The Belly of the Beast Part I

    I was in town yesterday running a few errands and I decided to stop in Price Chopper (our depressingly bad supermarket...someone build a whole foods damn it!) to pick up a few things for dinner. Risotto was fresh on my mind from Wednesday's class so I thought I'd make a batch for the family. "Time to go home and be a family man" I suppose...

The best taunt ever made thanks to Street Fighter

     I had no grocery list, no plan really. I just knew I wanted to make a risotto of some kind. In class we just made a basic risotto with onion, and Parmesan cheese so there wasn't a whole lotta flavor going on there. I walked down the produce isle in ghetto-chopper looking for things to incorporate into my risotto and brussel sprouts caught my eye.
Side Note: The price chopper in town in universally accepted as "ghetto-chopper" because its small, and well....ghetto? I don't know how else to describe it other than its a townie thing (drives away, puts town in rearview). Sorry I'm in a particularly quote-friendly mood today, that last one was from "The Town", great flick. Saw it in theaters with my college bros and after quoting that line from the trailer a million times, we all burst out laughing when Ben Affleck delivered one of the most unintentionally funny lines in movie history. No youu ahh!

    Brussel sprouts, right. Ok, so I grabbed some brussel sprouts and thought to myself, what goes well with these, and immediately bacon came to mind. I didn't want to have "bacon" in my risotto so I decided on pork belly instead and drove home with a smile on my face

"Is that pork belly? ohhhh......"

    I'm sitting in a giant comfy chair in the dark with headphones on listening to "meditation music" on spotify to help channel my inner creativity and all I got so far is pictures of Ben Affleck and the joker... (strokes imaginary kung fu beard)

     I started off by dicing the pork belly and sauteeing till crispy in a little bit of clarified butter (well melted butter really, what you think I have all day to melt butter? I'm a hunter and gatherer for chris'sake, I don't stay put for very long. Ask anyone in my family). Instead of roasting the brussel sprouts right after I deglazed the pan with some white wine then added the sprouts to the liquid. In hindsight I should've deglazed after the sprouts were roasted because the sprouts just kinda simmered and didn't get a good color on them. Damn. Still good though. I put the sprouts and pork on a plate lined with paper towel and set aside while I made the risotto.
    I added the risotto rice (Arborio--a short grain rice with high starch content so it can absorb a ton of liquid..well not an actual ton...shut up, you know what I mean) right into the deglazing liquid so all the pork fat, butter, and pan drippings could get absorbed right into the rice. That's how you build flavors. Final product pictures and actual recipe after the jump.

Spinach Salad W/ Goat Cheese, Pomegranate Infused Cranberries, Walnuts And Pomegranate Vinaigrette

Pomegranate Vinaigrette:                                         

• 3 Tbsp pomegranate juice                      
• 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar                       
• 1 Tbsp honey                                      
• 1/2 tsp finely minced shallot                   
• 1/4 C olive oil (not extra virgin)           
• salt & pepper to taste                          

      In a medium bowl, whisk together the juice, vinegar, honey and shallot. Once combined, gently pour in the olive oil in a slow steady stream whisking as you go. Add salt and pepper to taste and refrigerate while you construct the salad.

   Salad:

•   fresh spinach leaves
• 2 Tbsp Pomegranate juice infused dried cranberries
• 1 Tbsp goat cheese, crumbled  
• 2 Tbsp walnuts roughly chopped
• 1 pear cored, and thinly sliced

      In a large bowl add the spinach, cranberries (regular dried cranberries or other dried fruit works well here if you aren't fortunate enough to find pomegranate infused cranberries), goat cheese, walnuts, and a few pear slices. Toss the components w/ small amounts of the pomegranate vinaigrette until your desired level of coating is reached ( I use just enough to coat the spinach lightly...its a salad, not a soup). Transfer the salad to a small bowl or plate for serving. This makes a salad for one so if you are looking to share w/ others just double or triple the ingredients as you see fit.

 Grilled Shrimp and Starfruit Skewers w/ Spicy Balsamic Glaze:

•  10-15 wooden skewers
• 1 to 1.5 lbs shrimp, peeled and deveined 
• 2-3 starfruit, trimmed and sliced into 1/2 inch thick "stars"
• 1/4 C balsamic glaze 
• 1 tsp dijon mustard 
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes 
• salt & pepper

      Begin by soaking the wooden skewers in cold water for 30-40 minutes. I usually fill a baking dish with cold water, and place the skewers on the bottom with a soup can or something to hold them down. Since the skewers need plenty of time to soak (what you want your wooden skewers to catch fire?) this would be an ideal time to peel and devein your shrimp! Most places you can ask to have the shrimp peeled and deveined for you; so if this is more your speed then you now have 30-40 minutes to read more of my blog (I'll be quizzing you). If you need to do the peeling and deveining yourself and don't know how, than your just going to have to look that up because I am too busy to go through the step-by-step process at the moment (DO YOU WANT MORE POSTS OR NOT!?!).
      Once the skewers have thoroughly soaked, begin assembly by skewering a shrimp followed by a starfruit, and repeat that step two more times. There, you now have one skewer..rejoice! Keep assembling your skewers until all the shrimp and starfruit is used up and lightly season each side with salt and pepper. Heat up the grill to med-high and place the skewers on the grill with some of the wooden skewer hanging off the edge so you do not burn yourself when flipping.The skewers will cook quickly, about 2-3 minutes each side or until the shrimp is pinkish-orange on both sides. Take the skewers off the grill and set aside to cool slightly.
      While shrimp cools, quickly add the balsamic glaze (you can make your own balsamic glaze from scratch, I just happened to have some laying around), mustard, and red pepper flakes to a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Baste the glaze onto the shrimp skewers as liberally as you would like...go wild. Serve immediately.


