finds challenging. If your local stores don’t carry it, you can order multiple packs from the source or get a single package, enough to last a very long time, for under $5 on Amazon with Prime shipping. It’s well worth checking out, and you might want to try it on vegetables as well as a mix-in for gyro meat (ground lamb or beef or a combination).

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Recipe: World’s Easiest Thai Curry

Posted on January 21, 2020 by Burnt My Fingers
Worlds Easiest Thai Curry

World’s Easiest Thai Curry, made with kabocha squash

The secret to the world’s easiest Thai curry is those little cans of Maesri curry paste you see in Asian markets. If you’ve passed on these because you assume they are the Thai equivalent of hamburger helper, think again. The flavors are rich and complex and using them you really can make a satisfying bowl of curry in less time than it takes to read this recipe. Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients:
2 c cooked kabocha squash* or tofu chopped into bite size pieces (OR use chicken, shrimp, beef, pork or any combination of these items adding up to 2 c)
2 T neutral cooking oil
2 T chopped garlic
2 T thai curry paste (Maesri red, green or yellow curry)
½ c coconut milk (we use Chaokoh brand, which we’ve found to be most consistent)
¼ c finely chopped bitter herbs: Thai basil (best choice), basil, mint, cilantro or shiso
Lemon or lime wedges and additional bitter herbs for garnish (optional)

Mesri Curry Paste Cans

It may be we have too many cans of Maesri curry paste in our pantry. All you really need are the red, green and/or yellow curry.

Method: heat the oil in a wok or skillet and add garlic; sauté until fragrant. (If you are using meat protein, add it along with the garlic.) Add curry paste and spread it with a spoon to contact the oil and let it toast slightly. Add coconut milk and turn heat down to simmer. Stir to combine ingredients into a uniform sauce, a minute or so. Add cooked squash or tofu and cover; leave on stove at low heat till ingredients are heated through. Stir in bitter herbs and serve over rice with optional garnish.

*We’ve recently discovered the joys of this large (typical size is over 4 lbs), versatile gourd. To prepare, scrub the edible skin then heat in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. This will soften the hard exterior so it’s easier to cut. Cool to safe handling temperature then cut in half and remove stem. Scoop out seeds (which you can toast if you like), cut the halves into 2-inch thick sections, toss with some melted butter or oil and salt and return to the oven on a sheet pan. Bake 30 minutes or until tender but not soft. Serve as a side dish or use as an ingredient in curry and other veg-friendly entrées.

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Recipe: Thai-Style Cole Slaw

Posted on January 16, 2020 by Burnt My Fingers
Thai Style Cole Slaw

Thai-Style Cole Slaw

We came up with Thai-Style Cole Slaw for the carb-shunning Always Hungry diet. But it’s so good it’s joined our regular rotation. The sesame oil, rice vinegar, fish sauce and lime juice go together like a barbershop quartet, creating a perfect harmony. Makes 4-8 side dish servings.

8 c shredded cabbage or cole slaw mix
2 T toasted sesame oil
1 T rice vinegar
1 T fish sauce*
1 T fresh lime juice
1 t Kosher salt
½ t ground pepper
½ t crushed red pepper or to taste
¼ c roasted mixed nuts or peanuts
3 green onions, sliced into rounds, white and some of the green

Method: mix all ingredients except nuts and taste for seasoning. It should have a balanced flavor profile, not too salty or tart. Top with nuts and serve immediately.

*We tried it without fish sauce, thinking this is the one ingredient not everybody has in their cabinets, but it really is essential. If you need to buy some, get Red Boat.

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Yummy (the 50s called, and it wants you to eat its tuna loaf)

Posted on January 14, 2020 by Burnt My Fingers

Yummy is a new song and video in which the shape-shifting Justin Bieber is seen cavorting with various 50s-inspired dishes and Jello molds. And my Yelp friend Eric T has alerted me to a Buzzfeed compendium called “21 Truly Upsetting Vintage Recipes” which features such gems as Ham and Bananas Hollandaise, recipe here. Where are these creepy foods coming from?

It seems the 50s are back, with Tuna and Jello Pie taking its place alongside such icons/memes as the iron lung and Our Friend The Atom. But why? To the observer, it seems like many of these dishes represented a conspiracy among home economists and food stylists to foist bizarre foods onto the American household which even the most ambitious homemaker would never come up with on her own. Often they featured sponsoring products, like Hellman’s Mayonnaise or Jello, and not a few highlight variety meats that were very cheap at the time. Some of us have spent a lifetime putting those memories behind us and it’s upsetting to see a new generation bringing them back, ironically or not.

But wait. What if some of these dishes are actually good? A visitor to the Highland Park Cafeteria will be greeted by any number of delightful aspics, jiggling and gleaming like a beached jellyfish in the sun. My grandmother’s recipe for Carrot Pineapple Jello is both easy and tasty. And let us not forget Amish Pickled Tripe in Aspic. If a new generation discovers the delights of congeals, maybe that’s okay.

