Zoe Cuisine

Slow Cooked Asian Ribs

 

I swore that starting New Year's Day I was going to be back on track with my healthy eating plan that was wildly abandoned over this holiday season. I haven't been blogging much, mostly because I have been eating out a ton, both at restaurants and at gatherings of family and friends. I have been lazy about taking pictures of delicious food and even lazier about writing about it! So one of my New Year's resolutions is to get back on track with my cooking, photography and blogging - along with the healthy eating, of course. The cold, windy and snowy weather that we had in Boston all post New Year's weekend made it a little difficult for me to think about making lots of light and fresh salads or other detox fare. Instead I decided that the rabbit food could wait until Monday (because Monday is always a better day to start these types of endeavors), and pulled out the slow cooker. 

We have had a rack of pork ribs in our freezer for a few months now, left over from a trip to a local butcher in Southie during which our eyes were bigger than our stomachs and fridge space, that needed to be used. Since we don't have a grill, and the weather would have made it impossible to use one even if we owned one, I pulled this recipe for slow cooked ribs out of my trusty slow cooker cookbook. Slow cooker ribs might sound a bit odd to most, since most ribs are grilled to perfection and then eaten off the bone. These ribs undergo a transformation in the slow cooker that yields a result that is more in line with pulled pork, as the meat falls entirely off the bones which are then discarded. I have never been a big fan off gnawing away at a bony rack of ribs, I am that sissy that would rather use a knife and fork, so these ribs are perfect for me. I love the Asian flavors of this recipe which are savory, sweet and spicy all at once. The pork is perfect served over hot rice with some quickly stir fried greens. You could get a little crazy and serve the pork heaped on a bun with some sriracha spiked mayo and Asian cabbage slaw (I think I'll try that next time!). The best part of this recipe is that the prep takes under 10 minutes, and the result is insanely rich and flavorful. I'm glad I ditched the salad and whipped up this ultimate comfort food recipe instead. There's plenty of time for salad in 2010 right?

Slow Cooked Asian Ribs Ingredients: 2.5-3.5lb rack of pork ribs 6 green onions, chopped 1/4 cup soy sauce 1/4 cup molasses 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce 2 tablespoons brown sugar 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar 2 teaspoons sesame oil 2 teaspoons lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon chili powder 1/4 teaspoon ground red or cayenne pepper 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper Instructions: Place ribs in the slow cooker, cutting into 2-4 sections or as necessary to fit. In a medium bowl prepare the sauce by combining all of the rest of the ingredients. Pour the sauce over the ribs and turn to coat. Cover the ribs and cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. The meat should be falling off the bones. Using tongs, remove the meat and bones from the slow cooker. Discard the bones and transfer the meat to a large bowl or platter. Pour the sauce from the slow cooker into a glass measuring cup and let rest so the fat rises to the top. Pour or skim off the fat. Pour the remaining sauce over the ribs. Serve over rice and garnish with additional sliced green onions, if desired. Serves 4 Recipe courtesy of the Better Homes and Gardens Biggest Book of Slow Cooker Recipes

View Printable Version

Cinco de Mayo!

I never let Jay go to the grocery store. The reason being is that instead of picking up necessities and items that can actually be turned into a healthy, well rounded meal, he comes home with things like a 7.5 lb pork shoulder. I understand that I have repressed his carnivorous tendencies a little bit since I pretty much stopped buying red meat about a year ago (I watched that damn movie Fast Food Nation!). He is generally restricted to meals that revolve around chicken, seafood, vegetables and occasionally pork at home. Not that these meals are rabbit food as you can see from the blog. But when let loose in a grocery store, anything can happen - hence the mammoth pork shoulder that was sitting in my fridge until recently. Judging by standard serving guidelines that generously allocate about a half pound of meat per person, I would need 15 people to consume this pork shoulder. Jay was actually thinking that the two of us could have it for dinner one night! Luckily the pork shoulder incident has coincided with the Mexican holiday of Cinco de Mayo. I am embarrassed to say that I have no idea what the origins of Cinco de Mayo actually are (note to self to go look it up online), I just know that every year on this day I eat Mexican food and drink too many margaritas because I know I am supposed to be celebrating something. This year, I have invited friends over to partake in the pork shoulder that marinated in a fragrant dry rub in the fridge for about 36 hours. It is now in the slow cooker for a 10 hour period until it is fall off the bone tender and able to be served along side some rice, beans and cole slaw tonight. Ok this is not exactly a Mexican feast, but it is inspired by south of the border flavors (or south of Boston, whatever). This is our first pulled pork experiment in the slow cooker so I will let you know how it turns out! I found the recipe off a food blog I recently came across, Beantown Baker. Gotta support the fellow Boston food bloggers!

