Pages, Pucks and Pantry

Bison Burgers with Cabernet Onions and Wisconsin Cheddar

Except that's not true, there was no Bison in the burgers, though there was supposed to be. I specifically wanted to use the bison meat we had in the freezer so I went online and found this Bon Appetit recipe. It wasn't until Mr. L went to cook said recipe that I realized I'd pulled out the pound of wild boar meat instead*. No matter, the burgers still came out good.

One of the other reasons I picked this recipe to try was because of the Cabernet Onions. I'm finding that Mr. L and I rarely finish a whole bottle of wine with dinner these days (dang that trying to be healthy and watch portions thing) and cooking with leftover wine has become a necessity. These onions sounded wonderful and they were. In fact, bison meat or not, this is actually just a normal burger, but kicked up a notch because of the great wined onions.

The photo that Bon Appetit shows for this burger is a bit misleading. The onions on the burger barely register a tint of pink. As you can see, my onions definitely look like they have been cooking in wine. The cheese on the Bon App photo also was not melted onto the burger bun as the recipe states. Clearly it was artfully draped over the burger and slightly melted to bend it a bit. If you follow directions, I bet your burger turns out more like my photo. If it turns out like the magazine, you should be a food stylist. Just sayin'.

I admit to needing a bit more condiments on my burger. There may have been mayo added. A bit more mustard. And I know there were some heirloom tomatoes floating around at the time the burgers were being put together but there is no photographic proof they existed.

I still think the addition of some bacon might have done wonders with this recipe too. You can find the recipe here.

 

BISON (WILD BOAR) BURGERS WITH CABERNET ONIONS AND WISCONSIN CHEDDAR
(Bon Appetit)

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3 cups sliced onions (about 2)
3/4 cup Cabernet Sauvignon or other dry red wine
1 pound ground bison (buffalo)
2 tablespoons chopped shallots
1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
4 organic hamburger buns
6 ounces sliced Wisconsin white cheddar cheese
Dijon mustard
1 small head of escarole leaves separated

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, sprinkle with salt, and saute until tender and golden brown, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and continue to saute until very tender and well browned, about 15 minutes longer. Add wine and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes. DO AHEAD - Can be made 3 days ahead. Cool, cover and chill.

Preheat broiler. Gently mix meat and next 3 ingredients in large bowl. Shape into four 1/2-inch-thick patties. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Sprinkle burgers with salt and pepper; add to skillet. Cook until well browned, about 2 minutes per side for medium-rare.

Open buns and arrange, cut side up, on rimmed baking sheet. Place cheese slices on bun tops. Broil until cheese melts and bottom halves are lightly toasted, about 1 minute. Spread bottom halves with mustard. Top each with a few escarole leaves, then burger. Spoon onions atop burgers, dividing equally. Cover with bun tops; press lightly. Serves 4.

NOTE: Yeah, wild boar instead of bison. Will have to make this with bison some day. Might have also added a pat of butter to the boar to make it moist while cooking.

NOTE: We used brioche buns from the bakery. They were not organic.

NOTE: The white cheddar was not from Wisconsin but it was organic.

NOTE: The onions took twice as long to brown and twice as long for the liquid to evaporate during cooking than the recipe specified.

NOTE: Any leftover Cabernet Onions go really well on steaks or in omelets.

*We found packages of wild boar, bison and other interesting type meats at our local Sprouts Farmers Market grocery store.

 

Russian Dumplings Part 1

If you told me that Russians had the most wonderful little dumplings I would have been skeptical. I mean, I've never heard of Russian dumplings. Hearty foods to make it through tough, cold winters yes. Soups and stews and pastas, yes. And if I had thought of a dumpling from Russia I would have figured thick, heavy dough. But delicate little dumplings? Never crossed my mind. Well I was wrong. I was so gloriously, wonderfully wrong.

