YumSugar

Sunday Slow Cooker: Pork and Slaw Barbecue Rolls

YumSugar — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 06:00:25 -0800

Tonight I'm forgoing my usual soups, stews, and chowders for a relaxed Southern favorite: barbecue. This morning I'll literally be dropping my pork into the slow cooker, pouring in a few basic ingredients, and in six hours, the sweet aroma of North Carolina-style pulled pork will be wafting out of my kitchen. The fall-apart tender finished product, with its intensely tangy sauce, will no doubt become a family favorite. To get the recipe, read more.

Pork and Slaw Barbecue Rolls
From Better Homes and Gardens

Ingredients

Coleslaw
3/4 cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
16 kaiser rolls, split and toasted
1 4-5 lb. pork shoulder roast/shoulder blade Boston roast (Boston butt)

Directions

Place meat in a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker. In a small bowl combine vinegar, brown sugar, salt, red pepper, and black pepper. Pour over meat.
Cover; cook on low-heat setting for 10 to 12 hours or on high-heat setting for 5 to 6 hours.
Transfer meat to a cutting board; reserve cooking juices. When cool enough to handle, cut meat off bones and coarsely chop.
In a medium bowl combine meat and as much of the juices as desired to moisten. Arrange meat on roll bottoms. Add roll tops. Serve with coleslaw.

Makes 16 servings.

Nutritional Information: Calories 272, Total Fat (g) 6, Cholesterol (mg) 41, Sodium (mg) 563, Carbohydrate (g) 34, Total Sugar (g) 3, Fiber (g) 1, Protein (g) 18, Vitamin C (DV%) 3, Calcium (DV%) 6, Iron (DV%) 16

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What's Cooking at Slashfood

YumSugar — Thu, 14 May 2009 06:50:21 -0700

We love Slashfood so much that every Thursday we round up their most delicious stories. Here are this week's finds:

Four tips for turning out succulent chicken, cooked to perfection.
A primer on selecting distinctive, affordable South African wines.
Take the time to make pernil, or Puerto Rican-style pork shoulder.
Rhubarb isn't only for pies; it's also perfect for Summer imbibing.
Employ a basic dressing technique to highlight the flavor of Spring vegetables.
Somer Perez, mixologist for Manhattan's Elizabeth, shares her secrets for incorporating agave into cocktails.

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Celebrity Chefs Share Recession Tips With Oprah

partysugar — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 11:30:08 -0700

Yesterday celebrity chefs Tyler Florence, Cat Cora, and Curtis Stone made an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show. The chefs shared recipes and tips on how to cook more affordably during the recession. They also went into the kitchen of viewers to perform culinary interventions. Stone helped a couple cut their takeout budget by learning to cook, Cora taught a family how to use fresh ingredients to make healthy dishes, and Florence showed a mom the best way to feed her children. The chefs provided some great suggestions on how to save money when grocery shopping. For their ideas, read more.

Use a lesser cut of meat. A whole chicken is cheaper than chicken breasts. Opt for pork shoulder instead of pork tenderloin.
Use a slow cooker. They're ideal for turning lesser cuts of meat into fantastic dinners.
Purchase a whole block of cheese and grate it yourself. In the end its cheaper than buying the pregrated bags.
Be smart at the meat counter. According to Stone, steaks that are nearing their sell-by date are usually marked down.
Select cheaper fish. Skip salmon and choose tilapia.
Always shop with a list. Cora says that people spend 50 percent more if they don't have a list.
Buy only what you need. If you want three bananas, break off three from the bunch.
Plan meals that share ingredients.

How do you save when at the supermarket? Please share your helpful hints below!

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YumSugar's Top 10 Things Found in Aspen

YumSugar — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 10:15:15 -0700

During the three days PartySugar and I spent at this year's Food and Wine Classic, we came across a lot of amazing and tasty things. From pork to peas, we were treated to some of the best food from some of the most amazing chefs on the planet. It was a difficult task, but I've rounded up my top 10 favorite things. Read them below and then be sure to click through for all the pictures.

