My Spin on a Bánh mì

6 hour slow roasted pork shoulder that was marinated in Kikkoman soy sauce, ginger , garlic and other spices.

served as a bite size snack

served as a meal

Pork Chop with Tart Cherry Pan Sauce and Roasted Zucchini 

Ingredients:

for the brine

Zest of one lemon

2 sprigs of Rosemary

2 sprigs of thyme

3 gloves of garlic micro planed

1 finger of fresh ginger micro planed

1/4cup sea salt

1/4 cup sugar in the raw

1 tablespoon of black pepper

4 cups of hot water

mix all ingredients and dissolve salt and sugar

add ice to cool down

add two bone in pork chops

wrap the container in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour

Ingredients:

for the tart cherry sauce

juice of one lemon

2 teaspoons of mustard powder

2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon

1/4 cup sugar in the raw

1/4 cup of cranberry pear vinegar (you can use any mild vinegar)

1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon of black pepper

1 can of drained Tart Cherries packed in water no sugar reserve 2 tablespoons of  the liquid (be careful and don't get cherry pie filling)

2 tablespoons of the tart cherry liquid

Bring all ingredients to a boil except for the cherries, then turn down to simmer and cook until sugar is dissolved. Remove bay leaf and pour the liquid mixture over the drained cherries and cover and leave at room temperature while you finish the dish.

Oven Roasted Zucchini with Ricotta Cheese

Baby Zucchini 

Cut into strips

Toss in Olive oil and Black Pepper

Heat grape seed oil or canola oil in a heavy skillet or cast iron skillet. Remove Pork chop from brine and dry completely.

Place chops in skillet 

Cook for 4-5 minutes and then turn chop over and add sliced zucchini drizzled in olive oil and pepper

Place the skillet in a pre-heated  400 degree oven and cook for an additional 6-8 minutes and remove chops to a plate to rest and let zucchini   continue to cook until nicely roasted.

Remove skillet form oven and place on stove top over medium high heat. Remove zucchini and rest with the pork chops ,

add the cherries into the skillet and bring to a quick boil and stir until sauce thickens. 

Plate pork chop and drizzle with sauce and cherries.

 Place zucchini on plate and top with some Ricotta cheese. 

Caesar Salad:

My Sister and her Husband spent yesterday making Caesar Salad in a cooking class to break in a beautiful wooden bowl he got for Valentine's Day. My Sister shared the instructions from class with me. 

Ingredients:

Enough Romaine Hearts for 2 (washed , dried and torn into bites size pieces, you can leave them whole and plate on a dinner size plate to give room to cut up salad)

Dressing

juice from 1/2 lemon

3 anchovy fillets

1 egg yolk

4 cloves of garlic

1/4 cup Good Quality Olive Oil

1/2 tablespoon of Balsamic Vinegar ( I used an 18 year old vinegar)

2 tablespoons of Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese

Fresh Ground Pepper to taste

Croutons:

2 Sour Dough Rolls (cut into 1 by 1 inch cubes)

4 cloves of garlic

1/4 cup olive oil

(place garlic and olive oil in the blender or Vita Mix and blend until combined) 

(toss bread cubes in oil mixture and bake in a preheated 375 degree oven until golden brown)

Chill Two salad plates in the freezer while you assemble the dressing and the salad.

Drizzle some olive oil in the bottom of a wooden salad bowl and add the garlic cloves.

 Using two forks mash the garlic into a rough paste

Add the anchovy

 and continue to mash together into a fine paste and spread around the sides of the bowl to season it 

Bring a small pot of water to a boil , separate the yolk from the egg and place the yolk into a large ladle and add the the lemon juice to the ladle. 

Lower the ladle into the boiling pot of water barely touching the ladle to the surface of the water and continuously beat the egg and lemon mixture until it begins to thicken and warm  (not scramble, it should look like a mayo consistency) Once the egg is coddled add to the wooden bowl

whisk to blend egg mixture with garlic and anchovy paste. Then slowly whisk in the olive oil

Once the oil is blended in add the vinegar and whisk, then add in the grated Parmesan cheese

whisk to mix add pepper to taste

Add in Romaine and toss gently to coat the lettuce 

Add in croutons and toss

Remove chilled salad plates from the freezer and dust with grated Parmesan Cheese

Plate Salad and serve 

Crab Ravioli

Ingredients:

Ravioli Filling

1/2 cup Ricotta Cheese

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon lemon zest 

1 teaspoon Himalayan  pink sea salt

1/4 cup spinach (frozen squeeze all the liquid out)

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan  cheese

2 teaspoons cracked black pepper

1 cup Alaskan king crab (steamed)

6 pasta sheets

1 egg for egg wash

sauce:

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 shallot finely diced 

1 whole garlic clove

3 teaspoons flour 

2 teaspoons cracked black pepper

2 tablespoons Sherry

2 teaspoons lemon juice

3 saffron threads

1/2 cup fat free half and half

1 tablespoon tomato paste

Himalayan  pink sea salt to taste

pink peppercorn (garnish)

Mix all ingredients for the Ravioli Filling except for the crab in a mixing bowl. Taste and adjust pepper and salt seasoning to taste.

