Get to know your Butcher on CBC's Weekend Morning Show

 This morning on CBC's Weekend Morning Show with interim host Laurie Hoogstraten, I am featuring a pork dish using pork buttons that I got from Denny's Meat Market.  This is a rather "old school" kind of cut of pork and many stores and butcher shops don't carry them any longer but these are so simple to prepare and a great value. 

I'm always telling people to get to know where they get their fish, vegetables and meats.  Getting to know your butcher is really recommended for your own interest.  They will give you a great deal of information on what you want or what you may try and they may specialize in products that you can't find anywhere else.  Denny's Meat Market, for example, also specializes in fresh sausages of a wide range of flavours.

For this dish, you can use the pork buttons, pork belly, or cuts for Kalbi.  For the vegetarians, this segment doesn't leave you out either.  You can use the marinade for seitan, tofu, eggplant, firm mushrooms or cauliflower.

Dwaejibulgogi (from Maangchi.com)

For the marinade :
� cup of crushed Asian Pear
� cup onion pur�e (I put a yellow onion and the garlic in a small blender container with a bit of water and pur�ed it)
4 cloves of minced garlic
� ts of minced ginger
1 chopped green onion
1 tbs soy sauce
2 tbs brown sugar
a pinch of ground black pepper
2 ts of toasted sesame oil
3 tbs hot Korean pepper paste (Kochujiang)

I used a package of pork buttons from Denny�s Meat Market.  I let them marinade for several hours.  You can then grill, broil or cook in a pan until tender.  Serve with rice, lettuce leaves, fresh chilies, green onions, or on their own as an appetizer.

Enjoy!

TODAY tonight: Pork Chile Verde

Look at me!  Look at me!  I'm blogging!  I'm blogging!  It seems like every year, I take an unintended hiatus over Thanksgiving.  We usually travel to Los Angeles, and it's hard to keep up with cooking and posting recipes, even though it seems ALL I'm doing is eating, eating and eating.  But now I'm back... just in time for the most wonderful time of the year (minus waking up every morning and realizing I forgot to move that damn elf... ugh, that smirk).

I can't wait to flood this site with holiday baking but for now, let's talk about delicious comfort food.  On the Today Show yesterday, Padma Lakshmi made a chile that the crew raved and raved about.  Savannah even sent me a text, urging me to make it (and you don't ignore a woman who is 9 months pregnant).  It begins with this verde sauce consisting of tomatillos, avocados, jalape�os, cilantro and tons of yummy spices.  By the way, you should absolutely double this sauce and save some because it's ridiculous.  Then ground pork, onions and cannellini beans are added to a pot along with the sauce, stock, oh, and did I mention tequila?  The depth of flavors are intense, and yet it's also something I think your kids would enjoy (especially if you de-seed the jalape�os like I did).  

You can find the recipe HERE.

Have a great weekend!

Sarmen (Pork Cabbage Rolls)

The holidays were hard. Really hard. And the new year feels bittersweet. On one hand, I�m looking forward to putting a painful year behind me. On the other hand, this will be a new year without my dad. 2015. A year that he�ll never see a day of. I�m moving into this new year without resolutions, but with purpose. I want to live fully and love deeply, like he did. Like he would want us to do. I�m going to focus on health and wellness, to get out and move around more. If I've learned anything in the last year, it�s that these bodies are the only ones we have, and they can break. Our bodies can betray us. The worst thing we can do with a working, healthy body is to take it for granted. 

The last few  months I�ve grappled with whether or not I want to continue blogging. My priorities just feel different now. Writing about the joy of a good cookie when my heart is breaking feels fake. But I also don't want this to be a sad place that brings you down with each new post. So, I�m still figuring it out. Figuring out how I want to use this space and the time and effort I put into this blog.
Figuring out how to still enjoy the happy, good things. My dad wouldn�t want me to stop blogging because he�s gone. He would want me to figure out a way to make it work, to carry on. In 2015, I plan to honor him in these small ways.   

So, we carry on. We move forward. Eating pork for the year is supposed to be good luck, since pigs move forward when they eat (versus chickens, who root backwards). These cabbage rolls are a riff on my Oma�s sarmen. Sarmen is how she always said it, though online research tells me it�s more often sarma. Is sarmen plural maybe? Who knows. I mean, the country the woman came from isn�t even a country anymore, so I suppose words could have shifted and changed. Oma�s sarmen is ground pork and rice, heavily seasoned with Hungarian paprika, rolled up in cabbage leaves, and baked in a bed of sauerkraut. When Amanda and I were kids, my mom would often do tomato sauce instead of sauerkraut, which is what i�ve done here. Feel free to replace the sauce with sauerkraut or a store-bought tomato sauce though, if you�re so inclined. My Oma always makes sarmen for new year�s eve or day, for good luck.  

