First and foremost, I must apologize to my good friend Mike who follows my blog, but doesn't eat pork. It seems that this blog is turning into the "Edible PORK Menu" website. I will try to make a conscious effort to create more Kosher dishes in the near future, to make up for the fact that the majority of my posts have been, although appreciated, inedible to my Jewish readers. Having said that, I'll keep this one short and to the point.
This is an idea I discovered in a Jamie Oliver cookbook. Since finding this recipe, I've never made a traditional baked potato again. As a note, before we get started, this recipe does call for anchovy, which most of the world finds repulsive. I will declare this to be an optional ingredient, but will press upon you that the anchovy fillet will dissolve inside the potato and simply add a salted richness to the flavor. You will not taste fish. I promise!
INGREDIENTS
4 Potatoes
TT Olive Oil
TT Salt & Pepper
4 Rashers of Bacon
4-8 Sage Leaves (depending on size)
4 Anchovy Fillet (optional)
1 Clove of Garlic, minced
1 Lemon, zested
I like to zest my citrus by hand, but you're welcome to use a Microplane or zester. In order to zest by hand, remove the peel using a knife (as if you were making Supreme). Once any remaining pith has been removed, slice the peel into julienne strips and then finely mince.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Using an apple corer, twist and remove the center from each of your potatoes. Keep the cores because you can use them either as plugs for the potatoes or as "Scooby Snacks" later. Prick your potatoes with a fork and season with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Lay out your potato filling; 1 rasher of bacon, 1-2 leaves of sage, 1 anchovy fillet, minced garlic, and lemon zest.
Fold the bacon over in half so that the filling is sandwiched between the bacon.
Stuff the wrapped bacon into the cored out center as you rotate the potato. Rotating the potato will cause the bacon to twist and prevent any of the filling from falling out. Once the potatoes have been stuffed, you can either leave them be or you can cut the plugs in half and stuff them back into either end of the potato. Place the potatoes on a sheet tray and bake for about one hour, rotating every 15 minutes, until they are fully cooked.
With any extra plugs, you can wrap those in bacon and garnish with salt and pepper and simply bake them in the oven alongside your potatoes. Obviously, because they're smaller, they'll be ready before your potatoes and can served as a nice "Scooby Snack" appetizer before your meal.
This is one of my signature dishes, but I've never finalized the recipe. It seems that every time I make this dish, something changes. I've tried it with more Kahlua, less Kahlua, cooked shallot, raw shallot, garlic, no garlic. It's a dish that haunts me to no end. The flavors are subtle and have always made me smile after the first bite. They've made others say, "wow" and go back for a second taste. But I have yet to take a bite, stand up, and yell - "Eureka!" Consider this a work in progress. A delicious, but unfinished none the less, work in progress.
INGREDIENTS
8 oz. Mahi Mahi Steaks
1/4 lb. Macadamia Nuts
1/4 lb. Panko (Japanese Bread Crumbs)
1 tsp. Paprika
4 Eggs
1 oz. Cilantro
TT Salt & Pepper
1/2 C. Shallot, minced
1/2 C. Kahlua
1 Tbsp. Ginger, minced, pickled
1 C. Heavy Cream
1/4 C. Lime Juice, freshly squeezed (2 limes)
1/4 lb. Butter, cubed
Our first step is to making the crust for the fish. I tend to make a lot of crust and save some for later use. First you'll pulse your macadamias in a food processor until they're fairly coarse.
Once that's done, simply place them on a sheet tray and sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper and toast in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes. Shake them every 3 minutes or so, not only to evenly toast the nuts, but also to keep an eye on them so they don't burn. Once they become aromatic, they're ready. In a bowl, you'll combine your panko, paprika, macadamia nuts, cilantro, salt and pepper and toss.
Whisk your eggs in a bowl to create an egg wash. Season your Mahi Mahi with salt and pepper. Dampen each side of the fish in the egg wash and dredge it through your panko mixture. In a saute pan with olive oil, over medium heat, you'll want to sear the fish on each side for about 2-3 minutes, until it's golden brown. Transfer the fish to a sheet tray and finish in a 350 degree oven.
While the Mahi Mahi is in the oven, you'll want to make your sauce. This sauce is a loose interpretation of a Beurre Blanc because we're replacing one acid component (wine and vinegar) with another (lime juice and Kahlua).
Start by sweating your shallots. Deglaze your pan with lime juice and Kahlua and reduce. Add your heavy cream and reduce by half. Then, remove from heat and slowly, in small batches, whisk in your butter.