Mr. L and I were both surprised when we walked into The Russian Deli that there were lots of options for dumplings (also known as Pelmeni or Pelmeny). There were not only different brands of frozen versions, there were homemade versions with no labels tied up in plastic bags. So Mr. L and I decided to try one of the pre-packaged frozen brands and one of the homemade brands (more on that in part 2).

I couldn't tell you why I picked the Popkoff's brand. I know that there were different types, this one being pork and beef (I think there were vegetable and chicken versions), along with different manufacturers. The ingredients listed the filling as "ground pork, beef, water, onions, all natural pork fat-no artificial ingredients, minimally processed". And they looked like little dumplings. Little tortellini. Except the dough wrappers seemed to be much thinner than regular pasta based dumplings. More like a thin pot-sticker wrapper. 

After bringing them home I admit, I had no idea what to do with them. I figured I wouldn't be putting a lot of red italian pasta sauce on them LOL. Maybe use them in a soup? But it turns out, after doing some checking online, that they are usually cooked and then finished off with butter, sour cream or vinegar. So after cooking up a batch (takes 3-5 minutes after adding them to boiling water) I served them up with some butter. I also had a little bowl of vinegar and a bowl of sour cream ready, just so we could try the dumplings with those.

Oh. My. Lord. Best damn thing since sliced bread. I kid you not, they were incredible. Loved them. Loved them with butter. Loved them with sour cream. Loved them with vinegar. Loved them with butter, sour cream and vinegar mixed together! Seriously, I'm totally hooked on these dumplings. I crave them. I dream about them. I'd run several miles to get some exercise just so that I can eat a ton of them without guilt. Mr. L felt pretty much the same way. We ate the whole 16 ounce batch in one sitting. And wanted more.

The dough on these are pretty thin, you don't want to cook them in a rapid rolling boil, use more of a gentle boil. And you'll want to be careful taking them out of the water...don't dump them into a colander, take a slotted spoon and transfer them.  There seems to be more filling than dough which I understand is pretty typical for pelmeni and what makes them a bit delicate.

I don't care that these weren't homemade (they actually came from Popkoff's Frozen Foods in San Francisco), I plan on making sure my freezer is always stocked with a package or two (or twelve). I think the cost was about $6 for the 16 ounce package. And as an aside, I actually liked these better than the homemade ones we bought (Mr. L loved these as much as I did but he ended up preferring the homemade version). Thank you Russian Olympics for bringing me my latest food obsession!

 

 

Soba Noodles with Pork and Scallions

Sometimes I may have a hundred recipes bookmarked in a cookbook, but when I finally cook from it, none of the bookmarked recipes are what I finally make. Though this recipe for Soba Noodles with Pork and Scallions was bookmarked in America's Test Kitchens The Best 30 Minute Recipes cookbook, it wasn't high on my list. What was high on my list was trying to use the many ingredients in my pantry that seem to have disappeared from my cooking radar*. I went looking for recipes in my cookbooks that used soba noodles and this is the recipe that showed up in my Eat Your Books library.

I know that Americas Test Kitchen is all about following directions and ingredients exactly. They spend lots of time and energy figuring out what makes a recipe good. That being said, I didn't quite follow what was written but the dish was still good. Had a really good flavor. I'm sure this dish would taste excellent if you followed the Americas Test Kitchen's instructions to a tee. But it was pretty damn good the way I made it. Took me more than 30 minutes from start to finish, but then that's not unusual for me.

SOBA NOODLES WITH PORK AND SCALLIONS
(The Best 30-Minute Recipe)

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin, cut into thin strips
10 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and quartered
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
3 cups bean sprouts, well rinsed
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup mirin
1/4 cup rice vinegar
8 ounces soba noodles (see note)
salt
4 scallions, sliced thin

MAKING THE MINUTES COUNT:
Prep the mushrooms before cooking the pork. then prep the remaining ingredients while the mushrooms brown.