David Chang's Pork Party (specifically the pork buns)
We were lucky enough to attend the David Chang and friends after-party on Saturday night. The highlight was chowing down on his pork buns and wraps, and then learning that there was also crab and whole roasted piglets.
Ming Tsai with tofu on his face
During his cooking demonstration, Ming got a piece of tofu on his face. When he looked at the mirror (which was facing the crowd) he said, "I can't see it, all I see is white people."
Jose Andres cooking with his 9-year-old daughter Carlota
He has such a great personality and is so much fun to watch. Having his daughter help on stage made it even more fun.
Jeremy Fox's Best New Chef dish
I was a bit dubious about the Best New Chef's pea, mint, white chocolate, and macadamia nut concoction, but it was so delicious! I couldn't stop eating them, PartySugar practically had to pull me away from the the table.

To discover what else made my list, plus a gallery of images, just read more.

The gorgeous weather and scenery
I had never been to Aspen before, and what you hear is true. It is absolutely gorgeous there.
The Puerto Rican pig party during the tasting
On the last day of the event, the Puerto Rico booth celebrated by bringing in an entire pig on a spit. They also brought their own traditional band, creating a dance party right in the center of the tent.
Laura Werlin's Raw Cheese class
I had the opportunity to take a class with cheese guru Laura Werlin. At 11 a.m. I already had eight amazing cheeses and three glasses of wine.
Talking to Wylie Dufresne about pork
At the David Chang party, Chef Dufresne was serving up roasted pork. I wanted to shake his hand, but it was dripping with pork fat.
The banter between Tom and Padma
Tom and Padma held a cooking demonstration where they each cooked dishes, and bickered like old pals. At one point Padma even referred to Tom as her TV husband.
Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto walking around with a humongous fish slung over his shoulder.
The picture pretty much says it all.

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Monday's Leftovers: Carnitas

YumSugar — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 06:45:55 -0800

For a low-budget weeknight meal, opt for leftover pork shoulder, an inexpensive and forgiving cut of meat.

Pork shoulder, while very recession-friendly, typically cooks for hours, but this recipe for tender, marbleized Mexican-style carnitas can be made within an hour and a half.

Find out how when you read more.

Carnitas
From Martha Stewart

Ingredients

6 pounds pork shoulder (butt or picnic roast), bone removed, meat cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons coarse salt
2 1/2 cups water
Flour or corn tortillas, for serving
2 cups refried beans, warmed, optional for serving
1 lime, cut into 6 wedges
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup salsa
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and sliced

Directions

Place cubed pork, salt, and water in a deep, straight-sided 14-inch skillet. (Water should barely cover pork.) Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer gently, stirring and skimming foam from the surface occasionally, until water has evaporated completely, 55 to 60 minutes.
Once water has evaporated, pork will begin to brown in its own fat. Cook on all sides, using a spatula to turn cubes and scrape up crisp bits from the skillet, until browned and tender, about 15 minutes. Pork can be refrigerated for up to 1 day. Reheat in a skillet over low heat.
Warm the tortillas. Spread some of the beans on each tortilla and top with some of the pork. Squeeze a wedge of lime over each tortilla. Add the cilantro, onion, salsa, and avocado.

Serves 8.

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'Wich of the Week: Pulled Pork Sandwich

YumSugar — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 12:15:51 -0800

Unlike my past 'Wich of the Week recipes, this sandwich depends not on a perfect blend of flavors or expert construction, but on a single, superb ingredient served without flourish. In this case, it's pulled pork, and not just any pulled pork - this recipe comes from renowned chef Michael Mina, and it's mouth-wateringly good.

The pork is incredibly easy to make: You just coat a pork shoulder with Mina's special rub and slow-cook it for about five hours. It will be so tender when it's done that you barely need to make an effort to shred it, and the pork is moist and flavorful enough that you can skip the barbecue sauce. I served mine on basic white dinner rolls and added some homemade coleslaw for an extra kick. To find out how to make it, read more.

Michael Mina's Pulled Pork Sandwich
From Esquire

Serves: 6 to 8
Prep time: 5 minutes
Seasoning time: at least 1 hour
Cooking time: 5 1/2 hours

1/4 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed
2 tbsp kosher or coarse salt
2 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp ground black pepper
1/2 tbsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp dry mustard (found in spice section)
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 boneless pork butt, about 3 pounds
1 1/2 cups apple juice
1/2 cup water
1 package plain soft white rolls or other bread

Tip: You can buy bone-in or boneless pork butts. Both have their benefits: Cooking bone-in will contribute some flavor (and increase the cooking time slightly). But if you have your butcher take out the bone, you can rub the spice mix into the incisions where the bone was removed - a great way to get the flavor deep inside the meat.