Eric also pointed me to Mid-Century Menu, a site that does taste testing on vintage recipes by serving them to a pliable husband. It’s a treasure trove of old newspaper clippings, Jello art through the ages and whatnot and you should definitely check it out, especially this creepy video for Frosty the Slaw Man.

Perfection Salad

Perfection Salad. Yummy!

Meanwhile, here’s a recipe for “Perfection Salad” which reads just fine and only becomes repulsive when you view the Great American Recipes* photo which looks like shards of random vegetables were dumped into a knight’s helmet which was then filled with Jello, chilled, and tossed into the shrubbery. Why not put a toe in the water, and try it tonight?

Perfection Salad

2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 can (12 oz) apple juice
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 cup shredded carrot
1 cup sliced celery
1 cup finely shredded cabbage
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 can (4 oz) chopped pimiento

Method: Combine gelatin, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan and mix well. Add 1 cup water. Heat over low heat, stirring constantly, until sugar and gelatine are dissolved. Remove from heat.  Stir in apple juice, lemon juice, vinegar, and 1/4 cup cold water. Pour into medium bowl. Refrigerate 1 hour, or until mixture is consistency of unbeaten egg white.

Add carrot, celery, cabbage, green pepper, and pimiento; stir until well combined. Turn into decorative, 1 1/2-quart mold. Refrigerate 4 hours,or until firm.To unmold: Run small spatula around edge of mold; invert onto serving plate. Place hot dishcloth over mold; shake gently to release. Repeat, if necessary. Lift off mold. refrigerate until ready to serve.
Makes 8 servings.

*In another life, your correspondent was responsible for the writing in the “control” direct mailing to sign up customers for this recipe card continuity program, meaning many thousands of people bought in as a result of our efforts. Yummy!

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Recipe: Octopus Lentil Pesto Salad

Posted on January 9, 2020 by Burnt My Fingers
Octopus Lentil Pesto Salad

Octopus Lentil Pesto Salad

Octopus Lentil Pesto Salad seems sophisticated and complicated, thanks to the dramatic combination of tastes and textures. But it comes together in just a few minutes when you have the core ingredients on hand. Serves 2 as an entree or 4 as part of a mezze platter.

Ingredients:
½ cup black or green lentils
1 c water or chicken stock
Kosher salt to taste
½ c  broiled baby octopus, chopped
¼ c pesto

Express Octopus Lentil Salad

Your octopus dish won’t look as spectacular as this from L’Express in Montreal, but it won’t take hours to prepare either. Photo from Shawn on Foodspotting.

Method: cook lentils in water or stock until tender, about 15 minutes, adding more liquid if needed. Taste for seasoning and add salt as needed. Mix in pesto and set aside to let flavors blend as the salad cools to room temperature. Serve.

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Recipe: Broiled Baby Octopus

Posted on January 7, 2020 by Burnt My Fingers
Broiled Baby Octo;pus

Broiled Baby Octopus

Broiled baby octopus is easy to make and a versatile addition to mezze, antipasto or appetizer combos (terminology defined by the cultural palette you’re using) as well as a distinctive and flavorful addition to a hearty salad. Rest assured that no actual baby octos are harmed in the preparation of this dish; the base ingredient is actually a smaller species of octopus that is also more tender than the big guys. Allow ¼ pound per person as a main, maybe half that as a combo of an appetizer platter.

Ingredients
1 lb baby octopus, cleaned by your fishmonger*
¼ c good olive oil
1 t fresh lemon juice
1 T dried oregano
½ t salt

Method: mix all the ingredients and marinate in refrigerator at least 8 hours, and as long as a day or two. Broil over a medium-hot heat source (you may need to use a finer mesh grill basket like this one to keep the octos from falling between the grates on your grill) 5 minutes, turning several times, until legs have lost their white color and curled up and charred somewhat. If your guests are squeamish, consider coarsely chopping the octopus so it won’t look like a real animal. Serve warm, at room temperature, cool or reheated.

*I’ve only encountered pre-cleaned baby octos, which have a small slit cut in the sac from which the guts are removed. Do the same yourself if you need to prep the product at home. (Do not go in through the mouth, as you would with a squid, but do remove the hard beak if there is one.)

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Recipe: Porchetta-Style Pork Loin Roast

Posted on January 2, 2020 by Burnt My Fingers
Instant Pot Pork Roast

Porchetta-Style Pork Loin Roast, sliced for serving

This Porchetta-Style Pork Loin Roast is a good way to enjoy the flavor profile of porchetta—primarily fennel and aromatic herbs—without the hassle of buying and rolling a whole pork belly (which we still have in our freezer, btw). We essentially followed Kenji’s All-Belly Porchetta recipe, modifying the amounts for a smaller piece of meat. The result was melt-in-your-mouth delicious, ideal for serving with applesauce or kraut or in a hot sandwich with some sharp cheese. Allow 1/4 lb per person.

Ingredients:
Boneless pork roast, approximately 3 lbs
2 T Kosher salt
1 t whole black peppercorns
2 t whole fennel seed
½ t crushed red pepper
3 garlic cloves, chopped fine
1 T fresh thyme leaves or 1 t dried thyme
1 T fresh rosemary leaves or 1 t dried rosemary

Method: rub in the salt all over both sides and the ends of the roast. Toast peppercorns and fennel in a skillet for 3 minutes or until aromatic; grind in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder. Mix with all other ingredients and rub into the roast on all sides.