1. BOIL WATER FOR NOODLES:
Bring 3 quarts water to boil in large pot.

2.STIR-FRY PORK:
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in 12-inch non-stick skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add pork, spread into single layer, and cook without stirring for 1 minute. Stir pork and continue to cook until most, but not all, of pink color has disappeared and pork is lightly browned around edges, about 3 minutes longer. Transfer pork to clean bowl, cover, and set aside.

3. STIR-FRY MUSHROOMS: Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to skillet and return to medium-high heat until shimmering. Add mushrooms and cook until browned, about 4 minutes.

4. COMBINE PORK, MUSHROOMS, AND SAUCE: Stir garlic and ginger into mushrooms and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in bean sprouts, soy sauce, mirin, rice vinegar, and pork with any accumulated juices. Cook until pork is just heated through, about 1 minute. Remove from heat, cover and set aside.

5. BOIL AND DRAIN NOODLES: Add soba and 1 tablespoon salt to boiling water and cook, stirring often, until al dente, about 4 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup of cooking water, then drain soba and return soba to pot.

6. TOSS NOODLES WITH PORK, MUSHROOMS, AND SAUCE: Stir pork-mushroom mixture and scallions into noodles. Add reserved cooking water as necessary to moisten, and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

NOTE FROM COOKBOOK:...avoid the darker colored sobas made from 100 percent buckwheat, as they take twice the amount of time to cook as the lighter colored soba, which are made with part buckwheat and park regular wheat.

NOTE:  My soba noodle package was a bit over 9 ounces...but I was trying to use up stuff in my pantry and not have a small portion of something left over, so I threw in the entire amount. Was it too much noodle? Yeah, but I don't necessarily consider that a bad thing.

NOTE:  Probably didn't add as much garlic as required but added a bit more ginger (since that used up the nub of ginger that I had).

NOTE: Used Brown mushrooms (baby portabelas)  and there wasn't 10 oz, but again I used what I had.

NOTE: Next time I'd cut the pork into smaller pieces.

*I used soba noodles from The Pantry Project. They were number 72 on the list of the numbers that Greg picked. Yes, I am still going through my pantry...things keep seeming to multiply because the dang pantry always seems overstuffed!

 

 

Pork Tenderloin with Blueberry-Bacon Barbecue Sauce

You know I had to make this. Pork. Bacon. Blueberries. What's not to like? And with the fresh local blueberries on their last legs (I bought a bunch from the Farmers Market a few weeks ago as I knew it was their last hurrah of the season) this was the recipe to try.

I found this on Pinterest but it actually comes from one of my favorite food bloggers, Noble Pig. I swear sometimes she just posts recipes that are directed entirely at me. This was actually quite yummy. I thought the sauce might be too sweet with the blueberries and brown sugar, but it wasn't at all. As Noble Pig mentions, this sauce is both sweet and savory and is a great combination with the pork.

I did mess up the recipe a bit. I completely forgot to baste the pork with the sauce during the last five minutes of the cooking time as we were having trouble with our meat thermometer and the pork hit temp in the blink of an eye. This required having to take the pan out, put in a different thermometer, having that not work, putting the pork back in, setting the broken thermometer to a ridiculous temp of about 170 (that's how much our meter was off) and then going through the process again...so yes, time to get a new meat thermometer. If you check out Noble Pigs photos you can see the nice sauce crusted pork which made for a wonderful presentation. I can say that the dish tasted pretty dang good even though I missed this step.

You can find the recipe on Noble Pigs site here:

PORK TENDERLOIN WITH BLUEBERRY-BACON BARBECUE SAUCE
(Noble Pig)

Main ingredients you'll need:

bacon
shallots
jalapeno
blueberries
brown sugar
balsamic vinegar
dijon stone ground mustard
garlic powder
lemon juice
pork tenderloin

NOTE: I didn't have any thick bacon so I used regular Oscar Meyer....and because it wasn't thick I used six slices instead of 3. The horror.