To make: Mix brown sugar and dry spices together in a small bowl. Rub all over pork, cover, and let sit in the refrigerator for as long as you have time for (as little as 1 hour or up to overnight). Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Lay pork on a rack insert fitted inside a roasting pan. (The rack should be high enough so the entire spiced butt is sitting above the cooking liquid.) Pour in apple juice and water, cover pan tightly with foil, and slow roast for five hours. Remove foil and cook for another 30 minutes, until pork is brown outside and meat is very tender, basically falling apart.

Remove from oven, transfer to large platter, and allow meat to rest for about 10 minutes. While still warm, shred pork into small pieces using 2 forks or 10 fingers. Transfer to bowl for serving, or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. To reheat, just transfer to shallow baking dish, bring to room temperature, and place in preheated 350 degree oven for 15 minutes.

To serve: Sandwich between rolls and partner with classic barbecue side dishes like bourbon-baked beans or jalapeno creamed corn. Esquire's note: We ended up with six sandwiches.

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Would You Eat This Rabbit Sausage?

YumSugar — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 05:30:20 -0800

According to New York blog Gothamist, Williamsburg newcomer and butcher shop Marlow and Daughters is testing out this rabbit sausage just in time for the holidays. "It's an interesting thing and I'm kind of proud of it, especially because it was a big pain in the ass," said butcher Tom Mylan. "Deboning rabbits is very tedious. It's like deboning kittens."

To make the sausage, Mylan uses the belly, shoulder, and loin of the rabbits, which come from Quebec. He grinds them with cured pork belly, and whips in aromatics and cream-soaked bread. What do you think? Are you interested in trying this special sausage?

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Exercise in Excess: The French Laundry Part 2

YumSugar — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 08:01:18 -0700

Yesterday I walked you through the first part of my extravagant time at the French Laundry, and while everything I posted was definitely tasty, you guys haven't even seen the meat of the story (bad pun intended). Today I'll take you from fish course to beef and all the lovely bits in-between.

After the foie gras, the next course was either Filet of American Red Snapper with Summer Squash, San Marzano Tomato "Fondue," Cuttlefish and Arugula-Castelvetrano Olive Pudding (shown right) or Spanish Mackerel "En Escabeche" with Hawaiian Hearts of Peach Palm, English Cucumbers, Cilantro Shoots, Haas Avocado "Coulis" and Rangpur Lime "Gastrique" (shown above). I ordered the snapper, while Jimmy ordered the mackerel. When our dishes arrived I was envious of his dish - the presentation was so gorgeous - however after tasting both of them, his fell a little flat and I was certain I picked the winning dish.

To see what's up next (and believe me, the best parts are next),read more

Once the fish was devoured, they presented us with a selection of fresh baked breads. There were some delicious choices, but my favorite was definitely the pretzel bread. [Note to self: get recipe for pretzel bread.]

With the bread out of the way, we moved on to the lobster course, or as the menu said: Lobster Tail "Pochée Au Beurre Doux" with Caramelized Cipollini Onions, Oregon Hazelnuts, Sunchoke Purée and Valrhona Chocolate-Coffee Emulsion. I believe this was my favorite part of the meal, as it was perfectly cooked and paired well with the sauce. Also, whenever anyone asks how my experience was, I immediately tell them about the lobster, so this must've been my favorite part.

After the lobster it was time for either All-Day Braised Kurobuta Pork Belly with Brentwood Corn, Applewood Smoked Bacon, Piquillo Peppers, Fava Beans and "Pimenton Jus" (shown right) or Devil's Gulch Ranch Rabbit Shoulder "Farci Au Ris De Veau" with Jacobsen's Farm La Ratte Potatoes, Lovage, Celery Branch and Apricot Mustard (aka fancy pants rabbit lollipop that my fellow diners wished they ordered instead).

Finally, rounding out the main course, and pushing out my waistline, was the "Chateaubriand" of Nature-Fed Veal with Morel Mushrooms, Green Asparagus, Veal Cheek "Pierogi" and Madeira Sauce. This might actually have been the highlight of the feast. However, at this point I had way too many glasses of wine and far too much brioche to fully enjoy it. In fact, I'm ashamed to say, I actually had to GIVE 1/3 of it to my fellow diners. I also couldn't down all the pierogi, which was a crying shame because they were delicious.

Now wipe up your drool, because after a little breather (seriously, I had to get up for a minute and catch my breath and appetite), we'll hit the cheese & dessert courses tomorrow - so be sure to come back!