Sweet and Salty Grilled Pork With Citrus and Herbs

Sweet and Salty Grilled Pork With Citrus and Herbs is a great! It basically is a Vietnamese dish. We really enjoyed it! We usually don't make Vietnamese food, this one we will definitely make again!

Sweet and Salty Grilled Pork With Citrus and Herbs

New York Times

Typically prepared as a long-cooked stew or braise, pork shoulder is remarkably (and perhaps surprisingly) fantastic when treated like a steak. This means cooked hot and fast so it’s charred on the outside and medium-rare on the inside. While a grill is ideal here, it can also be prepared on the stovetop in a very hot cast-iron skillet. The garlicky, salty, sweet marinade also doubles as a dressing to be poured over crunchy leaves of lettuce, fresh herbs and, if you’re looking for something more substantial, some sort of rice noodle or plain cooked rice.

Ingredients

1-½  pounds boneless pork shoulder

Kosher salt and black pepper

¼      cup fish sauce

3       tablespoons light brown sugar

2       tablespoons sambal chile paste (optional)

2       garlic cloves, finely grated

1       lime, halved crosswise, plus 1/2 cup fresh lime juice (from about 4 limes)

1       orange or tangerine, halved crosswise (optional)

Cooked rice noodles or rice, for serving (optional)

1       head Boston lettuce or escarole, torn into large pieces

6       mint sprigs

½      bunch cilantro

1       shallot, thinly sliced into rings

Preparation

1.  Using a sharp knife, slice pork shoulder crosswise into 1-inch-thick steaks. (Depending on the shape and cut of your shoulder, some pieces may not stay together in a steak shape; this is O.K.) Season pork with salt and pepper and place in a shallow baking dish (a 9-by-13 works best) or resealable plastic bag.

2.  Combine fish sauce, light brown sugar, sambal (if using), garlic and 1/2 cup lime juice in a medium bowl, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Pour half of the mixture over the pork and let it sit for about 15 to 20 minutes while you prepare the grill, using tongs to turn pork once or twice to make sure all of it is getting enough attention from the marinade. (There’s no need to refrigerate, unless you are working ahead, in which case you should refrigerate until ready to grill.)

3.  If you’re using a charcoal grill, build the fire so it’s screaming hot. This pork is to be cooked hot and fast, so the hotter the better. If you’re using a gas grill, heat it on high. Bring a clean baking dish out to the grill for the pork to rest in after cooking.

4.  Once the grill is sufficiently hot, grill the pork until deeply browned and lightly charred on both sides, 2 to 4 minutes per side (this will happen faster on a charcoal grill), moving the pork around as needed to prevent excessive flare-ups, which, depending on how fatty your pork is, will happen with varying severity. Grill the lime and orange, if using, cut-side down, until lightly charred, 1 to 2 minutes.

5.  Remove the pork and lime from the grill and let rest a minute or two in that same large baking dish to catch the juices. Drizzle the remaining lime dressing over the sliced pork and let it rest for a few minutes so the juices mix with the dressing.

6.  Slice the pork about 1/4 inch thick. Arrange rice noodles or rice, if using, on a large platter and top with lettuce, along with some of the mint, cilantro and shallots. Top with sliced pork and remaining herbs and shallots. Spoon the juices from the bottom of the baking dish over everything, and serve with the grilled citrus for squeezing.

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Chile-Butter Chicken With Vinegared Potatoes

We tried two new recipes. One was a winner, one wasn't. I really liked the Chile-Butter Chicken With Vinegared Potatoes. I always like vinegar with my food. This is an excellent dish. The Little Gems and Cabbage with Pickled Turnips and Lemony Tahini wasn't to our taste. Oh well, still we got a good new recipe. We will make the chicken again!

Little Gems and Cabbage with Pickled Turnips and Lemony Tahini Dressing

Dining In

Alison Roman

Serves 4

2       Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced (about 1-1/2 cups)

2       scallions, thinly sliced

½      preserved lemon, finely chopped

¼      small head red cabbage, thinly sliced

¼      cup thinly sliced pickled turnips or any other pickled vegetable you fancy 

2       tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

2       heads Little Gem lettuce, halved lengthwise, or 1 head romaine, quartered lengthwise

2       tablespoons olive oil

1       cup picked tender herbs, like cilantro,parsley, and/or dill, coarsely chopped

Lemony Tahini Dressing

Note: Pickled vegetables are a very secret weapon that I like to sneak into salads whenever I can. They offer crunch and tang, and are a great option if you don’t have any fresh vegetables lying around.

