Thanksgiving

Burp! What can I say except this was a classic Thanksgiving Dinner with friends. We cooked a Willie Bird Smoked Turkey and even those people at the table who usually don't like Turkey agreed this was the best Turkey ever. It arrives already smoked and cooked, but we warmed it up anyways. I highly recommend that next year (or any time you are in the mood for Turkey) you order a Smoked Willie Bird. Thanks to all our friends who brought side dishes to go with the Turkey!

Risotto of the Vigil

Every year in the dead of winter we make Risotto of the Vigil. It is a tradition for us. Here is this years version. It is a wonderful dish. You can read about it on our blog of: December 22, 2009. Click the date to get the recipe.

Perfect Instant Ramen

I saw this article on Perfect Instant Ramen and decided to follow the directions. It did turn out great on a rainy day. The big decision is what brand of Ramen do you buy? Our store had many. I even went to a Ramen Restaurant near us and bought some Pork Belly and brought it home and added it to the soup.

This turned out to be a good find!

Perfect Instant Ramen

New York Times

Make some instant ramen. Slide an egg into the hot broth, then some butter. Crown the steaming noodles with slices of American cheese. Scatter a bunch of toasted sesame seeds and chopped scallions across the top, if you want to. Hardly a recipe! But for the chef Roy Choi, who gave it to The Times in 2014, doctored instant ramen is a taste of Korean-American straight-from-the-bag soul food. The butter, egg and cheese help coat the ramen noodles and deepen their flavor. “It’s our snack, it’s our peanut butter and jelly sandwich, it’s our bowl of cereal,” Mr. Choi said. “It’s something that has been a part of my life forever.”

Ingredients

1       pack ramen noodles with flavor packet

1       large egg

½      teaspoon butter

2       slices American cheese

¼      teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

½      scallion, green part only, thinly sliced on the bias, optional

Preparation

1. Bring 2 1/2 cups of water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the noodles and cook for 2 minutes. Add the flavor packet, stir, and continue to cook for another 30 seconds.

2. Remove the pan from the heat and carefully add the egg. Do not stir; pull the noodles over the egg and let sit for one minute to poach.

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3. Carefully transfer everything to a serving bowl, add the butter, cheese and sesame seeds and mix. Garnish with the scallions if desired.

Cider-Braised Chicken Thighs With Apples And Greens

Cider-Braised Chicken Thighs With Apples And Greens turned out to be a good winter braise. I liked the combination. We will make it again!

Cider-Braised Chicken Thighs With Apples And Greens

New York Times

Yield: 4 servings

Time:   50 minutes

In this hearty one-pot dinner, chicken thighs are browned, then braised in chicken broth flavored with mustard, sage, garlic and a triple dose of apple: apple cider, cider vinegar and apple slices. The addition of a few handfuls of greens makes this a complete meal, in need of nothing else but a nice of hunk of bread to soak up the broth and perhaps a glass of dry white wine.

Ingredients

1-½ to 2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 4 to 6)

Kosher salt and black pepper

2      tablespoons canola or grapeseed oil

1      cup thinly sliced shallots (2 to 3 medium shallots)

2      tablespoons roughly chopped fresh sage leaves

3      garlic cloves, minced

¾     cup fresh apple cider

2      tablespoons apple cider vinegar, plus more to taste

2      tablespoons Dijon mustard

¾ to 1 cup chicken broth, preferably low-sodium

1      bunch curly kale (10 to 12 ounces), stemmed, leaves torn into bite-size pieces

1      crisp red apple, such as Fuji, cored and thinly sliced

Preparation

1. Pat the chicken thighs dry and season generously with salt and pepper.

2. In a Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat the oil over medium. Cook the chicken thighs skin-side down, undisturbed, until the skin is golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Flip and cook until lightly browned on the other side, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

3. Pour off all but about 3 tablespoons of fat from the pot, turn the heat to medium-low, then add the shallots and sage. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots are translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Be careful not to let the garlic burn.

4. Add the cider, cider vinegar, mustard, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, until the cider has reduced slightly, 2 to 3 minutes. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the pot, skin-side up. Pour just enough broth around (not on!) the chicken to cover the sides of the thighs but not cover the skin on top.

5. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low. Partly cover and gently simmer until the thighs are cooked through and tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a clean plate or sheet pan (if you’d like to broil the chicken in the next step), raise the heat to medium, and add the kale and apple to the pot. Cook, tossing often, until all the kale is wilted, the apples are just softened and the liquid has reduced slightly, about 5 minutes. While the greens cook, if you’d like to crisp the skin on the chicken, pop it under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes.

6. Taste for seasoning, and stir in 1 or 2 more teaspoons cider vinegar to taste. Divide the chicken and kale mixture among shallow bowls; serve with crusty bread to mop up broth.

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Vietnamese Braised Beef Stew (Bo Kho)

We won't make Vietnamese Braised Beef Stew (Bo Kho), it wasn't that it was bad, it just wasn't great. We had much better in Hanoi!

Vietnamese Braised Beef Stew (Bo Kho)

New York Times

Bo kho is a delicious Vietnamese pot-roasted beef stew. It is not so different from a traditional French pot au feu, but it is spiced in a traditional Vietnamese manner, fragrant with lemongrass, star anise and cinnamon. When the meat is fork tender, carrots are added to complete the dish. If you wish, include turnips or daikon radish or potatoes. Serve it with rice, rice noodles or a freshly baked baguette.

Ingredients

For the Marinade:

2       tablespoons Vietnamese fish sauce, such as Red Boat
1       tablespoon brown sugar
2       tablespoons grated fresh ginger
2       teaspoons Chinese 5-spice powder
½      teaspoon black pepper

For The Braise:

3       pounds beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes

2       tablespoons vegetable oil

6       large shallots or 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced

1       cup chopped tomato, fresh or canned

2       tablespoons grated fresh ginger (from a 2-inch piece)

3       garlic cloves, minced

3       tablespoons finely chopped lemongrass, tender center only

1       teaspoon kosher salt

½      teaspoon annatto powder (optional)

4       star anise pods

1       (2-inch) cinnamon stick, or substitute cassia bark

1 or 2 Serrano or Thai chiles, stem on, split lengthwise

1-1/2         pounds medium carrots, peeled, cut into 2-inch chunks
½      cup thinly sliced scallions
1       cup cilantro sprigs, for garnish
½      cup mint leaves, for garnish
½      cup small basil leaves, preferably Thai, for garnish

Preparation

1. Make the marinade: Stir together fish sauce, sugar, ginger, 5-spice powder and pepper.

2. Put beef in a large bowl, add marinade and massage into meat. Let marinate for at least 15 minutes, or longer if time permits (may be wrapped and refrigerated overnight if desired).

3. Put oil in a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, fry the beef cubes in small batches, taking care not to crowd them, until nicely browned. When all beef is browned, return chunks to pot. Add shallots, stir to combine and continue cooking for 4 to 5 minutes, or until softened.

4. Add tomato, ginger, garlic, lemongrass, salt and annatto, if using, and stir well to coat, then add star anise, cinnamon and chile. Cover with 4 cups water and bring to a boil.

5. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover with lid ajar and cook for about 1 hour 15 minutes, or until fork-tender.

6. Add carrots to pot and cook 15 minutes more. Skim fat from surface of broth as necessary (or refrigerate overnight and remove congealed fat before reheating).

7. To serve, ladle into individual bowls. Garnish with scallions, cilantro, mint and basil.

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Risotto with Pork Sausage and Porcini Mushrooms

Risotto with Pork Sausage and Porcini Mushrooms is a perfect winter dish. Hearty and warm! We love it! You can find the recipe for the Risotto on our blog of: April 21, 2009. Click the date to get the recipe.

Pork Braised in Milk, best Polenta

This is a dish that I never get tired of. It is delicious! and the left over pork makes great sandwiches. It sounds strange to cook Pork Braised in Milk, but the milk curdles and makes a fantastic sauce. You should make this dish. With the Pork we made the unbelievably excellent Polenta that Guillermo brought us from Italy. You can get the Pork Braised in Milk Recipe on our blog of January 5, 2007. Click the date to get the recipe.

Tacos

We used the left over Pork and Beans from Harissa-Rubbed Pork Shoulder with White Beans and Chard to make Tacos. They were an improvement on the basic recipe. We got real corn tacos freshly made at Cookbook. They were great!

3 Cup Vegetable

This dish for Three-Cup Vegetables did not work for us, but any vegetarians out there are welcome to try it and give us feedback!

