Kimchi and Tofu Soup with Ground Pork

This soup is what I would call the equivalent of an Asian chicken noodle soup.  It seemed like something of a go to comfort soup and was really soothing and used a lot of basic Asian ingredients.  We happen to love kimchi in our household and try to have it on hand to throw on top of eggs, takeout, and whatever else we can think of.  I think kimchi in general is creating quite a following right now and seems to be prevalent on a lot of restaurant's menus, Asian or not.

Another thing about this soup is that it had a very harmonious texture profile.  The tofu was silky, the kimchi added crunch, and the ground pork added a chewy meaty consistency.  It had a little bit of spice from the kimchi and overall was really satisfying for a weeknight meal.  And, as always, I try to pick recipes that have minimal prep for anything I'm making on a weeknight.  This totally fit that order.  It also looked good in my new soup bowls my family gave me for Christmas - thanks family!

I hope you enjoy this; it was fun to make and eat!

Kimchi and Tofu Soup with Ground Pork
adapted from Food 52

• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 1/2 pound ground pork
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon ginger, minced
• 2 cups kimchi
• 6 cups chicken stock 
• 3 medium carrots, cut into medium dice 
• Bragg's liquid aminos, to taste
• 7 ounces soft tofu, chopped into cubes
• Green onion, to serve

1. In a medium saucepan, heat oil on high until hot. Add ground pork and cook, breaking up clumps, until no longer pink. Add garlic and ginger and stir until fragrant. Add kimchi and cook for a few minutes until hot. Pour in stock and about a tablespooon of liquid aminos.
2. Let soup come to a boil, then turn heat to a low simmer and gently add the tofu and carrots. Continue cooking for about 15 minutes. Add more liquid aminos to taste as you go.
3. Distribute the soup evenly into bowls. Garnish each with a sprinkle of green onion right before serving.

Savoy Cabbage Soup with Meatballs

Meatballs! I love them so much. I used to buy a bag of frozen meatballs at Ikea on every visit but then sometime in the last couple years they started to seem different, different texture or something. I stopped buying them but I never bothered to figure out a replacement to the handy little dinner-savers! Sunset saved me!

This soup was delicious, but I am super excited about the meatballs included in the soup!  They are pretty dang close to those Swedish meatballs I miss so much and I highly recommend doubling the meatball portion of this recipe and freezing them for later (you better believe that I did)!  Throw them into a soup or warm them up in the oven to have with roast veggies, or with mashed potatoes, gravy, and lingonberries!

Okay but back to the soup.  This was in the December issue of Sunset, in a feature that was singing the praises of the under appreciated Savoy Cabbage.  I fixated on the meatballs and decided to make this immediately.  Requiring few ingredients (even the meatballs are simple) and a super satisfying end result, I will be making this again for sure.

This recipe does make a lot of soup so you could freeze half (like I did) or just cut it in half. I made the full amount but doubled the meatballs.  Here is the original proportioned recipe.

Savoy Cabbage Soup with Meatballs
From December 2014 Sunset
Serves 8-10

1/3 cup Panko bread crumbs 
1/4 cup milk (I used half and half)
3/4 teaspoon salt divided
3/4 teaspoon pepper divided
1/4 teaspoon plus 1/8 tsp. nutmeg
5 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley, divided
1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 pound ground beef 
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 medium carrots, sliced into half-moons to make 1 cup
2 medium leeks (white and pale green parts only), trimmed, halved lengthwise, rinsed well, and sliced into half-moons
1 head savoy cabbage (about 1.5 - 2 lb), quartered, cored and thinly sliced
7 cups chicken broth (reduced-sodium if store-bought)
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

First things first, make the meatballs!! Heat the oven to 400 degrees.  In a medium bowl, stir together bread crumbs and milk. Add 1/2 tsp. each salt and pepper, 1/4 tsp. nutmeg, 1 Tbsp. parsley, the pork, and the beef. Mix gently but thoroughly with your hands. Scoop mixture by slightly rounded teaspoons and roll into small balls, plopping them onto a cookie sheet as you go, about an inch or so apart.  Cook in the oven for about 12-15 minutes until internal temp is 160. (Double this part if you want to stockpile them in your freezer!)

Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add carrots and leeks and cook, stirring, until leeks are soft but not browned, 8 to 10 minutes.

Stir in cabbage and remaining 1/4 tsp. each salt and pepper and cook until slightly wilted, about 5 minutes.  (It looks like way too much cabbage, but it shrinks down I promise.)

