Category: Recipes

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Pork Belly Tacos

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Pork Belly Tacos

This is not so much a recipe as a list of ingredients, but I’ll do what I can.

Ingredients

  • Pickled red onion

  • 1 large red onion, peeled and very thinly sliced

  • 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar

  • 1/4 cup water

  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt

  • 1–2 tablespoons granulated sugar

  • Spicy Tangy Mayonnaise

  • 1/2 cup mayo

  • 1 tablespoon sriracha

  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce

  • Assembly

  • Roast pork belly

  • Flour tortillas

  • Cilantro

  • Sliced red cabbage

  • Cotija or other crumbly white cheese

Directions

  • Pickled Red Onion
  • Heat the vinegar mixture. In a small saucepan, stir together the vinegar, water, salt and your desired amount of sweetener. Cook over medium-high heat until the mixture reaches a simmer. (Or alternately, you can heat the mixture in the microwave.)
  • Combine in a jar. Place the thinly-sliced onions in a mason jar. Pour the hot vinegar mixture over the onions, screw on the lid, and shake the onions briefly until they are evenly coated with the vinegar mixture.
  • Marinate. Let the onions marinate for 30 minutes. (You may need to press the onions down with a spoon so that they are all submerged under the vinegar mixture.)
  • Serve. Serve immediately, or refrigerate the onions in a sealed container for up to 2 weeks.
  • Spicy Tangy Mayo
  • Combine all ingredients and refrigerate until ready to use.

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Vermouth au Jus

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Vermouth au Jus

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp/ 30g unsalted butter

  • 1 shallot , thinly sliced

  • 3 tbsp dry vermouth

  • 2 cups homemade beef stock (cannot use store bought)

  • 2 tbsp almond milk

  • 1/8 tsp salt , kosher/cooking

  • 1/8 tsp black pepper, finely ground

Directions

  • Melt butter in a skillet over medium low heat. Add eschalot and cook for 4 – 5 minutes, until softened and sweet. Do not allow to color.
  • Add vermouth and turn the heat up to medium-high. Let it simmer, scraping the base of the pan to dissolve any fond (stuck caramelised bits) into the liquid, until the liquid is almost totally evaporated. The alcohol cooks out during this step.
  • Add beef stock and let it simmer for 6 to 7 minutes until it reduces by 3/4 (exact time will differ depending on stove strength and pan size).
  • Add almond milk and simmer for a further 4 minutes or until it changes from a pale cream color to a medium brown color.
  • Season with salt and pepper, and taste. If it tastes a bit thin, continue to reduce.
  • Strain sauce through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl. If you have much more than 100ml / 3.5 oz jus once strained, then return to pan and simmer on low for a bit longer. (Be sure to use a rubber spatula so you don’t waste a drop!).
  • Serving
  • Jus is an intensely-flavored sauce and so is used sparingly (allow 1.5 tbsp – 2 tbsp max per serve). Restaurants will typically serve it already poured with the meat, rather than a jug for people to serve themselves. Drizzle it on the plate around or on protein using a spoon (pan seared or roast slices). See in post for some ideas, including how I plated up the Crispy Pork Belly slices using this jus.

Notes

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Roast Pork Belly

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Roast Pork Belly

Ingredients

  • 3 lb pork belly, skin on

  • Garlic powder (amount tbd on stream)

  • Salt & pepper

  • Thick grained dijon mustard (amount tbd on stream)

Directions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 Fahrenheit.
  • Score the pork belly skin with a sharp knife in a crosshatch pattern.
  • Add garlic powder, salt and black pepper.
  • Coat the top with a thick grained dijon mustard.
  • Bake at 350 for an hour. Increase the heat to 425 to 450 for another 45 minutes to crisp it. Then remove, slice, and serve!
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Italian Polenta

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Italian Polenta

Ingredients

  • 5 cups water (you can also use milk or stock or a combination)

  • 1 cup medium or coarse cornmeal/polenta

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions

  • If Using the Presoaking Method: Combine water with cornmeal in a large mixing bowl and let stand, covered, at room temperature overnight. When ready to cook, scrape soaked cornmeal and water into a large saucier or saucepan and set over high heat. Continue with step 3.
  • If Using the Standard Method: Add water, milk, or stock to a large saucier or saucepan and set over high heat. Sprinkle in cornmeal while whisking (water does not have to be boiling).
  • Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Let boil, stirring frequently, until polenta thickens enough that it starts to spit. Lower heat immediately to prevent spitting and continue to cook, stirring frequently with a spoon or silicone spatula and scraping bottom to prevent scorching, until polenta becomes thick and pulls away from side of saucepan, about 30 minutes for presoaked cornmeal and 50 minutes for dry cornmeal. Season with salt.
  • Stir in butter or olive oil, using either a spoon, a silicone spatula, or a whisk. Polenta will become glossy from the added fat, and should feel rich, creamy, and smooth. If polenta forms lumps, beat vigorously with a stiff whisk to remove. If polenta becomes too firm or begins to set, add a small amount of water, stock, or milk and beat in with a whisk until liquid is fully incorporated and no lumps remain.
  • Serve right away with accompaniment of your choice.