Here�s to the new year. To good luck, joy, and lightness. To carrying on and looking forward. And to JFK, the coolest dad a girl could ask for. We�re lucky we had you in our lives, and lucky we have you in our hearts. 

Sarmen (Pork Cabbage Rolls)

Makes about 12 rolls, serves 4-6

Sauce

Olive oil

1/2 onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 28oz can crushed tomatoes (like san marzano)

Splash balsamic vinegar

Large handful fresh parsley

salt & pepper

1 large head cabbage, cored simmered in hot water until soft and easy to separate.

Filling

1 3/4 pounds ground pork

2 cloves garlic, minced

1.5 tablespoons Hungarian paprika

1 teaspoon salt

black pepper

1 egg

1 cup cooked, cooled rice

Preheat oven to 350. 

To make the sauce, heat olive oil in pot or high-sided large skillet. Add onion and cook until just browned, then add garlic, cook for a minute until fragrant but not burnt. Add tomatoes (with liquid), vinegar, parsley, salt, and pepper to taste, and simmer. Remove from heat and set aside. 

Separate the cabbage leaves and cut out the hard stem. Dry each leaf. 

To make filling, mix together pork through rice (using your hands is the easiest way to combine it all).

Add a small amount of the tomato sauce to the bottom of a baking dish (I used a 9x9 dish with tall-ish sides). One at a time, spoon the filling into the center of each cabbage leaf. Roll, and place each one snuggly in the dish. Top with remaining sauce. Cover dish with foil, and cook for 2 hours, until pork is cooked through and cabbage is tender. Serve rolls with sauce from dish, and a bit of grated parmesan if desired. 

See you guys in 2015! 

Carnitas (for tacos!)

I'm bad at a some things (including math, laundry, and singing), ok at a couple things, pretty good at a few, and absolutely, totally great at one thing. That one thing, my friends, is roasting pork. 

I'm not trying to brag or anything, but seriously, I'm really, really good at pork shoulder. It's a gift. It's my calling. I usually just throw stuff in without actually measuring, but for your sake, I finally measured and wrote stuff down. Please make these carnitas you guys, seriously. You need to make this pork. 

Also, tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo. You know, that one holiday in the US where we eat a ton of Mexican food and drink margaritas. Otherwise known as my favorite food holiday. I love everything about Mexican food. I could eat tacos all day long. Especially carnitas tacos. I judge taco places by their carnitas, and I would absolutely go back to a place that served my carnitas. 

This pork is tender and crispy at the same time. It's tangy and salty and a little bit spicy, with hints of cinnamon and citrus. Dreams are made of this stuff. 

When I'm doing BBQ style pulled pork, I use the slow cooker, but for carnitas, I like to use the oven. The pork gets tender and juicy, but the edges get crispy, which I think is what really make this pork awesome. 

Oh, PS� T-minus five months until my wedding! WHAT. I have a lot of spray painting to do. Any volunteers? 

Pork Carnitas (for tacos!)
Loosely inspired by this recipe

Be prepared for a couple hours of marinating, but if you're in a rush, you can just marinate for an hour and it will still turn out delicious! 

4-5 lbs pork shoulder

Juice from 2 large oranges (about 1 cup)

Juice from 1 lime

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 large serrano pepper, diced

1 tablespoon tamarind concentrate*

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon cumin

1 tablespoon oregano

Fresh ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 bottle of light beer (Mexican beer like Pacifico)

Trim major fat off of pork shoulder (ok to leave a little bit, but get as much as you can), and cut pork into 4-5 big chunks. Put in a large bowl.

Whisk together orange juice through cinnamon, and pour over the pork. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the fridge for 2 hours to overnight. 

Preheat oven to 375.

On the stovetop, heat a large oven-proof stockpot over medium-high. Remove pork pieces and pat dry (reserve marinade). Sear each pork piece, just 1-2 pieces at a time, (too many in the pot will make it steam) on each side. Add all the seared pork pieces, reserved marinade, beer, and brown sugar to pot. 

Bake covered for 2.5-3 hours. 

Right in the pot, shred with a fork and stir into the sauce (remove any fat pieces that might be in there). The pork should be fall-apart tender.

