Time To Try Something New

I've been cooking in professional kitchens since I was 14 years old. That's 27 years cooking just about anything and everything that I can get my hands on. But there is a short list of things I've always wanted to do in a kitchen but never have. With a few days off from the golf course, it was time to tackle a couple of them.


The first is to cook pork belly. This beautiful cut, also known as "unsmoked bacon" is famous for it's rich and unctuous mouth-feel. A mainstay in Asian cuisine, I have always found the idea  of cooking pork belly to be daunting. It is completely outside of my experience, but it is a challenge whose time has come.


The second is to use a pressure cooker.When I was a kid, my mom had a great big one in the cupboard, but I don't ever remember seeing her use it. I've always thought of pressure cookers as a little dangerous and maybe a bit outdated. No longer really needed in the modern kitchen. But when a good friend passed along a brand new beautiful Kuhn Rikon to me, I knew it was only a matter of time before it would get used. (This of course, is much to my Dalocalwife's chagrin. I think she was expecting explosions, structural damage to the house and 3rd degree steam burns.)


I headed down to T & T Supermarket in Richmond Hill and picked up a beautiful 2 lb piece of pork belly and some lovely vegetables, as well as a little snack of steamed pork buns and shrimp dumplings. Needless to say, the dim sum didn't make it home.

I had hunted for recipes for cooking pork belly in a pressure cooker, but didn't find any that I liked. They were wildly different in times and technique, so I decided to just wing it.


I skinned the pork and rubbed it down with a mixture of salt, freshly ground black pepper, cayenne pepper and Chinese 5-Spice powder. I then set to browning the belly over medium heat, in hopes of rendering out some of the fat and giving it a richer flavour. As it cooked, I started on the rest of the prep.


Green onions, garlic cloves and ginger were the aromatics of choice. Nothing too finely cut, since I would be straining them out later.

 A quick search through my cupboards turned up my broth ingredients: vegetable stock, 5-spice powder, oyster sauce, sesame oil, soy sauce, demerara sugar and last but not least some Sweet & Spicy Tabasco for a bit of kick.

I got the ginger, garlic and green onion sauteing in the pressure cooker. Once they were softened and fragrant, I added the pieces of browned pork belly and then the broth ingredients. I brought it all to a boil and then slapped on the lid. Once the cooker had come up to pressure I turned the burner down to medium-low heat and sat back and waited for an hour to pass. (Keeping a close eye and ear out for explosions and the like.)

After an exciting hour watching the valve, I pulled the pressure cooker off the heat and gave it a good 20 minutes to cool down. When I opened it up, after releasing the last of the pressure, the smell was exquisite. Sweet and spicy at the same time. I checked for tenderness, using the handle of a teaspoon. It went straight through, without the slightest resistance. (I have to admit, I might have giggled.) I transferred the bacon to a container and then strained the cooking liquid over top. I transferred it straight into the fridge to give the pork a chance to firm up overnight. I closed the fridge door and reluctantly headed for bed.

After a restless night, which included 2 trips to the fridge to peek at the cooling pork belly, I was ready to get started.

First, I transferred the cooking liquid to a pot (discarding the fat on the surface) and began reducing it to make my sauce. I sliced the pork and laid it on a rack on a baking sheet. It went into the oven under a low temperature broiler to further render out some fat. A pot of plain rice went on the stove and I prepped the vegetables to go alongside.


As my vegetables started to cook, I brushed the slices of pork belly with the reduced cooking liquid and returned them to the oven. I would do this 5 times, each one giving more shine and stickiness to the slices.

All that was left was to assemble the dish. After mounding the rice on one side and the vegetables on the other, I gently laid the glazed slices of pork belly on top. The remaining sauce went into a side dish and it was time to eat.

The meat was incredible. It had that beautiful texture that you only find in certain very special cuts, like lamb shanks and beef short ribs. The vegetables and rice made a perfect foil for the sweet, sticky pork. So fatty and rich, it was exactly as I had hoped. The resulting sauce was sweet and fragrant, tying the whole dish together.

Without a doubt, I will be cooking more pork belly. And as for the pressure cooker, I now understand. It is a unique piece of equipment that is going to see a lot more use in my kitchen at home.

