Lentil Soup

Marlys Waldo and Clarissa Helton original recipe

leftover ham bone with some leftover meat attached
1/2 large onion, whole
1 large carrot, peeled and left whole
2 Tb vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 large carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise, and cut into 1/4 inch half moons
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tb tomato paste
1 1/2 cups RED lentils, picked over and rinsed
1/2 tea dried thyme
1 Tb red-wine vinegar
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
Grated parmesan, optional

1. Put ham bone in 5 QT soup pot, cover with water (approx. 6 cups). Add one large carrot whole or cut in two and 1/2 an onion, whole, to the pot. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer until the meat falls off the bone (approx. 1 hour). Remove and discard carrot and onion, pull the ham off the bone and discard bone.

2. In another stock pot, add 2 Tb oil and saute onion and carrots. cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomato paste and cook 1 minutes. 

3. Add red lentils, thyme, and 5 1/2 cups of ham-bone broth. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer. Cover, cook until lentils are tender, 30-45 minutes. Add reserved ham pieces to the pot and turn off heat. 

4. Stir in vinegar, 1 1/2 tea salt or to taste and 1/4 tea pepper. Top with a couple pinches of parmesan, if desired. Serve at once. 

Carnitas Tacos

From Edible Seattle
serves 4

Sauce
2 jalapenos, seeds optional
4 cloves peeled garlic
14 oz can tomatillos, drained, or 4 c fresh, blanched
2 c canned green chilis
1 bunch fresh cilantro, plus more for serving

Pork
2.5 lbs pork shoulder, cut into 1 inch chunks
2 Tb ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 c olive oil

For serving
corn tortillas
limes
radishes
cotija cheese
whole yogurt or creme freshe

Combine all sauce ingredients in a food processor and pulse, don't puree. Can be done in batches if necessary.

Season pork chunks with cumin, salt and pepper. In a large saute pan or Dutch oven, heat oilive oil over medium high heat. When hot, sear pork chunks in single layer in batches until brown on all sides. Lower heat to medium, add all sauce and meat, simmer covered for an hour. Add chicken broth if necessary. Cook until fork tender. Serve with cut radishes, cotija cheese, tortillas, cilantro, whole yogurt or creme freshe and sliced limes.

Sticky Chinese-Style Spareribs

From Hungry Monkey by Matthew Amster-Burton

serves 4

1 rack pork spareribs (about 3 1/2 lbs), trimmed and cut into individual ribs
1 bunch scallions, cut into 2 inch lengths
4 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
2 star anise
1/4 c rock sugar or 2 Tb granulated sugar
1/2 c soy sauce
1 1/2 c low-sodium chicken broth
2 Tb hoisin sauce
2 Tb rice vinegar

Place all ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on low heat 7-8 hours or until the meat is very tender.

Fried Rice

From The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman

4 servings

3 Tb neutral oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 lb small peeled shrimp
1/2 lb Barbecued Pork, Chinese sausage, or other meat, chopped into bits
1/2 c chopped scallion
4 c leftover cooked long-grain rice, chilled
1 T soy sauce
3 tea dark sesame oil or toasted sesame seeds
salt and pepper to taste

Heat 1 Tb of the oil in a wok or large skillet over med heat, swirling the oil to coat the wok. Add eggs and scramble, breaking the egg into small pieces, just until set. Remove and set aside.

Raise the heat to high and add the remaining oil. When hot, add the shrimp and cook until they turn pink, just a minute or so. Add the pork and brown lightly, then stir in the scallion. When fragrant, stir in the rice, eggs, and soy sauce. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the rice is heated through, 3-5 minutes. Sprinkle the sesame oil over the rice, season with salt and pepper, and serve.

(optional: add 2 cups frozen peas when adding rice and eggs)

Porcheta

3 lbs Pork butt shoulder roast
Salt
1 Tablespoon capers (Rinsed, Dried, Rough Chop)
1 Teaspoon chopped lemon zest
3 Cloves garlic, roughly chopped
12 Sage leaves, crushed and roughly chopped
Sprig or two of rosemary, crushed and roughly chopped
2 teaspoons fennel seeds, barely crushed
1.5 teaspoons cracked black pepper
2 lbs root veggies (carrot, onion, fennel, celery root, turnip, rutabaga, parsnips, garlic, potato, etc)
Olive oil
2/3 cup pork stock, chicken stock, water

Trim down to no more than 1/4" fat on all sides. Open up some of the natural muscles seams or cut your own seams with a chefs knife. Now salt the outside and inside all of the seams (use 1/2 teaspoon of salt per pound).

Combine the capers, lemon zest, garlic, sage, rosemary, with most of the fennel seeds and black pepper. (You should get about 1/2 cup, loosely packed.) Spread and pack this mixture all over the excavated insides of the pork butt, making sure the seasoning falls deep into the crannies where you’ve separated the muscles. Re-form the pork butt into its natural shape and tie tightly into a uniform shape, tying 4 or 5 strings around the circumference and another around the length of the roast. Rub the remaining fennel and pepper on the outside of the roast. Collect and refrigerate any loose herbs and seasonings. Cover the pork loosely and refrigerate for 1-3 days.

Roasting the porchetta (2 1/4 to 2 1/2 hours):
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Toss the vegetables in a minimum of olive oil, barely coating the surfaces. Add a few pinches of salt and toss again. Heat a 12- or 14-inch ovenproof skillet, depending on how many vegetables you are roasting, over medium heat. Place the pork roast in the pan; it should sizzle. Surround with the vegetables. Place in the oven. The roast should begin to color at 45 minutes; if not, turn the heat up to 375 degrees until it does, then turn the heat back down. At 1 hour, turn the roast over and roll the vegetables in the rendered fat. Work quickly, so you don’t lose too much oven heat and the roast doesn’t cool off. Turn the roast again at 2 hours and add about 1/3 cup of the stock or water. Add any excess herbs and seasonings to the pan juices at this point and swirl the pan so they sink into the liquid. Roast for another 15 to 30 minutes, to about 185 degrees F. The pork should be fragrant and glistening golden caramel. Transfer the meat to a platter, tent loosely with foil, and leave in a warm, protected spot while you make the pan sauce. Place the vegetables on a separate warm plate.

Preparing the pan sauce and serving the roast:
Tilt the skillet and spoon off the fat. Add the vermouth and the remaining 1/3 cup stock or water and set over low heat. Scrape and stir to dissolve the caramelized drippings on the bottom and sides of the pan. Skim the fat as the liquid comes to a simmer. Add any juice that may have trickled from the resting roast. Slice the pork, removing the strings as you go, and serve garnished with the vegetables and a spoonful of the rich pan sauce.