I like to strain my sauce to remove all the bits of minced ginger and shallot. I think a nice smooth sauce goes well with the coarse crunch of our macadamia crust.
To serve, simply drizzle your sauce over the fish and maybe add a light dusting of sesame seeds.
If you want to impress your friends, garnish your Mahi Mahi with a quenelle of ginger puree and wasabi.
I hope you enjoy this recipe. It's one of my favorites. If you get a chance to make some changes of your own, I'd love to hear about them. You can contact me through the blog or via E-Mail: ediblemenu@hotmail.com
When you think Thai food, you probably think Coconut Milk or Curry. I know I do. However, this simple marinade incorporates many of the hallmark flavors associated with Thai cuisine and yet is made with a vinegar base and sugar added for balance. My favorite part of this marinade is the combination of cilantro and fresh ginger. These two flavors put together are quite incredible.
INGREDIENTS
Pork Chops
1 cup White Vinegar
3/4 cup Sugar
1/4 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
1/4 cup Fish Sauce
2 Tbsp. Fresh Grated Ginger
2 Tbsp. Minced Garlic
1 cup Cilantro
Combine your vinegar, sugar, cayenne, fish sauce, ginger, and garlic in a saucepan and simmer until the sugar dissolves completely (approx 3 minutes). Once the sugar is completely dissolved, remove the marinade from the heat and set aside to cool. When cool, add the chopped cilantro.
Marinate your pork with the Thai marinade but reserve a little extra sauce for later (perhaps 1/4 cup will do). Chill both the marinated pork and the reserved sauce for 24 hours. Strain the reserved marinade through a chinois or fine mesh strainer to remove the cilantro, garlic, and ginger. You want only a smooth mixture of the vinegar, sugar, and spices to come through your strainer. We are making a gastrique.
gastrique [gah-STREEK] French for "gastric," referring culinarily to a syrupy reduction of caramelized sugar and vinegar. Gastriques are typically used in savory dishes that include fruit, such as oranges or tomatoes.
While the pork is cooking, slowly heat the strained gastrique so as not to burn the sugar. When the pork is ready, remove the gastrique from the heat as well. Plate your pork and serve your gastrique either on the side or drizzled over your pork.
The title says it all. Hearty and straight forward. This was dinner on the first night of Edible Menu's existence so I thought it only fitting to incorporate it into the blog. This dish is amazingly flavorful and can essentially be made with only three ingredients; pork, onion, and tomato; but of course we'll throw in some salt, pepper, mustard, garlic, lemon, and scallions because we can!
INGREDIENTS
1 Pork Chop
TT Salt & Pepper
2 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
2 Tbsp. Dry Mustard
1/2 Onion, diced
1 Tbsp. Garlic
1 can (14.5oz.) Stewed Tomatoes
(optional) Scallions, for garnish
Start with a thick, center-cut pork chop. Season with sea salt and crack pepper, then rub with dry mustard. Sprinkling with a touch of lemon juice and letting it sit out for 30 minutes will help add a nice zest as well. Render the fat side first, then sear each side for a few minutes (taking care not to burn the mustard powder).
Sweat about half an onion and a touch of garlic until transluscent and aromatic. Add in your tomatoes and simmer covered for about 12 minutes.
If you know how to peel tomatoes (concasse), it is recommended, but canned stewed tomatoes work just as well for this recipe. If you need to, remove your pork when the desired temperature has been reached and hold warm while continuing to reduce the tomatoes. Spoon the tomatoes over the pork and garnish with fresh cut scallions.
Welcome to EdibleMenu.blogspot.com, a site inspired by the passion for food and a fondness for photography. This site is meant to be a laid back place where people can come and share recipe ideas, photos, and advice about their favorite dishes. The intention is to try new foods, enjoy old favorites, and most of all discuss food. That's it! It's just that simple.
My immediate goal is to make this a weekly blog with new posts uploading every Monday at 6a.m. Ultimately, my hope is to have enough material to blog daily, but since this is a new concept, I'm going to start small. Currently, this is a very modest operation; one man, one camera, and a pair of lights in my apartment's very cramped kitchen. Everything you see is shot solely for the purpose of this blog and is not stock footage from the web. If you like what you see, let me know. If not, that's okay too.
I encourage your feedback. If you have ideas, photos, or recipes, feel free to share them with me. If you tried one of these recipes and made some improvements (or even some mistakes), I'd love to hear about it. In short, if you want to discuss food let's do it.
I'm available at EdibleMenu@hotmail.com
My name is Stedman and I love to cook. Welcome!
