May 29, 2012

Basic roasted pork shoulder

Roasted pork shoulder, with a small bite stolen out of sheer lack of self-control

Just a quick post for you today on how to roast a bone-in pork shoulder. This is a wonderful recipe to have in your back pocket. Roasted pork is delish served all by itself served with braised spring vegetables (hint, hint) and potatoes. Or you could enhance it with a simple spice rub or marinade. Roasted pork also provides a great foundation for dishes like pork fried rice, Cuban sandwiches or BBQ pulled pork.

When roasting I prefer the bone-in pork because the bone makes the end product more flavorful and juicy, but you can also prepare this with boneless pork shoulder. Just be sure you cut back on the cooking time.

Simple roasted pork shoulder

    1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
    3 tablespoons chopped garlic
    1 bone-in pork shoulder with the cap left on, 3 1/2 to 4 pounds
    Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method: Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Brush the pork shoulder generously with the garlic oil, and then season well with salt and black pepper. Massage the salt, pepper and garlic into the pork on all sides until well coated.

Set the pork on a rack in a roasting pan, skin side up. (If you don’t have a rack, just place the pork in a large oven-proof pot.) Roast it for about 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 325°F. Note: I like to leave the cap on when I roast pork shoulder. As it roasts, the fat melts down into the meat and does the basting work for you!

Cook for another 3 1/2 to 4 hours, or until an instant-read thermometer reaches 185°F when inserted into the thickest part of the pork.

Remove the pork from the oven and let it rest for 20 minutes, until it’s cool enough to handle. If you’re serving it, pull the meat from the bone, remove any fatty pieces or gristle and slice it.

To shred it, use two forks or your fingers, checking for any gristle as you go. This recipe yields a little less than 2 pounds of meat.

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May 24, 2012

So I bought a pork tenderloin

I bought a pork tenderloin last week without any plan for how I’d prepare it. I don’t usually cook the leaner cuts of pork, much to the detriment of any hypothetical dieting intentions. My preferred cuts are the fattier ones because I think they’re tastier–like shoulder, rib chops and belly. But the tenderloin looked particularly good and the price looked even better so I thought I’d give it a try. Full disclosure: the pork tenderloin purchase also came about because one of my life goals is to butcher a side of pig. But before I can do that, I have to first get comfortable cooking with the whole pig–even the lean parts.

One of your best weapons when it comes to cooking leaner cuts of meat is a good marinade or brine. It injects a little moisture and flavor into the meat, since it can’t rely much on fat to provide juiciness and flavor as it cooks.

Magic sauce

I found this marinade from the infallible Alton Brown. I like the combination of sweet, smoky and acidic flavors. For the tastiest, juiciest results, give the pork at least 6 hours (and up to 24) to bathe in the marinade. You only need half of the marinade for the pork–keep the rest of it for drizzling over the top just before serving.

When cooking any thick piece of meat like this, it’s best to use an instant-read digital thermometer. You’ll know the pork is done once the thermometer reaches 140°F when inserted into the thickest part of the tenderloin. Note: Take the meat off the grill before checking the internal temperature to get the most accurate read.

Grilled pork tenderloin with sweet chipotle lime sauce
Recipe from Alton Brown

    1 whole pork tenderloin, approximately 1 pound
    1 lime, zest finely grated
    1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
    1/4 cup honey
    1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
    1/2 teaspoon pepper
    1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
    2 chipotle chile peppers in adobo sauce, plus 1 tablespoon of the sauce
    1 teaspoon vegetable oil
    2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish

Method: Trim the pork of excess fat and silver skin.

In a bowl, whisk together the lime zest, juice, honey, salt, pepper, garlic powder, chiles and oil. Pour about half of the marinade into a 1-gallon resealable bag. Add the pork, seal the bag, and massage the marinade into the pork.

Put in the refrigerator to marinade for 6-24 hours. Remove the tenderloin from the bag and allow it to sit at room temperature while heating the grill. Remove the reserved marinade from the refrigerator.

Heat the grill to medium heat, and brush it with canola or vegetable oil. Place the pork in the center of the grill and discard the marinade. Close the lid and cook the pork for about 15 minutes, turning every 2 minutes, until the thickest part of the tenderloin reaches 140°F.