To make it a bit crispier, I like to put it back in the oven for 10 minutes after shredding.

For tacos, serve in warm corn tortillas, with diced white onion, cilantro, and cotija cheese. 

*I use Tamicon brand, often found near the Mexican or Asian aisle in the grocery store. 

Ground Pork Ramen

Guys, 2014 has been rough! The day after Christmas I came down with the flu, and after a few days of fever and aches and pains, I was left with bronchitis for New Year's Eve. And then, lucky me, that morphed into an awesome sinus infection. 

I was finally starting to feel a bit more like a human, but then, last weekend, we flew to San Francisco for a quick weekend trip that had been booked a month or so ago, and not only did we have horrible travel luck (we had to land in San Jose because of fog, and ended up just renting a car and driving to SF, and had tons of crazy delays), but I had an insane burning in my chest and pressure in my ears, and felt like I was dying the whole time. Literally, I thought to myself "this is what dying feels like." Pro tip: if you have a respiratory infection you shouldn't fly. You will get an ear infection. In both ears. 

So: flu, bronchitis, sinus infection, double ear infection. That's been my last two weeks. Luckily the antibiotics are doing the trick and the pressure in my ears is subsiding enough for me to actually hear, but really, all I want is to stop coughing. If you have any home remedies, send 'em my way, because the cough drops, cough syrup, meds, honey, tea, water, vapor rub� it's not working. I even tried a home remedy I found online: boiled flax seeds, honey, and lemon. It pretty much turns into a snot-like consistency that's terrible and impossible to choke down. 

Needless to say, my appetite has been lousy (but, at least that counter-acts all the laying on the couch I've been doing!). I finally worked up the energy to get up and cook something, and all I could imagine eating was ramen. Traditional ramen, with it's flavorful broth, takes a lot of time to make, but I'm not opposed to quick at-home versions that you can whip up on weeknight. Or a sick night. 

I had a Thai soup recently with ground pork, and I thought that would be awesome in ramen, since I usually just see sliced pork. I ground my own pork, because that's how I do, then just added some aromatics, sesame oil, broth, ramen noodles from a Top Ramen package, bok choy, and a poached egg. Don't skip the egg! When you mix the yolk into the broth it gets all creamy and delicious. Totally worth it.

I'm hoping this soup puts me on the road to wellville, because I can't handle too much more of this crud. This soup, on the other hand�I can handle a whole lot more of this soup!

Ground Pork Ramen

Serves 4

1 lb ground pork

4 garlic cloves, minced

1.5 teaspoons fresh minced ginger

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 teaspoon vinegar

1 tablespoon sesame oil

6 cups low sodium chicken broth

Salt & pepper

2 packages of ramen noodles, seasoning packet removed (toss it)

4 eggs

2 baby bok choy, sliced

2 green onions, sliced

Sriracha or hot sauce of choice

Black sesame seeds

Put pork in a large bowl, and stir in garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and vinegar. 

In a large pot, heat sesame oil over medium, and add pork. Cook until done. Add chicken broth, and bring to a boil. Boil for a minute, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer. Taste, and add salt and pepper as needed. 

While soup is simmering, in a separate pot, cook noodles according to package, drain, and add to each serving bowl. 

Poach eggs. You can do this in a separate pot of simmering water, or you can poach them in the simmering broth (it will be a bit more difficult to scoop them out, with the pork in there, but it's easy enough. Just crack each egg into a dish, and gently lower into the broth. Let cook a couple of minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon, and put an egg in each bowl, on top of noodles. 

Divide bok choy among bowls, and then ladle on pork and broth. Top with green onions, sesame seeds, and serve with hot sauce.

Thanksgiving Stuffing Roundup

Thanksgiving is only two days away!? How did that happen? I had all these great plans for you. A few more T-day side dishes, some desserts, maybe even a cocktail. But then this crazy thing happened that fully derailed everything� I GOT ENGAGED. Our whole relationship has been a crazy whirlwind of excitement� we met, fell in love, moved in together, and got engaged. So fast.

 

Just kidding about the fast part� we�ve been together since spring of 2004, when we were wee little freshman babies in college. Most people probably think we�re already married. The general response to our engagement has been �IT�S ABOUT TIME!�

But more on that later, because it�s almost Thanksgiving! So, let�s discuss stuffing. Or dressing, which is technically what it�s called when baked separate from the bird. This is how I prefer it, because it�s not a soggy lump of a mess, but instead it�s crispy in places, soft in places, all around amazing. But I still call it stuffing.
 

