My, my, what a lot of meat we’ve been eating lately!  Honestly, we usually don’t eat this much meat, it’s just that the recent dishes that I’ve thought worthy of sharing on here have been meat dishes.

Boeuf Bourgignon is one of those dishes that you [...]]]>

My, my, what a lot of meat we’ve been eating lately!  Honestly, we usually don’t eat this much meat, it’s just that the recent dishes that I’ve thought worthy of sharing on here have been meat dishes.

Boeuf Bourgignon is one of those dishes that you almost HAVE to make as a rite of passage into the cooking world.  Remember all those agonizing scenes from Julie and Julia where Julie Powell makes the stew, twice, both times with rather disastrous results?  Not the fault of the recipe, of course.  But all that has kind of made Boeuf Bourgignon seem kind of difficult.

And, honestly, now that I’ve made a version of it, I can’t see why.  Granted, the original recipe is kind of fussy.  You have to brown everything separately, assemble the stew, strain out the over-cooked vegetables, add fresh veggies and mushrooms (that have also been browned separately), strain the sauce, boil the sauce down, and thicken it with a beurre manie.  Okay, yes, it’s fussy.  I’m too lazy for that kind of recipe.  Maybe I’d do it if the food editor of the New York Times was coming over for dinner, but for a weeknight meal….NAH.

In my version, everything gets down in the same pot.  I personally don’t mind overcooked onions and carrots in my stew, as I feel like they melt into the sauce anyway and you don’t really notice them.  And I dispensed with the need for reducing the sauce by simply not adding that much liquid.  Not too difficult. Oh, and pearl onions? They were 3.99 a pound, and I just used a regular onion. That way I didn’t have to blanch the pearl onions and peel them before adding them to the stew.

Bourgignon-esque Beef Stew
Serves 4

3 slices bacon, diced
1.5-2 pounds stew beef, cut into even chunks
2 heaping tablespoons flour
2 yellow onions, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
10-12 medium cremini mushrooms
1.5 cups Pinot Noir, or other dry red wine
3 cups beef broth
6 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp unsalted butter
Salt and pepper
oil

Preheat oven to 325 F.

Heat a large oven-proof pot on the stove over medium-high heat. Brown the bacon, then remove to a large bowl.

Toss beef chunks with flour until more or less evenly coated. Using the rendered bacon fat, brown the beef in batches, removing them to the same bowl as the bacon.

Add a little oil if needed to the pot, brown the onions and carrots. Remove HALF of the browned vegetables to a separate bowl and set aside for later.

Add bacon and beef back to the pot with the remaining vegetables. Add wine, broth, tomato paste, thyme and bay leaf. Add a generous grinding of pepper. Bring to a simmer.

Cover pot, set in oven and bake for 2 hours.

Meanwhile brown the mushrooms in a separate frying pan until they give up their water.

Remove pot from oven, add mushrooms and remaining browned vegetables. Return to oven for another 30 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

Remove from oven, let cool for 5 minutes, then stir in the butter.  Taste for seasonings, add salt and pepper if needed.

Serve with egg noodles, potatoes, or in our case, the stew was really delicious over spaetzle.

These ribs are delicious.  It’s the recipe my sister bugs my mom to make all the time, the one she misses watching a movie with her friends for.  Pork ribs are braised in dark soy sauce and rock sugar, with a hint of [...]]]>

These ribs are delicious.  It’s the recipe my sister bugs my mom to make all the time, the one she misses watching a movie with her friends for.  Pork ribs are braised in dark soy sauce and rock sugar, with a hint of ginger and garlic, until the meat is tender and practically falling off the bone.  Then the braising liquid is reduced until it forms a glaze, coating the meat with a delicious depth of flavor.

They’re actually really easy to make, with just a handful of ingredients – my favorite kind of recipe.  We made two racks of pork loin back ribs tonight, and between the five of us, demolished the mountain of ribs in no time flat.

I wouldn’t say they’re healthy by any means, but they are pretty darn yummy.  While I was living in China, I heard that these ribs are pretty good made with Coca-Cola.  I haven’t tried that yet, cause Coke kind of scares me, but it sounds interesting.

Mom’s Chinese-Style Sticky Ribs

Dark soy sauce is essential in this recipe – it is less salty, but has a more intense flavor, than regular soy sauce.