Projects Finished This Month (DaLocalWife)

It's been a weird month.  For someone who doesn't generally wear shawls and wraps, I sure have been churning them out.

What do I do with them?

a summer wrap in black and turquoise

A Victorian wool shawl in greens, reds and orange

A Victorian shawl in heathered pinks and grays

oh

LOOK!

Something more me, to cheer things up!

A summer hat in red and white cotton

A green cotton market bag, using filet crochet

And on the hook(s) right now are 2 blankets, a hat, a summer top, a poncho and a cat sweater.

We'll see how that goes...they will most likely be put on hold.  I found this sweet pattern I wish to adapt because I have these luscious skeins or orange lace weight sock yarn...

It's of a beautiful shawl.  ;)

Forgotten (DaLocalWife)

  DalocalChef and I walk the pups on a regular basis, strolling through these here suburbs.  As is often the case with me, I slow down automatically when I see the outline of a furniture-like object skulking in the distance.  It's amazing what you can find at the end of a driveway. Unwanted, forgotten.  And I hear my husband sigh.  "I'll get the van, k?"

This is what we found yesterday morning

Rustic and primitive but solid wood goodness.  I cleaned it up this morning, before the summer heat made it uncomfortable to work outside. 
I think it will be my crochet table.  To store unfinished objects.  To store work projects in progress.  To hold my coffee cup.

I was going to move it in place and set it up but my crochet corner was taken.

I don't mind being on Fleazel time.


Here is an afterthought, although I hate to preach.  This society would benefit from a greater appreciation of the old.  Furniture.  Pets.  PEOPLE. 
Old doesn't mean useless. 

It presents an ability to learn. 

To appreciate. 

To be human(e).

The Reluctant Suburbanite (DaLocalWife)

So...how have you been?  Long time, eh?  I had to have surgery and the recovery was a little more involved than I originally gave it credit for and also?...I joked with my FB peeps that I was glad the uterus left when it did because I don't like threats of any kind and it was threatening my health, but did it really have to take my brain with it?  I pictured them walking, hand in hand, into the sunset not un-Far Side-like.  But I digress.

I had a complaint (or inquiry, if you insist on being polite) about my lack of bloggage.  Well, there ya go, I had no brain with which to blog!  But I was thinking today (a first in 9 weeks, I swear!) about how much I miss living in the country.  We moved to the burbs eight months ago and I'm still kind of jeebed-out by this place.  Everyone knows everything and all stuff that goes on.  I no longer smoke but if I were to sit on my make-shift porch and suck on a coffin nail?  They'd be talking about it at the playground, for sure!  I balk at the feeling of being under a microscope.

And what about this need to be dressed appropriately at all times!  It's not meeeeeeeee!  I admit to an inner drag queen that I can shut up with the occasional sparkly or vulgar colour combination but to always get dressed in suburban-mom-approved clothing?  I think not.  My Dad would shake his head in disgust if he saw me walking my kids to school in my pj's.  But hey!  For years I popped the kids down the driveway just so and I see no need to change a time-honoured (and let's face it, lazy) tradition. 

And my dogs.  See, nobody really likes them.  They are German Shepherds and they bring all things German Shepherd to the table.  They bark.  A lot.  They charge first, ask questions later.  They are sure all who approach are a possible threat to their people and give the hairy eyeball to all.  But they are pretty.  Drako is the finest in German engineering, physically. And such a dope.  For us.  In private.  I've given up trying to explain.  I feel for them, they aren't suburbanites either.

Also not sure that my neighbours approve of my musical choices, both in the car and in the house...with my windows open.  Did I mention I am partially deaf and kind of like my music enthusiastic (loud)?

So what, so move, you say?  Can't.  Did this for the kids and they are loving their friends and ability to roam and play and the park and...and...I love it enough to see them happy and so I adjust.

Well, sort of.  I only bend so far, you know?

Chef the Mime (DaLocalWife)

Although married for less than 2 years, I actually fell in love with the chef well over 20 years ago.  Before he was a tax-paying adult.  A father.  A chef.