NOTE: I used a cast iron skilled to both sear and cook the pork in the oven. The two pieces of pork were way to big to originally fit in the skillet but once the meat was seared on all sides, it fit into the skillet just fine.

NOTE: Mr. L made it a point to remind me that if the skillet handle was black (ie the cast iron pan) I was NOT allowed to touch the handle without big fat oven mitts (ahem, I still think he has nightmares from the last time I picked up the just out of the hot oven cast iron skillet handle with my bare hand).

NOTE: I used the blender to mix this (be sure to leave the little vent thing in the top open because the sauce was hot and you don't want it to explode)

We probably used way more sauce than required on each serving of pork but who can blame us. The sauce reheated very well by the way and made an excellent lunch the next day with some leftover pork. Would definately make again.

Roz's Lumpia

 

When my mom's cancer returned last year, one of the first things that she and I talked about was having me learn how to cook many of the recipes I grew up with. Though I do have written "recipes" of these dishes, most of them are written in what I call "Grandma's Style"...Take some pork, cook it with some onions and garlic and then add some of this and that and cook until done. I need more direction...how much pork? How much of this and that? Is done when the meat is cooked or do you mean simmer on the stove for an hour? Plus, I found that some of the recipes left out important steps (like when I made Grandma Rosie's Garbonzo Stew and the directions never mentioned adding some water...it was something that my Mom knew automatically to do, but it never made it into any of the steps).

Since my mom was born in the Philippines (she lived there until she was twelve) a lot of the comfort food she has been craving in her illness has been Filipino food.  I grew up with my Moms wonderful FIlipino cooking and in fact her Pansit is on the top of the list as my most favorite food dish ever (a dish that has become standard Thanksgiving fare for us instead of a turkey). Over the years, while my mom has cooked Filipino dishes on a regular basis, the one that she hasn't made for quite a while has been Lumpia. I always thought it was a long involved process, probably because the last time Mom and I made Lumpia was for a party almost 30 years ago, where we prepped hundreds of the little rolls to be fried later in the day.

Lumpia is not as difficult or time consuming as you might think. There is a bit of prep (that can be done the night before) and once you get the hang of how to wrap them it's a quick process.To be quite honest, my first wrapped Lumpia were a mess. But after wrapping a few, I got the hang of it and they turned out like the little beauty above. Yes, there is only a photo of one Lumpia...we were eating them as fast as I was cooking them!

My Moms Lumpia is not the standard Lumpia you'll find in most restaurants. It's probably not the Lumpia you'll find made in your Filipino neighbors kitchen. In fact, it's probably not the same Lumpia many of my Aunties and cousins make. That's because, like many cultural dishes, each cook has put their own spin on a dish, changing up ingredients whether it's because of cost or availability or convenience. We've never made the slim "finger size" Lumpia, ours has always been more the size of standard Chinese Egg Rolls. This is the same recipe that my Mom has been making since I was a kid.

ROZ'S LUMPIA

1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground pork
Bacon grease
2 cans french style green beans
2 cups bean sprouts
1/2 large onion minced
2 heaping tablespoons minced garlic from a jar
Salt and Pepper to taste
Rice Flour Lumpia Wrappers
Egg White for sealing edges
Vegetable oil for frying
Vinegar and chopped or crushed garlic for dipping

Saute onions in the bacon grease until almost translucent. Add garlic and cook for a minute or two. Add beef and pork and cook until done. Drain mixture in colander.

Drain the cans of french cut green beans in a colander.

Wash and dry bean sprouts.

Once everything has drained, mix meat mixture with green beans and sprouts. Add salt and pepper.

Take small spoonfuls of mixture, put in Lumpia wrapper and wrap into shape.

Heat vegetable oil in pan (doesn't have to be deep oil, a one inch layer works), about medium high. Fry each Lumpia 15-30 seconds in the oil, turning the roll so it gets golden brown all over. Remove and put on a paper towel lined plate to soak up any additional oil.