Notes

  • Recipe from Serious Eats: https://www.seriouseats.com/smooth-creamy-polenta-recipe
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Santa Maria Tri-Tip

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Santa Maria Tri-Tip

Ingredients

  • 1 3 pound tri tip roast (bottom sirloin)

  • 1 bottle dark beer (I like Negro Modelo)

  • 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce

  • 3 tablespoons garlic salt, divided

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

  • Combine beer, worcestershire sauce and 1 tablespoon of garlic salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the tri tip and the marinade to a dish or bowl and cover and refrigerate for 1 to 8 hours.
  • Remove the meat from the fridge 30 minutes before you plan to cook it. It should start cooking at room temperature. Reserve the marinade.
  • Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
  • Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil. When the oil shimmers, place the roast in the pan, fat side down. Sear the roast for about 3-4 minutes, until a brown crust has developed. Flip and sear the other side.
  • Baste with some of the reserved marinade. Sprinkle the meat with the remaining 2 tablespoons garlic salt.
  • Put the roast in the oven and bake at 400 degrees for about 20-30 minutes, or about 10-15 minutes per pound, depending on how rare you want it. Rare is 130-135 degrees F. Medium rare is 135-145 degrees F. Don’t cook it past 145; the meat doesn’t have enough fat for medium well or well. Use a meat thermometer inserted in the center of the roast to check the temperature.
  • Remove the roast from the oven, and cover well with foil. Let rest for 10-15 minutes.
  • Slice against the grain and serve with garlic bread, corn and ranch beans!

Notes

  • Recipe adapted from The Food Charlatan: https://thefoodcharlatan.com/how-to-cook-tri-tip/
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Ranch Beans

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Ranch Beans

Ingredients

  • 1/2 pound dried pinto beans

  • 1 1/2 cups beef broth

  • 1/2 medium white onion, diced

  • 1/2 cup tomato sauce

  • 1/2 jalapeño, stemmed, seeded and minced

  • 2 garlic cloves, minced

  • 1/2 tablespoon salt

  • 1/2 tablespoon chipotle or ancho chile powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

  • 1/2 teaspoon packed brown sugar

  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika

  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

  • 1 small ham hock (for non pork eaters & vegetarians, substitute 1 teaspoon smoked sea salt and 2 tablespoons olive oil)

  • 1 teaspoon cider vinegar

Directions

  • Crock Pot (my preferred method)
  • Rinse and sort dried beans, making sure to remove any small stones you might find. Cover with at least three inches of water and allow to soak overnight.
  • In a crock pot, combine drained beans, beef broth, onion, tomato sauce, jalapeño, garlic, salt, chipotle chile powder, chili powder, cumin, brown sugar, paprika, black pepper & oregano. Stir until combined. Add the ham hock (if using). Cook on high for 6 hours or on low for 8 hours.
  • At the end of cooking, remove ham hock and rest it is cool enough to remove the skin & bone. Chop up the remaining meat and return to the pot with the cider vinegar, stirring to combine.
  • Instant Pot
  • Pressure cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes and natural release for 15 minutes.

Notes

  • Recipe adapted from Chow.com: http://www.chow.com/recipes/30795-slow-cooker-ranch-style-pinto-beans
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Lactose Free Strawberry Shortcake

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Lactose Free Strawberry Shortcake

Ingredients

  • Dairy-Free Shortcake

  • 2⅓ cup Heart Smart Bisquick

  • ½ cup plain, vanilla, or unsweetened almond milk

  • ¼ cup melted butter

  • 3 tablespoons sugar

  • Raw or sanding sugar, for topping

  • For Serving

  • Quartered strawberries

  • Non-dairy vanilla ice cream

Directions

  • Dairy-Free Shortcake
  • Preheat your oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • In a medium bowl, stir together the Bisquick, almond milk, butter, and sugar until soft dough forms.
  • Lightly pat the dough out to ½-inch to ¾-inch thickness on a surface dusted with a little Bisquick. Cut straight down with a biscuit cutter or cookie cutter (do not twist).
  • Place biscuits on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 400°F for 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden.