Once seasoning is to your taste gentle add in the cooked crab meat and mix.

Beat egg in a bowl for the egg wash and lay out pasta sheets

Brush the entire surface of pasta with egg wash and add three tablespoons full of filling

Cover with another sheet of pasta

Using a cookie/biscuit cuter  cook out the raviolis

 Using a fork seal the edges of the raviolis and place on a baking sheet until ready to cook

Bring a large pot of water with a dash of salt to a boil and cook Ravioli until they float 

While the pasta is cooking make the sauce.

Heat a heavy skillet or cast iron pan over medium heat and add olive oil , shallot and the whole garlic clove. Saute for 4 minutes until shallot is translucent , remove the garlic clove and sprinkle the  shallot with flour and cook for 2 minutes stirring the whole time to get rid of the raw flour taste.

Add the saffron threads to the half and half.

Once the flour has cooked  add the sherry turn heat up to medium high  and cook until some of the sherry cooks off then add the lemon juice , half and half with saffron, pepper , salt   and whisk  together and then stir in the tomato paste and cook until it thickens. Taste and add more salt if needed.

Once the pasta is cooked remove form boiling water and place into the sauce, if the sauce is too thick add a little of the pasta water 

Plate two raviolis and top with crushed pink peppercorns

Crab Cakes

Ingredients

1/4 CUP DICED RED BELL PEPPER

1/4 CUP DICED CELERY WITH LEAVES

2 TABLESPOONS DICED SEEDED JALAPENOS

1/4 CUP DICED WHITE ONION

1 DICED GREEN ONION

2 TABLESPOONS OF GREEK YOGURT
1 TABLESPOON OLD BAY SEASONING

6 WHOLE WHEAT CRACKERS CRUSHED IN BLENDER (RESERVE 1 TABLESPOON)

1 EGG WHITE

1 CUP ROUGHLY CHOPPED CRAB MEAT (YOU WANT TO HAVE LARGE CHUNKS OF MEAT)

ZEST FROM 1 LEMON

JUICE FROM 1/2 A LEMON

FLOUR FOR DUSTING CRAB CAKES

1 TABLESPOON OLIVE OIL FOR BROWNING CRAB CAKES

SAUCE:

2 TABLESPOONS OF GREEK YOGURT

3 TEASPOONS OF GARLIC CHILI

1 TEASPOON OF LEMON JUICE

3 DROPS OF SIRICHI

SEA SALT TO TASTE

HEAT A HEAVY SKILLET OVER MEDIUM HIGH HEAT AND SPRAY WITH COOKING SPRAY. ADD ALL VEGETABLES EXCEPT GREEN ONIONS AND COOK UNTIL THEY ARE SOFTEN. IN A LARGE MIXING BOWL ADD LEMON JUICE, LEMON ZEST AND YOGURT. ONCE VEGETABLES ARE COOKED STIR INTO YOGURT MIXTURE , ADD GREEN ONION AND CRACKER CRUMBS AND STIR, ONCE FULLY MIXED CAREFULLY FOLD IN CRAB MEAT AND EGG WHITE. THE MIXTURE WILL BE A LITTLE LOOSE. CAREFULLY FORM INTO GOLF BALL SIZE BALLS AND PLACE ON A BAKING SHEET.

 ONCE ALL MIXTURE HAS BEEN FORMED INTO BALLS PLACE BAKING SHEET IN THE FREEZER FOR 5 MINUTES. MIX FLOUR AND RESERVED CRACKER CRUMBS IN A SHALLOW DISH AND ROLL FORMED CRAB CAKES GENTLY IN THE FLOUR MIXTURE AND PLACE ON A PLATE TO REST.

 HEAT OLIVE OIL IN SKILLET OVER MEDIUM HEAT AND PLACE CRAB CAKES INTO THE HOT OIL AND GENTLE FLATTEN WITH A SPATULA. 

WHEN ONE SIDE IS BROWNED ABOUT 4 MINUTES TURN CRAB CAKES AND BROWN THE OTHER SIDE.