2 racks pork loin back ribs
1/4 cup dark soy sauce (must be dark, not regular!)
1/3 cup Chinese rock sugar*
3 cloves whole garlic, peeled
1-inch piece of ginger, sliced
2 tbsp corn oil
water

*can substitute 1/4 cup brown sugar, but this will change the taste

Cut up the racks into individual ribs. Put into a large bowl and pour the dark soy sauce over. Using your hands, mix the soy sauce into the ribs until they are covered. Let marinate at least 1/2 hour (place in refrigerator if marinating longer).

Heat oil in a wok over high heat. When oil is hot, add garlic cloves and ginger slices, and stir around a little bit until aromatic. Sear the ribs in batches until browned on the outsides. Put all the ribs in the wok, arrange them as compactly as possible, and add water just to cover (tops of ribs should be poking out). Add the rock sugar and cover wok.

Reduce heat to medium and simmer, covered, for about 40 minutes.

Uncover wok, turn heat up to high, and let the liquid boil off, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced to a brown glaze and coats the ribs, another 10 minutes or so.

Serve and enjoy!

Last weekend I decided to do a little pre-Thanksgiving test of my new oven, so I thought I’d roast a chicken, just to see how the timing and the temperature of the oven worked.  Surprisingly (it’s just a cheap rental apartment oven) it worked out [...]]]>

Last weekend I decided to do a little pre-Thanksgiving test of my new oven, so I thought I’d roast a chicken, just to see how the timing and the temperature of the oven worked.  Surprisingly (it’s just a cheap rental apartment oven) it worked out pretty well.  The skin was crisp, the thighs were juicy, and the breast wasn’t overdone.  And with a simple preparation of fresh herbs and lemon, the flesh was delicately infused with flavor.  It really didn’t need a gravy, but I made one anyway, and that, with some blanched broccoli tossed with balsamic dressing, was our dinner.

It’s a whole lot easier roasting a chicken in a real oven than it is in a little Chinese toaster oven, which is how I roasted chicken when we lived in China!  And the chickens here are a whole lot plumper and juicier than the bony specimens we had to use there!  I got a natural antibiotic-free chicken from Trader Joe’s, and it was nice and flavorful.  I might make roasting chicken a part of my weekly routine, it’s so easy!  In the time it takes to preheat the oven, you season and stuff the chicken, and after putting it in the oven, you hardly have to think about it, only I bet you will, because the luscious fragrance will permeate your home and set your stomach a-growlin’.

This would easily feed a family of four, with a salad and some garlic bread.  Or, if like us, your family consists of you and your significant other, it stretches over several meals’ worth.  The day after, I pulled the chicken meat off the bones and simmered it with tomato sauce, olives, garlic and red pepper flakes, which I tossed with penne for a hearty meal.  And the rest of the carcass will go towards a big pot of stock.  All this for $6.71!

Recently,  I’ve been reading the Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder.  I had read them as a child, of course, but upon re-reading them, it’s really astonishing the amount of detail she goes into, in describing how they butchered the pig, made cheese, harvested maple sap to make maple sugar.  It’s really quite inspiring to see how those first pioneers made use of literally EVERYTHING available to them.  It makes me want to do the same.  And although I don’t think I’ll ever butcher an entire pig, it makes me feel a little bit like I’m reducing waste by using all of this chicken =p.

Herb and Lemon Roasted Chicken

1 roasting chicken (about 6 pounds)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, basil, oregano, whatever you’ve got)
5-6 sprigs of whole fresh herbs
1 onion, cut into chunks
1 large lemon or 2 small ones, cut into wedges
2 tablespoons melted butter
salt and pepper

1.  Preheat oven to 450 F.  Rinse the chicken and pat dry thoroughly with paper towels.  Season inside of cavity with salt.  Stuff with onion chunks, lemon wedges, and sprigs of fresh herbs.  Place in roasting tray or cast-iron skillet.

2.  Mix chopped herbs with melted butter.  Using a pastry brush, paint herb-butter mixture over chicken.  Sprinkle chicken with salt and fresh black pepper.

3.  Bake chicken at 450F for 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 375F and continue baking for approximately 1 hour 15 minutes.

4.  When done, chicken skin should be browned and crisp, and when a knife is inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, the juices should run clear.  Alternatively, a thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh should read 180F.

You can make a sauce with the pan drippings if you like.  Spoon fat from pan drippings, saving 3 tablespoons and discarding the rest.  In a skillet over medium heat, heat the chicken fat with 3 tbsp of flour to make a roux.  Then add the rest of the pan drippings, a splash of white wine, and 1 cup of chicken broth.  Stir and cook until thickened.  Serve with chicken.

