Foods worth repeating

The only reason that I will never make a dish twice is if I happen to come across a recipe that is so bad even my talents in the Extreme Recipe Makeover department couldn’t possibly fix it. This doesn’t happen that often. As much as I love variety, and I love trying new recipes and fun ingredients (I still can’t find farro for the Farro Risotto recipe I want to make- guess I gotta buy online!) I tend to stand on the side of caution when it comes to something new. I really prefer to know, really know in my food brain that this new something or other is going to be a real winner, and I will stick to a few trusted sources for recipes because I am certain of the integrity behind them, and in utilizing them have never been faced with what should have been wonderful, but is now staring at me from a bowl in my kitchen and plainly mocking me saying ‘I am NOT as good as you thought, am I?’ My recent astronomical disappointment with Red Curry Peanut Noodles from a F&W magazine still rings loudly in my head. Even after perusing the recipe and re-working it in my mind, I couldn’t purge the plain boring taste of those noodles and decided that it wasn’t even worth the time and effort of ERM, so into the recycle bin it went. I’ll stick to my Dan-Dans.

We utilize repeats in our kitchen quite often, but it’s more that the dish is a variation on a theme than the exact same recipe made again. We make turkey burgers with a wide variety of items mixed into the meat; we make pasta and pizza, each with it’s own personal stamp. Fish gets different treatments, chicken is always dressed up in it’s unique way and pork becomes a palette to which I apply any mix of glorious taste sensations.

Speaking of pork, and Food and Wine magazine, last year, when the F&W 100 Tastes for 2007 landed on my doorstep, I was tempted to embark on a quest to cover as many of the tastes as I could. It was fun; expensive but fun, and I managed a good deal of tasting and sampling before I ran out of options that didn’t involve extensive domestic or overseas travel. One of the items was Pork Fried Rice, and although that in itself wasn’t such an undertaking, it called for that deliciously chewy and sticky Asian Barbecue Pork, and as luck would have it, a current issue of Cooks Illustrated magazine arrived about the same time with a typical CI recipe (read into this, please: typical CI recipe = long and complicated) for the pork. Despite all the work, the result was amazing, and the rice was well-received.

So I decided to make the pork again. To me, something this delicious bears repeating, if only to offer the tantalizing recipe to someone who may have missed it before.

It’s futzy, time-consuming and most likely over the top, as all CI offerings tend towards, so this isn’t your typical quick-in-a-flash offering; plan for it, certainly, but should a plateful of sizzling, ruby red garlicky hoisin and soy sauce flavored meat be right up your carnivorous alley, please try this at least once. Be ready as it comes out of the broiler to stand over it with a fork. It shouldn’t wait for it’s well deserved adulation.

(find out more…..)

Then there is the rice. I. Love. Fried. Rice.

It is one of my most favorite items at a chinese restaurant, and the one that I will use as a divining tool in wagering its worth. The rice itself can be stellar, and even if nothing else is good, I have been known to return for a container and a fork just to satisfy a craving. This recipe is delicious and I will plan for at least tripling the amount because, really, there is nothing better than leftover fried rice, or even a few spoonfuls of it cold, straight out of the bowl in the middle of the night. This recipe, studded with chunks of chewy, tangy pork and loaded with carrot, peas, napa and bok choy is a wonderful option for a home cook. Leave out the pork for a great vegetarian option. The original recipe called for shiitake mushrooms but I don’t use them; mushrooms are a deal breaker for me and the fried rice. I don’t care for them. I leave out the egg as Mike won’t eat it otherwise; its an item that I am on the fence about, and frankly, I don’t miss it in this.

And now that I have my lovely wok to use, making this up was a snap. We devoured bowls of it in stellar fashion. Rice, veggies and meat for the carnivore. It really was a great meal.

Pork Fried Rice (F&W magazine, January 2007
3 tablespoons soy sauce
5 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon Asian sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup solid vegetable shortening
3/4 pound Chinese barbecued pork, half cut into 1/2-inch dice and half sliced 1/3 inch thick
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 carrot, cut into 1/3-inch dice
1 head baby bok choy, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
6 cups cold cooked Japanese short-grain rice
2 scallions, thinly sliced
Pinch of freshly ground pepper
Kosher salt

In a small bowl, stir the soy sauce with the rice vinegar, sesame oil and sugar. Heat a very large skillet. Add the shortening and let melt. Add the diced pork and stir-fry over high heat for 1 minute. Add the peas, shiitakes, carrot and bok choy and stir-fry until tender. Add the eggs and scramble just until set. IStir in the cooked rice, scallions, soy sauce mixture and pepper and stir-fry until the rice is hot. Remove from the heat and season with salt. Spoon the fried rice into bowls, top with the sliced pork and pickled ginger and serve.

KATE’S NOTES:

I don’t use shortening, replacing it instead with peanut oil. I also use napa cabbage. And certainly, because Mike can’t stand them, no. eggs.