Oh Holy Pork Belly!

Preparing pork belly was a first for me. David Chang's pork buns at Momofuku are what first turned me on to this most excellent cut of porky goodness. And it's become a standard at most of the new restaurants in town. So when I saw it in the display case on a recent trip to The Meathook, I thought, "why not?" 

I used David Chang's recipe as a guide (keep reading for my version) and served it up, dripping in sweet, salty, fatty, caramelized juiciness over cornbread smeared with kimchi butter (recipe also follows), kimchi, and topped with braised collard greens. It was a meal neither of us will soon forget.

look at that crust!

Easy Pork Belly

1-2 lb pork belly
kosher salt
sugar
ability to eat it all - because you'll want to

First, have your butcher remove the skin. If you want to make pork cracklin's, take the detached skin home with you. Otherwise, you don't need it for this recipe.

For every 1 lb of meat, mix up about 1/4 cup equal parts kosher salt and sugar. I prefer turbinado because of the similarity in granule size to the kosher salt, but you can use anything. Brown sugar would be the bomb, I'm sure. Rub the belly all over with the sugar-salt mix and "nestle it", as Chang says, into a roasting pan. This is important actually because the less space your belly has, the less likely it is to burn and dry out. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, but not more than 24. So if you wrap it up before work, this is an easy evening meal that takes very little time. Disgard remaining rub.

Pop your little pork baby into a 450 degree preheated oven and let it sizzle up for about 20-25 minutes. Baste with pan juices, and put it back in for another 20-25 minutes until it is glisteny golden on top and the smell of your kitchen makes you wish you were tiny enough to swim around in the liquid gold pool* that's rendered all around your pork belly.

Knock the heat down to 250 degrees and pop that little nugget back in the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Let it rest for 10 minutes per lb and start slicing**. Try not to eat each slice as it glides off the knife. Trust me, you'll be as sorry as the time you ate only deviled eggs and beer at the family picnic because you were 'dieting'.

*At David Chang the Great's suggestion, I kept that golden pool of goodness, letting the solids separate and pouring off only what was on top. I put it in a jar in my refrigerator to solidify. You can cook with it like you would bacon grease. This morning's eggs were fried in it. All I can say is: Damn!

**Chang also recommends letting the meat cool, wrapping it in cling wrap and cooling in the refrigerator for easy slicing. I didn't find much difference in slicing before and after refrigerating, but if you can wait, or need to for some gawd-awful reason, it does make nice slices when cold. Gently warm them in a fry pan, but don't actually cook any further.

Kimchi Butter over Pa Sanders' Cornbread

Kimchi Butter

1 stick of butter
1/2 cup kimchi

Blend in a food processor.

If you're really precious, press it through a strainer for a smoother consistency, but we really liked it flecked with kimchi pieces.

Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Best Summer Brewski

Christian discovered what has to be 2011's best summer beer, hands down. I'll admit, I was a little shocked to see my husband walk to the register carrying a 6-pack of watermelon beer. But he said it had gotten great reviews and at $12 for 6 cans of microbrew in a tidy little box adorned with a very appealing graphic artistry, it was hard to pass up. He proudly whipped them out at a friends cabana BBQ yesterday - to snickers, jokes and boy-ish comments from the Corona and IPA toting crew. But one-by-one the beers disappeared until all were gone. 

Hell or High Watermelon from 21st Amendment Brewery is a refreshing wheat beer that really does have a very subtle watermelon flavor, which is strongest at first sip, but mellows as you drink it. It has a wheat beer sweetness, but is not a sweet beer and doesn't even have that familiar fruit beer fruitiness. It's just smooth, summer excellence that makes you feel like you're sitting by the pool, even if sweat is rolling down your work suited back in the depths of the subway tunnels. 

On the way home last night from the BBQ, we stopped in our local grocery to see if they carry it. It's tight and well designed box packaging made it difficult to spot, but indeed it was there. Bonus! I predict this will be in our fridge until the first cool days of fall. 

Steak Night

If there's one thing my husband Christian and I can easily agree to, it is steak night. It's easy for me and for him, something to look forward to at the end of a long week. The guys at The Meathook cut this gorgeous 1.5" 1.4 lb ribeye for just for me. And after salting the hell out of it (and a little pepper), I seared it in a cast iron skillet for about 4 minutes on each side for a lusciously crispy fatty rare goodness.

It's important to mention that the meat was from a local farmer who uses humane and healthy practices. We agreed that this greatly impacted the beefy flavor, which was almost gamey - in just the best way you could imagine. Buy local grass-fed, grain finished if you can.

