Carnitas with Salsa and Salad

 Summer and Mexican food go so well together. The spice and freshness of the cuisine, made properly, is so light and yet satisfying. Don't be fooled into thinking of your local Taco Bill as Mexican fare. That's Tex-Mex and there is a substantial difference. Do away with stodgy! But keep the margarita :)

Carintas is a shredded crispy pork that is often used as a filling for tacos and burritos, similar to the shredded beef we're all accustomed to here in Australia. The thing i love about this version of carnitas is the crispiness achieved on the outside of the chunks of pork, begging to soak up the tangy salsa and creamy sour cream sides.

This salsa is pretty close to the stuff you get in jars, old el paso style. Although i tend to prefer the fresher, zingy salsas, this one paired well with the carnitas and side salad.

Ingredients

Carnitas

• 1kg boned pork shoulder, cut into 15cm chunks
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp chili pepper
• 1 tsp paprika
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• Olive Oil
• Water
• 1 tbs salt

Salsa

• 5 tomatos, seeds removed, and diced
• 1 green capsicum, pith removed, and diced
• 1/2 brown onion, diced
• 1tbs olive oil
• 1tbs tomato paste

Method:

Carnitas

Rub the salt over each of the pork chunks, and refridgerate overnight

Place crock pot over medium heat with 1tbs of vegetable oil

Place pork chunks into the pot and brown well on all sides, moving as little as possible.

Remove pork chunks and set aside.

Add 1 cup of water to crock pot and scrape off the yummy caramelized bits off the bottom of the pot.

Add spices and stir.

Place pork chunks back into the crock pot, and fill pot with water until pork is 2/3 submerged.

Place in an oven at 180 degrees for 3 1/2 hours, turning regularly, or until pork is flaky and liquid is most evaporated.

Remove pork chunks and flake into bite sized pieces.

Place pork back into pot and into the oven, uncovered.

Turn pork regularly until all liquid is evaporated and desired crispiness of the pork is achieved.

Salsa

Bring a saucepan to medium heat with the oil.

Add the onion and saute for 3-4 minutes or until softened.

Add all other ingredients and bring to boil.

Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Refridgerate until cold.

Serve the carnitas hot, along with the salsa, a side salad, and a dollop of sour cream. Perfect summer fare. Alternatively serve into tortillas (if you don't forget to buy them like i did).

'Traditional' Tzatziki.... sorry George!

I've poached another recipe from George Calombaris, however i've changed it up a bit to suit my tastes! Tzatziki is equally my favorite dip, along with French Onion, and 'New Zealand Dip' which my friend Darryl introduced me to (ill see if i can nick the recipe sometime). 

George called this 'Traditional Tzatziki' and it certainly tastes markedly different from the stuff that i am used to. I actually prefer regular tzatziki, however this one is worth a try for something different. I was hoping that this would be the rich, creamy tzatziki that is served at Hellenic Republic. But i'm still on the hunt.

Ingredients

500gm greek natural yoghurt

1 cucumber

1/3 cup olive oil

1tbs white vinegar (though i prefer the zing of lemon)

1tbs maluka honey (George says double the amount, but it was too sweet for me)

1tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp salt

Method (kinda basic!)

Split the cucumber in half and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Then dice into 1/2cm cubes. 

Add all other ingredients and mix

Refridgerate until very cold. 

The dip will improve overnight.

Serve with bread, crackers, or sticks of carrot and celery!

Spicy Sichuan Cucumber Salad

Finally getting around to posting my Sichuan meals from a couple of weeks ago. I adore Sichuan food. Even though i'm not great at handling ultra spicy food, there's something incomparable about Sichuan cusine, with the heavy lashings of pepper, spice, garlic, and salt that makes me salivate just thinking about it. The one thing that irks me though, is that at places like Dainty Sichuan, i can't find anything other than boiled rice as a palate cleanser! My mouth is searing from the moment i walk in, with no salvation until i literally run to the gelato shop after dining. This dish is a little bit toned down, and the cucumbers has a nice cooling effect on the palate.

Ingredients:

• 2 medium cucumbers
• 1 tsp dried, crushed chilli
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sichuan peppercorns
• Sesame oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1tbs red wine vinegar
• 1tbs brown sugar
• Cooking oil
• 1tps chilli paste
  

Method:

Peel the cucumbers, then cut in half lengthwise, and then each strip again in half to give four strips. Using a knife, remove the seeds and pith. Cut the remaining strips into large bite sized chunks. 

Toss the cucumber and the salt together in a bowl and set aside for 10 minutes to draw out moisture.

Heat a small pan on medium heat.

Add the oil, then garlic and sichuan pepper. 

Cook until fragrant then remove from pan and set aside to cool. 

Drain the cucumbers in a sieve.

Mix the vinegar, sesame oil, sugar and chilli paste in a bowl. 

Pour all mixtures over the cucumbers in a bowl, and toss.

Redfridgerate until cold.