Notes

  • Recipe lightly adapted from GoDairyFree: https://www.godairyfree.org/recipes/dairy-free-strawberry-shortcake
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Korean fried chicken

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Korean fried chicken

Ingredients

  • Homemade Korean fried chicken mix powder

  • 2 cups all purpose flour

  • 3/4 cup corn starch

  • 2 tbsp salt

  • 1 1/2 tbsp sugar

  • 1 tbsp baking powder

  • 1 tsp black pepper

  • 1 tsp gochugaru, Korean red pepper flakes or cayenne

  • 1 tsp garlic powder

  • 1 tsp ginger powder

  • 1/2 tsp grounded nutmeg

  • For chicken

  • One 4 lb bone-in and skin-on whole chicken, cut into 12 to 14 parts, including back (you can substitute with wings/drumsticks)

  • 1 tsp grated ginger

  • 1 tbsp grated garlic

  • 1/2 tsp salt

  • 1/2 tsp black pepper

  • 1/4 cup rice wine, white wine or soju

  • For batter & fry

  • 1 1/4 cup Korean fried chicken mix powder, plus 1 to 2 cups for coating *

  • Frying oil

  • For sauce

  • 1/4 cup soy sauce

  • 1/2 cup mirin

  • 1/4 cup sugar

  • 5 cloves garlic, chopped

  • 2 to 3 tbsp Thai chili flakes or 5 to 10 Thai whole dried chili

Directions

  • Combine chicken, ginger, garlic, salt, black pepper and rice wine in a large mixing bowl. Marinate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
  • Preheat frying oil to 350°F
  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk 1 1/4 cup Korean fried chicken mix and 1 cup cold water until there’s no clumps. Another large mixing bowl, add 2 cups Korean fried chicken mix. Dip marinated chicken into batter, coat evenly then place in dry Korean fried chicken mix, coat well. Shake excess off. You can do this in a plastic bag, but I prefer to do one by one as it goes.
  • Carefully place chicken in preheated frying oil. Fry chicken 10 to 15 minutes, depending on size of chicken. Remove chicken from hot oil and place on a baking pan lined with a cooling rack. Do batches as needed.
  • When first frying is done, increase frying oil temperature to 375°F. Add all fried chicken for double fry. Fry chicken until golden brown and crispy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove double fried chicken from hot oil and place back to cooling rack.
  • Combine all ingredients for sauce in a small saucepan. Bring it to a boil over medium high heat, keep boiling for 3 to 5 minutes. Stir occasionally.
  • Toss fried chicken and sauce quickly. Garnish with sesame seeds and green onion to taste. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Notes

  • From https://seonkyounglongest.com/spicy-soy-garlic-fried-chicken/
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Chipotle Cauliflower Tacos

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Chipotle Cauliflower Tacos

Ingredients

  • Tacos

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

  • 1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets (about 6 cups chopped)

  • 1 yellow onion, chopped

  • 1 poblano pepper, sliced

  • 2-3 chipotle peppers in adobo, chopped

  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1/2 cup red enchilada sauce

  • 8-12 corn tortillas, warmed

  • 1 cup grilled or roasted corn

  • smashed avocado, cilantro, and/or pumpkin seeds

  • 1/2 cup crumbled cotija or feta cheese

  • Creamy Jalapeño Verde

  • 1/2 cup olive oil, or avocado oil mayo

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

  • 2 jalapeños, seeded if desired

  • 1 bunch fresh cilantro

  • 1/4 cup roughly chopped chives or green onion

  • 1 clove garlic, grated

  • 2 teaspoons honey

  • 1/4 cup lime juice

Directions

  • Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the cauliflower, poblano, and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the cauliflower is charring, about 5 minutes. Add the chipotle peppers, enchilada sauce, oregano, salt, and 1/3 cup water. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and simmer until the sauce has thickened slightly, about 10 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, make the Jalapeño Verde. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Season with salt.
  • To serve, stuff the avocado, corn, and cauliflower into the warmed tortillas. Top with jalapeño verde sauce and crumbled cheese.

Notes

  • Recipe lightly adapted from Half-Baked Harvest: https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/chipotle-cauliflower-tacos/
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Chocolate Stout Cake

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Chocolate Stout Cake

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (235 ml) stout (such as Guinness)

  • 1 cup (2 sticks, 8 ounces or 230 grams) unsalted butter

  • 3/4 cup (65 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)

  • 2 cups (230 grams) all purpose flour

  • 2 cups (400 grams) granulated sugar

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

  • 3/4 teaspoon salt

  • 2 large eggs

  • 2/3 cup (160 grams) sour cream

  • 6 ounces (170 grams) good semisweet chocolate chips

  • 6 tablespoons (90 ml) heavy cream

  • 3/4 teaspoon instant coffee granules

Directions

  • Cake prep
  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter or spray a bundt pan well; make sure you get in all of the nooks and crannies. (Some people even go so far as to brush the inside of their bundt pans with melted butter–you cannot be too careful!). Bring 1 cup stout and 1 cup butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.
  • Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Transfer cake to rack; cool completely in the pan, then turn cake out onto rack for drizzling ganache.*
  • Ganache
  • For the ganache, melt the chocolate, heavy cream, and coffee in the top of a double boiler over simmering water until smooth and warm, stirring occasionally. Drizzle over the top of cooled cake.

Notes

  • Recipe lightly adapted from Smitten Kitchen: https://smittenkitchen.com/2006/11/ganached-guinness-goodness/