100 DOLLARS A WEEK - Day 18...

As I've been feeding y'all a steady diet of all kinds of non-food related jibba jabba, let's return to the food today, shall we? And let's let that food be pig. Because pig is delicious. So very, very delicious.

Korean style pork belly in lettuce wraps with a spicy seasoned dwenjahng; smoked or grilled barbecued ribs with a finger lickin' sweet, smoky and tangy sauce; thick, juicy chops with an interesting fruit and onion compote or chutney; fatty, unctuous, gelatinous piggy feet stewed in soy sauce, garlic, ginger, rice wine and a little brown sugar; crispy, crunchy chicharrones served with a little vinegared hot sauce and washed down with a cold, cold lager; salty, smoky Kalua pork with tender, braised greens; and for tonight's dinner,

PERNIL (pehrNEEHL): a Latin American style pork roast, marinated this time in a mixture of orange and lime juices, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, olive oil, and a little bit of sugar to offset the tartness of the lime juice.

Tender, garlicky meat with the zip of citrus and oregano on the inside, crunchy chicharron (cheechahRROHN) aka cracklin on the top side, supersoft and tender skin on the underside. Served with candy sweet platanos maduros fritos (PLAHtahnoss mahDOOHrohss FREEtohss) and a crunchy, tangy, and refreshing but very spicy pico de gallo tamed by a creamy Hass avocado.

*Mmms*, *oohs* and *aahs* flying between the three of us and so much satisfaction from something so simple and easy to make.

Food that makes everyone close their eyes for a moment in bliss. It doesn't get better than that.

If you're a fellow pig lover, and you haven't yet taken a crack at pernil, get thee to a piggery and bring one home to your family who will then thank you for their dinner, heartily and often. Kinda like the Boy and the Man did tonight. :)

BREAKFAST

Bagels - with a schmear for the boychild, and egg and cheddar for the Man and me.

   2 bagels @ $0.25

+ a schmear @ $0.25

+ 2 eggs @ $0.35

+ some cheddah @ $0.35

+ 2 cups coffee @ $0.40

+ latte mix for Joe @ $0.25

= BREAKFAST: $1.85 total

SNACK

Just for Joe - a bowl of rice with his own California Roll dipping sauce. All accounted for on another day.

LUNCH

Tandoori chicken leftovers for me, that and and apple for the Man, and a special request of scrambled eggs with Balsamic vinaigrette for Joe who is developing some very interesting food ideas and flavor combinations in his free time.

To go:

For here:

For the boy:

   Gala apple @ $0.25
+ 2 eggs plus a little milk, salt and pepper $0.40

= LUNCH: $0.65 total

DINNER

Pernil with fried, sweet plantains and pico de gallo with avocado.

pernil...

pico de gallo with avocado...

platanos maduros fritos...

...y todo.

And quite possibly the best part:

Too bad it's my hand in focus and not the frickin chicharron. :[

   3.5 lbs. of the bone-in shoulder (I shaved about a pound of meat off for tomorrow's dinner) @ $5.00
+ marinade seasonings @ $0.75
+ 2 Romas, half an onion, 1 jalapeno, some cilantro, and 1 Hass avocado for the pico de gallo @ $1.15
+ 2 platanos @ $1.50

= DINNER: $8.40 total, $2.10/serving (4 servings total)

SNACK

2 freezer pops each for the Man and me, 1 Fuji apple and a tall glass of chocolate milk for the boy. And 4 extra cups of coffee for me throughout the day because it was that kind of a day.

   4 freezer pops @ $0.20
+ 1 Fuji apple @ $0.30
+ chocolate milk @ $0.40
+ 4 cups of coffee $ 0.80

= SNACK: $1.70

Saturday:  $5.40
Sunday:  $16.00
Monday:  $12.40
Tuesday:  $12.60

$47.00 spent with three days left to go. I got a lot of what needed doing done today, so I'm hoping tomorrow will see me back on a normal schedule.

Probably sahngchoo ssahm for dinner tomorrow. (Well, technically today.)

shinae

Separating Siblings & Stir-Frying Kimchi...

They say familiarity breeds contempt, and to some extent, I'm inclined to agree. Social animals though we are, too much of anything makes us at best less appreciative of it, at worst utterly contemptuous of it. So although it seems counterintuitive, sometimes a little distance is the best thing two people can share.