    

Revamped BLT w/ Pork Tenderloin, Napa Cabbage, Roasted Tomatillos, and Tomatillo Aioli

      Today, I was inspired by the movie Zodiac (watched it last night) b/c one of the characters in the movie was always eating a BLT sandwich. I never understood why people love BLTs so darn much since its literally bacon, lettuce, and tomatoes; oh and mayo. I guess BLTM never took off? Speaking of the name, why is it BLT? It goes lettuce, tomato, THEN bacon, so it should be LTB, right? Oh never mind, read the next paragraph to see how I breathed life into this forgotten classic.

                                                                    Ingredients:
Tomatillo Aioli                                                    Sandwich

•  2 Tomatillos, husked                      1 1/2 lbs pork tenderloin (marinated if desired)
• 1 cup + 2 Tbsp Olive Oil (pure)      4 Fresh Napa Cabbage Leaves
• 5 fresh Basil leaves                         1 Large Tomatillo, husked
• 3 Cloves Garlic                              2 French Baguettes
• 1 tsp Lemon Juice
• 1 Egg yolk
• 1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
• Salt & Pepper

      Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, and place 2 tomatillos on a small baking pan. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper, and coat with 1 Tbsp olive oil. Once the oven has preheated, place the pan in the oven for 25-30 mins or until a fork slides into the tomatillos effortlessly.
      While the tomatillos are roasting, you can start making the aioli. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolk, dijon mustard, and a pinch of salt together for 2-3 mins. Next add a finely minced garlic clove and continue to stir until incorporated. Now add the cup of olive oil in a slow steady stream, whisking as you pour; about 5 mins. Finally add the lemon juice, and a dash of salt/pepper, and whisk until the aioli is smooth and resembles the consistency of mayonnaise.
      Once the tomatillos are done turn the oven down to 350 degrees, and place them in a blender or food processor with the basil and garlic clove. Puree the tomatillo mixture slowly adding in the last tbsp of olive oil in a steady stream. Next, whisk together the tomatillo puree and aioli in a small bowl and refrigerate.
      While the oven cools down to 350, place the tenderloin on a cutting board and season w/ salt/pepper. The next step is to remove the "silver skin"--a thin tough piece of membrane on the bottom side of the tenderloin. To remove the silver skin, take a sharp knife and slice underneath the membrane pulling up on the silver skin as you slice. Sear the tenderloin in a large skillet coated with olive oil for 2-3 minutes on each side. Pop the skillet in the oven for approx 20 minutes or until an internal meat thermometer reads 155 degrees Fahrenheit.
       Next, slice the large tomatillos (like you would a tomato) into 4 thick slices and then slice each in half to create half circles. Slice each baguette in half both ways, drizzle with olive oil and toast in the oven on a sheet tray for about 5 mins or until brown an crispy. When the tenderloin is done, place on a cutting board and tent with foil for 5-10 mins to allow the juices to redistribute.

My version of a BLT

     While the tenderloin sits, begin building the sandwich: take the bottom piece of a baguette, lightly spread some of the aioli, followed by a napa cabbage leaf. Untent the tenderloin and slice on a bias into half inch pieces. Put 3-4 pieces of tenderloin on top of the cabbage and 2 tomoatillo halves on top of the pork. Lastly, spread a generous amount of the aioli on the top piece of the baguette and finish the sandwich. Serve alongside my homemade macaroni salad with pesto-mayonnaise (see earlier post for recipe).

Your Mom's BLT sandwich

Macaroni Salad w/ Pesto-mayonnaise

      Finally that delicious pesto-mayo I had in a sub on campus has a home! I decided to make macaroni salad as a side dish for a sandwich i was making for lunch (see in later post), but I wanted to switch it up a little bit since the sandwich I was making is one of my own unique creations. Thinking of ways to put my own spin on a traditional mac salad, it came to me: WHY NOT USE THAT PESTO-MAYO YOU HAD ON CAMPUS THE OTHER DAY!?!? (when ideas come to me in my head they are usually in the "eureka I friggin' got it" category, hence the caps)
     
What you'll need: (yields 6 servings)                                   

The Pesto-mayo elevates ordinary mac salad

• 3 cups macaroni pasta
• 1 stalk celery, quartered & minced
• 3 Tbsp shredded carrot, minced
• 3 Tbsp both red/green bell peppers, minced
• 1 1/4 cup light mayonnaise 
• 2 Tbsp pesto
• salt/pepper to taste

      Begin by boiling a pot of hot water with a pinch of salt. While the water boils, start mincing the celery, shredded carrot, red and green bell peppers. Place the vegetables in a large serving dish and set aside. Once the water comes to a boil, add the macaroni and stir. Cook the pasta for 8-10 mins, stirring occasionally.
      In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise and pesto and refrigerate until ready. When the pasta is done, strain and rinse with cold water until the macaroni is no longer warm. Transfer the macaroni to the serving bowl containing the minced vegetables. Add the pesto-mayo and mix until all the ingredients are incorporated. Keeps up to 3-5 days.