Take the tenderloin off the grill, cover with foil and let it rest for 10-15 minutes.

To serve, slice the pork and fan out the slices on a platter. Drizzle the pork with some of the reserved marinade, and sprinkle with chopped cilantro. Serves 4.

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May 21, 2012

Braised spring vegetables

You may have noticed a common theme among my recent recipe posts–vegetables. I promise, I’m not turning the blog into Marge’s Next Vegetarian Meal. It’s too many syllables, for one. And, as my piggy business cards indicate, I love meat far too much. Still I’ll admit, when the first skinny little carrots and asparagus start popping up, I can’t help myself. Spring vegetables are just so petite and vibrantly colored.

So this dish is dedicated to those first sweet, skinny carrots of the season–the ones you don’t even have to peel, just scrub lightly. Here I quickly braised them with fennel, crushed garlic and leeks, then finished the dish with lemon juice and a few fennel fronds. This wonderfully bright side dish is delicious served warm or at room temperature.

Braised spring carrots with fennel and leeks

    2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
    1 pound leeks (white and light green parts only), root ends removed, halved lengthwise, cleaned and sliced
    Salt and pepper, to taste
    2 large cloves garlic, crushed
    1 pound fennel, outer layers removed, cored and sliced
    1 pound carrots, halved or quartered lengthwise if thick, then cut in 2-inch lengths
    1/2 cup water
    Juice of 1 lemon
    2 tablespoons chopped fennel fronds or fresh tarragon, for garnish

Method: In a large skillet or Dutch oven with a fitted lid, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the leeks, salt and pepper, and sauté for 3-4 minutes, until softened.

Add the garlic, fennel, carrots, water and another sprinkling of salt and pepper. Put the lid on, turn the heat up to high and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 8-10 minutes, or until the carrots and fennel become just slightly tender. (Start testing the carrots and fennel after 7 or 8 minutes. The time may differ slightly, depending on how thick you cut your vegetables and how tender you prefer them.) Once done, they should look something like this…

Turn off the heat and add the lemon juice. Check for seasoning and adjust as needed. Plate the vegetables and top with a good drizzle of olive oil and the fennel fronds. Serve warm or at room temperature. Serves 4-6 as a side dish.

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May 14, 2012

A conversation with Mindy Segal

I was thrilled to learn last week that one of Chicago’s own, Mindy Segal, was named Outstanding Pastry Chef by the James Beard Foundation after being nominated six times since 2007. She is the chef and owner of HotChocolate Restaurant & Dessert Bar, which just reopened this week after renovations as Mindy’s Hot Chocolate Craft Food & Drink. Photo (left) from Hot Chocolate’s website.

I interviewed Mindy a few months ago for a story about baking industry innovators in Modern Baking. (Read it here.) Admittedly, I was a little nervous. To me, she’s always been one of those larger-than-life figures in the culinary world–with vibrant dyed red hair, armfuls of tattoos and intensely flavorful, charred food and pastries.

I arrived at the restaurant on a mild January afternoon with that telltale reporter look: clutching my digital recorder and a few copies of the magazine, with the Canon digital camera slung over one shoulder and a large canvas bag over the other that was brimming with notes and PDFs of the menus.

“Excuse me, I’m here for an interview with Chef Segal,” I said. One of the servers directed me to a large booth overlooking the open-concept prep area. Just as I settled into my seat, Mindy burst out of the kitchen in a gray shirt with the sleeves rolled up, black pants and suspenders.

“Hi!” she gushed. “Sorry, it’s been crazy around here, since we’re about to start renovating the restaurant and I’m getting ready to leave for Dubai in a few days.”

“No problem,” I replied, as I fiddled with my recorder and dug out a pen. There are always a few anxious moments at the start of each interview, as you try to gauge what kind of personality your subject has and what they’ll be comfortable talking about.

We eased into the conversation, discussing her upcoming trip to Dubai and her 7-year-old restaurant/dessert bar. I asked her about balancing running a small business while hanging onto her pastry chef roots.