First, the bread: start with super crispy dry bread, whether it�s 2-days old or popped under the broiler to crisp up. Try classic French bread, or mix it up with cornbread, ciabatta, or a combo! Second, the additions: I think there are 6 main categories here. Mushrooms, fruit (cranberries and apples), winter veg (squash, sweet potatoes), pork (bacon, sausage, chorizo), nuts (chestnuts, pecans, walnuts), and herbs (thyme and sage are classics).
 

Since I didn�t have time to make a million stuffing recipes for you, I scoured the internetz for some really tasty looking recipes that you can make as-is, or use for T-day inspiration! A little something for everybody. Happy cooking!

• Kale and Mushroom Bread Pudding via A Thought for Food: Savory bread pudding is a lot like stuffing/dressing, just a bit eggier. This one looks amazing.
• Apple and Herb Stuffing via Smitten Kitchen: Two of the main stuffing additions, together in one glorious dish.
• Andouille Sausage and Cornbread Stuffing via Food 52: This sounds like an amazing year round stuffing with a southern twist.
• Butternut, Sausage, and Fennel Stuffing via Gimme Some Oven: I want to eat this for every single meal this winter.
• Ciabatta Stuffing with Chorizo, Sweet Potato, and Mushrooms via Food 52: Another recipe that takes several of the addition categories and mashes them all together for perfection.
• Pancetta Sage Stuffing Muffins via A Cozy Kitchen: WHAT! Stuffing in adorable hand-held muffin form. Genius.

 

Tempting Thai Treasures with the Assiniboine Park Conservancy and the MLCC

 Tomorrow I will be presenting the following recipes for the Assiniboine Park Conservancy at the Madison Square MLCC.  Please check the Leisure Guide to register for others.  Loads of fun.  Bran Adams, Education Coordinator at the Assiniboine Park Conservancy will lead the discussion on the plant life represented in the recipes and MLCC Product Consultant Jody will present beverage pairings.

Last week it was too hectic to take photos.  I hope that I can get some photos tomorrow.

1. Crab Rangoon

1 clove garlic, minced

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese

1 (6 ounce) can crabmeat, drained and flaked

2 green onions with tops, thinly sliced

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon light soy sauce

48 wonton wrappers

Preheat an oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Lightly spray baking sheet with cooking spray.

Combine garlic, cream cheese, crab, green onions, Worcestershire sauce, and soy sauce in a bowl. To prevent wonton skins from drying, prepare only 1 or 2 rangoon at a time. Place 1 teaspoon of filling onto the center of each wonton skin. Moisten the edges with water and fold the wonton skin diagonally to form a triangle, pressing edges to seal. Moisten one of the bottom corners. Create a crown by pulling both bottom corners together and sealing. Arrange the rangoon on the baking sheet and lightly spray with cooking spray.

Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes.

2. Salad wraps with peanut sauce

SERVES 4-6 as an appetizer

1 pkg. small, round rice wrappers (dried)

1 to 1 1/2 cups thin vermicelli rice noodles, cooked and run through with cold water, drained

3/4 to 1 cup cooked shrimp, OR 3/4 cup baked or fried tofu, or roasted chicken or turkey, cut into matchsticks

1-2 cups bean sprouts

� cup fresh Thai basil or sweet basil, roughly chopped

� cup fresh coriander, roughly chopped

� cup shredded carrot

3-4 spring onions, cut into matchstick pieces

2 Tbsp. soy sauce (or wheat-free soy sauce for gluten-free diets)

1 Tbsp. rice vinegar

1 Tbsp.fish sauce (use black vinegar if vegetarian

1 tsp. brown sugar

Optional: TAMARIND DIPPING SAUCE:

� cup water

� tsp. tamarind paste

2 tsp. sugar

1 Tbsp. soy sauce (or wheat-free soy sauce for gluten-free diets)

1 Tbsp. fish sauce OR vegetarian black vinegar

1 heaping tsp. arrowroot powder (or cornstarch) dissolved in 3 Tbsp. water

1 clove garlic, minced

1 green or red chili, finely sliced OR 1/2 tsp. dried crushed chili or cayenne pepper

Peanut Dipping Sauce

2 tbs grated ginger

1/4 cup hot water

1/2 cup peanut butter (chunky or smooth)

2 tablespoons Soya Sauce

4 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons sweet miso

2 tablespoons mirin or sake

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (add more for spicier satay)

1.             Set rice wrappers aside. In a cup, stir together the soy sauce, vinegar, fish sauce (if using) and sugar.

2.             Place all other ingredients for the fresh rolls in a large mixing bowl and drizzle the soy sauce mixture over. Toss to mix.

