Pork Belly on Steamed Buns with Gojujang Sauce and Pickled Cucumbers

If you haven't eaten all of your pork belly yet and haven't grown weary of my pig jokes...I know, I'm asking a lot.  I have another recipe for you.  Pork Belly on Steamed Buns with Gojujang Sauce and Pickled Cucumbers.  What is gogjujang you may ask?  It is a fermented red pepper paste from Korea.  It's a little spicy plus sweet and smoky and I can't get enough of it lately. 

 Now, here's the thing.  You'll probably only find gojujang at an Asian grocery store or I'm sure you could order it online.  Once you've acquired it, make this sauce below.  Make it a lot.  Use it for these pork belly buns and then make more and toss it with noodles. Bake or fry some chicken and slather it with this sauce. Use it as a dip for egg rolls or dumplings. Add it to your scrambled eggs.  You get the idea.

There are many recipes out there to make your own steamed buns but I bought mine at the Asian market in the freezer section and thawed, then steamed them in a bamboo steamer.  And although the package says you can microwave them instead, don't.  Trust me, they are not good.

The final element, the quick pickled cucumbers add the acid and crunch that the pork belly needs.  And these are so dead simple, they'd make a great side dish at any meal. 

 Here's a thought.  Serve these Pork Belly Buns at your Super Bowl party.  People may miss some of the game when they take a bite and their eyes roll back in their heads.  But that's a risk you'll have to take.  And let's face it, they could get buffalo wings and sliders anywhere.

Pork Belly on Steamed Buns with Gojujang Sauce and Pickled Cucumbers

1. Take pork belly slices out of refrigerator and let come to room temperature.  Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat.  Warm pork belly slices in the heated pan starting with fat side down first.  Then turn to warm sides of pork belly, 2-3 minutes.  Do not cook the belly, just warm it.

2. Fill wok with an inch of water and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer.  Set bamboo steamer over wok.  Line steamer with a piece of wax paper and fill with steamed buns.  Do not let them touch each other.  Put lid on steamer and steam for 10-15 minutes.

3.  Slice open steamed buns down the center of the top of the bun, rather than on the side of the bun.  Fill with warmed pork belly, gojujang sauce and pickled cucumbers.  Serve immediately.

Slow-Cooked Pork Belly
Recipe here

Gojujang Sauce
5 cloves of garlic
1 1-1/2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
3T gojujang paste (Korean red pepper paste)
1T honey
3T soy sauce
1 1/2T rice vinegar
1T sesame oil

In a food processor chop garlic and ginger.  My tip: Turn the food processor on and then drop the garlic and ginger down the feed tube and watch the magic happen.  Add gojujang, honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar and sesame oil and whiz until combined.

  
Pickled Cucumbers
2 small Kirby or baby seedless cucumbers, slice 1/8 inch thick
1T sugar
3/4T kosher salt
2T rice vinegar

Combine sliced cucumbers, sugar and salt in a bowl.  Mix and let sit for 5-10 minutes.  Rinse salt and sugar off cucumber and pat dry.  Add rice vinegar and serve immediately or keep refrigerated for up to 4 hours.

Slow Cooked Pork Belly Part 1

 Pork belly.  It's cheap, it requires almost no supervision and the result is luscious and porky and versatile.  You'll need to plan ahead with this recipe as you need an overnight cure in the refrigerator, 5-6 hours of cooking time and then overnight again in the refrigerator.  But really, the prep and cooking of it is very hands off.  You could even go see a movie or two while it's transforming itself in your oven.  Insert Public Service Announcement here: Just don't go see Black Swan or 127 Hours before you come home and try to eat. You're welcome.

I bought this pork belly at a local Asian market.  I looked for the thickest piece they had with a nice layer of fat on top.  If yours comes with the skin on (which mine did), just get it really cold and then slice that tough layer of skin off, leaving as much fat behind as you can. 