And when those two people are pre-teen siblings who have to look at one another's annoying mugs every single day while their little crank-making hormones are raging, it behooves those charged with their care to give them a break from one another lest someone should lose a Bieber-cut covered eye...

So while we have a couple of weeks of summer left, we have sent the boychild and girlchild off to their separate corners for a few days. The girlchild is with her dad so she can attend her Tae Kwon Do classes  - the kind where she's guaranteed a black belt within three short years as long as her dad keeps paying a hundred fifty bucks every month and seventy five bucks every six weeks for belt testing if by *testing* you mean *everybody passes as long as their parents pay* - and the boychild is hanging with me and The Man so he can do Chopped baskets and go for bike rides to the beach.

A little tequila plum-flavored juice to
celebrate the quiet in the house...

This kind of time apart is good for me, too. It doesn't happen as often as it probably should, but when it does, it gives me a chance to relate with my kids one-on-one without them feeling like they're competing for my attention and without me going batshit from hearing "Mommy!", "Mama!", "Mommy!", "Mama!" in rapidfire succession, one in each ear from the boychild and girlchild respectively.

We're scheduled to get the girlchild back tomorrow, at which point I am certain her brother will hold her to the promise she made to play an hour straight of Beyblade with him upon her return. So to commemorate our last night (this week) of alone time with him, he got to choose dinner at the beach, and the dinner he requested was kimchi bokkeum (stir-fry).

We packed up our dinners along with some fun juice <*WINK* *WINK*> in to-go containers and headed out for a couple of really lovely hours at an uncrowded beach. Which did make me feel like an Asian Ina Garten if I do say so myself, only without all her money.

Oh, and I also didn't visit any fabulous gay friends on my shopping errands in my 10 year old notBMW, either. (Not that my gay friends aren't fabyoolusssss...).

KIMCHI BOKKEUM (GIHMchee BOHKgeum)
Serves 3 to 4 with steamed rice

As with any good stir fry, almost uncomfortably high heat and small quantities cooked quickly produce the best results.

- 1 pound pork shoulder or belly meat, sliced into roughly 1/4" thick, 1" x 2" pieces
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

- 2 cups ripe kimchi with the excess liquid squeezed out (reserve 1 Tablespoon of the liquid for seasoning) By *ripe*, I mean at least as sour as a kosher dill.
- 1 cup sliced onion (about 1/2 medium)
- 3 green onions, sliced into 2 inch segments

- 1 Tablespoon gochoojahng
- 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic (about 1 small clove)
- 2 teaspoons to 1 Tablespoon sugar (depending on how sweet you like your food)
- 1 Tablespoon kimchi liquid

- 3 to 4 Tablespoons neutral oil
- 1/2 Tablespoon butter (optional)

- steamed rice

1) Season the pork with the salt. I purposely add only a little salt to the meat because the kimchi is pretty darned salty, as we all know.

2) In a large wok or skillet, heat about 2 teaspoonfuls of oil over medium high to high heat and wait until it's so hot that it starts to smoke. If you look closely, you can somewhat sorta see that the oil's so hot it's rippling.

 

3) Stir fry the meat in two equal batches, adding oil to the second batch, until the meat is cooked through and browned on both sides. Because these slices of pork are a little big for regular stir fry, you may want to let them sit on the cooking surface for a minute or so to give them a nice sear before you start stirring.

Set aside the cooked pork.

4) Now add 2 Tablespoons of oil to the wok or skillet and let it heat up again before adding the onions, green onions and kimchi.

Keep the heat on high as you stir fry these components until the onions start to become translucent.

5) Once the onions are translucent, remove the wok from the heat and make a well in the center where you'll add 1 Tablespoon of oil and, if you like, a half Tablespoon of butter (this is one of my dad's tricks that he picked up during the Korean War when he was lucky enough to get US government surplus rations of butter).

Put all the seasoning components into the well and return the wok to the heat.

Stir to incorporate all the seasoning ingredients and wait until you see the gochoojahng bubbling a bit - this is when the sugars start to caramelize. That caramelization that happens when enough sugar hits enough hot oil is one of the reasons that guai lo Chinese takeout tastes so good.

6) When the seasoning sauce has been bubbling for 20 to 30 seconds, stir in the veg and then the cooked pork along with whatever juices come with it.

Give it a few good stirs to make sure all the flavors are evenly distributed, and there ya have it - kimchi bokkeum.