While the meat rested, I threw together a light salad of arugula, heirloom tomato, watermelon, feta and red onion. It's dressed with nothing more than lime and a basil-mint oil I made earlier in the day. Christian loved every bite!

for Basil-Mint Oil:

Throw a handfull of basil and a handful of mint and 1 small clove of garlic into your processor and pulse together with about 1/4 cup of olive oil. Press through a strainer so only the oil remains. Salt to your liking and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Post Race Reward: Snausages!

Sunday night after a long summer day on Governors Island full of great friends, good food, a 1920s lawn party, all kicked off by ungodly early ferry ride to our 10K, I made a simple dinner of sausages so expertly crafted by The Meat Hook, they needed nothing more than a little attention while they crisped up into golden deliciousness in the pan. When they were done, I threw some thin strips of collard greens in the pan with the sausage drippings and dinner was served. Damn it was good!

One was the Cougar and the other was the Ban Mi. We shared them and then tried to lick the plates. Woulda been worth the splinters.

GOGI 10K Pre-Race Dinner

On Sunday, I ran the Get Outside Governors Island 10K. If you're a runner in NY, you should do it. The island itself, an old military base is full of historic abandoned buildings which color the atmosphere eerie in the fall and winter months and almost ... during the Spring and Summer. And it's flat unlike Central Park so the race itself is easy, beautiful and lots of fun. It's sponsored by The North Face which provides great sweat wicking shirts, while other sponsors ensure plenty of food and great music.

Not wanting to "carbo-load" like Michael Scott during The Office's Fun Run for Rabies, I opted to get my carbs the night before. So I made Tagliatelle with Pancetta and Tomato Sauce. All of the ingredients were local, including an amazing hunk of pancetta from The Meat Hook - just the best thing ever to happen to meat!

Here's the how-to:

Saute 1//3 chopped pancetta or lardons on olive oil over medium heat until golden, 7-9 minutes. Add 1 chopped onion, 4 cloves of chopped garlic and as many pinches of red pepper flakes as you like. Saute another 5 minutes until softened. Pour in 1 28oz can of pureed tomatoes. You can use diced or whole, but there's something magical to the smoothness of the sauce when the pancetta fat mixes with the pureed tomato.  Let this simmer for at least 15 minutes while your pasta water boils and the past cooks.

Just before the pasta reaches al dente, about 2 minutes shy of the suggested cooking time, pull it out of it's water with tongs and transfer into the pan with your sauce, allowing some of the pasta water to tag along and loosen the sauce. Mix well, but gently and serve with grated parmesan or other hard cheese and fresh basil or parsley or both.

Because of the richness of the pancetta, I served this dish with sauteed bitter greens.

The recipe and clean-up were simple enough to allow me to dine early, relax and get to bed at a reasonable hour. And throughout the race, I felt strong and full of energy.

Cherry Almond Granola

While running with my running bestie, Jen, I discovered that she feasts on homemade granola with yogurt and berries after her morning runs. Protein, carbs, fresh fruit..."genius!" I thought. Her granola is based on an Alton Brown recipe. Here's my take on the same recipe:

This is our supply after 2 weeks of breakfasts!

3 cups rolled oats

• 1 cup slivered almonds
• 1 cup hazelnuts
• 3/4 cup shredded sweet coconut
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup dried cherries
• 
  

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, coconut, cinnamon and brown sugar.

In a separate bowl, combine maple syrup, oil, and salt, pour over dry ingredients and mix to coat well. Divide the mixture onto 2 large baking sheets lined with parchment. Stirring every 20-25 minutes, cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes until golden. Your kitchen will smell amazing!!

Stir in cherries with 30 minutes left in cooking time. Or if they seem very dry, wait until removing granola from the over and fold in. 

Remove from oven and allow to cool then transfer to airtight containers.

Serve 1/3 cup granola with 1/3 cup local yogurt and 1/3-1/2 cup fresh berries and feel satisfied until lunchtime!

Escabeche, aka Pickled Peppers

Have some leftover hot peppers (jalapeno, serrano, etc.) and 3-4 medium carrots laying around? Even if you don't, this recipe is worth the trip to the market for the following:

4-5 jalapeno or 8-9 serrano peppers
3-4 carrots
1/2 red onion
4-5 garlic cloves
1 1/2 cups vinegar
1/4 cup sugar

Simmer sugar in vinegar to dissolve. While the vinegar is heating up, slice carrots and peppers on a diagonal and slice onion into long half moons. Arrange peppers, carrots, onion and garlic to your liking inside a glass jar and pour pickling solution over top, covering all vegetables. Let stand for 1 hour and then seal tightly and chill for 4 hours. Enjoy as soon as you dare.