 Here's a fun fact I learned from Chef David Chang: save the cooking liquid that's left in the pan after cooking the pork belly.  Refrigerate it and then take off the solid layer of fat that rises to the top.  Use that as a flavorful cooking fat (like bacon grease or duck fat).  What's left at the bottom is liquid gold known as "pork jelly" that can be added to soups and sauces to really beef up, or should I say, pork up the flavor.

Your new BFF, pork jelly.

Once you cook the pork belly, you will cover it and compress it with a weighted pan in the refrigerator overnight.  This will compress the meat and melting fat into one compact bite full of flavor.  After that, go hog wild!  My pork jokes are killing you, huh?

See this is why I couldn't work out this day.  Really.  I felt like such an oinker.

Once you've cooked the pork, I suggest one preparation below Part 1-Maple Glazed Pork Belly.  Part 2 will be Steamed Buns with Pork Belly...coming soon.  Because the pork belly is so rich, a little goes a long way and you may want to serve something acidic, bright and crunchy with it to balance the richness.  Try not to pig out!  Gotcha again.

Pork cubes, awaiting their maple bath.

 Slow-Cooked Pork Belly
 
2.5 to 3 pound slab of pork belly
1/4c brown sugar
1/4 cup kosher salt
3 sprigs of rosemary
3 sprigs of thyme, leaves stripped off

Pork Belly Cubes with Maple Glaze
Slow-Cooked Pork Belly 
3T maple syrup

1. If skin is still on pork belly, refrigerate until very cold.  With a sharp knife, slice the skin off of the pork belly, keeping as much of the fat intact.

2. Mix brown sugar, kosher salt and thyme leaves together and rub over all sides of the pork belly.  Place pork in a pyrex or roasting pan that is about the same size as the slab of pork belly.  You do not want a lot of room around the meat, you want a close fit.  Tuck the sprigs of rosemary underneath, on top and around belly.  Wrap in pan in plastic and refrigerate for 6-24 hours.

3. Preheat oven to 250 F.  Remove meat from refrigerator.  Unwrap pork belly, rinse or brush off salt and sugar cure and place back in your pan.  Do not dump out whatever liquid has accumulated during your cure. Note: I did not rinse or brush off my salt and sugar and my pork belly was somewhat salty.  I was ok with it but you may want to brush or rinse it off depending on your salt tolerance.

4.  Cook in oven, uncovered for 5-6 hours.  You can baste it occasionally with the liquid in the bottom of the pan if you'd like.  After 5 hours, test with a fork.  It should be very tender.  Not falling apart but you could cut it with a fork. 

5.  Once out of the oven, let cool in same roasting pan then cover dish with plastic wrap.   Put a pan on top (I used a loaf pan) and weight it down.  Literally.  I used a 10 lb. hand weight.  Refrigerate overnight.  You are trying to compress the pork belly. 

6.  Remove from refrigerator and slice while cold.  I cut half into large 2 x 2 inch cubes and sliced the rest. 

7.  Return the slices to the refrigerator for our upcoming pork buns recipe.  Let the cubes come to room temp.  Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat. 

8.  Brush the top of the pork belly cubes (the fat portion) with maple syrup and put them fat side down in the heated pan for 1-2 minutes. Next turn cubes on all 4 sides to warm them briefly. You are not trying to cook the belly further, just warm it.  Serve at once. 

5 Minute Huevos Rancheros

 Our public school has been closed for tomorrow based on impending weather reports.  Not a flake in the sky yet and we have a snow day.  Yipee!!!!!  That means my kids do not have to perform their superstitious please-let-there-be-a-snow-day-tomorrow rituals of: wearing pajamas backwards, putting a spoon under the pillow, a penny on the window sill and flushing an ice cube down the toilet.  And no, I am not kidding.

What better time to sleep in, raid your pantry (cause you are not driving to the store in that snow) and have a lazy breakfast?  This breakfast is for the truly lazy.  It will take you about 5 minutes to make.  I never get tired of eggs for breakfast: poached, scrambled, soft-boiled, fried, etc.  But if you are a little sick of the old standby egg preparations, try this.  This is another "no-recipe recipe".  I did not have any beans on hand but if you have any black or refried beans, throw them into the mix.  Sop up the runny egg and sauce with soft tortillas or crusty bread or sprinkle some tortilla chips on top.