“I’m hardly in the kitchen anymore,” she lamented. “I mean, I’m in there almost everyday, rewriting menus and overseeing everything. I’ve evolved into a business owner, and I’m not so excited about it but it’s what I had to do. I’m 45 and can’t work 14 hours a day on my feet anymore. My life has changed. It was inevitable.”

She took me through a 10-minute slideshow on her iPhone of the different baked products and desserts she was working on, describing the items she was particularly excited about and still tweaking. Huge, pillowy English muffins, golden croissants, strudel and rugelach, oozing Danish and fresh bread wrapped in parchment and tied with twine.

“Send me two or three of those photos,” I said.

Giant English muffins, photo by Mindy Segal

We talked about the oft-misunderstood appeal of a lopsided cookie, a croissant with burnt edges or a pie crust made with bacon fat because goddamnit, that just makes for rustic and delicious pastries.

She described the many steps involved in composing her favorite desserts on the menu–each with its own personality, cultivated through various cooking techniques and careful layering of flavors and textures, like the housemade praline ice cream.

Hot Chocolate procures raw pecans from Three Sisters Garden in Kankakee, Ill. The pecans are boiled, salted, roasted and then cooked in a skillet with sugar and butter to make praline. That same skillet is deglazed with milk and cream; then egg yolks, vanilla and sugar are added to form crème anglaise (also known as ice cream base). Finally, the pecan praline is added to the crème anglaise, and the mixture is chilled. The final product gets plopped on top of Segal’s signature take on Québécoise sugar pie with bacon fat crust.

“When it comes to my food, I have a very quirky sense of humor that most people don’t get, but I do,” she said, wryly. “I do a lot with textures and temperatures. You’ll rarely get a dessert on my menu that’s one texture and one temperature.”

Fresh baked apple strudel, photo by Mindy Segal

We inevitably drifted into nerdy food talk, like the best method for rolling animal fat into flour to make pie crust, since it’s more unruly than cubed butter (chill it first, work quickly). Mindy scolded me for not yet having seen Mostly Martha, a German film about a controlling chef who gains custody of her headstrong niece and learns to lighten up. “It’s in my Netflix queue!” I insisted.

The conversation then strayed to Mindy’s upcoming wedding and all the planning and anxiety involved. Next thing I knew, I was confessing that the emotion of getting married plus the stress of throwing a party for 120 people was so intense that I didn’t shit for an entire week leading up to my own wedding.

I left Hot Chocolate a little before 6 that evening, face flushed from the rush of great conversation and belly full of sugar pie and praline ice cream (two scoops, not one, as she’d demonstrated to one of the pastry chefs as they prepared it for me side by side). I had finished most of the pie, ignoring the fact that I had to go home and prepare Guinness-braised beef for a few friends who were coming over an hour later.

My pre-dinner snack, with two scoops, not one

The next morning at work, I opened my inbox to see the following:

from: Mindy Segal
from: Mindy Segal
from: Mindy Segal
from: Mindy Segal
from: Mindy Segal

Each email contained a handful of photos that she had excitedly shown me on her phone the day before. I smiled, thinking of her trying to narrow down all those photos to just “two or three,” as I’d requested. A nearly impossible task when each was so lovingly created.

I later realized that the nerves I’d felt before interviewing one of my favorite chefs had been pointless. At the end of the day, it wasn’t a chef and a slightly starstruck food writer, it was just a couple of nerds trading stories and gushing over what makes truly great food. All we really want is to share our craft with someone who appreciates it.

Thanks, Mindy, for sharing your beautiful, imaginative food with all of us nerds.

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May 11, 2012

The controversial mushroom

My husband Sean’s out of town this week, which would explain why there are four different types of mushrooms in my refrigerator right now. His aversion to mushrooms started when he was little, and has resulted in a heightened awareness of what I’m cooking if there are mushrooms anywhere in the house. Such diligent kitchen surveillance renders it useless to try sneaking them into otherwise beloved dishes, as I’ve learned the hard way. Read: “Marge, I won’t like them just because there’s beef in there. The texture is so awful.”

So in order to keep fungi-induced quarreling to a minimum, I save my mushroom recipe testing for when Sean is away.

