Recipe: Northern Thai-style Pork Shoulder

We’ve probably already mentioned that we’re on a tasty journey through the varied flavors of the Asian continent – because, well, it’s all we can talk about! And in the last couple weeks, we’ve really dug into Thai cuisine. There’s just something about the combination of spicy Thai peppers and cooling herbs that tastes so perfect on the almost tropical evenings we’ve been enduring this summer.

Our recent efforts have been ever-more rewarding, as we now have a Thai expert at our disposal — our brother, Will. Will is a natural builder and spent six months living in Thailand… but this summer he’s become our official taste-tester. When he says our kitchen smells like a Thai food market, we know we’ve hit a recipe on its head.

This month we wanted to tackle a dish that we tasted at Andy Ricker’s famous Pok Pok Thai restaurant in NYC. It’s a simple but authentic dish of thinly-sliced grilled pork shoulder, marinated in a paste of cilantro roots, garlic and soy sauce, served with greens and rice. It is a perfect summer dish, and except for some fish sauce, it calls for no unusual ingredients.

Northern Thai-style Pork Shoulder
From Pok Pok

For the pork:
+ 1 lb. pork shoulder
+ 4 cloves garlic
+ Roots from 1 bunch cilantro (if you can’t get some with the roots, use the greens instead)
+ 1 tbsp whole black peppercorns
+ 2 tbsp sugar
+ 4 tbsp Shoyu soy sauce (or another light soy sauce)

1. Pound garlic, cilantro roots and peppercorns together in a mortar and pestle or mix ingredients in a food processor. Either way, you’re going for a paste.
2. Cut shoulder meat into 1/2-inch thick slices. Rub paste onto the meat and marinate for an hour.
3. Grill the meat over a medium heat for 4 minutes on each side.

For the dipping sauce:
+ 2 tbsp minced garlic
+ 1 tbsp red chili pepper flakes
+ 3 tbsp fish sauce
+ 3 tbsp lime juice
+ 2 tsp sugar
+ 4 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped

Mix all together in bowl and serve along side grilled meat. Serve meat and sauce with bibb lettuce leaves or bok choy leaves and rice.

Note: This recipe originally appeared on RuralIntelligence.com on July 13, 2015. It's been back-dated here on our blog so that it falls, seasonally, in the right place. 

Recipe: Puerco Pibil

This can be a hard time of year to get excited about local, seasonal, sustainably-sourced food in New England. You can only eat so many grains and root veggies before you start thinking about bending your food rules. But then, just in the nick of time, winter's saving grace pours into the grocer's case.

That's right, we're talking about citrus! American citrus is at it's peak right about now, and while oranges and lemons aren't exactly local, they can can easily be sourced from responsible organic farmers throughout the country. And man oh man, does it add some zing and zest to our browning plates and greying days.

On our honeymoon this fall, we visited Mexico's Yucatan peninsula. Along with azure Caribbean waters and spring breakers, the Yucatan has a vibrant farming community with a rich agricultural history. In every market we visited (and trust us, we sought out quite a few) we were stunned by the towering piles of limes, sweet and sour oranges, grapefruits and lemons. And in every restaurant we visited, we found ourselves coming back to the classic Yucatan dish: Puerco Pibil.

Peurco Pibil is pork shoulder which is marinated in sour orange and ground achiote then slow roasted in banana leaves, over an open fire. A prime example of Yucatan flavor and technique, the pork becomes soft and velvety, with a deep orange hue and a unique tang. If that wasn't enough, it's then served with fresh corn tortillas and bright red onions, pickled in sour orange and salt.

We've been reminiscing about this dish and decided to try our best to recreate the experience, taking advantage of all the great available citrus. Of course, we made a few substitutions to keep the meal as local as possible. Rather than buy tortillas we served the pork over polenta, and we used a mix of US organic Hamlin oranges and limes instead of the traditional Mexican sour orange. The pork came from Great Barrington's North Plain Farm, and the spices from El Punto De Encuentro Latin Market. And because it's winter and we don't have banana leaves, we tried to emulate the effect by doing a slow-and-low roast in a covered enamel pot.