This salad was made during a particularly bad hunger emergency (code red) one day, sloppily cobbled together with the contents of my refrigerator, which at the time included half a head of red cabbage and an unopened jar of beet-pickled turnips. As I ate it, probably standing up at my counter, I realized why I loved it so much: it was like eating a falafel sandwich, without the falafel (or pita). It had the tangy, crunchy cabbage, plenty of herbs, and, of course, tahini.

While this would otherwise be classified as a kitchen sink kind of salad. I've now started intentionally buying those ingredients and keeping this lemon-tahini dressing on hand just so I can make a (refined version of) it at least once a week—with or without a hunger emergency.

Combine the cucumbers, scallions, preserved lemon, cabbage, turnips, and lemon juice in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper and let sit a few minutes.

Transfer half the cucumber mixture to a large serving platter (or divide among a few plates). Top with the lettuce, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Top with the remaining cucumber mixture and'any juices that have accumulated. Scatter the herbs over the top and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle the dressing over the salad, serving any left over alongside for more dipping/drizzling.

Chile-Butter Chicken With Vinegared Potatoes

New York Times

A deceptively simple sheet-pan dinner, potatoes get tossed with tangy distilled white vinegar and topped with a chicken slathered in a garlicky chile butter (while you’re at it, let the potatoes have some, too). From there, you pop it into a 425-degree oven and let it do its thing. The result is a juicy, golden-brown chicken with slight heat from the chile and a touch of smoke from paprika, alongside potatoes that are equal parts tender and crisp. Less, you’ll see, really can be more.

Ingredients

1       (3 1/2-pound) chicken, or 3 1/2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken parts

Kosher salt and black pepper

6       tablespoons unsalted butter

2       tablespoons olive oil, plus more as needed

2       teaspoons red-pepper flakes

1       teaspoon hot smoked paprika

2       garlic cloves, finely grated

1-½  pounds Yukon Gold potatoes(about 5), scrubbed and sliced 1/4-inch thick

¼      cup distilled white vinegar

1       cup cilantro or parsley, tender leaves and stems, coarsely chopped

2       scallions, thinly sliced

Preparation

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Season chicken with salt and pepper; set aside.

2. Melt butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a small pot over medium heat. Add red-pepper flakes, paprika and garlic and swirl to combine. Let sizzle a minute or 2 to really infuse the butter, and remove from heat.

3. Scatter potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet, toss with vinegar, season with salt and pepper and drizzle with a bit of olive oil.

4. Place chicken on top of potatoes, breast side up, and drizzle with the chile butter, drizzling any extra butter onto the potatoes. Using your hands or a spatula, give the potatoes a little toss to get that butter evenly distributed.

5. Place in oven and roast until chicken and potatoes are deeply golden brown, and chicken is cooked through, 45 to 55 minutes for a whole chicken, 40 to 45 minutes for parts.

6. Remove from oven and let chicken rest on potatoes for a few minutes so the juices mingle with the potatoes. Carve the chicken (or slice the pieces) and transfer to a large plate or platter along with potatoes. Scatter with herbs and scallions before serving.

Spaghetti with fresh Tomato and Basil Sauce

A favorite Pasta for is: Spaghetti with fresh Tomato and Basil Sauce. The best part of it is that you partially cook the pasta and then complete the cooking of the pasta by putting the pasta in the sauce and completes its cooking absorbing the sauce. You can get the recipe on our blog of: August 6, 2015. Click the date to get the recipe.

We started with a Salad with Spec.

Figs with basil, goat cheese and pomegranate vinaigrette

Figs with basil, goat cheese and pomegranate vinaigrette

Plenty

Yotam Ottolenghi

Fresh figs are available in summer and then make another short appearance in autumn. When they are good they are amazing, a word I use way too often, although in this case I totally stand behind it. The unctuous sweetness of a fresh fig, combined with its ripe-rich texture, is unbeatable. In Israel and Palestine fig trees are to be found everywhere, and picking the fruit and eating it straight off the tree is a childhood experience I am afraid I can't replicate in the United Kingdom. Still, I can buy good French or Italian figs, a day or two old, from La Fromagerie in London. Good figs are heavy and slightly squidgy and have a noticeable sweet smell; they often tend to crack at their base. Stick to those and you'll be fine. But no matter what you do, don't buy under-ripe supermarket figs that have been cargoed here from the ends of the world. Use a very young and creamy goat.