Add broth, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and let simmer until cabbage is quite tender, about 20 minutes.

Gently stir browned meatballs into soup and cook, stirring occasionally, until meatballs are warmed up and flavors are blended, about 5 minutes. Stir in cream, 3 tbsp. parsley, and remaining 1/8 tsp. nutmeg (take a microplaner to a whole nutmeg if you want an extra flavor boost!) and ladle into bowls. Sprinkle with remaining 1 Tbsp. parsley. 

Yum!!!

Crockpot Crispy Caramelized Pork Ramen with Roasted Acorn Squash

Yes the name is quite a mouthful.  However this recipe, oh this recipe.  It was definitely one of my favorite meals I've ever made.  To quote DP, my eyes while eating it looked like "Call of the Wild meets Top Chef".  It left me kind of speechless.  I think I was actually dancing with anticipation while caramelizing the pork, because I mean, is there anything better than pork that's been caramelized in sesame oil and a sprinkle of brown sugar after slow cooking it all day long?  I'm beginning to think not.  We made a couple of small edits to make the recipe gluten free but we mostly stuck to the script.  I found this to be just a tad salty for my palette so next time I might ease up on the soy sauce element but I'm very sensitive to salt.  DP thought it was perfectly salty.

The recipe itself is not hard at all but I would say it's a little involved.  For a leisurely Sunday though I didn't mind sporadically tending to it throughout the day, step by step.  Since most of the cooking time happens in the crock pot you could pull this off on a weeknight if you planned well.  Whatever the case may be I highly encourage you to make this ramen.  It is, by far, the tastiest version I've had outside of the real deal.  Enjoy! (and maybe invite me over when you make it)


Crockpot Crispy Caramelized Pork Ramen with Roasted Acorn Squash
modified ever so slightly from Half Baked Harvest

Soup

• 3 lbs of pork butt (shoulder)
• 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup + 2 tblsp of low sodium soy sauce (Bragg's if you're gf)
• 1/4 cup + 2 tblsp of rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup fish sauce
• 2 tblsp of red curry paste
• 1 tblsp of fresh ginger, minced
• 1 tblsp of sambal oelek (chili paste)
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 tblsp chinese five spice
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2 tblsp sesame oil
• 1/4 cup + 1 tblsp of brown sugar
• 2 cups shiitake mushrooms, left whole
• 4 packs ramen noodles (we used gf ones and they were great)
• 4 soft boiled eggs for serving - I used this method
• chopped carrots, cilantro, jalapeno + green onions for servings

Curry Roasted Acorn Squash

• 1 medium acorn squash, seeded and diced
• 2 tblsp coconut oil, melted
• 1 tblsp curry powder (we used garam masala)
• 1 tblsp white miso paste
• 1 tblsp brown sugar
• fresh ground pepper, to taste

1. Add the pork to the bowl of the crockpot.  Pour the chicken broth, 1/2 cup of soy sauce, 1/4 cup of rice vinegar, fish sauce, red curry paste,  ginger, sambal oelek, lime juice, five spice, pepper, and 1 tblsp brown sugar into the pot.  Flip the pork around so it's all evenly coated and mixed together.  Cover and cook over low for 7 hours.
2. About 40 minutes before the pork is set to be done preheat oven to 400 degrees.
3. In a small bowl mix together the coconut oil, curry powder, miso, brown sugar, and pepper for the squash.  Add the diced squash and mix to evenly coat.  Bake for 30-40 minutes until soft, tossing a few times so the sides of the squash get a little crispy.
4. Remove the pork from the crock pot once it's done and place in a bowl to shred with two forks or your hands.  Add mushrooms to broth in crock pot and cover again.
5. Heat a large skillet or wok over medium high heat.  Add 1 tblsp sesame oil and once hot add about half of the pork.  While cooking sprinkle brown sugar over pork and 1 tblsp of soy sauce and rice vinegar.  Let the pork caramelize for 3-5 minutes stirring only once or twice.  Repeat process with remaining half of pork.  Keep the pork warm - I used the residual heat from roasting the squash to keep mine in the oven.
6. Add the ramen noodles to the crock pot, cover and cook until soft.  At this point start your soft boiled eggs.  After noodles are soft, add half the pork to the crock pot.  Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with extra pork, carrots, green onions, cilantro, jalapeno, and boiled eggs.  Try not to let your jaw drop with amazement!