NOTE: Draining in a colander is an important step. You want as much moisture out of the ingredients as you can, otherwise you will have soggy Lumpia (and especially if you are making these ahead of time and freezing or cooking later). After letting the meat mixture sit in a colander for a bit, I turned it out onto some paper towels and pretty much let any grease or water soak up. I did this with the green beans too and was surprised at how much liquid they contained. I used a lot of paper towels drying those beans!).

NOTE: There are specific wrappers made for Lumpia. The ones I bought were actually a bit dry right out of the package which made it difficult to wrap without them breaking. Next time I'll try a different brand of wrappers (if you don't have a FIlipino store near you, a lot of Asian markets do sell them). Be sure to keep them under a wet towel while your working so that they don't dry out. My mom has a recipe for making the wrappers from scratch which I'll have to try someday.

NOTE: I'm not going to try to explain how to wrap the Lumpia. I went online and looked up videos of Lumpia wrapping (yes, there are quite a few). It's similar to wrapping a burrito in that you put the mixture on one side, roll, then pull the sides in and roll again.

NOTE: Because the wrapper seems a bit big and you're making more of an egg roll size roll, you might try to put more filling in the wrapper than is necessary. I kept breaking the wrapper until I put much less filling in. This gives the Lumpia lots of wrapper to get that nice crunch.

NOTE: Per Mom, the filling is already cooked so you just want to heat it up a bit with the frying and crisp the outside wrapper. If you've made the filling the night before, let it come to room temperature before wrapping. Basically you are frying the wrapper so it looks nice and just heating up the filling. Depending on how hot your oil is (we just fried in a stove top wok but plan on using a cast iron skillet next time) you may fry these more or less than the 15-30 seconds.

NOTE: I fried these one at a time because we were pretty much eating them as they were cooked. Some of the ones towards the end came out a bit dark because I was running out of oil. Best to start with a good amount of oil or add more as you go. You can obviously fry more than one at a time.

NOTE: If one of the wrappers breaks while frying, do try to get as much of the filling out of the oil as possible, otherwise it burns and colors the oil and doesn't make for pretty Lumpia.

NOTE: This may seem a bit bland so adding a good amount of garlic and salt and pepper to the filling helps. Also, we dip our Lumpia in a mixture of vinegar and garlic which to me makes the dish. There is special FIlipino vinegar if you can find it, but we've used apple cider and white rice vinegar.

NOTE: My mom has also made this with potato...You would want to dice them real small.

Obviously, you can add other ingredients to the filling. You can usually find julienned carrots, cabbage and other assorted vegetables in most Lumpia. You can go all pork. You can add some shrimp. You can doctor this up all you want. But for my Mom and I, this is Lumpia.

Toad-In-The-Hole (Yorkshire Pudding)

One of the first things I flashed on when thinking about cooking British food was Yorkshire Pudding. Years ago I thought it was actually pudding. It wasn't until I read or saw something on tv that I realized it was more of what I know as a popover. Breakfast food. For some reason I aways figured it was a difficult thing to make. I had thoughts of opening the oven door too early and having the whole thing fall. I also, for some reason, figured yeast was involved. I still don't do yeast.

So when I came across this recipe for Toad-In-A-Hole out of The Ploughmans Lunch and the Miser's Feast, I went right past it. The photo that accompanied the recipe looked good, but I figured it would be too much work trying to make a Yorkshire Pudding. But something in me made me take a second look and I'm glad I did. I'm not sure if this incorporates a true Yorkshire Pudding, but it was very easy to make for this dish and the results were pretty dang good.

The name "Toad in the Hole" has different meanings depending on where you search for info. My favorite is that the dish resembles a toad sticking its head out of a hole. Personally I don't see that but maybe British toads look different LOL. Many Toad in the Hole recipes also call for a gravy to be served with the dish...wasn't something I was interested in.