Method 1: place the roast on a rack in a small pan and cook at 400 degrees for 30 minutes to crisp the surface, then turn down heat to 350 degrees for an additional hour. Allow to rest, then transfer to a serving plate and spoon juices over the top before slicing.

Pork Roast in Skillet

Sear pork roast after sous vide in a super hot cast iron skillet.

Method 2 (what we did, and recommend): seal the roast in a vacuum bag and sous vide at 140 degrees for the time recommended by your cooker for medium. (We cooked it for 6 hours.) Remove from bag, reserving liquid inside, and sear all sides in a very hot cast iron skillet. Transfer to a serving plate; add juices from bag to pan and cook down and spoon over the roast before serving.

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Instant Pot jumps the shark with sous vide function

Posted on December 31, 2019 by Burnt My Fingers
Sous Vide Instant Pot

Sous Vide in the Instant Pot Viva. Set for 140 degrees; water is 134.2 after two hours.

Can you do sous vide in the Instant Pot? Instant Pot, the company, is now making its own immersion circulator, with a design similar to the best-selling Anova. (Warning! Affiliate links!) You can purchase the giant Aura Pro Multicooker, whose 11 functions include a sous vide setting but not the smart pressure cooker technology that made the brand. But that’s not what we’re talking about. Question is, can you do sous vide in the original IP, the pressure cooker shaped like C3PO which has a sous vide button on some newer models?

We were skeptical but willing to find out, and Best Buy had a Black Friday sale on the Viva, a model with the sous vide function. (To give ourselves credit, that was not the only reason we purchased; our early edition Duo was getting long in the tooth and we wanted access to any upgraded functionality.) And we decided to give Instant Pot sous vide a shot using a boneless pork loin roast, a cut that is very forgiving of temperature variations.

Temperature variations, indeed! We set the Viva to 140 degrees for medium/medium rare but after a couple of hours the water bath was just under 135 degrees. A variation like that would be fatal for a more delicate dish, like soft boiled or coddled eggs. We then cranked the setting up to 145 for the rest of the cook time and got the delicious, tender, almost-white slices we were looking for. A related problem is that the IP doesn’t have any kind of a circulation system which, of course, is going to exacerbate those temperature variations because water next to the product you’re cooking, the wall of the pot or the weight you might need to hold down the sous vide bag is going to be a different temperature than the open water in the pot.

Instant Pot Pork Roast

Here’s the finished product, after searing in a skillet and slicing to serve.

Our conclusion: technically, you can sous vide in the Instant Pot, but you shouldn’t. It’s a good way to ruin an expensive piece of meat and maybe create a health risk. About the only thing sillier is the commenter in the thread on this post who uses the IP’s inner pot by itself as a receptacle when sous viding with a Joule circulator. Well, maybe that’s not fair (although there wouldn’t be much room for the food product after you mount the circulator on the side), but it shows the lengths to which IP fanatics will go to use their device for every meal.

By the way, our roast was delicious. Here is the recipe.

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Food for Thought: The Food of Sichuan by Fuchsia Dunlop

Posted on December 26, 2019 by Burnt My Fingers

 

Fuchsia Dunlop at WBUR

Food of Sichuan: Fuchsia Dunlop with her fish-fragrant eggplant. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

We received The Food of Sichuan for Christmas and discovered that, rather than an entirely new book, it is “a new updated version of the classic Land of Plenty”.  If you didn’t get the older book on our recommendation, you should almost certainly purchase the new one instead. It has excellent pictures of almost every dish, and the author says there are 70 new recipes plus 12 reworks of old recipes. (That’s according to the Fuchsia Dunlop page on Facebook, which is well worth following.)

We were heartened by the change to fu qi fei pian/man-and-wife meat slices (p 178 in the old book, 97 in the new one). Flank steak has been replaced by a beef shank/tripe combo (two meats in harmony, echoing the relationship of the partners who came up with the original version in Chengdu) which is a huge upgrade and makes us realize this is the basis of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, a similar dish at one of our favorite local Sichuan places. Hopefully there are similar improvements throughout.

However, we did find tweaks that we’re not sure we agree with and Dunlop does not include all of them in her short list of reworks. Si chuan pao cai/pickled vegetables (p 71 in the old book, 420 in the new one) has lost its star anise and “strong rice wine or vodka” has given way to “strong Chinese baiju grain liquor” which may be difficult to find stateside. There are likely other variations like this and it would be nearly impossible to identify all of them because the organization of the books is completely different and the index for Food of Sichuan is very non-intuitive. (There is no table of contents.)

If you have taken a deep dive into Land of Plenty and fallen in love with the flavor profiles, then you are one of the few who maybe shouldn’t upgrade. Otherwise, get the new book. It’s a better value with more recipes plus the photos, and the revised recipes are almost certain to be delicious. Check it out.

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