Best Summer Gin and Juice

Muddle 1 lemon, handful of mint and 1 tbls raw sugar in a shaker. Add 1 oz Cointreau, 2 oz Gin and 3 tbls macerated strawberries and freshly grated ginger. Shake until frosty cold. Pour over ice into 2 tumblers. Top off with Orangina. Give a light stir, garnish with mint and enjoy on a hot summer day.

My little Champions League Final watching party invention. Perfect!

Gingerbread Pancakes

My first encounter with these little darlings was at Magnolia Cafe in Austin, TX. Texas Monthly published the recipe a few years ago and I discovered that one of the secret ingredients was coffee. So I added a little espresso powder to my batter. It was fantastic!

Here's the recipe:

3/4 cup Buckwheat Pancake Flour
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Ginger
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
1 tsp Kosher Salt
2 tsp Espresso Powder
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 1/2 tbls Honey
1 Egg
1 1/2 cups Buttermilk

Combine all and fry up on the griddle. If you wanted to cook them in just a little bacon fat (I used pancetta because it was in the fridge), the added flavor is a crowd pleaser. Just be sure to cut it with a little unflavored oil like safflower or vegetable.

They were very pleased to be complemented by some strawberries tossed with fresh mint and grated fresh ginger, a squeeze of lemon and just a little maple syrup.

Serve all with butter, maple syrup and the bacon, of course.

Mackerel with Avocado and Spring Greens

Following a bountiful day at the McCarren Park Green Market, we feasted on a simple but satisfying quadruped 

of grilled mackerel, avocado yogurt sauce with lemon and fresh spring scallions, rosemary ciabatta and a mixed salad of pea shoots, arugula and mizuna, lightly dressed in lemon and olive oil. 

I love feasting on the light and healthy.

Garlic Mustard Greens

I bought these beauties yesterday at the Amsterdam Market at the South Street Seaport under the elevated FDR.

They are lovely and have the most beautiful little edible flowers at the tips of the stalks. The leaves and flowers have just a hint of sweet garlic, but not so much that they could be called "garlicky".

Tonight, with the cat away, dinner was nothing more than a nice light salad of grilled mackerel, garlic mustard greens and flowers and roasted cherry tomatoes, all lightly dressed in fresh lemon juice, olive oil and kosher salt.

Yum! It was really beautiful.

Flex Mussels: Best Mussels

Last night, Christian and I ate at Flex Mussels on 13th St. just east of 6th Ave. A-MAZE-ING!!!  Yeah, I know I mispelled it - what are you, my Mom? It was that good. We split the Bisque and the Maine, both served with lobster pieces in the broth. Probably wouldn't order the Bisque again because it wasn't very "bisquey", but the Maine, oh the Maine...heavenly, bacony, sent from the gods of pork and butter. And it felt like they may have even added some vanilla to give it an extra richness. I'll be trying that trick at home. This broth was so good, we actually drank it from our big spoons after the mussels were finished.

Perhaps the most wonderful thing about this place though, is the mussels themselves (as it should be). They were cooked perfectly to a buttery, puffy, melt in your mouth tender burst of the sea, coated with whichever wonderful flavor you've ordered. And there were many choices, each better sounding than the last.

The fries are also crispy and just thin enough to still be fluffy and buttery inside. And if you want to gild the lily, go for the donuts on the dessert menu. You can select from a variety of flavors, including PJ&J, fluffernutter and strawberry shortcake. But we devoured meyer lemon, cinnamon sugar, raspberry and our favorite, salted caramel. You can even gild that lily by dipping them in the vanilla bean sauce that accompanies the arrangement. It's not necessary, but still recommended. So is a reservation.

Flex Mussels
http://www.flexmusselsny.com/

Our Luck Runneth Over

While en route to our Thai honeymoon, my husband won 2 free roundtrip airfares just for checking into LAX on Gowalla. Pretty cool! 

Last week, I entered a contest on brooklynexposed.com and won a Valentine extravaganza, complete with brunch, spa day, dinner and proper cocktails. Is there anything we can't do!? 

Since one of my favorite things to do is to spend hours mulling over online menus thinking days ahead about what I will order, this has been especially rewarding. See below for what I won and what I'm planning to order. Reviews and photos of all items eaten TBB (to be blogged)!