The one problem I had with the dish is that my sausages turned out to leave quite a grease well in the Yorkshire Pudding. You can see the oil in the photo above surrounding the sausages (I took the photo just after the dish was pulled from the oven) and as the sausages sat before serving, there became an even larger pool of grease. I ended up taking a napkin and sopping up the liquid before I cut the meal into servings (though it might have given extra flavor to the Yorkshire Pudding).

Mr. L really liked the combo of the Yorkshire Pudding with the sausages and I do plan on making Yorkshire Pudding on it's own at some point.

TOAD-IN-THE-HOLE
(The Ploughman's Lunch and the Miser's Feast)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 large Italian sweet or English-style pork sausages (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 recipe Yorkshire Pudding  (see below), prepared through step 1

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Warm the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, add the sausages, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the casings are well browned, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Oil a 9 x 13-inch baking dish and pour the Yorkshire Pudding batter into it. Add the sausages. Bake until the batter has risen and browned, about 25 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes and serve warm. Makes 4 servings.

YORKSHIRE PUDDING

1 1/2 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cup whole milk

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Combine the flour, salt, eggs, and milk in a large bowl. Beat until all the lumps are gone and a thick, creamy batter has formed.

2.Oil a 12-cup muffin pan and pour the batter into the cups. Bake until the tops are golden brown, about 20 minutes. Do not open the oven during the baking time, or the puddings will collapse. Serve warm with a roast. Beef is traditional, but they're great with turkey or pork, too. Makes 12 individual puddings.

NOTE: I used English-style pork sausages.

NOTE: The photo of the finished dish showed the sausages all lined up in a row. Don't ask me what kind of statement I was making by the way I arranged them here.

NOTE: This didn't reheat all that well.

I was surprised by this dish. Very simple to make, made a very cool presentation and it tasted really good.

Photo taken with my iPhone. I have a cool new little camera I'm still trying to learn to use. And it sucks that there is no natural light in my house to take photos after 3pm.

Pork-and-Tofu Stir-Fry

I admit that I'm not the biggest fan of tofu, though there are several tofu centric dishes I've loved over the years. The Phantom used to make a wonderful tofu enchilada that the first time I tried it, I had no idea was made from tofu (lots of cheese might have helped). Mr. L also made a fried tofu dish years ago, that I loved the flavor of. But I tend to bypass most recipes that call for any types of tofu.

Of course, you tell me that you're going to add pork to tofu, I might just give the recipe a second glance. Which is what I did when I found this recipe for Pork and Tofu Stir Fry in the May 2009 issue of Food & Wine magazine.

This was okay, but I felt it could have been better. I loved the flavor of the sauce but it didn't coat the meat/tofu/veggies enough for me. The sauce was very "liquid" so I'd like it to be a bit more syrupy, a bit thicker. Next time I would cut the leeks a bit smaller and simmer the liquid longer so that it reduces more.

This was a quick dish to put together and the sauce had a nice flavor so I'd make this again with the changes mentioned.

 

PORK AND TOFU STIR-FRY
(Food & Wine May 2009)

3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound pork loin, cut into 1 1/2-by-1/4 inch strips
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
Large pinch of crushed red pepper
1 large leek-halved and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup chicken stock or low-sodium broth
1/2 pound firm tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Asian sesame oil

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil. Add the pork, season with salt and pepper and stir-fry over high heat until cooked, 2 minutes.  Transfer to a plate. Add the remaining vegetable oil to the skillet. Add the garlic and crushed pepper and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the leek and 1/4 cup of the stock, cover and cook until the leek is softened, 2 minutes. Add the remaining 3/4 cup of stock and bring to a simmer. Add the tofu, then stir in the pork, hoisin, vinegar and sesame oil. Transfer to bowls and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Note: The leeks were a bit too big for me so I'd cut them smaller next time.

Note: I'd simmer the liquid longer to reduce it a bit more.