My husband LOVES Mexican food. He grew up in Southern California where you can get a vast array of authentic Mexican or Americanized Mexican food, and he just LOVES it. Whereas me, while I grew up in Toronto where there is a huge [...]]]>

My husband LOVES Mexican food. He grew up in Southern California where you can get a vast array of authentic Mexican or Americanized Mexican food, and he just LOVES it. Whereas me, while I grew up in Toronto where there is a huge variety of ethnic food, there weren’t that many Mexican restaurants around during my formative years. The first time I really had authentic Mexican food was when I arrived in California to meet Chris’ parents for the first time.

Being the loving wife that I am, I had to attempt another Mexican dish for Chris’ birthday, and I have to say, this Chipotle Pork Stew came off beeyoo-tifully. Slowly simmered pork shoulder gets tender and flavorful, with the smoky heat of chipotle chili peppers and deep flavor from being simmered in beer with lots of onions, garlic and spices. I served it on top of lentils and rice that I flavored with chicken stock, more onions, and a bit of Mexican saffron.

Serve it with loads of fresh cilantro and fresh pico de gallo, and this stew feels lighter and even summery. You can shred the leftover pork and serve it in warm corn tortillas the next day for lunch, if there ARE any leftovers!

I have no idea if this is authentic or not, but it was delicious, and that’s good enough for me! Our dinner guests were happy, Chris was happy, and I was happy.

Chipotle Pork Stew
Loosely adapted from Epicurious

3 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, diced (I used red ones)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large ripe tomato, peeled and diced
1 ½ pounds pork shoulder, cut into one-inch cubes
1 can or bottle of beer
1 cup chicken stock
3 potatoes, cut into one-inch pieces
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground chipotle chilies (or more)
2 bay leaves
salt
¼ cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

Over medium heat, heat the olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot. Add the garlic and onions and stir around until slightly translucent. Put the lid on, and sweat the onions for a few minutes until pale golden and aromatic. Lower heat to medium-low, and add the peeled diced tomato. Cook until tomato disintegrates.

Increase heat back to medium. Add the pork and stir until cubes of pork are browned. Add potatoes, beer, and then the chicken stock. Add the cumin, chipotle chili powder, bay leaves, and a pinch of salt. Bring back to a boil. Cover, and lower heat to a simmer.

Simmer approx one hour or more until pork is tender. If sauce isn’t thick enough, simmer with lid off for a few minutes to thicken sauce. Adjust seasonings and serve with rice and lentils and topped with cilantro.

Rice Cooker Rice and Lentils
Don’t forget to soak the lentils before cooking, or they won’t cook at the same rate as the rice.

2 tbsp olive oil
2 cups rice
3/4 cup lentils, rinsed and soaked for 1 hour
½ an onion, diced
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp Mexican saffron
1 cup chicken stock
2 ½ cups water

Put the olive oil, onion and garlic in the rice cooker. Switch to on and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the rest of ingredients and mix thoroughly. Put the cover back on, make sure rice cooker is set to “cook” and let the rice cooker do the rest of the work! When it’s done, stir up the rice and lentils and mix thoroughly to make sure the flavorings are well distributed.

Chris and I were not able to spend Christmas with our families this year, due to the small factor of us being in China, so when Christmas Eve rolled along, we found ourselves planning a special meal for just the two of us. We [...]]]>

Chris and I were not able to spend Christmas with our families this year, due to the small factor of us being in China, so when Christmas Eve rolled along, we found ourselves planning a special meal for just the two of us. We spent the afternoon strolling along Zhongshan Road, the main shopping street, enjoying the Christmas trees and occasionally getting harried by vendors trying to sell watches. We found an excellent grocery store with a lot of good fresh produce (including hand-pulled fresh noodles!), and picked up some duck legs for dinner.

These braised duck legs are oh-so-rich, flavorful, and even though duck legs are inexpensive, they have that “special” factor that makes them worthy of a holiday meal. Keep the browned skins out of the braising liquid and they will crisp up beautifully, while the meat beneath becomes tender and soft. When the duck is done, the braising liquid reduces to a syrupy, sweet and savory wine sauce, with the added tang of dried cranberries.

Serve it with the rest of the bottle of wine you used to braise it in, and use the rendered duck fat to roast potatoes or sweet potatoes. Serve this dish with a green salad or some light vegetable dishes, as a counterpoint to the richness of the duck.