Brunch for 2 at Water Street Restaurant, located along the cobblestone streets of DUMBO’s historic waterfront district, in the shadows of the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges. Is there any question that I'm getting the Shrimp  N Grits? It even comes with bacon so I don't have to feel like a piggy adding it to my order as a side dish. I'm always on the hunt for great biscuits and gravy, and have yet to find it anywhere but Pies 'n' Thighs, but I'm also looking forward to checking them out at Water Street, and then washing it all down with a complimentary glass of Mimosa or Sangria. Yeehaw!
Value: $33.90 ($16.95/per person, tax /gratuity not included)

VIP passes to Body by Brooklyn to enjoy a romantic “getaway” to New York’s only 10,000 square foot spa complex. Each VIP pass provides you access to their luxury spa facilities for the full day:  Turkish steam room, cold plunge pool, Swedish sauna, Russian sauna and Thermal hot tub. Christian also has plans to be beaten with oak leaves inside the Russian sauna. I think I might just go for a relaxing mani/pedi or herbal wrap.
Value: $90/per person

Dinner for 2 at BINO, a great Italian-inspired, cozy, friendly, trattoria the neighborhood has grown to love.  I'm excited to hear the specials but the wild boar bacon, lamb ragu, grilled sardines and guinea hen with spaetzle have my taste buds tingling. The wine list also looks perfectly brief but well stocked. Since the meal is free, maybe I can talk the Mr. into a nice Barolo, Barbaresco or Amarone!
Value: $75 total (tax/gratuity not included)

Cocktails at the Clover Club – Wow! What a menu. Just looking at it makes me feel as though my hair is finger waved and my eyebrows dramatically pencilled in. As I foam at the mouth over the Tanglefoot Fiz, Pink Moon and Elysian Nymph, my eyes can't help but rest on my favorite cocktail of all time: The French 75. Mmmm. This will certainly be a night to remember.
Value: $24, tax/gratuity not included

Thank you Brooklyn Exposed! Can't wait to check these out and report back.

BKBBQ

Sadly, my taste in BBQ has dwindled in the years since I've been away from the motherland. Last night it may have reached an all time low. A new "smokehouse" opened up less than a block from our front door so we grabbed our favorite Tenneseean and her southern yankee husband and queued up for some pulled pork, brisket and ribs. They were all ok enough to stuff our faces, but they were covered in sauce - a sweet sauce. The sides too were just ok and my drink, the very popular spiked cherry limonade was refreshing, but did not take me back my days of Sonic and raging hormones as hoped.

However, all of the items as a whole, and to the sounds of "Killin' Time" and "Chattahoochee" really worked. We scarfed down our sweetly greasy pork and not moist enough beef with the over vinegared collards and canned baked beans rather blissfully, discussing our pleasure that we had a "place like this" so close to our Brooklyn apartments.

All in all we had a great time with the shared good company and nostalgic soundtrack, but spotting this photo on the wall may have impeded any future trips to Mabel's Smokehouse:

Hook 'em!

Syncronicity

In yet another sweet twist of fate since our return from Asia, namely Japan where I fell head over heels in love with Japanese cuisine, I yesterday discovered a Japanese grocery only 3 blocks from our home. It is filled with beautiful produce, complete with shiso leaves and straw mushrooms, cold items like fresh strawberry mochi and nigiri wrapped sticky rice filled with japanese pickle or bonito, or shrimp, each of which happily returned home with me. The aisles are stacked with snacks, noodles, condiments, kitchen tools, teas, sweets and soup bases. But the most precious item in the store is the owner, excited about Japanese food and very eager to help. My love affair continues to grow and I couldn't be more excited about what will come of it.

Sunday Treasures

Major forward motion yesterday in my mission to master a few key Japanese dishes, namely Tonkotsu Ramen. Jen, my partner in food porn crime, and I were walking around chatting after coffee and she dragged me to the Meathook. (Ok, so I really wanted to go, but there was a lot of snow and puddled sludge along the way.) We each selected 2 sausages from the case, resisting the temptation to buy one of every beautiful red hunk of meat in the place. Then I remembered that I needed pork knuckles to boil with the ribs for making the tonkotsu broth.

When I asked for them, the butcher brought out 3 gorgeous joint pieces with some leg meat still attached. Excited at the thought of making my yummy broth, I asked question up on question about the meat until he finally introduced me to the Japanese guy working behind the counter who just so happened to have worked in a restaurant that made Tonkotsu. Drat that I can't remember his name (Tichi? Kiti? Chiki?)! But he thinks my name is Jim so we're even for now.