Serves 4

1          shallot finely chopped
½  tsp Dijon mustard

2          tsp pomegranate molasses
salt and black pepper

3          tbsp olive oil, plus extra to finish
1-1/2    cups arugula

¾         cup mixed purple and green basil leaves

8          ripe figs, at room temperature

2-1/2   oz young and creamy goat cheese

Place the shallot, mustard and pomegranate molasses in a medium bowl. Add some salt and pepper and whisk vigorously
as you slowly pour in the olive oil. You are aiming for a homogenous dressing.

Add most of the arugula and basil leaves to the dressing, reserving some to finish the salad, and toss gently. Lift the dressed leaves onto a large serving plate, spreading them out to line it

Cut the figs vertically into quarters and arrange over the leaves. Next, dot the figs and leaves with teaspoonfuls of cheese. Scatter the reserved leaves on top, drizzle with extra oil and season with some salt and pepper.

Vinegar-Braised Chicken with Farro and Watercress

I liked this recipe. I like most recipes that use vinegar! This Vinegar-Braised Chicken with Farro and Watercress was a perfect cool night dish. We had made a perfect salad with Burrata and Fresh Tomatoes. I added some Gribness (Fried Chicken Skin) its not healthy but I love it!

Vinegar-Braised Chicken with Farro and Watercress

Dining In

Alison Roman

Serves 4

1      (3ft- to 4-pound) chicken, cut up into pieces, or 2 bone-in breasts and 2 bone-in legs

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1           tablespoon canola oil

1      head of garlic, halved crosswise

1      cup farro or spelt

½     cup white distilled vinegar or white wine vinegar

1      tablespoon yuzu kosho (optional)

4      cups watercress, thick stems removed

do ahead: Chicken can be cooked 2 days ahead and refrigerated. Rewarm over low heat with the lid on, adding a bit of water to the pot to prevent the chicken from drying out.

During the summer of extreme recipe testing for this book, a friend of mine came to visit his brother and newborn nephew in New York. They lived in my neighborhood, and I wanted to send them something as congratulations. During this specific time, my kitchen was producing food at an alarming rate. Roasts and stews, cakes and pies—I had basically turned into the hottest restaurant in Brooklyn that nobody had ever heard of.

For whatever reason, I chose to send my friend off with some chicken so he could bring it to his family. Not a remarkable chicken, either. It's maybe one of the simplest dishes in the whole book: a one-pot meal made from a few humble ingredients, two of which are salt and pepper. I plopped it into a
ziplock bag (I ran out of Tupperwhere) and made him promise he would transfer it back to a pot, a plate, a bowl-literally anything to conceal the fact that I had just gifted his family a chicken in a ziplock bag to welcome their newborn into the world.

want to think he tried to explain the situation ("She ran out of Tupperware!"), but even still, I couldn't help feel a little mortified. He eventually confessed the chicken never made it onto a plate, but if it was any consolation, his mom said, "This chicken-in-a-bag is so good, she should sell it on the street."

1.  Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Sear the chicken (working in batches, if needed), skin-side down, until golden brown on both sides, 10 to 12 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate or cutting board.

2.  Add the garlic and farro to the pot, stirring to coat them in the rendered chicken fat. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the garlic and farro begin to smell toasty, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the vinegar, yuzu kosho (if using), and 4 cups water, scraping up any bits on the bottom of the pan, and bring to a simmer.

3.  Return the chicken to the pot, skin-side up, and cover. Reduce the heat to medium-low and gently simmer until the chicken is practically falling off the bone and the farro is totally cooked through—it should be tender but not mushy—about 90 minutes.

4.  Stir in the watercress before serving.

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Fennel-Rubbed Pork Chops

These were two new dishes for us to make. I liked both of them. How can you resist charred Fennel-Rubbed Pork Chops? The Tomato and Pomegranate Salad was excellent. The salad is very crispy! I like the idea of using Pomegranate seeds in the salad. It gives the salad a whole different dimension. The pan I sautéed the Pork Chop in was a bitch to clean however!

