dinnertime

[dinnertime]

Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork)

Ingredients

3 pounds boneless pork shoulder/pork butt (select a piece with some good fat on it)

¼ cup granulated white sugar

2 teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon five spice powder

¼ teaspoon pepper

½ teaspoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon rice wine

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon hoisin sauce

2 teaspoons molasses

1/8 teaspoon red food coloring (optional)

3 cloves finely minced garlic

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon hot water

Instructions

Cut the pork into long strips or chunks about 3 inches thick. Don’t trim any excess fat, as it will render off and add flavor.

Combine the sugar, salt, five spice powder, pepper, sesame oil, wine, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, molasses, food coloring (if using), and garlic in a bowl to make the marinade (i.e. the BBQ sauce).

Reserve about 2 tablespoons of marinade and set it aside. Rub the pork with the rest of the marinade in a large bowl or baking dish. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or at least 8 hours. Cover and store the reserved marinade in the fridge as well.

Preheat your oven to the highest setting (475-550 degrees) with a rack positioned in the upper third of the oven. It’s amazing how oven temperatures vary so be sure to check your char siu after the first few minutes of roasting and adjust your oven temperature accordingly.

Line a sheet pan with foil and place a metal rack on top. Using the metal rack keeps the pork off of the pan and allows it to roast more evenly, like it does in commercial ovens described above. Place the pork on the rack, leaving as much space as possible between pieces. Pour 1 ½ cups water into the pan below the rack. This prevents any drippings from burning or smoking.

Transfer the pork to your preheated oven and roast for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, flip the pork. If the bottom of the pan is dry, add another cup of water. Turn the pan 180 degrees to ensure even roasting. Roast another 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the reserved marinade with the maltose or honey (maltose is very viscous––you can heat it up in the microwave to make it easier to work with) and 1 tablespoon hot water. This will be the sauce you’ll use for basting the pork.

After 40 minutes of total roasting time, baste the pork, flip it, and baste the other side as well. Roast for a final 10 minutes.

By now, the pork has cooked for 50 minutes total. It should be cooked through and caramelized on top. If it’s not caramelized to your liking, you can turn the broiler on for a couple minutes to crisp the outside and add some color/flavor. Be sure not to walk away during this process, since the sweet char siu BBQ sauce can burn if left unattended.

Remove from the oven and baste with the last bit of reserved BBQ sauce. Let the meat rest for 10 minutes before slicing, and enjoy!

thewoksoflife.com

[dinnertime]

I sincerely doubt it.

I’ve not used the delay start on mine but veggie stock seems like the ideal thing to test that on.

if i put frozen veggie scraps in this instant pot on delay start on the soup/broth setting and then leave for a party will my house blow up 🤔

[dinnertime]

My favorite food in the world is something called Papa a la Huancaina.

It’s this yellow sauce that you put over potatoes, eggs and lettuce. It’s usually really spicy, but it’s also really cheesy so they complement each other. You’re supposed to eat it with your lettuce and potatoes but if you’re 4 year old me, you grab the biggest potato you can find and dip it in the bowl.

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[dinnertime]

Mozzarella Stuffed Rosemary and Parmesan Soft Pretzels

[dinnertime]

[dinnertime]

My perfect mashed potatoes

The secret is in the water; literally, it’s IN the water.

See, when you boil potatoes, a lot of special starches and sugars and stuff leeches out into the water. When you drain the water before mashing them, you throw away a lot of good stuff, which is a big part of what makes mashed potatoes “dry” and bland, even when you add large amounts of cream and butter and things.

So don’t throw out any water.

Here’s how you do that:

First, cut your potatoes into smaller cubes than you probably do. (I’ve left the skins on for flavor and also, that’s where a lot of a potato’s nutrients are, like protien and iron and vitamins B and C, just to name a few)

The reason for cutting them smaller (besides avoiding giant peices of skin) is so that there is less space in the pot between each peice for water to fill, so you use less water to cook them. That’s important because you won’t be draining any water, so you can’t afford to have too much water! For the same reason, just barely cover them with water when they go on the stove.

But! Before you do that, put the pot on the stove with some butter, garlic, and seasonings; let the butter start to sizxle just a little then put most of a single layer of potatoes in the pan and let the brown and sear. Turn them, brown them on all sides, get ‘em fairly dark (I forgot to get a pic here because I was worried I’d burn the butter).

Ready? now throw the rest of the potatoes in right on top, and add your water, give them a stir. This way, you’re boiling in some of that lovely fried potato/french fry flavor.

Okay, so, as they cook, you may need to add a little water, not too much! ideally the very highest piece of potato will be poking just above the surface. Now, when your potatoes are really really soft, mash them directly into the water. Just pull them off the stove, leave all the water in, and start mashing. Trust me. At first you’ll think there’s too much water. If you get them mashed and they ARE a little too liquidy, just put ‘em back on the stove. You’ll have to stir often or constantly, but they will steam off additional water without losing any good stuff.

Now add some salt, and taste. Right?! And you haven’t even put in any cream or cheese or anything yet.

Speaking of which, you can use like, a third of the amount of butter or cream or anything, and they will still taste better than usual. So they taste better AND they are higher in nutrients AND lower in fats and salts! That’s a lot of win — enjoy your potatoes!

Fuck Columbus! Indigenous Rights! And happy Thanksgiving!