Serve it over or with steamed rice and finish if you'd like with a little drizzle of toasted sesame oil. (I left it out because the boychild hasn't yet acquired a taste for it.)

Or pack it in to-go containers along with a little fun juice and head for the beach with a takeout meal so differently delicious not even Ina knows how to make it (I'm guessing). ;)

I'm not sure that Jeffrey would *LOVE* this...

He might *LOVE* this, though...

And who wouldn't *LOVE* this???

We shall see tomorrow if a little absence and kimchi make the heart grow fonder...

shinae

GUEST BLOGGER MONDAY - A Man & His Bacon...

Just a quick note for those of you following my personal Kimchi Chronicles, I've added some post mortem notes to the last batch (scroll to the end of the post) that you might find of interest. And now, with no further ado, I present to you my first guest blogger: 


DA MAN.
__________


Hello, ridiculous hungry readers. 

My name is Dean, or you may have heard of me as 'The Man' (though not in the popular culture or religious senses of the word).

Like many corn fed white guys who grew up in a middle class, middle-American household, I love most forms of 'sanitized' land-lubber meat. I grew up preferring leaner cuts cooked until they more resembled hockey pucks than the animals that were slaughtered for our enjoyment.

homecured bacon...

However, in my adulthood I've been introduced to many other cuisines and have expanded my palate greatly. I now prefer fattier cuts and MUCH less done preparations. One meat that I have loved all the way through my life, through the thick and the thin so-to-speak, is bacon. Delicious...fatty...heart stopping...artery clogging...sometimes smoky...BACON!!!!

Bacon goes with many things, hence the "Bacon makes everything better" phrase. Or was that butter? Perhaps both!! Being a home brewing and chili pepper/culinary herb growing type of DIY'er, how else could I further my unnatural love of bacon? By curing my own of course!! Let us enter the wonderful, yet mystic, world of bacon curing.

Ingredients

Pork Belly -- Be sure to pick a cut with a nice thick slab of meat between the fat layers

Kosher Salt -- Not as strong as table salt or as coarse as sea salt

Brown Sugar -- Just trust me on this one

Process

You should have a pan or dish of some kind that can keep the pork belly separated from the liquid that will leach from it. Otherwise, you will need to empty whatever dish you do use daily and dab the top of the pork belly with paper towels. With that out of the way, let's begin.

Each day rub a nice thick layer of salt on the skin (this side requires more salt to cure than the meat side) and a light layer of salt on ALL sides of the meat. After that rub in some brown sugar to the meat sides.

You can cure the pork belly in a dark cool place (if you prefer a more prosciutto-like musty flavor) or in the refrigerator. I did mine in the refrigerator. You will cure the meat for roughly five days, each day sprinkling salt on all sides of the meat but without rubbing. At this point you have two choices:

1) Rub some more brown sugar, slice into strips, and cook with your breakfast, burgers, scallops, or whatever else you like to have your bacon with.

2) Smoke the meat in a smoker. For this I recommend using apple wood chips and smoking with a really low temperature (200 degrees Farenheit) for around 90 minutes per pound--this should ideally yield an internal temperature of 150 degrees. This ensures that you get the meat nice and smoky without cooking it too far. Once done, slice and cook it up!

homefried bacon...
(with a little extra brown sugar sprinkled on top!)

I must say that this bacon was the best bacon I've ever had. Maybe it's because I made it and got all happy with my DIY-ness. Maybe it's because it was just plain tasty. I even ate it like a chip with a piece of raw uni (sea urchin) on top. That is quite a weird combo to most, but given the uni was live less than 60 seconds before I ate it and came from a local diver...I LOVED IT!!

beautiful bacon...

bacon, rice and kimchi - 
One of Shinae's favorite childhood meals.

I hope you all enjoy, I know I did. :P

The Man

Thit Heo Nuong is Vietnamese for...

..."GRILLED PIGS (is delicious)."

I am big on pig, so it’s a lucky thing I come from two cultures that make such good use of it. As with chicken, I don’t really care for the white meat parts. But since most of my fellow Americans seem to love the super sanitized, boneless, skinless, fatless, flavorless, can’t-tell-what-animal-it-comes-from cuts of meat I generally avoid, I eat my dark meat in good conscience, knowing that my habits bring with them a sort of equilibrium to the consumption of pig parts in the USA.