Puerco Pibil

Serves 12

Ingredients

Pork

+ 5 tbs Achiote seed

+ 1 ½ tbs of dried Mexican oregano

+ 1 ½ black peppercorns

+ 1 ¼ tsp cumin seeds

+ ½ tsp whole cloves

+ 6 inches of roughly ½ inch thick Mexican cinnamon (canela) or 1 1.2 tbs of ground cinnamon

+ 1 tbs spoon of Salt

+ 14 garlic cloves, peeled

+ 1/2 cup of fresh oranges- 3 Hamlin oranges

+ 1 cup of fresh lime juice- 10 limes

+ 12 pounds of bone in pork butt (cam be split into two or three pieces)

Pickled Red Onion

+ 3 large red onions

+ 1 1/3 cups fresh lime juice- 12 limes

+ 2/3 fresh orange juice- 4 Hamlin oranges

1. Grind the spices together. You can use a spice grinder, a coffee grinder or a good old mortar and pestle – or just use pre-ground spices and herbs.

2. In a blender mix the spices, garlic and juice until the marinade has a slightly chalky texture between your fingers.

3. Place the meat in an enamel or cast iron pot and pour marinade over it. Cover and let sit in the refrigerator overnight.

4. Heat the over to 200. Cook the pork, with marinate still on it, in the pot for at least 6 hours, or until it pulls apart easily.

5. While meat is cooking slice onion thinly, and place in a bowl. Bring a pot of water to boil and pour over onions for 10 seconds then drain. Place onions in a small bowl with juice and salt.

6. Take the meat out of the oven and shred. Serve with pickled onion and corn tortillas or polenta.

This recipe can also be found on Rural Intelligence.

Recipe: Pork Tacos

Around this time of year we generally like to go on a short, relaxing, south-bound escape. After a long winter cooped up in the sludgey city, it's the perfect time to jump on a plane headed for sandier pastures. Last year's destination was Isla Mujeres, a tiny island just off the coast of Cancun. It was the perfect getaway; a long weekend packed with beach reading, bike riding, tequila drinking and, of course, taco eating. It's been over a year now and those tacos - served on paper plates at a colorful municipal food court, simple and fresh corn tortillas, topped with crispy pork shoulder, raw onions and radishes, paired with a bright, cold beer - have had us swooning ever since.

Unfortunately, this year we won't be going on a trip. We've both just started new jobs, and are knee-deep in exciting projects, but those tacos have been on our minds. So this weekend when radishes finally popped up at the market, we knew exactly what to do with them. Jake brought home the pork shoulder cut in to pinky-sized strips and Silka picked up fresh veggies, some local creme fraiche, and Hot Bread Kitchen corn tortillas. A quick pickle of radishes and onions, some fried pork and a Sixpoint later, we satisfied our craving. So maybe we weren't enjoying a breezy island evening over crystal clear waters, but with good food, good company, and good things to come... who needs vacation?!

Quick Carnitas

+ 2 lbs of Pork Shoulder cut into pinky-sized strips

+ 2 tbsp of lard

+ salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste

1. Put the lard in a large, heavy pan and and turn the heat to high. Season the pork to taste.

2. When the lard starts smoking, throw in half of the pork. Stir occasionally, until the pork takes on a  deep brown color and gets nice and crispy.

3. Remove the cooked pork, put on a serving dish and repeat.

Serve on warm tortillas with radishes, onions, creme fraiche and chives.

Quick-Pickled Radishes and Onions

+ 4 radishes, thinly sliced

+ 1/2 white onion, thinly sliced

+ 4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

+ 1 tablespoon sugar

1. Mix ingredients together and cover. Chill for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Serves 4

Sunday Dinner: Tuscan Ribs, Herbed Potatoes & Buttermilk Panna Cotta

When we last visited Silka’s family in Wellsville, her mother Tina suggested we invite some friends over for a rib party. After an affirmative squeal of excitement from the two of us, she pulled out six racks of spare ribs from a local farmer and we quickly hit the books looking for the perfect recipe. Rather than do the usual Southern-style barbecue, we wanted to try something a little different. Looking at Amanda Hesser’s New York Times cookbook - a now indispensable resource for us - we found a beautiful recipe for Tuscan-style pork ribs.