This week, I got excited when I came across a recipe for mushroom ragout from Jacques Pépin’s Essential Pépin. His simple version is made up of mushrooms, corn, tomatoes and chicken broth. I decided I’d tweak it by using a few different mushroom varieties–tender oyster, meaty cremini and toothsome shiitake. Plum tomatoes provided some acidity, and a shower of sage and a drizzle of truffle oil enhanced the earthy richness of the mushrooms, which were quickly braised in butter and chicken broth. A final sprinkling of chives added a grassy hint of onion flavor. The hearty, stony polenta absorbed the juices from the quick ragout and made the dish filling enough for weeknight dinner.

Polenta with mushroom-sage ragout

Polenta

    3 cups water or low-sodium chicken broth
    1 cup quick-cooking polenta (don’t tell the Italian grandmas)
    2 tablespoons butter
    1/3 teaspoon salt
    1/3 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Mushroom ragout

    2 tablespoons butter, divided
    1 tablespoon olive oil
    1 small onion, diced (1 cup)
    8 ounces assorted mushrooms (I used shiitakes, oyster and cremini), cut in 1/2-in. pieces
    1 cup chopped Roma tomatoes (could also use 8 ounces of diced canned tomatoes)
    3 large cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons)
    2 teaspoons minced sage
    1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
    Salt and pepper, to taste
    1/4 cup minced chives, for garnish
    Truffle oil, for drizzling

    For the polenta: Bring the water or broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Sprinkle the cornmeal on top while mixing it in with a whisk, and stir in the butter, salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, then immediately reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid to prevent splattering, and cook gently for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until the polenta is cooked and has the consistency of a creamy purée.

    Set aside, covered. Note: You may need to loosen the polenta later on with a bit more broth or water.

    For the ragout: Heat oil and 1 tablespoon of butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté for 3 minutes.

    Turn the heat up to high, add the mushrooms and sauté for about 5 minutes, until the liquid emerges from them and starts to evaporate.

    Add the garlic, tomatoes, sage, chicken stock, salt and pepper and bring to a strong boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 10-12 minutes.

    Stir in the remaining tablespoon of butter and the chives, reserving a handful for the garnish.

    To serve, spoon some polenta into a shallow bowl, creating a little well in the center. Fill the well with the ragout and pile extra on top, along with a few spoonfuls of the cooking liquid. Drizzle about 1 teaspoon of truffle oil over the top and garnish with a sprinkling of chives. Serves 4 appetizer portions or 2-3 for dinner.

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April 28, 2012

Taking a chance on ramps

The first time I bought ramps was last spring. Before then, I had only known them as a side dish that would show up on restaurant menus in March and April.

I had just been offered a job as an editor at Modern Baking magazine, and I was reeling from the excitement (and the frustration of not being able to publicly celebrate, since I hadn’t yet told my boss). It was one of those chilly yet blindingly sunny early spring days, when it feels as though it must be 30 degrees colder in the shade. Sean was out of town, so I called my friend Katie, told her the good news and asked if she and her boyfriend Paul would like to come for dinner.

“Whatchya makin’, Marge?” she prodded.

“Something with fresh shelled peas!” I cried. I had been thinking about peas all day.

An hour later, I clambered off the bus at Whole Foods and headed straight for the produce department, only to find that there wasn’t a fresh pea in sight. But wedged somewhere between the green onions and radishes was a massive stack of ramps. Not entirely sure what my plan was but feeling up for a challenge, I grabbed two big bunches and headed home. I did a quick online search and found a recipe for ramp pesto. Since I didn’t have any pine nuts or walnuts, I decided I’d change it up a bit. I briefly boiled the ramps and shocked them in ice water to soften them slightly. Then I cooked spaghetti in the same water I’d used for the ramps. I puréed the ramps with olive oil, butter, a little lemon juice, Parmesan cheese and some of the starchy pasta water.

We toasted my new gig and ate the bright, spring-inspired pasta dish in the waning evening light. I was happy I’d taken a chance on ramps that day. And after months of writing articles about marketing campaigns for supermarkets, I was ready to get back into food writing full time.