[dinnertime]

[dinnertime]

This looks most like the recipe I made years ago, that I absolutely love. A little (serendipitously free) Italian sausage is going to make an appearance in tonight’s version.

[dinnertime]

The new plan at our house is vegetarian-ish - that is, only cooking meat dishes about once a week. So this is going to be dinner tonight. Here’s hoping it’s good!

[dinnertime]

molten chocolate crackle pie

[dinnertime]

Mashed Potatoes (a really good method)

potatoes (even mix of russet and Yukon gold) cut in 1 to 1.5” cubes

1 tsp salt per 1-2 lbs potatoes

Water

Milk (I use whole)

Butter (salted or unsalted)

Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Bring potatoes to a boil in salted water. Cover and reduce heat; simmer until potatoes are fork-tender; drain and return to pan.

Add 1 tablespoon butter (at least) to potatoes; pour in milk until you can just see it under the potatoes.

Cover and let sit on the stove for 5 minutes.

Uncover, season with salt and pepper, mash with a potato masher or a hand mixer, just until mostly smooth. If dry you can add a little more butter or milk.

That third step is the trick. Letting the milk and butter warm up in the potatoes really makes a difference in the flavor and texture of the results.

The other trick, is the potatoes. Using a blend of Yukon Gold’s for flavor and russet potatoes for fluffiness make some really stellar mashed potatoes in my opinion.

One more thing: if you were using a handmixer, do not over mix the potatoes. They will get the texture of glue, which is edible but not fun.

[dinnertime]

Beef and Noodles, without all that extra crap

I keep looking for a recipe to show y’all what I’m planning to make on Sunday this week. My mother’s coming to visit, and she has been too busy to cook at home for most of the summer. So I’m making a favorite: beef and noodles. But EVERY recipe I look up has all these extra ingredients: beef broth, onion soup mix, cream soups?? No, y’all. Not in this house.

So here are my ingredients:

Beef roast, about 3 lbs.

1 to 2 medium to large onions

Frozen egg noodles/dumplings (like this brand here)

Salt and pepper to taste

Water

That’s it. You can throw in garlic or a few herbs if you like (thyme works particularly well), but if you don’t have? This will still be amazing!

It all depends on your cut of beef. If you’re lucky and can get locally raised, the flavor will be PHENOMENAL. If not, then maybe throw in those herbs and garlic. And here’s how I do it:

Season the beef roast with salt and pepper. Sear each side until a slight crust appears.

While roast sears, quarter the onions (you can remove the outer dried skins or leave on, but you’ll have to remove them later if you do) and place them in a slow cooker.

Place the roast on top of the onions, and cover most of the way with water. 

Cook on Low for about 8 hours. The roast should fall apart when you try to pick it up with a fork.

Remove meat from broth; cook the frozen noodles in the broth according to package directions. Add more water if you need it to cover the noodles, etc.

Put the meat back in. Season to taste, and serve over mashed potatoes.

[dinnertime]

I mostly used the ingredients from the previous recipe, but used more of the cooking instructions from this one:

https://www.nutmegnanny.com/african-chicken-peanut-stew/

There was a LOT of ‘a bit here, a pinch there’ -  I used chicken and sweet potatoes instead of beef, and I did not have cilantro (fresh) so it was not as pretty as the picture, but it was AMAZING.

[dinnertime]

Stone soup (clean out veggie drawer + leftover carnitas + some wild rice just because)

[dinnertime]

Easy Fritatta

oil of your choice (pictured: avocado)

leftover roasted veggies (pictured: potatoes and broccoli)

baby greens (pictured: spinach and arugula)

optional add ins: crumbled cooked bacon, leftover sausage, chopped sun dried tomatoes (pictured)

1 T butter (or a little more oil)

2 eggs per person per meal (pictured: 4) mixed with a little milk

seasoning for eggs (salt, pepper, hot sauce, herbs, whatever you like)

shredded cheese (pictured: cheddar)

HOW TO DO IT

Heat a skillet (use a small one for 2 eggs) over medium heat until warm; add oil.

Add leftover roasted veggies (cut up small if you want) and toss to coat with oil. Add optional add-ins now as well. Let warm while you get the greens out.

Toss in greens and fold (put a spatula under roasted veggies and flip over until there are some on top of the greens). Do this until greens wilt.

Mix eggs with a little milk (about a tablespoon per 2 eggs) and whisk with a fork. Season with salt and pepper (or whatever else you like).

Distribute veggies equally in pan. Add butter (or more oil) and pour beaten eggs over the top and work into gaps between veggies with a spatula.

Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook until eggs are mostly set, then sprinkle cheese on the top, and cover once more. Serve when eggs are set (no longer clear or liquidy)

TIPS

You want enough veggies to cover the bottom of the pan well. For 2 people, they should be at least 1/4” deep in a medium to large skillet (the one I have is 14” across).

Greens wilt down SMALL. I put in about five or six cups of raw greens in a frittata for 2 people. You don’t have to use that much if you don’t have it, but if you do, it’s really great for using up extras.

You can of course sauté fresh veggies for this but it takes longer.

Any leftover vegetables will work, so long as you like them slightly more cooked than they are when they’re leftover. Just make sure they are dry when you add them to the pan.

You can sprinkle fresh herbs on top with the cheese if you like (thyme and oregano are good here) or afterwards when it’s done (parsley and basil both work). It’s all about what you have on hand.