On Saturday morning we gathered in the kitchen to mince Tina's home-grown garlic and chop rosemary sprigs from the plant which healthily grows, absurdly large, in the living room. We coated the ribs with a basic rub and let them marinate overnight. When Sunday afternoon rolled around, Tina made a simple tomato sauce using ingredients almost exclusively from her garden and popped the ribs into the oven for a long and slow cook. Then we cut up some potatoes to roast, and toasted the amazing smells wafting out of the kitchen while waiting for our guests to arrive.

Needless to say, the ribs came out perfectly. The falling-off-the-bone meat was infused with the piney taste of the rosemary and the sharp bite of garlic, while the tomato sauce was a beautifully sweet counterpoint. In addition to the herb-roasted potatoes, Tina laid out some locally-made sauerkraut which helped to cut the heaviness of the meal. And then as we tried to recover from the meal, Tina surprised us with her new favorite dessert: buttermilk Panna cotta topped with Diane’s homemade strawberry sauce. What a meal!

Tuscan-Style Pork Spare Ribs
From The Essential New York Times Cookbook by Amanda Hesser

+ 3 tablespoons minced garlic, plus 2 cloves garlic, sliced
+ 3 tablespoons finely chopped sage
+ 2 tablespoons finely chopped rosemary
+ 1 1/2 tablespoons coarse salt, plus more to taste
+ 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste
+ 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
+ 7 pounds pork spareribs
+ 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, or as needed
+ Two 28-ounce cans tomatoes, with their juice
+ 1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
+ 1 1/2 tablespoons Tabasco sauce
+ 2 1/2 cups water
+ 1 cup dry white wine

1. Combine the minced garlic, sage, rosemary, salt, black pepper, and 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper in a small bowl. Put the spareribs on a baking sheet and rub well with the spice mixture. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours.
2. Heat the oven to 375°F. Arrange the ribs in a 12 x 16-inch roasting pan (use 2 pans if necessary) and roast uncovered for 1 hour, or until browned.
3. Turn the ribs over and roast for another hour. If drippings in the bottom of the pan begin to burn, add a small amount of water or olive oil.
4. Meanwhile, pour the olive oil into a large saucepan, add the sliced garlic and remaining tablespoon of crushed red pepper, and sauté over medium heat until the garlic begins to color. Add the tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, and 1 1/2 cups water; season with salt, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. As the tomatoes soften, break them up with a whisk and stir. Simmer the sauce, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Adjust the seasoning, and remove from the heat.
5. When the ribs have browned on both sides, pour the wine, remaining 1 cup water, and the tomato sauce over them. (If you’ve used 2 pans to roast the ribs, combine them all in one pan now.) Cover the pan with foil and roast for 40 minutes.
6. Remove the foil, skim off the excess fat, and roast uncovered for 20 minutes more. Cut into 4-rib sections and serve.

Serves 6.

Sunday Dinner: Roast Pork Loin with Garlic & Rosemary

This past summer, Jake’s brother Will (working with Community Cooperative Farms) took the first steps toward converting their family's New Marlborough land back into a working farm. He started with a small herd; seven hens, a rooster, and three pigs. After a full season we were lucky enough to see one of those pigs slaughtered at the North Plain Farm Pig to Pork demo and since then, the pig has been further broken down and waiting for us in an enormous freezer in the Berkshires.

This weekend, after a month or so of salivating, we finally got to taste the fruits of Will’s labor. And man-o-man, was it awesome! We're really starting to realize that there's nothing like cooking and eating a product you've seen grow from start to finish. It's a new and inspiring feeling for us - and a kind of satisfaction we hope to enjoy meal after meal in the upcoming years.

In general, pork loin roasts are tricky. They are easy to dry out, and because of that, they are often covered in a protective layer of jam, preserves or bacon. But we wanted to really taste the pork in all it's porkiness so we risked keeping it simple. With just a little salt, pepper, garlic, and some rosemary we seared the roast and threw it in the oven for 1 1/2 hours. It came out moist and flavorful, the perfect centerpiece for a January meal! 

Thanks so much to Will for a meal we won't quickly forget. Here's to next year's pig! 

