Umm, remember I skipped the lemon zest and mint leaves the first time I made this?
DON'T skip them. They make a big difference!
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
What I Cooked Last Week
I happen to have cooked up a storm last week!! I don't know what possessed me. Except, again, no photos.
A. This meatloaf recipe from Dave Lieberman.
I love how this meatloaf turns out--so moist! I have to fess up, though, that I only had one onion, which went into the meat, and I chickened out about using a pepper for the sauce since it came out a bit too spicy for Teo the last time I made it.
I love too how cheap ground turkey is at Trader Joe's!
B. Mark Bittman's Bolognese
This is a real labor of love, people--it takes about 4 hours in all! (I think Mark Bittman has the timing wrong in his recipe. Or it's because I usually make job lots of this--I usually cook at least 3 lbs worth of meat, to justify the 2 hours of simmering!)
You saute chopped pancetta in olive oil, then add minced carrots, celery and onions; when the veggies are soft, brown the ground meat. (MB says this can be done in 5 mins, but it usually takes me at least 20.) When brown, add the juice from a big can of tomatoes or white wine. Let the liquid evaporate (again, this usually takes at least another 20 minutes), then add the tomatoes. Simmer over low heat for an hour before salting and peppering, and cook for at least one more hour, until the sauce is thickened. (Benjie actually likes the sauce thin, so I don't cook it beyond 2.5 hours.) To make it a real bolognese, add cream or half-and-half at the end. I don't do this though because I feel it shortens the shelf life of the sauce!
I think this is Benjie's all-time favorite dish (plus the family dish) and he is happy each time I make it. Since making this sauce this way, I have a hard time with any meat sauce where the meat isn't downright melting on my tongue!
C. Another Food Network Recipe.
I love this recipe. It's wonderful with the shaved beef steak from Trader Joe's, too.
I think in the future I would not use sweet & sour sauce with the meat, although it came out fine.
D. Pork Braised in Vinegar & Bay Leaves
Another Mark Bittman--lovely, especially because you can leave it "largely unattended" for the 90 minutes or so of cooking time!
Brown a 2-3 lb cut of boneless pork in olive oil over high heat, seasoning with salt & pepper when you turn it. Pour off most of the fat and saute garlic and onions (though I didn't use onions) in the oil over medium-low heat. Add 6 bay leaves, .5 cup of red wine vinegar, .5 cup of red wine or water, bring to a boil and cook for a minute before lowering the heat and returning the pork. Cover and cook over low heat for about 75 minutes. Remove meat and fat and reduce the sauce over high heat/
It was useful to have been possessed, since I was able to feed Raffy, Malou and Maribel a whole range of choices (including the leek-pea pasta which has become a standby) last Friday and I didn't have to cook this week while Benjie was away!
A. This meatloaf recipe from Dave Lieberman.
I love how this meatloaf turns out--so moist! I have to fess up, though, that I only had one onion, which went into the meat, and I chickened out about using a pepper for the sauce since it came out a bit too spicy for Teo the last time I made it.
I love too how cheap ground turkey is at Trader Joe's!
B. Mark Bittman's Bolognese
This is a real labor of love, people--it takes about 4 hours in all! (I think Mark Bittman has the timing wrong in his recipe. Or it's because I usually make job lots of this--I usually cook at least 3 lbs worth of meat, to justify the 2 hours of simmering!)
You saute chopped pancetta in olive oil, then add minced carrots, celery and onions; when the veggies are soft, brown the ground meat. (MB says this can be done in 5 mins, but it usually takes me at least 20.) When brown, add the juice from a big can of tomatoes or white wine. Let the liquid evaporate (again, this usually takes at least another 20 minutes), then add the tomatoes. Simmer over low heat for an hour before salting and peppering, and cook for at least one more hour, until the sauce is thickened. (Benjie actually likes the sauce thin, so I don't cook it beyond 2.5 hours.) To make it a real bolognese, add cream or half-and-half at the end. I don't do this though because I feel it shortens the shelf life of the sauce!
I think this is Benjie's all-time favorite dish (plus the family dish) and he is happy each time I make it. Since making this sauce this way, I have a hard time with any meat sauce where the meat isn't downright melting on my tongue!
C. Another Food Network Recipe.
I love this recipe. It's wonderful with the shaved beef steak from Trader Joe's, too.
I think in the future I would not use sweet & sour sauce with the meat, although it came out fine.
D. Pork Braised in Vinegar & Bay Leaves
Another Mark Bittman--lovely, especially because you can leave it "largely unattended" for the 90 minutes or so of cooking time!
Brown a 2-3 lb cut of boneless pork in olive oil over high heat, seasoning with salt & pepper when you turn it. Pour off most of the fat and saute garlic and onions (though I didn't use onions) in the oil over medium-low heat. Add 6 bay leaves, .5 cup of red wine vinegar, .5 cup of red wine or water, bring to a boil and cook for a minute before lowering the heat and returning the pork. Cover and cook over low heat for about 75 minutes. Remove meat and fat and reduce the sauce over high heat/
It was useful to have been possessed, since I was able to feed Raffy, Malou and Maribel a whole range of choices (including the leek-pea pasta which has become a standby) last Friday and I didn't have to cook this week while Benjie was away!
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
"Red" pork belly
This recipe is from Saveur magazine.
I prepared this today in honor of Teo's Ninang Malou and her sister Maribel.
Malou is visiting from Manila and was killing time at our place until Maribel could pick her up.
I opted to prepare this dish, since I really like it, but the belly (in my case I used pork backs) is just soo good--but so bad, too. At least, with company, we could spread the cholesterol around.
(Instead of using all back, I added cubes of meat from a roast cut.)
You boil 2 lbs' worth of cubes of pork in water (to remove the porky smell?) for 2 minutes. As you drain it, saute scallions and ginger in peanut oil, then add the pork. Saute for two minutes, then add .25 cup of Chinese rice wine vinegar. When the pork has browned a bit, add 5 T of mushroom soy sauce and 2 cups of water. Let it boil, then simmer (covered) for an hour. When the meat is tender, add 3 T of sugar and simmer for 15 more minutes, until the sauce has thickened.
Try to serve with a healthful veggie side!!
I prepared this today in honor of Teo's Ninang Malou and her sister Maribel.
Malou is visiting from Manila and was killing time at our place until Maribel could pick her up.
I opted to prepare this dish, since I really like it, but the belly (in my case I used pork backs) is just soo good--but so bad, too. At least, with company, we could spread the cholesterol around.
(Instead of using all back, I added cubes of meat from a roast cut.)
You boil 2 lbs' worth of cubes of pork in water (to remove the porky smell?) for 2 minutes. As you drain it, saute scallions and ginger in peanut oil, then add the pork. Saute for two minutes, then add .25 cup of Chinese rice wine vinegar. When the pork has browned a bit, add 5 T of mushroom soy sauce and 2 cups of water. Let it boil, then simmer (covered) for an hour. When the meat is tender, add 3 T of sugar and simmer for 15 more minutes, until the sauce has thickened.
Try to serve with a healthful veggie side!!
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