Fennel-Rubbed Pork Chops for Two

Dining In

Alison Roman

Serves 2

1      tablespoon fennel seed

1      tablespoon light brown sugar

2      Teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed

½     teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1      (1-1/2-inch-thick) bone-in pork chop (about 1-1/4 pounds)

1      tablespoon canola oil

1      fennel bulb, sliced lengthwise 1/4 inch thick

½     cup fresh herbs, such as parsley, cilantro, dill, and/or tarragon, tender leaves and stems, coarsely chopped

1      tablespoon finely grated lemon zest

Do Ahead:

The fennel seed mixture can be made 2 weeks ahead and stored at room temperature. It is also great on chicken.

These are thick, fancy, Saturday-night chops, not thin, pedestrian Tuesday-night chops (only in spirit—you can definitely make         them on a Tuesday). The type of pork (for example, Berkshire) will vary regionally, but the thickness here, at least 1-1/2 inches, is nonnegotiable. Larger chops, whether pork or steak, are fattier and richer in flavor than thinner chops and are also nearly impossible to overcook. Even while searing them for what feels like forever, watching the outside develop a too-good-to-be-true deeply golden brown crust, the inside miraculously remains that perfect shade of pink and juicy as hell.

You're not likely to find pork chops like this unless you go to the butcher (or butcher counter) and ask for them, but I have been surprised before. I know, it's an extra step—the butcher! What a hassle. But trust me, it's worth it and what makes these chops so dang special. I suggest going and getting a few and then freezing them for next time.

1.  Toast the fennel seed in a small skillet over medium heat, swirling the skillet, until the seed starts to smell fragrant and turn a light golden brown, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and grind in a spice grinder, pound with a mortar and pestle, or finely chop with a knife.

2.  Combine the fennel seed with the brown sugar, salt, and pepper, and rub the mixture all over the pork chop. Cover and let it sit at east 30 minutes at room temperature or up to 24 hours in the refrigerator.

3.  Heat the canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the pork chop until it’s super browned and caramelized on one side, 5 to 8 minutes. Flip the pork chop and add the sliced fennel to the skillet. Cook, stirring the fennel every so often, until it is tender and golden brown, but try not to disturb the pork chop. Cook until the deepest part of the pork chop registers 145°F on an instant- read thermometer, another 8 to 10 minutes (if you don't have a thermometer, you can cut off an end piece and check for proper pinkness). Transfer the meat to a cutting board and let it rest a few minutes,

4.  Meanwhile, combine the herbs and lemon zest in a small bowl, and season with salt,

5.  Serve the sliced pork alongside the fennel and garlic with the herb mixture sprinkled on top.

Tomato and Pomegranate Salad
Plenty More
Yotam Ottolenghi

I rarely rave about my own recipes, but this is one I can just go on and on about It is the definition of freshness with its sweet-and-sour late-summer flavors, and it is also an utter delight to look at but the most incredible thing about it is that it uses a few ingredients that I have been lovingly cooking with for many years, and believed I knew everything there was to know about yet had never thought of mixing them in such a way. That is, until I traveled to Istanbul and came across a similar combination of fresh tomatoes and pomegranate seeds in a famous local kebab restaurant called Hamdi, right by the Spice Bazaar. It was a proper light-bulb moment when I realized how the two types of sweetness—the sharp, almost bitter sweetness of pomegranate and the savory, sunny sweetness of tomato—can complement each other so gloriously

I use four types of tomato here to make the salad more interesting visually and in flavor. You can easily use fewer, just as long as they are ripe and sweet.

SERVES FOUR

1-1/2  cups red cherry tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch dice

1-1/2  cups yellow cherry tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch/ dice

1-1/2  cups tiger or plum tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch dice

about 1 lb medium slicing tomatoes (about 5), cut into 1/4-inch dice

1 red pepper, cut into 1/4-inch dice (1 cup)

1 small red onion, finely diced (rounded 1/4 cup)

2         cloves garlic, crushed

½        tsp ground allspice

2         tsp white wine vinegar

1-1/2  tbsp pomegranate molasses

¼        cup olive oil, plus extra to finish

1         xlarge pomegranate, seeds removed (1 cup

1         tbsp small oregano leaves salt

1.  Mix together all the tomatoes, the red pepper, and the onion in a large bowl and set aside.

2.  In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic, allspice, vinegar, pomegranate molasses, olive oil, and a scant h teaspoon salt until well combined. Pour this over the tomato mixture and gently mix.

3.  Arrange the tomato mixture and its juices on a large, flat plate. Sprinkle the pomegranate seeds and oregano over the top. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil and serve.