You could try making these Vietnamese Pork Chops with a leaner, whiter chop. But then you’d miss out on those delightfully charred and caramelized bits of pork fat that - when mixed with the sweet/savory/aromatic of the marinade and the nutty foil of steamed Jasmine rice - send you momentarily to a hog heaven nearly impossible with a skinny cut of pig.

So I’ll urge you not to dietize this recipe the first time you make it and to use fattier, darker, but thin-cut (no thicker than ½ an inch) pork, preferably with a bone attached. (Look for “pork loin chop”, “butt/shoulder steak”, “sirloin chop”, or you could even cut boneless “country style ribs” into ½ inch thick steaks for this recipe.)

I like to serve these with a Spring Green, Cucumber (I like Persian or hothouse) and Cilantro Salad dressed with a Lime and Sauteed Shallot vinaigrette which uses a couple of tablespoons of the pork chop marinade as a base.

VIETNAMESE PORK CHOPS (THIT HEO NUONG) 
(tiht HEYo noohng)

Serves 6

- roughly 3 pounds bone-in (or at least darkmeat) pork chops or steaks

- 1/4 cup fish sauce (Tiparos is a widely available brand that I’ve seen in the Asian foods aisle of major chain groceries)

- 1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons packed brown sugar

- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic

- 1 green onion, finely chopped

- 1 teaspoon lime zest, finely chopped

- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

- 1+1/2 Tablespoons water (Why not just less fish sauce? Because water dilutes and rounds out the mild bitterness/ saltiness of the fish sauce.)

- 2 tablespoons oil (something neutral like canola or vegetable)

1) Mix all marinade ingredients together in a small mixing bowl and stir until brown sugar is completely dissolved. If you’re going to make the salad dressing (instructions to follow), reserve 2 tablespoons of marinade in separate bowl.

2) Work marinade into chops and let marinate for at least 45 minutes, up to 2 hours, redistributing the meat 2 or 3 times to ensure even seasoning.

3) Bring chops to room temp (at least 30 minutes out of the fridge) and pre-heat grill to medium high. (Make sure the grill is hot enough to make the meat sizzle as it hits the grill. If you place the chops on the grill before it’s hot enough, they won’t sear properly and will slowly leach out all their juices by time they’re done. :( )

These really are monster chops.
I usually get smaller ones.

4) Grill each chop 7 to 10 minutes per side, depending on size and thickness, flipping once only, until juices run clear. If the meat is still sticking to the grill when you try to flip it, it’s probably not done on that side yet.

You may think those charred edges of fat are too burnt to eat, but the flavor and texture of that crisped and caramelized fat with the meat are a thing to be experienced...

5) Serve with steamed jasmine rice and salad if you’re so inclined.

SPRING GREENS, CUCUMBER & CILANTRO SALAD WITH LIME & SAUTEED SHALLOT VINAIGRETTE

I chose this selection of greens because they go well with Vietnamese dishes, and the added layer of aromatic flavor that comes from sautéing the shallots always gets thumbs ups.

- Spring Greens

- 1 Persian or Pickling Cucumber, sliced into thin discs

- 6 or 7 sprigs’ worth of cilantro leaves (you could just chop the sprigs, but the leaves picked off make a prettier presentation)

Awww... Will ya look at all those
adorable little cilantro leaves.

- 2 Tablespoons Vietnamese Pork Chop marinade

- 1 Tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar

- 2 Tablespoons thinly sliced shallot, sautéed in 1 teaspoon oil

- 1/2 Tablespoon brown sugar

- 1 Tablespoon fresh squeezed lime juice

- 1 Tablespoon oil with neutral flavor

Combine all ingredients in small mixing bowl and stir or whisk until brown sugar is completely dissolved. This should easily dress an entire standard 8 or 9 oz. package of salad greens with a few other veggies tossed in.

Hope you like. :)

shinae 

DUDE FOOD (again) - Pulled Pork With Strawberry Chipotle Sauce

Seeing as I just wrote a Dude Food post, I was going to hold off on this recipe until sometime next week or so. But a couple of my Facebook friends requested it off of this album, and, well, we all know comments, feedback, and requests especially, are like rainbow crack sprinkles to a foodblogger…

The sweet-tangy flavor profile in this recipe and the chicken wing recipe I just posted falls into what I like to call the cheat flavor pile. Some other flavors that fall into this pile are bacon, butter, brown sugar and chocolate. The reason I call them cheat flavors is that they’re so broadly appealing that you almost feel like you’re getting away with something when you use them and people say your food tastes good. Like half your job as a cook was done for you the moment you decided to mix something sweet with something tangy. Like the sweet was Milli and the tangy Vanilli… You know what I mean.