Note: This went well over rice and would work over couscous or quinoa.

Saucy Mama's Lime Chipotle Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Still continuing my Operation Pantry Project, I came across a bottle of Saucy Mama's Lime Chipotle Marinade. I checked on the Saucy Mama's website where they have a ton of recipes using their products, but didn't find anything that tickled my taste buds. I then searched online and found this pulled pork recipe from A La Carte Kitchen. The fact that it could be made in the slow cooker made the recipe sound even better.

Super simple to make, you throw everything in the crock pot and let it do it's thing for 8-10 hours (makes this a nice slow cooker dish if you're not sure you'll be home on time). I served it between some wheat sandwich rolls, with some packaged cole slaw.

This turned out okay. The pulled pork did have a nice taste and it made a ton of sauce (maybe too much for the sandwich) which made it great to serve over mashed potatoes later. I think my problem was with the coleslaw and bread. The coleslaw was store bought and had no flavor which made a nice crunch in the sandwich but I think I wanted something a bit tangier to go with the pulled pork. The wheat bread buns I used completely fell apart when you tried to eat the sandwich. I'd use a sturdier roll next time. Bread that's a bit chewier. But I did like the Saucy Mama's Lime Chipotle Marinade and would use it again.

You can find the recipe for the Pulled Pork on A La Carte Kitchen's blog here:

SAUCY MAMA'S LIME CHIPOTLE PULLED PORK SANDWICHES

Note: I used pork butt. I used whole wheat sandwich buns. I used packaged coleslaw. I used KC Masterpiece BBQ Sauce.

Again, though the pulled pork made with the Saucy Mama marinade was fine, the dish as a whole didn't turn out so great. I was trying to be healthy and save calories buy using the whole wheat buns and cheap coleslaw. I did love the Saucy Mama's Lime Chipotle Pulled Pork over mashed potatoes and think it would work over rice or polenta too.

Note: Though I was sent this sauce from another blogger in a giveaway, I have not been compensated for this post nor was I asked or requested to blog about this marinade.

Red Posole

Though I've previously bookmarked recipes for Posole on blogs and in recipe books, I've never made it before (or eaten it for that matter). The magazine I got this recipe from, Skinny Slow Cooker (a Better Homes and Garden Special Interest Publication that says display until March 13, 2012), had two recipes for Posole...Green Chili-Pork Posole and Red Posole. The only reason I made the red version first is that I had some pork shoulder in the freezer and figured this recipe was a good use of it.

I have no idea how authentic the recipe or flavors in this dish are, but we loved it. The fact that I could just toss everything together in the crock-pot and have a wonderful dinner when I got home made this dish even better. I did cut up the pork and onions the night before and measured out the spices. Got up in the morning, tossed everything in the crock-pot and came home to a wonderful smelling house! Do remember that you don't add the cabbage or enchilada sauce until half an hour before the dish is done (I almost put them in at the start!).

RED POSOLE
(Skinny Slow Cooker)

1 1/2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch-cubes
2 15-ounce cans hominy, rinsed and drained
1 cup chopped onion (1 large)
1 4-ounce can diced green chiles
1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano, crushed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 14.5-ounce cans reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 cups coarsely chopped cabbage
1 10-ounce can enchilada sauce
Lime wedges
Fresh pineapple wedges (optional)

In a 4 to 5 quart slow cooker combine pork, hominy, onion, green chiles, chile powder, oregano, garlic, and cumin. Pour broth over mixture in cooker.

Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 8 to 9 hours or on high-heat setting for 4 to 4 1/2 hours.

If using low-heat setting, turn cooker to high-heat setting. Stir in cabbage and enchilada sauce. Cover and cook for 30 minutes more.

To serve, garnish with lime wedges and, if desired, pineapple wedges. Makes 8 servings at 279 calories a serving.

Note: I used white hominy because that was the only kind I found. I used a large carton of chicken broth that was not low-sodium and had an ounce or two more broth than called for.