 

Stuffed Eggplant with Pork

This is not exactly a summer meal but it turned out so good I decided to post it anyhow.  My mom and I have a standing Saturday date at the farmer's market and this time of year in the PacNW it's a bounty that is all for the taking.  Every single stand looks like a picture out of a cookbook.  I had a hard time restraining myself.  One of the things I did end up with in my basket was some beautiful small eggplants. I always feel good buying these because they are DP's favorite vegetable.  To which I had two people exclaim to me on that same day, "Who's favorite vegetable is eggplant?!?"  He's an odd bird that one.  Fortunately, I like eggplant too so I was on my way to something good for dinner.

In the summertime I feel you can't go wrong with veggies and protein so I thought a meat stuffed eggplant sounded great.  I ended up finding a recipe out of the beautiful cookbook Jerusalem.  This one was for lamb stuffed eggplant and I'm not such a huge lamb fan, unlike Michelle.  So I substituted ground pork in its place.  I made a few other small adjustments.  Next time I think this would be even lovelier with a nice yogurt sauce spooned on top.  Come fall I'll be giving it another go around. Here is the recipe as I made it.

Stuffed Eggplant with Pork
adapted from Jerusalem cookbook

• 3 small eggplants, halved lengthwise
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon hungarian paprika
• 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
•  1/2 ground pork or any other ground meat you prefer
• 3 tablespoons pine nuts
• 3/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
• 2 teaspoons tomato paste
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 tablespoon tamarind paste
• 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 425.  Place the halved eggplants in a roasting pan with sides and brush with 2 tablespoon of the olive oil.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and let roast for 20 minutes, until golden brown and then allow to cool slightly.

While the eggplants roast start making the filling.  Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Mix together the cumin, paprika and cinnamon and add half of this mixture to the pan, along with the onions.  Cover over medium-high heat for about 8 minutes. stirring often.  Add the ground meat, pine nuts, parsley, tomato paste, 1 teaspoon of the sugar and salt and pepper.  Continue to cook and stir for another 8 minutes or until meat is cooked through.

Place the remaining spice mix in a bowl and add the water, lemon juice, tamarind paste, cinnamon sticks, a sprinkle of salt and the remaining sugar.  Stir well.

Reduce the oven temperature to 375.  Pour the spice mixture into the bottom of the pan.  Spoon the meat mixture into each eggplant, heaping.  Cover tightly with foil and return to the oven for 1 1/2 hours.  Twice during cooking baste the eggplants with the sauce and add more water if it starts to dry out.  The eggplants should be completely soft at the end.  Serve warm or even at room temperature.



I totally failed at taking a final picture - whoops.

Carnitas Taco Salad

Another pork recipe, I know, I know. But I can't help it!  Pork is delicious all the time!  Carnitas is one of those things that I always ordered when I went out to eat for a burrito or tacos but I never considered making it myself.  Once I tried it once I wondered why I had never done it before. It is so easy, super satisfying, and is a little bit magical in the way that it transforms right in front of your eyes from a bubbling cauldron of meat to perfect little tender bites that are crispy on the edges!

I have made carnitas from this recipe many times and tweaked it here and there each time and it is pretty near fool proof. I have always gotten compliments on it and I doubt I will ever use another recipe! Normally I just have this tasty treat on tortillas with some onions, cilantro, and salsa but this time we decided to make a taco salad.  I tossed a mixture of romaine and baby salad mix with a cilantro sour cream lime dressing, and topped this with some warmed black beans, sliced red onions, diced avocado, a little big of roasted tomato salsa, a little big of salsa verde, crumbled queso fresco, and some crispy corn tortilla strips.

It all worked perfectly together and though it took a little more effort, it was worth it to feel slightly less gluttonous.

 

Here are the recipes for the carnitas and for the salad dressing! Toss some greens with the dressing, scoop some meat on top and add whatever other toppings sound delicious!

Carnitas
Slightly adapted from Smitten Kitchen

3 pounds boneless pork shoulder or pork butt, cut into 2-inch cubes
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup lime juice (from about 2 to 3 limes) **note: you can also just forgo the lime and use more OJ
4 cloves garlic, peeled and just smashed with the side of your knife
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
Water (I find 4 cups is the perfect amount for a 3 lb roast)

1. Place the cut up pork into a large Dutch oven. Add the orange juice, lime juice, garlic, cumin, salt and enough water to just barely cover the meat.
2. Bring the pot to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for two hours. Don’t touch the meat!
3. After two hours, increase the heat to medium-high and while occasionally stirring and turning the pieces, continue to cook for about 45 minutes to an hour, until all of the liquid has evaporated, leaving only the rendered pork fat. Let it sizzle in this fat long enough to brown at the edges, turning pieces gently (they’ll be eager to fall apart), only as needed.
4. When pork is browned and crispy on all sides, it’s ready.
5. Taste and adjust seasonings.  Try not to eat it all straight out of the pot!  Put this into a tortilla or make taco salad!