Three-Cup Vegetables

New York Times

This vegan dish is inspired by three-cup chicken, a deeply savory Taiwanese specialty that can be traced back to the 13th century, to the execution of Wen Tianxiang, a scholar-general of the Song dynasty who resisted Kublai Khan’s invasion. The night before Wen’s death, a guard is said to have made him the surprisingly pungent chicken dish with the prison’s limited resources. It has many variations, but usually calls for braising chicken in rice wine, soy sauce and sesame oil with plenty of ginger, garlic and basil. Here, root vegetables like carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes and turnips take the place of the chicken, but feel free to also add tofu and quick-cooking vegetables like broccoli or snap peas with the roots. Serve over rice or ramen noodles to soak up sauce.

Ingredients

2        tablespoons canola or other neutral oil

6        cups root vegetables, such as carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes and-or turnips, cut into 1/4-inch slices and halved or quartered if large (about 2 pounds)

1        (1-inch) piece ginger, peeled and thinly sliced

10      garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

¾       cup Chinese rice wine

6        tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

3        tablespoons toasted sesame oil

2        tablespoons dark brown sugar

2        dried chiles, like chiles de árbol, or 1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes

2        cups fresh basil leaves, torn if large

Preparation

1. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add the vegetables, ginger and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are crisp-tender and browned in spots, 7 to 10 minutes.

2. Lower the heat to medium and stir in the rice wine, soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar and red-pepper flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and the sauce has reduced, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in the basil.

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Harissa-Rubbed Pork Shoulder with White Beans and Chard

Sometimes the magic works, sometimes it doesn't. This recipe for Harissa-Rubbed Pork Shoulder with White Beans and Chard looked so good, but in reality we were disappointed, never to appear on the blog again!

Harissa-Rubbed Pork Shoulder with White Beans and Chard

Nothing Fancy

Alison Roman

4          pounds boneless pork shoulder

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

½         cup harissa paste
¼  cup distilled white vinegar

3          tablespoons tomato paste

3          tablespoons light brown sugar

4          garlic cloves, finely grated

1-1/2   cups water

2          (15-ounce) cans small white beans, such as cannellini or great northern, drained and rinsed

1          large bunch chard, stems removed, leaves torn into bite-sized pieces

1          preserved lemon, seeds removed, thinly sliced

1          cup cilantro, tender leaves and stems

1          lemon, halved

NOTE: Pork shoulder is available at basically every grocery store and impossibly delicious no matter what you
do to it It is almost always my go-to “I want to, have people over and have what to cook” meat, especially useful for when you're not sure how many people are coming or what they like to eat, because (a) it miraculously always feeds the exact number of people you need it to, (b) it's impossible to mess up, and (c) everybody loves pork shoulder.

There is no pre-sear or any other preliminary steps here before slathering the pork with a garlicky harissa paste and popping it into an oven, which makes it especially foolproof, even if cooking large pieces of meat usually freaks you out. You could certainly stop after you've braised the shoulder, serving the spicy, tangy pan juices over roasted potatoes or a fluffy pile of couscous, but I love adding the beans and returning them to a significantly hotter oven to absorb the crazy flavorful pork fat, getting a little browned and crisped as the pork also browns and crisps and, yes, this is a cute little play on "pork and beans"—thanks for noticing!

1.              Preheat the oven to 325°F.

2.              Season the pork with salt and pepper and place in a large Dutch oven. Combine the harissa paste, vinegar, tomato paste, brown sugar, and garlic in a medium bowl. Smear the harissa mixture all over pork, getting into all nooks and crannies, and add the water. Place the lid on the pot and roast, until the pork is nearly falling-apart tender, 3 to 3-1/2 hours.

3.              Remove the lid, add the beans, and season with salt and pepper. Increase the oven temperature to 425°F and return the pot to the oven, uncovered. Roast until the beans have soaked up all the liquid and the top of the pork is deeply golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes.

4.              Transfer the pork to a cutting board. Add the chard and preserved lemon to the beans and stir to wilt the leaves. Slice pork into 1/2-inch-thick slices (if it starts to shred, that’s fine). Transfer the beans and greens to a large serving plate or shallow bowl and place the pork on top (alternatively, place pork on top of the beans in the pot and serve directly from there). Scatter with cilantro and serve the lemon alongside for squeezing over.

DO AHEAD This can be made up to 3 days ahead, sans chard, stored in its pot, and refrigerated. Reheat before adding chard.

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