Red-Wine Braised Duck Legs with Cranberries
Adapted from Gourmet 1996

4 whole duck legs, trimmed of excess fat
1 tbsp dried thyme
5 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup dry red wine, plus extra
1 cup dried cranberries (preferably unsweetened)
2-3 cups chicken broth

Preheat oven to 325 F.

Score the skin of the duck legs with a sharp knife (but don’t cut the meat). This will help the fat to render.

In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown the duck legs, skin side down, for 10-15 minutes until skin is crisp and dark-brown. Periodically spoon off the rendered duck fat, using a bulb baster if you have one (if not be careful not to burn yourself). Turn legs over to brown the other side briefly, about 2 minutes.

Fit the duck legs snugly into a baking dish (a 9×9 dish was sufficient for mine) and set aside. Deglaze the skillet with the red wine, scraping up any browned bits, and reduce the wine until thick. Add ½ cup cranberries, the thyme, and garlic. Pour liquid around the duck legs. Add enough broth to cover legs, but leaving skin above braising liquid.

Braise in oven for about 2 hours, until meat is tender. Remove legs to a plate. Strain the liquid into a small saucepan, discarding fruit and herbs. Skim off the fat with a spoon. Add ½ cup dried cranberries and another splash of red wine. Boil until reduced to a syrup and cranberries are softened.

Spoon sauce over duck legs just before serving.

Now, I realize that I don’t have a lot of meat recipes up on this site yet.  Um…like…any.  That’s not because Chris and I are vegetarians.  Oh no, quite the contrary.  While we can appreciate the fact that raising meat creates exponentially more [...]]]>

Now, I realize that I don’t have a lot of meat recipes up on this site yet.  Um…like…any.  That’s not because Chris and I are vegetarians.  Oh no, quite the contrary.  While we can appreciate the fact that raising meat creates exponentially more greenhouse gases, and that North Americans eat way too much meat for their own good, and that a diet based on vegetables, legumes, healthy oils, and fish helps you live the longest (aka the Mediterranean diet)…we couldn’t really envision giving up steak.  Or chicken.  Or bacon.

The reason, plain and simple, is that our freezer is a bit wonky, and only one of the 3 freezer drawers actually freezes (we live in China, friends).  Which makes it a bit complicated to store a lot of meat at once, and I’m generally too lazy to walk to the supermarket every time we want meat for a meal.  When faced with the choice between a walk (that might actually constitute exercise), and well, just using what’s in the crisper drawer…I’ll vote for vegetables every time.  I’m really not too sure how my health account sheet balances on that.

But with the realization that Chris needs protein in his diet to maintain his wonderful muscular figure came the realization that I really ought to cook some meat once in a while so the poor guy doesn’t have to rely solely on peanut butter for his protein fix.

So here we are.  Meat!  Finally!  I actually really like pork tenderloin.  It’s tender and juicy, and here in China, it’s dirt cheap, because China is the land of pork!  And by the way, I should really make this more often, because this dish came together in all of 20 minutes – just the time it took me to slice and season the pork, slice the apples, fry the meat, and sauté the apples.  The pork was juicy, savory, and just slightly spicy, and the sweetness of the apples was the perfect counterpoint.

Pork Tenderloin Medallions with Sautéed Apples

Tenderloins vary in size, so for 4 people, plan to buy about a pound to a pound and a half of pork.  You may have to buy 2 tenderloins.

1 to 1 ½ pounds of pork tenderloin (for 4 people)
½ tbsp mild red curry powder
salt and pepper
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp oil

3 apples (I used Galas, but any cooking apple will do)
¾ cup chicken or vegetable broth
pinch of dried herbs (thyme or rosemary or whatever you like…)

Cut the tenderloins into ¾ inch slices (they will cook quicker this way than if you cut them thicker, but if you like the look of a thicker medallion, go ahead and slice them 1 inch thick).  Season each side with salt and pepper, and rub them with the curry powder.

Peel and thinly slice the apples.  Set aside.

In a skillet, melt the butter with the oil over medium-high heat.  Lay the pork in the skillet and fry about 2 minutes on each side until cooked through, turning once.  The pork should be nicely browned on the outside.  Remove to a plate.

Add the apples to the skillet with the pan drippings.  Sauté until apples are browned, then pour in the broth, scraping up any browned bits.  Stir in the dried herbs and any juices that have accumulated on the plate with the pork.  Turn heat down to medium and boil until sauce is thickened and apples are tender, about 3-4 minutes.

Divide among plates and serve.