Anyway, he scoffed at my knuckles so I told him I'd be back with my recipe and he can help me fix it up. I also offered to bring in a sample of the outcome if he'll critique it for me.

I was almost beside myself with delight at the thought of what synchronicity had brought this person not only into my life, but into my meat market. So after Jen and I said our good-byes, I scuttled home to make brunch for my very grouchy, but very sick husband - Weekend Eggs (recipe to follow), With fresh rosemary focaccia and one of the sausages. For myself, I also whipped up a blood orange and gin gimlet (recipe below as well) and a big pot of chili - half for later in the week and the other half for freezing until the making of my chili mac for a friend's Superbowl party. I'll be sure to type that recipe up later this week and share.

We ended the day with this recipe  for Braised Leeks and Pappardelle from Jaime Oliver. It was magical!

 

Well, chicken marsala turned into chicken piccata, on of Christian's favorites so I don't exactly have a recipe to share because I just whipped it up. But over gooey, buttery, salty chicken and capers, we had our first big finances discussion as husband and wife. The topic? How over budget did we go on our wedding? And by we I mean me. But it wasn't so bad. We worked it out and set our financial goals and toasted with a nice chardonnay.

Today after bootcamp in the city, I indulged in one of my favorite pastimes: cooking brunch with what's left in the fridge. And we feasted! I had made an Italian white bean and tuna salad for lunches this week and had some left. Since C was not feeling well, I divided what was left into 2 roasting dishes and added a good amount of chicken broth. It got schwimmy in the oven at 375 and then I cracked an egg on top, sprinkled with parmesan and slid it back into the over for another 6 or so minutes. It was delicious with 7-8 drips of Franks Redhot. I wished the yolks weren't quite as done, but it was still very good and many complements came from my sick husband.

This was followed by a salad of grilled chicken and fennel with grapefruit and avocado. Fantastic and packed with vitamin C. I hate when food bloggers write about what they made instead of just including a recipe. But I don't feel mine are quite ready for documenting just yet. I'm still just experimenting after all.  But one of my experiments, stuffed mushrooms in red wine just went pretty well so I'll be working on the recipe and posting soon. I'm actually thinking of working on a variation that uses bourbon instead of wine to make it all caramely and salty sweet. More to come, but first, tonight is steak night. I love steak night. There's so little prep work that I make things up to prep. Garlic butter is waiting patiently in the refrigerator for me to plop the blubbery good dollops on top of our crisply seared rare steaks that will rest beside watercress with blood orange vinaigrette. Can hardly wait!

FOB Married and Ready for Duty. But What Does That Mean?

Oh dear. What am I doing here on the blogosphere? This is really not my style, primarily because I am tech sav deficient. In fact, computers are actually afraid of me. But I just became a new wife, fob from January 1; and I'm a little antsy about my new life. I have a new name and a new role and am struggling to create a somewhat new identity to go along with those things.

Going from single gal to bride was thrilling. But going from bride to wife is a little scary. What will I make for dinner? Was it zucchini or parsnips he said he didn't like? He hates dessert? Fantastic! I'm a terrible baker and training for a half marathon so we don't need those half dry/half gooey cupcakes lying around anyway.

We moved in together a few months before the wedding and already went through some of the growing pains. But now those pains, even though mild in nature, are so much more permanent. I really think about it now when I want to toss my jeans on his side of the bed or when he neatens my stack of mail and gently reminds me that it's been there for over a week. "Whoa! This is for real", I often think to myself. We even have a joke when things get tense or annoying: "Only 50 more years!", which has now turned into, "only 49 more years, 11 months and 4 days!" Our good humor is one of the things I treasure most about our relationship....er, marriage. (This will take some getting used to.)

And I want to make it the absolute best that it can be. We're excited now and thrilled to see one another at the end of every day. But maybe it won't always be that way. Or maybe it will. But how can we endeavor to even reach such a goal? How do we keep it fresh and fun and romantic and joyful?

Christian, my husband, is a big foodie. In fact, we both are and it's been a central theme in our relationship from day 1. Also, I love to cook and sometimes do a pretty decent job. So for my first act, I'm just gonna keep him fed and hope he enjoys the "experiments"! On tonight's dance card: chicken marsala with roasted potatoes and brussels sprouts. If it turns out well, I'll post the recipe tomorrow. But if not, I'll post his reaction for entertainment value.