Cilantro Lime Sour Cream Dressing
Slightly adapted from The Kitchn
Makes about 3/4 cup

1 bunch of loosely packed cilantro, rinsed, stems removed, and roughly chopped (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup sour cream
juice from one lime
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
A few grinds of freshly-ground black pepper
Water, to thin (a couple tablespoons)

Combine all the ingredients except the water in a blender or use a stick blender until well combined and smooth.  If it seems too thick, drizzle in water a little at a time until it is a consistency you prefer. Taste and add more salt, pepper, or lime juice if necessary.

Watch:

Pork Posole Verde

Posole is quickly becoming one of my favorite soups.  

Every time I have eaten any variation of this hearty, rich, and spicy soup I can't get over how extremely delicious and satisfying it is. I like to eat posole with a side of chips, guacamole and pico de gallo, but it is also superb scooped on top of cornbread for a sweet and spicy combo (Trader Joe's cornbread is my fave)!

This recipe is a mixture of a couple of recipes, and it turned out well. It made a ton and the only thing I would do differently is to use more hominy, or keep the full can of hominy and cut everything else in half. I started with this recipe but modified quite a bit using elements of another recipe that I got from V's mister, where you slow cook a hunk of pork separately in salsa verde and then add it into the soup pot with the sauteed, onions, roasted and peeled peppers, etc.  This method works great if you remember to start the pork in the morning!  To make a chicken version, refer to that recipe I linked to just above.  I do not think that zucchini is in any way traditional to posole but I like the extra texture it provides to the soup, and I always try to add extra vegetables wherever I can.

Here is the recipe as I made it:

Pork Posole Verde

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds pork sirloin, loin roast, or tenderloin, trimmed of any excess fat
• 16 oz jar of salsa verde (or make your own if you are extra ambitious)
• 4 oz can of diced green chiles 
• 1 T ground cumin
• 2 pounds green Poblano chili peppers
• 29 oz can of hominy, drained
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 bunch of fresh oregano (I had about 1/4 cup of oregano leaves)
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 large zucchini, diced
• 1/2 head of Napa cabbage, shredded
• 1 lime, cut into wedges
• olive oil
• salt to taste

Instructions:

1. Start the pork in the slow cooker in the morning!  Put pork into crock pot.  Season all over with salt.  Pour in salsa verde, green chiles, and cumin.  Set slow cooker to low and let cook for 8 hours.
2. When your pork has about an hour and a half left, place the poblano peppers whole onto a rimmed cookie sheet and put them under the broiler. Let them get black and then flip them, letting all the sides get black.  This should take about a half hour or so.
3. After all the sides of the peppers are blackened, cover them in a bowl or place in a plastic bag or paper bag. Cool and the skins will slip off effortlessly. Remove the stem and the seeds. 
4. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion and saute until the onions are soft.
5. Add to the pot the garlic, fresh oregano, the peppers, about 1/3 of the hominy, and 4 cups of the chicken stock. Using an immersion blender blend until smooth. 
6. Shred the finished pork, it should be falling apart. 
7. Add the shredded pork and all the liquid in the slow cooker to the soup pot along with the remaining hominy and the last 2 cups of stock. Simmer for about 45 minutes.
8. Add the diced zucchini and shredded cabbage to the pot. 
9. Let simmer for another 15 minutes or so until the zucchini are softened to your liking. Adjust salt and pepper, add extra cumin if you are so inclined, and if the soup seems too thick, add some more chicken stock or water. (I like it thick and stew-like!)
10. Serve with a wedge of fresh lime.

Watch!

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Spaghetti and meatballs is a classic recipe but one I don't find myself craving very often. So when the time struck I went in search of a recipe that would satisfy. One of the first places I look for recipes is on the food blog Smitten Kitchen. If you haven't already please check out one of my favorite blogs. This woman manages to be funny and interesting while pulling off food that looks effortless and beautiful despite her small NY kitchen and having a newborn in tow. So when I came across a spaghetti and meatball recipe on her site that was an incarnation of a Barefoot Contessa (also one of my faves) recipe, I looked no further. And I'm glad I didn't because this recipe was flawless, which was to be expected. We stretched this dish for three meals and I dare say I won't be craving spaghetti and meatballs for quite a while.