Pork Medallions with Ginger Plum Sauce

 

Chris Douglas, chef of Icarus, Ashmont Grill and Tavolo, had us make this delicious and unusual pork dish this week. Chris has cooked with us before and always uses interesting sweet and savory combinations, such as duck in grapefruit sauce and pan seared quail with roasted grapes. I love the balance of flavor in this recipe created by the spiciness of the ginger, the bite of the shallots and vinegar and the honeyed flavor of the plums and brown sugar. Because the pork is lean and cut into small medallions, the entire cooking time from start to finish is only around 15 minutes. This is a perfect meal to serve dinner guests. I would serve this with some simple roasted potatoes or rice pilaf and a green salad.

Pork Medallions with Ginger Plum Sauce Ingredients: 1-2lb pork tenderloin salt and black pepper 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 2" piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced (about 2-3 tablespoons) 2-3 tablespoons minced shallots 5-6 medium plums cut into 1/8s 2 tablespoons brown sugar 1/2 cup white wine 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter Instructions: Clean and trim pork by removing excess fat and silver skin. Cut the tenderloin cross wise into 1" thick medallions. Pound the medallions with the back of your knife if needed to even out the thickness. Season the pork with salt and pepper. Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add the medallions carefully - do not overcrowd them or they will not brown properly. Adjust heat as necessary to maintain a hot pan so that the meat sears. Do not touch the pork for a few minutes. When it is well browned it will flip easily and will not stick. Cook for an additional few minutes on the other side. Cook until just done, even slightly pink in the center. Remove to a plate and keep warm. After you remove the pork from the skillet, turn the heat to medium and add the last tablespoon of oil and the shallots. Cook until softened and slightly golden. Add the ginger and cook an additional 1-2 minutes, stirring often. Add the plums, season with salt and pepper to taste and cook for an additional 4-8 minutes or until soft (cooking time depends on how ripe the plums are, they should be translucent when cooked). Add the brown sugar and stir to combine. Add the wine and vinegar to the pan, make sure to scrape up the brown bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pan. Cook until the wine and vinegar and reduced and slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Turn off the heat, stir in the butter and serve over the pork. Serves 3-6 depending on the size of the tenderloin.

Recipe courtesy of Chris Douglas

View Printable Version

Pork Chops with Port Wine Sauce

I try not to eat very much red meat at all, so pork finds itself on my table a few times a month. The thin sliced boneless pork chops that I find in the grocery store are lean, inexpensive and cook in no time at all. I often buy a package and keep them in the freezer, then I can pull them out in the morning and let them defrost all day in the fridge. All they need is a little olive oil, salt and pepper and into the frying pan they go. A few minutes per side is all they take to cook. However, a pan sauce is the key for giving this humble meat some flavor. My friend Amanda (who happens to be a vegetarian) made a port wine sauce with pork chops for me years ago and I still make it to this day.

Once the pork chops are cooked through, remove them from the pan to a plate and tent with foil. Add to the hot pan 1/2 cup of beef broth and 1/2 cup of ruby port. Let the liquid reduce over high heat for about 5 minutes. You want to be left with just a few tablespoons of a syrupy sauce. When you get to the desired consistency, take the pan off of the heat and swirl in a tablespoon of cold butter. This gives the sauce a nice sheen and added depth of flavor. Drizzle the sauce over the chops and serve with a side of cous cous or rice. If you are making more than 3-4 chops, you should double the amount of liquid you use for the sauce.