Saturday, June 11, 2011

Salmon en Papillote


It's my single-lady treat when Will's out of town! (He's allergic)

Ingredients (for 2):
2 salmon filets, skin removed, if possible
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 lemon
2 handfuls cherry tomatoes
1 bunch skinny asparagus (or fat asparagus, sliced in half longways)
Flaky salt
Pepper

Directions:
1) Preheat the oven to 425.

2) Lay out two large squares of aluminum foil. Break off the ends of the asparagus where they naturally snap and lay diagonally across the foil.

3) Scatter the tomatoes and sliced garlic on and around the asparagus.

4) Lay the salmon on top, sprinkle with salt and pepper and cover with lemon slices.

5) Fold up the two opposite corners of the foil that are perpendicular to the asparagus-salmon arrangement (you kind of can't fold it the other way). Pinch at the top, then fold and pinch over the foil down along both sides of the triangle so that it's completely sealed. Lay on a baking sheet and cook for 20 minutes, letting it rest for 5 minutes after you take it out.

Like so:

And then dump it on a plate! (Or serve it as-is, and let the eater open it themselves for a fancier presentation)

You might have noticed that this dish has involves no cooking fat! It is extremely healthy-- everything is steamed inside, but it tastes really decadent. The fish is really tender and the lemon, plus the juice from the tomatoes when you stick your fork in them and they burst, really makes for awesome flavor. It's a ritual of mine when Will is out of town to go to the store and go get my single salmon filet and have a little solo omega-3s party. This is really a great thing to make for guests, though, because it's pretty to look at, tasty to eat, and easy to make!

Cold Cucumber Soup



It's the only thing I could bear to make in 90 degree heat with no air-conditioning!

Ingredients:
2 large seedless cucumbers, peeled and diced
1 large onion, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
3 cups plain yogurt
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
One handful of fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped

Directions:
1) Heat the olive oil in a pan, then sautee the onion and garlic until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes

2) Combine the diced cucumber, onion, garlic, yogurt, red pepper flakes and salt either in a large bowl and puree with an immersion blender until smooth. Or, puree in a blender, in batches.

3) Chill, then enjoy!

Ingredients ready to be blended

And, the finished product can be seen up at the top.

This one's easy! If you feel so bold as to abandon the recipe and eyeball the ingredients, or add them to taste, you might win in the end-- my measurements are pret-ty approximate! Before you blend, it might seem like not enough liquid to become a soup, but the cucumbers release a lot of water when they are pureed. I was also very generous with the red pepper flakes, and the soup had quite a bite. If you don't like spicy, dial the pepper back. Lastly, as far as yogurt, something a little tangy is good-- I used a fat-free greek yogurt that wasn't too thick. It'd be crazy good with something a little more fatty, though!

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Slow-Roasted Pulled Pork


Alright, guys. To kick off the revival of KP, I bring you a very, very unkosher meal.

Slow-Roasted Pulled Pork

Ingredients:
1 3-4 lb. pork shoulder (also called "pork butt")
2 cups chicken broth/stock
1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (include the sauce)
2 onions, cut in half
2 cloves of garlic, peeled
A few tbs. ketchup
A few tbs. barbecue sauce
Splash of apple cider vinegar


Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

2) Heat up a large Dutch oven on high heat and add enough vegetable oil to coat the pan.

3) Season the pork generously with salt and pepper, then begin to sear in the pan (a good 4-5 minutes on each side for it to get nice and brown and caramelized).

4) Add to your pot the chicken broth (to deglaze), chipotle peppers, ketchup, and barbecue sauce.** Stir! You want the liquid to go about halfway up the meat, so if you are short on liquid you can add some water or more broth.

5) Nestle the onions and garlic around the pork.

6) Cover the pot and roast in the oven for 2.5 hours, until pork is really tender and pulls apart easily.

**Here's where you can get crazy with it. The idea is getting a really flavorful braising liquid, for this will be your sauce later! So, you can feel free to add any of the following items: beer, mustard, cinnamon, tomato paste, liquid smoke, etc. Get creative!

7) Once your pork is out of the oven and cool enough to handle, pull it apart with your fingers or with 2 forks. Ta-da! Now you have pulled pork.

8) Meanwhile, take a look at all that tasty juice in your pot! Remember that flavorful braising liquid? Well, now it's even MORE delicious because it's infused with pork! And pork fat. In making this recipe for the third time, I think I finally settled on using a fat-separator as the best method for getting some of the fat out of this liquid. Just pour all the liquid into the fat separator, let it sit for a while, and then pour out the lean stuff. Alternatively, you could keep all the liquid in the pot and then skim off the fat when it rises to the top. Either way, I highly recommend straining the fat out, or else you'll have a big gelatinous mess the next day after it's been in the fridge, and it's not really so appetizing.

9) After the liquid has been strained, put it back into the pot and turn up the heat so that the sauce reduces down and thickens. Add your pulled pork to that, and stir. At this point I like to stir in some more barbecue or adobo sauce for flavor.

10) Serve alongside some cornbread with some yummy greens!


Seasoned pork shoulder

Gettin' browned

Everybody in!


I have to apologize for not having a final-product photo. Everything was just so delicious that I forgot to document it! Anyway, this whole pulled-pork shebang is an example of my favorite cooking method for meat: braising. It's all about cooking slowly on low-heat with liquid--and it makes everything tender, juicy, and delicious. I served the pulled pork with cornbread this time around, but the last time I made it I served it as pulled-pork tacos--accompanied with an apple cider vinegar slaw, avocado, cilantro, and lime. Or you could do it as a BBQ sandwich, with grilled corn and potato salad and all those good seasonal trimmings. Oh, summer! You've finally arrived!