I went ahead and used her suggestion on increasing the amount of sauce you make. I also didn't use any veal and just did a combination of pork and beef since my local grocer didn't have veal available. I re-wrote the recipe as I made it.

Spaghetti and Meatballs
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

For the meatballs:
1 lb ground beef
1lb ground pork (I used the italian pork and I highly recommend this)
1 1/4 cups fresh white bread crumbs (about 5 slices, crusts removed)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 extra-large egg, beaten
Vegetable oil
Olive oil

For the sauce:
1 1/2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 large yellow onion or 2 small ones, diced
3 large cloves of garlic, minced
Pinch or so of red pepper flakes
3/4 cup good red wine
1 (28-ounce) can pureed tomatoes
1 (14-ounce) can chopped or diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
3 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For serving:
1 1/2 pounds spaghetti, cooked according to package directions
Freshly grated Parmesan

Make the meatballs:
Place the ground meats, bread crumbs, parsley, Parmesan, salt, pepper, onion powder, egg, and 3/4 cup warm water in a bowl. Combine very lightly with a fork. Using your hands, lightly form the mixture into 2-inch meatballs.

Pour equal amounts of vegetable oil and olive oil into a large (12-inch) skillet to a depth of 1/4-inch. Heat the oil. Very carefully, in batches, place the meatballs in the oil and brown them well on all sides over medium-low heat, turning carefully with a spatula or a fork. This should take about 10 minutes for each batch. Don’t crowd the meatballs. Remove the meatballs to a plate covered with paper towels. Discard the oil but don’t clean the pan.

Make the sauce:
Heat the olive oil in the same pan. Add the onion and saute over medium heat until translucent, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, and cook for 1 more minute. Add the wine and cook on high heat, scraping up all the brown bits in the pan, until almost all the liquid evaporates, about 6 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, parsley, salt, and pepper.

Return the meatballs to the sauce, cover, and simmer on the lowest heat for 25 to 30 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through.

Serve hot on cooked spaghetti and pass the grated Parmesan.

Resurrection by way of pork.

Almost a month and a half since this blog has been updated! Yeesh. Well, I am going to revive this here blog with this delicious slow cooked pork recipe that I made yesterday.

Slow-Cooked Beer-Braised Pork and Black Bean Soup (from Real Simple,again!)

Ingredients:
2 12-ounce bottles of beer (I used Blue Heron Pale Ale)
3 cups water (I should have used a little less)
1 tablespoon chopped canned chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
1 teaspoon ground cumin (I used more like a tablespoon and wish I used a bit more)
1 large onion, chopped
1 pound dried black beans, rinsed
1 1/2 pounds boneless pork butt (pork shoulder) (The store I went to only had 2 pound chunks, so I used all of it.)
salt & pepper
sour cream
store-bought refrigerated fresh salsa (I bought a jarred one, it worked fine)
fresh cilantro

1. Set the oven to 300 degrees.
2. In a bowl, combine the beer, water, chilies, adobo sauce, cumin, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt.
3. In a big pan, (I used a 9 x 12 glass pan) spread the onions out, pour the beans over the onions, and the pork on top of that. (I cut my huge slab of meat into 3 chunks.) Pour the liquid mixture over everything. I ground a bunch of pepper over the top of all this.
4. Cover with foil, place on a cookie sheet if your pan is almost overflowing like mine was, and place it carefully into the oven so beer doesn't spill everywhere.
5. Cook covered, until the beans are tender and the pork pulls apart easily, 3 to 4 hours. Try not to uncover the dish until at least 3 hours. You want the heat to stay trapped under the foil.
6. Once the meat is cooked, remove from the oven and use a fork to separate the pork into large pieces.
7. Divide among individual bowls and top with sour cream, salsa, and cilantro.

Notes:
-The original recipe is for a slow cooker, which I'm sure would be amazing. I don't have a slow cooker (I plan to get one soon because I loved this), so I cooked it in the oven, covered, at 300 degrees for about 3 or 3 1/2 hours.
-I served this with warm corn tortillas and we also had some tortilla chips, which were good for scooping up the beans. It was a little more liquidy than I expected, and I think the 3 cups that were in the initial recipe could be cut back to maybe 2 cups when cooked in the oven rather than the slow cooker.
-It could have been a tad spicier for my tastes, but it did have a nice amount of heat.
-The meat was super tasty and tender, the beans were perfect. This dish was super simple but extremely delicious.
-Our impromptu guests loved it!
-Lots of Leftovers!