3.             Fill a large bowl with hot water (but not boiling, as you�ll be dipping your fingers into it). Start by submerging one wrapper into the water. It should soften after 30 seconds.

4.             Remove the wrapper and place on a clean surface. Add another wrapper to the hot water as you fill and roll the first one.

5.             Place a heaping tablespoon of roll ingredients toward the bottom of the wrapper. Spread out the ingredients horizontally (in the shape of a fresh roll).

6.             Fold the sides of the wrapper over the ingredients, then bring up the bottom. Tuck the bottom around the ingrdients and roll to the top of the wrapper.

7.             To serve, place your platter or bowl of rolls on the table along with the dipping sauce. Eat with your fingers and lots of napkins. Enjoy!

To make the Tamarind Dipping Sauce (optional): simply mix all dipping sauce ingredients together in a saucepan and heat.

When near boiling, reduce heat to low, stirring until sauce thickens.

Taste for saltiness, spiciness, and sweetness, adding more fish sauce (instead of salt), more sugar, or more chili as desired.

Note: the sauce can be served warm or cold. With fresh rolls, I personally prefer a warm sauce to contrast with the cool rolls)

3. Pork Satay

1 lb pork shoulder or butt in slices

2 tbs grated ginger
1/4 cup hot water
1/2 cup peanut butter (chunky or smooth)
2 tablespoons Soya Sauce
4 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sweet miso
2 tablespoons mirin or sake
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (add more for spicier satay)

Mix ginger, water, peanut butter, soya sauce, vinegar, miso, mirin or sake and pepper flakes. Add vegetarian chicken strips. Let marinade in the refrigerator for at least one hour. Skewer and grill on the BBQ or saut� in a non-stick skillet. Enjoy as an appetizer, salad wrap or with rice or noodles.

Enjoy!

* Traditional recipe for pork, chicken, or beef satay.

3. Thai Coconut Curry (serves 2-4)

4 boneless skinless chicken thighs
� tin �Lite� coconut milk
2-3 tbs yellow curry paste, to desired heat (yellow curry paste does not contain any shrimp)
1 tbs grated ginger
1 tbs grated lemon grass
1 tsp sugar (optional)
splash Mirin
3-5 Kefir Lime leaves
drizzle olive oil
salt, to taste

Mix the last 9 ingredients in a bowl and add chicken thighs. Marinate for a few hours. Place on a hot grill, turning for grill marks at two minutes, and flipping over at four minutes. Repeat for grill marks at the next two minutes.

Serving suggestion:  Place rested cooked chicken on a toasted or warmed flatbread such as naan or pita. Add favourite grilled vegetables and wrap up. Wrap again in foil and place in an insulated bag or enjoy cold.

* These ingredients can be found at most Asian specialty stores such as Sun Wah and Oriental Market on King St. or Young�s Market on William and on McPhilips.

For an elegant entr�e presentation, try using a stem of fresh lemon grass as a skewer before grilling or frying.

Ribs on CBC's Weekend Morning Show!

On Saturday I had a distinct pleasure of presenting the following recipe for CBC's Weekend Morning Show with host Ismaila Alfa.  Ribs are so easy to prepare and come in quite a variety of forms.  Try these with our wonderful Berkshire Pork, great beef, lamb or goat from Manitoba! Come in to Arkadash Bistro and Lounge for a taste.

Spanish Smoky Ribs

1 rack ribs (pork baby back, lamb, goat, beef short, etc)
3 tbs Dijon mustard
3 tbs honey
1 tsp hot smoked paprika
3 tbs butter
3 tbs olive oil
3 tbs Bourbon or Whiskey (optional, but a good option)
pinch salt

Place ribs in baking dish and set oven to 350�F.  Cook remaining ingredients in a saucepan.  Cover ribs with sauce.  Cover baking dish with lid or foil.  Bake for a few hours, basting occasionally, until meat is tender and ready to fall off of the bone.  Serve and enjoy!



There are many variations on ribs possible.  Try with your favourite spice blend, marmalade and seasonings.  Ras el Hanout, a Moroccan spice blend, will soon be available at Arkadash Bistro and Lounge.  Cooking lessons now available at Arkadash Bistro and Lounge starting Monday, January 28th.  Book now to reserve your space.