Home-cured Bacon

This recipe is from Michael Ruhlman's Charcuterie. I just wanted to try making bacon. I tweaked the spices a bit so it's not too salty, and I used dried herbs, even the garlic. This process takes a lot of patience: 7 days for curing, and 1 and a half hours of oven time.

Rub the spices onto the slab of pork brisket.

Leave in the fridge for 7 days. Peek once in a while to make sure it's not coming to life with molds. After the curing time, wash well and put in the oven at 90˚C for an hour and a half. Then let cool and store in the ref.

Slice thinly, put in a pan on low heat until the fat melts and it fries on its own oil. Done!

Beer Pork Roast

Brown the sides of a chunk of pork in oil.

Sauté garlic, onion, add carrots, then dark beer, bay leaf, cloves and a little pepper and salt or sugar. Simmer for a bit.

Lay pork in a baking tray, pour sauce and bake in the oven at 180˚C for an hour or more, covered. Then about 10 more minutes without cover.

Drink leftover beer while waiting. Open another bottle if you want more.

  Collect liquid, pureé, and pour on top of pork. Done!

Twists 2011 Part 3

Beef and Pork Burger
Mix some finely chopped onions, ground black pepper and salt into the ground beef with some ground pork. Fry on a griddle or grill. Serve in toasted Pan De Sal or any small bun together with lettuce, sliced tomatoes and cucumbers, pickle chip, mustard and ketchup.
Have the burger with Mashed Potatoes with Caramelized Onions, Bacon and Mushrooms in Ranch Dressing

Twists 2011 Part 2

Most pics are from 2011, but I'm only uploading them now. Some of the titles pretty much explain what's in the recipe. :-)


Mussels in Beer (in this case, Chinese Rice Wine)

Sauté chopped garlic, ginger, chili and coriander stalks with crushed, washed and drained black beans. Add a cup of rice wine (or beer!) and let the alcohol dissipate a little bit, then start putting the mussels by batches. Take out once they open. Throw away those that don't. When all the mussels have been cooked, add the remaining coriander leaves and a squeeze of lemon and a bit of dried marjoram in the remaining sauce. Cook for a few seconds then pour back into the mussels and serve.


Fried Rice with Vegetables

Like making plain fried rice with garlic, just add chopped onions, cabbage, carrots, green beans, Chinese Sausage, Five Spices, salt, a dash of sesame oil until everything smells good.

Have the rice with Baked Asparagus Wrapped in Bacon with Teriyake and Sesame Oil Baste

Twists 2011 Part 1

Yes I've been taking pictures, so now I'm uploading them all. I'm too lazy to write down the recipe but I guess the title will give you a hint.

Pork Strips and Water Spinach Stir-Fried in Butter, Garlic and Oyster Sauce

Spaghetti with Tuna, Oven-Dried Tomatoes, Olives and Shiitake Mushrooms

Crisp Pork Sauteed in Shrimp Paste with Water Spinach and Eggplant

Fried Chicken Wings in Pizza Sauce

Sathan's Ribs Redux

Cream Dory in Teriyake Sauce with Bacon & Sesame Seeds

Simple: Get some ready-mix Teriyake Baste Sauce, pour about half a cup in a bowl, mix in about a teaspoon of Sesame Oil and a bit of ground black pepper. Brush onto some fish fillet (cream dory's very good), top with sliced bacon and sesame seeds. Pop it into a hot oven ('bout 220˚C) and let it broil for maybe 15 minutes or until you see that the bacon's a little browned. When done, just top it again with chopped spring onions. That's it!

Been a long time.

I miss this. I haven't stopped cooking, but I keep forgetting to take pictures. Sometimes, I forget to write down what I cook. Bad, bad. That's the problem with not having a recipe. I usually just open the ref and look what's there. I pick up 2 things and smell them together to get some ideas. For me, cooking is another creative outlet. Only, it's hotter and smellier. But the reward is tasty. :-) See you soon Weekend At Nathan's.