grilled pork belly with cranberry-vermouth sauce, broccoli rabe, trumpet mushrooms, and roasted potatoes

grilled pork belly with cranberry-vermouth sauce, broccoli rabe, trumpet mushrooms, and roasted potatoes, originally uploaded by aarn! +13th February, 2010+.

seared off some sliced trumpet mushrooms and sauteed with some broccoli rabe. roasted up some potatoes which had been tossed in some olive oil salt and pepper. vadim made a sauce with some dried cranberries and antica vermouth (his original idea was the "pork manhattan," but he ended up with cranberries instead of cherries somehow...oh yeah, and there weren't any bitters...so that didn't work out). grilled up some pork bellies which had been previously sous vide for 4hrs or so in lard with a few sprigs of thyme and some cloves of garlic, salt and pepper. nice write-up, right? sometimes the details escape you.

[note: most of this meal was made by vadim. we had been experimenting with the bot' pot and the pork bellies a week or so before, so we needed to eat them. oh, and the photo is bad. just wanted to blog it for the record.]

curried brioche french-toad

curried brioche french-toad, originally uploaded by aarn! +13th February, 2010+.

beat an egg and mixed in a pinch of coriander-heavy curry powder, a pinch of cayenne pepper, some mustard powder, salt, and orange zest. beat until the spices were well mixed and then added 1c. of coconut milk and a splash of whole milk. cut some one-inch thick slices of iggy's brioche loaf (sherman market) and soaked them in the seasoned mixture until almost fully-soggy. used a small glass to cut out circular regions in the slices of loaf. placed the slices in a hot skillet with a little butter and olive oil, allowed to sear for a second and then dropped an egg in the hole on each slice. cooked until bread was nicely browned, then flipped and cooked until finished. another option would have been to use thicker slices, sear them off the same way, and then finish them in the oven (the go-to french toast technique).

plated up with the fried center pieces that had been previously removed and a drizzle of paprika oil.

herb-rubbed pork loin roast with light gravy, coconut milk and black cumin bulgar wheat, and sauteed kale

herb-rubbed pork loin roast with light gravy, coconut milk and black cumin bulgar wheat, and sauteed kale, originally uploaded by aarn! +10th February, 2010+.

mashed up three cloves of garlic in a mortar and pestle, with a sprig or two of fresh thyme and rosemary, salt, black pepper, a splash of olive oil, and a pinch of white sugar. rubbed a trussed pork loin roast (locally raised, from the whole pig that was butchered) with this mixture, then placed the loin on a bed of quartered yellow onions and celery stalks in a cast iron skillet. placed the skillet in a 275-degree oven, uncovered, until the internal temperature was 150-degrees. pulled the skillet and roast and turned the oven up to 500-degrees. placed the roast on a rack on top of a baking sheet and threw it in the oven for about 5-minutes, until the outside had developed a nice crust. removed the roast from the oven and let rest on a plate covered in aluminum foil for about 10-minutes, until ready to serve.

finely diced a small shallot and sauteed in a sauce pan with a little butter. added some crushed black cumin, a dash of nutmeg and marjoram, salt, pepper, and a pinch of korean chili flakes. dumped 1c. of dry bulgar wheat into the sauce pan, stirred around until coated in the oil and spices, and let sit on heat, stirring occasionally, until a nice nutty aroma was present. added a handful of dried chopped cranberries to the pan, and then poured 1c. of coconut milk and 1/2c. of water over the dry ingredients. simmered covered until the bulgar was tender, then mounted with 1T. with butter and served.

de-ribbed a bunch of kale, then sliced into 3/8-inch wide ribbons, rinsed, and let sit in chilly water. strained the kale. sliced up and then sauteed a large shallot in a pad of butter. added a few cloves of olive oil poached garlic, salt, pepper, and a cup or so of sherry to the sautee pan, then placed the strained kale on top and let simmer. mixed the kale around until slightly wilted, and most of the liquid had reduced, then removed from heat. tossed with a splash of apple cider vinegar, to taste, and then plated.

took the skillet, still containing the onion, celery, and roast drippings, and placed it over medium heat, until simmering slightly. added a splash of water, a sprig of thyme, 1T. of butter, and 1c. of sherry wine. let simmer and reduce for a minute, then added 1T. of flour, whisking until incorporated. salt and peppered to taste. allowed to reduce to a nice gravy consistency, then pressed through a chinois. de-trussed the roast, sliced it up, plated it, and slathered with gravy.