Note: I cooked the Posole on high for 9 hours.

Note: I did not add the pineapple (pineapple?) but I did add a quick spritz of lime just before serving which brightened the flavors a bit.

Definitely make this again. Loved the crunch of the cabbage as, adding it late, it didn't get all mushy. Though this works fine on it's own, I can see serving this over rice (which my Mom did and loved) or maybe even polenta.

There are a ton of great sounding crock pot recipes in this magazine, all low calorie which is great this time of year!

 

Meat Sauce Over Rice Stick Noodles

When my Mom and I decided to make a Filipino dish called Pansit for Thanksgiving, we set out to find the correct noodles to go in the dish. It's been a while since we've made Pansit and we weren't sure exactly what noodles to buy as all the packaging seems to have changed. We found some "Oriental Style Vermicelli" at a Korean grocery store. The ingredients were listed as 'Mung Bean Flour and Starch'. They looked like the noodles we usually use...where you just put them in really hot water to soften up.

Not wanting to wait until the holiday to make sure we had bought the correct noodles, I tried to find a recipe in one of my cookbooks that could incorporate the noodles. I found this recipe for Meat Sauce Over Rice Stick Noodles in the Martin Yan Quick & Easy cookbook. The recipe called for Rice Stick Noodles but I figured the noodles I had would work.

Alas, these noodles were the kind you had to boil for 5-6 minutes to be usable. Yes, it was amusing watching me stand over the noodles in a bowl full of hot water for ten minutes trying to make them pliable. I finally boiled some water and tossed them in for a minute to get the noodles right consistency.

Other than having to deal with the noodles issue, this recipe was fairly quick to put together. You do have to let the ingredients marinade for a bit, but the meat sauce comes together quickly and you can be cooking the noodles while prepping the meat side of this dish.

Great flavor in such a small package. Not serving the meat sauce on the requested noodles wasn't a problem as Martin Yan says that it can be served over wheat noodles or steamed rice (I'm thinking even thin spaghetti noodles would work). Yan also said you could add some rich broth or pickled vegetables to the recipe. I found the meat sauce had a wonderful deep flavor and made a nice comforting dish while I panicked about not finding the right noodles for the Pansit dish!

MEAT SAUCE OVER RICE STICK NOODLES
(from Martin Yan's Quick & Easy)

Marinade:
2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
2 teaspoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
1 tablespoon cornstarch

3/4 pound ground pork, beef, or chicken

Sauce:
3/4 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons oyster-flavored sauce
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce
1/8 teaspoon white pepper

 

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 green onions, chopped
2 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
4 cups cooked rice stick noodles
Chopped fresh cilantro and green onions for garnish

To make the marinade, combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Add the ground meat and stir to distribute evenly. Let stand for 10 minutes.

To make the sauce, combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

Place a stir-fry pan over high heat until hot. Add the oil, swirling to coat the sides. Add the garlic and the 2 green onions and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 20 seconds.

Add the ground meat and stir-fry until browned and crumbly, about 3 minutes. Add the sauce and bring to a boil. Add the cornstarch solution and cook, stirring, until the sauce boils and thickens, about 30 seconds.

Divide the cooked noodles among 4 large soup bowls. Ladle about 3/4 cup of the meat sauce over the noodles in each bowl. Garnish with the cilantro and green onions to serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Note: Per Yan, it's important to use dark soy sauce as it adds an intensity you can't get with regular soy sauce. I found some in my local grocery store and at a local Asian market.

Note: I used pork. I used dry sherry.

Note: I don't own a conventional wok. I own a Pampered Chef wok looking non-stick pan. It works fine  for most dishes like this I stir-fry.

Really nice flavor to this. Lots of ingredients, but once they are measured out everything comes together pretty quick. I'd definitely make this again using any type of noodle I happened to have in the pantry (or even rice).