The next morning, I called my boss and told him I’d accepted a position at a magazine for bakery owners. He was quiet for a minute, and my heart started to race.

“I’m never eating a cupcake again,” he said.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

This ramp pesto recipe is much more of a straightforward pesto than my improvised pasta sauce above. I rough chopped the ramps and ground them in a food processor with toasted pine nuts. I then streamed in olive oil and lemon juice, then seasoned with salty Parmesan, a little salt and lots of black pepper. Some people swear by quickly boiling (or blanching) the ramps first to sustain their vibrant green color and cut a bit of their sharpness, but I think this sauce tastes best when the ramps are left raw. Their mild, slightly grassy onion flavor lends itself well to a pesto-type preparation, and allows you to omit the garlic.

You can certainly switch out the ramps for basil, arugula or roasted bell peppers, but I like to use ramps while they’re in season. Much like dream jobs, ramps are available only briefly before someone else scoops them up.

Ramp pesto

    2 bunches ramps, cleaned, stems trimmed and outer or bruised leaves removed
    1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
    Juice of 1/2 lemon
    1/3 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
    1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
    Salt and pepper, to taste

Method: Roughly chop the ramps. Add them to a food processor along with the pine nuts, and blend on low until they form a coarse purée. You might have to scrape down the sides a few times with a spatula to get everything chopped up.

Add the lemon juice, and with the food processor running on low, slowly stream in the olive oil and blend until it forms a paste.

Remove the blade, and fold in the Parmesan cheese to taste. Add salt, if needed, and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

This recipe makes enough for pesto pasta for 4. You can also fold it into scrambled eggs, drizzle it on grilled meat, fish or vegetables, stir a little into vegetable soup just before serving, or smear it on a sandwich.

To store the pesto, place in an airtight container and drizzle a little olive oil over the top. It should keep for about 1 week.

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April 24, 2012

Welcome back, asparagus!

I have been itching for asparagus risotto ever since I spotted that first bunch of skinny little asparagus at the supermarket a few weeks ago. Rather than simply adding chopped asparagus to my bare-bones risotto recipe, I thought I’d punch up this version with bright, springy flavors like fresh mint, lemon juice and zest. Celery neutralizes the pea-like pungency of the asparagus and freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano adds a rich, salty bite.

When you’re making risotto, it’s important to taste and season the rice throughout the process (after reducing the wine, after the first few additions of stock, after adding vegetables or other extras and after stirring in butter and cheese) to make sure you’re on the right track with seasoning. This is why I nearly always have a burnt tongue by the time I sit down for the final meal.

Asparagus risotto with mint and lemon

    5 cups chicken stock or broth
    1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
    2 tablespoons butter, divided
    1 medium onion, small diced
    2 stalks celery, small diced
    Salt and pepper, to taste
    1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
    1 1/2 cups arborio rice
    3/4 c. dry white wine
    2 cups chopped asparagus, with tips left whole
    1/2 c. Parmesan cheese, grated
    Zest and juice of 1 lemon
    1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped

Method: Pour the chicken stock into a medium saucepan; heat until simmering over medium-high, and then turn down to low to keep warm.

In a heavy-bottom pan or Dutch oven, add the olive oil and half the butter, the onion, celery, salt and pepper and sauté until soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Pour in the rice, and toast it for about 2 minutes, until each kernel has been coated in fat and is slightly translucent.

Add the wine and stir occasionally until the liquid is all but gone. Turn the heat down to medium. Add about 3/4 cup of the warm broth, and stir frequently until most of the liquid is gone.

Repeat this in similar amounts each time, until the rice is cooked to al dente and has achieved a creamy texture. This should take about 20 minutes. When you get to the second to last addition of broth, stir in the chopped asparagus. Check for seasoning, and adjust as needed.

Once the rice has thickened but falls back on itself when you drag a spoon through it (a chef I once interviewed likes to call it “a la onda” or like a wave), turn off the heat. Stir in the rest of the butter, along with a bit of olive oil, the lemon zest and juice, mint, Parmesan cheese and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Check the seasoning and adjust as needed. Plate the rice, and drizzle the top with olive oil. Serves 3-4.

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