I may or may not have eaten these right out of the pan.  We don't need no stinkin' plates.

Gratuitous runny yolk shot.

5 Minute Huevos Rancheros
Serves 1-2

1/2 cup canned diced tomatoes in juice
3T of your favorite salsa
1 or 2 eggs
shredded cheese
cilantro
soft tortillas or tortilla chips

Heat tomatoes and salsa in a small skillet until bubbling.  Crack your eggs and nestle them into the sauce.  Let the eggs cook, basting the tops with the tomato salsa until  the yolks are done to your liking.  Top with shredded cheese and cilantro.  Serve with beans, rice, tortillas or toasted bread. 

Kitchen Sink Skillet Cookie

Remember those giant chocolate chip cookies you could get at the mall for a birthday or party?  Are those places still open or did they go the way of Orange Julius?  I always wanted one of those.  I thought of them the other day when I got a request for chocolate chip cookies but I wanted to shake it up a bit.  I mixed up my dough with anything I could find in the pantry and plopped it into a 10-inch cast iron skillet. 

I call these Kitchen Sink cookies because you can use up any leftover ingredients you may have on hand in them.  I used coffee grounds, chocolate and butterscotch chips and if I'd had any leftover pretzels or potato chips I would have crushed those and dropped them in too.  Below is what I used, but feel free to play with the recipe, just don't exceed 1 1/2 cups for your mix-ins.  If your skillet is well-seasoned, the baked cookie will easily come out when you flip it.  If not, cut and serve right from the pan. Slice it into wedges and serve alone or warmed with ice cream.

Kitchen Sink Skillet Cookie
Serves 16
 
2 cups of flour
1 egg
3/4 c butter at room temperature
3/4 c brown sugar
1/2 c sugar
1 t baking soda
3/4 t salt
2 t vanilla
1/4 c butterscotch chips
1/2 c Guittard semi-sweet chocolate super cookie chips
1/4 c semi-sweet chocolate chips
3T coffee grounds

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.  In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda and salt together.

2.  Combine butter and sugars with mixer.  When well mixed, add egg and vanilla. Once egg and vanilla are incorporated, add dry ingredients and mix just until flour disappears.

3.  Gently incorporate your mix-ins (chips, chocolate, coffee grounds, nuts, etc.) Bake in a 10-inch cast iron or oven safe skillet for 40 min.  Let cool completely before cutting or turning out of pan.

Garlic Soup

Don't be afraid of Garlic Soup.  This is a traditional Castilian soup, the Spanish version of matzoh ball or Grandma's chicken soup.  Despite garlic being a main ingredient, it is really mellow and comforting. The flavor of the paprika shines through so use a good Spanish paprika.  Plus, if what they say is true about garlic being a good fighter of colds and viruses, you're in business.  Not to mention warding off the neighborhood vampires.

Sopa de Ajo or Garlic Soup
Makes 6 cups

3 T olive oil
6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 T white wine
1/2 T sweet paprika (Spanish paprika, por favor-pimenton de la vera )
2 cups rustic bread torn into small pieces (toasted or not?)
4 cups chicken stock
2 eggs, beaten

1. Heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a large saucepan.  Add the garlic and gently saute until light golden brown, about a minute.  You don't want to burn the garlic so watch it carefully.
2. Add the wine and cook another 45 seconds.  Then add your paprika and cook for a minute more.
3.  Add the chicken stock and bread and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, turn down to a simmer.  Simmer for 8-10 minutes.
4.  Add the eggs and gently fold them in to the soup.  They will form longs strands (like in an egg drop soup).  Simmer gently for 2 more minutes.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Roasted Eggplant with Saffron Yogurt

The tree is laying sadly out by the curb and the Christmas decorations have been put away.  Spring is a long way off. The gym parking lot is filled with those "resolutioners" who will be gone by March but will take all my parking spots in the meantime.  It's a good thing I'm not bitter. 