This dish works will as an accompaniment salad for other sichuan foods. It's a little less extreme than most Sichuan dishes, and the cucumber has a cooling, cleansing effect on the palate. I, however, don't mind scoffing this salad alone as a quick lunch in summer with a nice Sauvignon Blanc.

Raspberry Truffles cure what ails ya

Raspberry Truffles! My second favorite truffle from Koko Black (first is the caramelized coconut and white chocolate... that will come soon!)

I was prowling through cooking websites today looking for something to satisfy my sweet tooth, the hungry hoardes at work, and as medicine for some niggling emotional hangups i've been having lately. With a broken cake pan, a broken food processor, and a broken whisk, my options were limited. Slice? Meh. Cookies? Bleh. Truffles? Oh yes indeed.

This is my first foray into the realm of chocolateering, and horror stories abound of the agony of tempering chocolate, having it curdle, having it grainy, having it burn. In the end, i didn't see what the big deal was. If you can make ganache... hell if you can boil and egg, you can make truffles.

Ingredients

• 600gm semi sweet chocolate (use a chocolate you would happily eat plain)
• 300gm frozen raspberries
• 1/4 cup caster sugar
• 1 cup double cream
• Cocoa and icing sugar, to coat

Method

Chuck the raspberries in a blender and blend into a fine puree.

Pass this through a sieve into a saucepan and simmer with the caster sugar, stirring regularly, until the mixture is beginning to turn from syrup into a thicker goop.

Set aside.

In a double boiler (bowl over a pot of simmering water as per photo; do not let the water touch the bowl base), add the cream and chopped up chocolate.

Stir constantly until the chocolate is completely melted and mixed with the cream.

Add the raspberry mixture and stir well.

Refridgerate for 3 hours.

Lay out candy pans on a baking tray.

Set up cocoa and icing sugar (sifted) into two separate bowls.

Coat hands in either cocoa or icing sugar.

Scoop out a heaped teaspoon of the cold truffle mixture.

Roll into a rough ball (the longer you roll, the warmer the mixture will get, and therefore the stickier)

Drop into the coating mixture and roll around until well covered.

Place truffle into candy pan.

Repeat with half of the mixture for the cocoa and half of the mixture for the icing sugar.

Note: It's better to do all the cocoa at once, and then all the icing sugar, or vice versa. Do not alternative as the cocoa on your hands will mess up the finish on the icing sugar truffles.

Refridgerate until ready to devour!

Tea Smoked Chicken & Rice - REAL comfort food

This weekend i have been sick. Runny nose, fever, and general irritability that my long weekend has been sacrificed in the name of recovery. So, today, feeling particularly sorry for myself as i hear the Melbourne cup cheers coming from the Geebung Polo Club around the corner, i prowl my pantry for some feel-good food. Dehydrated chicken soup, you say? Never! Off to the supermarket, to make me some REAL comfort food. 

This is sort of a massacre of both Hainanese chicken and rice, and Taiwanese Hsuyn Gi or Tea smoked chicken. I'm not going for authenticity here so leave me alone!

Ingredients

• 1 size 16 chicken
• 3 cloves garlic
• 6 coins ginger
• Salt
• Light Soy
  
• Chilli Paste
• Jasmine Rice
• 1 tbs green tea leaves
• 100gm brown sugar
• Sesame Oil
• Iced water (enough to douse chicken in)
  

Method:

Bruise garlic and place in large pot with ginger, chicken, some salt, and enough water to cover chicken.

Bring to a boil and then simmer for 20 minutes.

Transfer chicken to ice bath and leave for 10 minutes.

Continue to cook liquid until reduced to 750ml and then set aside for later.

Remove chicken and set on cooling rack to dry for 15 minutes.

Smokin' time! (only try in a well ventilated room; hush your smoke detector for 15 minutes, and open the windows)

Place a doubled up sheet of aluminium foil on the bottom of cleaned pot.

Add the tea leaves and sugar on top of the foil.

Either set in the greased pot colander as per my photo, or place a greased cake rack on the bottom of of the pot.

Set the chicken into the colander or onto the cake rake.

Put on the lid.

Heat over very high heat until thick smoke is coming out of the pot.

Take the pot outside but leave the lid on for 5 minutes.

Take off the lid and place the chicken on a cutting board.

Whilst still warm, brush sesame oil over chicken to form a glaze.

Cut the chicken into pieces desired for serving and refridgerate until needed.

To cook the rice:

Rinse the required amount of rice (1/2 cup per person) under water and then leave to drain for 10 minutes.

In a pot, heat 1 teaspoon of oil per 1/2 cup of rice.

Add the drained rice and saute for 5 minutes or until the rice smells toasty.

Add approx 2/3 cup of reserved stock per 1/2 cup of rice, briefly stir, and then place lid on pot.

Simmer lightly until bubbling stops and all liquid has been absorbed.

Let rice sit for 5 minutes before transferring to serving plate.

Serve chicken cold with hot rice, wilted greens, chili paste and soy sauce. You can also serve as small side bowl of the chicken stock as a soup to go with the meal.