But, whatever way you shred it, this dish is easy, inexpensive, and tasty. And with the meatiness of the pork and smokiness of the chipotle sauce, it’s a shoo-in for Dude Food Installation #2.

A little sweet, slightly tangy,
and fairly schmokayyyyy...

PULLED PORK WITH STRAWBERRY CHIPOTLE SAUCE

Serves 6 – 8 depending on who’s eating, but the recipe can easily be halved without sacrificing flavor.  A 2 pound butt would be cut in half and cooktime would remain the same.

- 3.5 to 4 pound pork shoulder/butt (Get a well marbled piece – the fat will keep the meat moist during cooking, and what’s left can easily be removed during the shredding process.)

Rub

While I usually prefer fresh garlic and onion, there are a few instances where dry is better. BBQ rubs, sauces and marinades often benefit from dry garlic especially because fresh garlic tends to burn quickly and taste very bitter.

- 1 Tablespoon granulated garlic

- 1 Tablespoon granulated onion

- 1 Tablespoon paprika

- 1 Tablespoon sugar

- 1 Tablespoon black pepper

- 1 Tablespoon salt

  

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir to incorporate evenly.

Sauce

This recipe calls for shallots, and the distinct flavor of shallots really does make a difference. But if they’re not handy, red or brown onions can substitute in a pinch. You might have to add a pinch of salt or so to adjust for the water content of the onions.

- 1/2 cup white vinegar

- 1/2 cup strawberry jam

- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar

- 1 Tablespoon oil

- 2/3 cup thinly sliced shallots (8 to 10)

- 1 tsp salt

- 1 tsp rub

- 1 tsp chipotle powder

Roasting the pork…

1) Cut the pork butt into 4 equal pieces and season well and evenly with the rub mixture, literally giving each side a few good rubs to work in the seasoning. (This should use up a little more than half the total rub.)

2) While the meat is absorbing the seasoning and coming up to room temperature (at least 30 minutes out of the fridge), preheat the oven to 425 and make the sauce. (Directions to follow.)

3) Roast the pork in a single layer in an oven safe dish for 25 minutes at 425, flipping the meat halfway through. This high temperature will sear the outside and help keep the juices in for the rest of the roasting time.

4) Reduce the oven to 375 and roast another 60 to 80 minutes, flipping the meat about halfway through, until the pork shreds easily with a fork FROM EACH PIECE. The variance in time is due to variations in texture, density, fat content of the meat and the temperature of the meat as it goes into the oven.

5) Remove pork from the oven and pull apart into large chunks using two large forks and pulling in opposite directions.  Doing this will help the cooling process.  Allow the meat to cool 10 minutes or so before shredding (unless you have asbestos kitchen hands and want to tear into the task right away).

6) Shred the pork and dress with warm sauce. The pork and sauce will have cooled to room temperature by the time you finish shredding, and you want both components warm when you dress the meat so it can soak up the flavors that much better. You can microwave the meat for a minute or so and reheat the sauce on the stove on medium heat, which should take no more than 2-3 minutes.

Making the sauce…

- 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar

- 1/2 cup strawberry jam

- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar

- 1 Tablespoon oil

- 2/3 cup thinly sliced shallots (8 to 10)

- 1 teaspoon salt

- 1 teaspoon rub

- 1 teaspoon chipotle powder

1) Heat 1 tablespoon oil to medium high in a small pot or saucepan and sautee the shallots until they are translucent and about half of them are golden brown.

2) Lower heat to medium and add jam and brown sugar and stir until sugar is completely dissolved.

3) Stir in vinegar, salt, rub and chipotle powder and simmer another 2 to 3 minutes.  Sauce will likely cool before you’re done shredding the pork.  Reheat for 2 or 3 minutes over medium flame before dressing the pork.

This pork is super tasty with a side of coleslaw or potato salad, and leftovers make easy sandwiches on burger buns with coleslaw and/or dill pickle chips (and a slather of mayo, if you're like me).

shinae