I need a little ray of sunshine which I found in eggplant, pomegranates and saffron and yogurt.  The dish is beautifully balanced with the smoky eggplant, peppery arugula, the acidic lemony yogurt plus you get the pop of the pomegranate seeds and the crunch of pine nuts.  Served with roasted potatoes, it makes a great meatless meal.

This recipe is adapted from Ottolenghi The Cookbook which is filled with gorgeousness.  If you are of the vegetarian persuasion or just want to feel exotic AND healthy, give this cookbook a whirl.  In the meantime, I've converted the recipe from grams and Celsius to US measurements. For my method of seeding a pomegranate without making your kitchen look like a crime scene, click here.

Roasted Eggplant with Saffron Yogurt
Adapted from Ottolenghi The Cookbook
Serves 4

2 medium eggplants
2T olive oil plus more for roasting eggplant
6 oz. non-fat Greek yogurt
2T Meyer lemon (regular lemon is fine too)
1 garlic clove, crushed
small pinch of saffron threads
3T very hot water
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
4 cups arugula
3T pine nuts
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

1. Preheat oven to 425 F.  Cut eggplant into 3/4 inch slices.  Brush both sides with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt.  Roast on a baking sheet for 20 minutes then turn over slices and bake for another 10-15 minutes until golden brown.  Set aside and let cool.
2. Crush the saffron threads and combine with 3T of very hot water.  Let sit for 5 minutes.
3. In a small bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, 2T of olive oil, garlic and a generous pinch of kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.  Add the saffron liquid, first straining the threads out of it and whisk all ingredients together.
4.  Plate a few slices of eggplant with the arugula, pine nuts and pomegranate seeds.  Drizzle with the saffron yogurt.

Note: Eggplant can be roasted up to 3 days ahead.  Let it come to room temperature before composing salad. 

Goodwill Towards Men

My munchkins slept in until almost 10:30a.m. today.  Whoa. So far this 2011 thing is working out quite nicely.

As you all go forth into the new year and be the wonderful people that you are...I have something to start you off on the right foot.  It's a website called: www.mealtrain.com

It's a way for a group to organize meals for families/people in need.  If you know someone who has suffered a loss, has an illness, is recovering from surgery, has a new baby, etc. this is a great tool.  Friends can log on and choose a date to deliver a meal and give details of what they'll be delivering. It will email a reminder of when and what you've signed up for.  The recipients can also list their dietary restrictions, likes and dislikes.  It is a fabulous organizational tool for helping your neighbors.  And I know you're the kind of people who do that.

Here are some ideas that make great "deliver and reheat" meals for such occasions.

Italian Easter Pie
One Pan Sausage and Chicken Bake
Pasta e Fagioli Soup

And one final idea, breakfast for dinner.  Deliver this Baked French Toast with some roasted potatoes and grilled sausages.  Kids and kids at heart will love it.  Now go forward and do good things.

Note: This is a Paula Deen recipe so fair warning-it's delicious but healthy? Not so much.  You could make this without the praline topping and substitute fresh fruit or a fruit compote on top.  Alternatively, make half the amount of praline topping to sprinkle on top.  Or just make it as is and live a little.

Baked French Toast w/Praline Topping

Serves 10 

From Paula Deen, Paula’s Home Cooking

1 loaf French bread (13 to 16 ounces)
8 large eggs
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Dash salt
Praline Topping (recipe follows)
Maple syrup

Praline Topping:
1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and blend well.

1. Slice French bread into about 20 slices, 1-inch each.  Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9 by 13-inch flat baking dish in 2 rows, overlapping the slices. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and whisk until blended but not too bubbly. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight. You can deliver it with cooking instructions below or continue to cook it yourself.

2.The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread Praline Topping evenly over the bread and bake for 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. Drizzle with maple syrup.