In my OAC English class, I noticed a boy who was argumentative but somehow came across as almost shy.  Exactly the kind of dichotomy that would get my attention. He did his Hamlet soliloquy and  I was hooked.  We dated for two weeks at the end of the summer leading into university.  He was so intense, he scared me and I let him go off to Ottawa without so much as a "see you soon".  My biggest regret in life, by far.

Fast forward 17 years and through the wonder of Facebook, we got a second chance.
Why am I digging all of this up?

Due to health problems, I wasn't able to accompany the chef to a gala at the ROM. With a circus theme.  How much fun THAT would be?
He went with a long-time friend who is a wonderful photographer and her efforts more than matched his in both costume and flair.  She took a picture of the chef at the gala which made me fall in love with him just that little bit more.  Hard to do when you are as head-over-heels as I am.

 No one gets to see this playful, theatrical side of DaLocalChef anymore.  But I do, every day.

And I count my lucky stars.

picture taken by the incomparable Michelle Kauntz

Nice Cans!!!

There are 3 things about canning I love:

1. Preparing them. It reminds me of my Granny, Marie Clouthier and my Nan, Esma Wilson. They gave me my love of cooking. Every time I jar up fruits, veggies or jam, it makes me feel like they're looking over my shoulder.
2. Eating them. There is something miraculous that happens when you pack food in jars. I don't have any valid explanation for it, beyond simply that it does.
3. Taking their picture. I know it sounds funny, but I love taking pictures of the food I can. The way the light bounces off the shiny lids and bright colours just makes me happy.

My Nan, Esma Wilson

My Granny, Marie Clouthier

Brandied Sour Cherries

Yellow Plums

Peaches and Green Tomato Relish

Lots to enjoy, though my fave was the grape jelly!

Giardinera and Pickled Radishes from the Summit garden

Carrot and Radish Pickle

Blood Orange Marmalade

Raspberry Jam and its aftermath

Love the seeds in the Raspberry Jam

Such a deep dark colour on the Blueberry Jam

All my jams, except the Strawberry.

Sweet Corn Relish

Some seriously hot Pickled Habanero Rings

Curried Pickled Cauliflower

Jalapeno Jam

Apple Butter, Dilled Carrots and Pickled Beets and Onions

Baby Love (DaLocalWife)

Some of the more recent (last month or so) baby items I have designed and crocheted:

Kind of makes the uterus ache, doesn't it?  Contemplate the unthinkable?  Another try at a girl?

Nah.

Discovery of a (reluctant) Early Bird (DaLocalWife)

After a three day battle with the nastiest stomach bug KNOWN TO MANKIND, I settled nicely into bed at 10 pm (after indulging in a rather unsettling episode of Criminal Minds).  I'm not feeling great but I was pretty sure of myself and my ability to snore rhythmically (at least until 6 am, COME ON!!).

2 am...pokepokepoke.  A, my youngest, standing in front of my bed like a pile of misery, assuring me he had this bug as well.  After sitting in the bathroom for (felt like 5 hours) 1/2 an hour with him, I thought he was maybe looking for attention?  Wrong! (I will learn some day) I have been up since then with a pitifully sick A.  Having nothing better to do, I  retrieved old pictures off my dead computer and my discontinued Facebook site (I know, most people would have done that waaaaaaay before disabling a page, but oh well,...a$$-backwards, that's my motto).

But lookie what I found!!!!!

A learning to crochet in 2010

I had forgotten about this!  I love the look of concentration on his face, all confounded-like with the rebellious yarn.

Wouldn't it be cool if someone opened a little workshop where kids got to learn the "Lost Arts"?

Wonder who could get such a thing rolling.....

Crazy Crochet Lady (DaLocalWife)

Being married to the chef entitles me to lots of kitchen gadgets and doo-dahs.  Sometimes these outgrow their designated containers and a sane person would go to the store and BUY a bigger vessel to contain such chef-designated treasures...not me.

BEFORE

AFTER

The chef is back to working more hours and before long we will pass each other with a kiss in the morning and he will nudge me to say hi when he comes home at night.  Tis the season for a Country Club-type executive chef.

My only worry is that, left to my own devices, with nothing but kids for company aaaallllllllllllll summer long?

By fall, the whole house should be covered in granny squares and ripple stripes.