Roast Pork Loin with Garlic and Rosemary

+ 4 pound pork loin, bone-in

+ 5 cloves of garlic, sliced in slivers

+ 1 sprig of rosemary

+ 1 large onion, quartered

+ coarse grain sea salt

+ freshly ground pepper

1. Let roast come to room temperature, meanwhile preheat oven to 400.

2. Pat pork dry with paper towel. Using a small knife, cut small nicks into the pork, stuffing them with the garlic and rosemary. Rub the pork all over with salt.

3. In a heavy cast iron pan on a high heat, sear the pork on all sides - 2 minutes per side.

4. Lay the roast in the pan, bone side down. Arrange the onion around the roast and place in oven. It will take about 25 minutes per pound, or about 1 ¾ hrs. When the center of the pork has reached 140 degrees, it's finished. Remove from oven and let stand for ten minutes.

Serves 6

Recipe: Ham Bone Soup

Post-Christmakkah we were left with lots of applesauce and latkes, and a bit of ham. We ate the latkes for probably too many breakfasts, lunches, and dinners and managed to finish most of the ham. With the applesauce we made a cake (to be posted later) and are currently canning the rest as holiday gifts. So basically, we were left with a ham bone. 

Jake, being the thrifty butcher that he is, had been fantasizing about what to do with that ham bone since the day he smoked it. Meanwhile, we had been excitedly reading about Cayuga Organics' new harvest of heirloom yellow-eyed beans. A classic bean and ham bone soup seemed like the perfect opportunity for them.

We went to the market to pick up the beans, a few carrots and onions, and a bunch of kale. Not wanting to put in any more effort than was absolutely necessary, we didn’t bother letting the beans soak over night. Instead we simmered them for 6 hours with the veggies (sauteed in ham fat, of course!), some water and the ham bone. The stock was so rich and creamy,  and the aroma so intense, it was almost impossible to believe that it could have come from just some water, a bone and beans!

Ham-Bone Soup

+ 2 tablespoons of ham fat, olive oil or butter

+ 1 lb carrots, chopped

+ 1 medium onion, sliced

+ 1 ham bone

+ 1 lb beans

+ 1 lb of kale

+ 2 quarts of water

+ Salt and pepper to taste

1. Saute the onions and carrots in fat in a large heavy-bottomed pot.

2. As they begin to get soft and translucent add the water, beans, and ham-bone. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer.

3. Simmer for 5 ½ hrs, stirring occasionally. (If you have left over ham from the bone, throw some chunks in after about 3 hours.)

4. Add the kale and simmer for another 20 minutes. Remove the bone and serve.

Serves 8

Field Trip: Butcher Demo at North Plain Farm

After our amazing weekend at Old Field Farm we were pretty pumped about the prospect of doing some more small-scale butcher demos. We already had plans to do another with Art and Agriculture at Old Field Farm, but we wanted to branch out as well. So when Justin Torricco of Community Cooperative Farm called to see if we'd like to participate in a pig slaughter/butcher demo/dinner he was hosting in Great Barrington (with friends at North Plain Farm and The Meat Market) it seemed like the perfect opportunity.

The day of the event was crisply cold and sunny - ideal for this kind of event. Phil Leahey joined North Plain Farm owner Sean Stanton to perform the slaughter in front of about 25 people. On top of being a fantastic local pig farmer Phil works at Hilltown Pork, a custom USDA Animal Welfare Approved meat processing facility that serves lots of small farmers in the tri-state area. Before getting on with "it", Sean and Phil stressed the importance of taking a moment to recognize that this animal is giving it's life to help sustain ours. Then they got down to business, walking us through the steps of the slaughter: stunning the pig with a .22, hoisting it on a gantry, sticking it's jugular so it can bleed out swiftly, scalding it to remove the hair, and then eviscerating it before cutting it into sides.

Next it was Jake’s turn. The captive audience followed us to a demonstration table where a previously slaughtered pig was waiting. With the first side, Jake took the group through the basic cuts - Boston Butt, Picnic Ham, Loin, Belly, Spear Ribs, Sirloin Roast, Ham, and Hocks - while answering questions about pig anatomy, charcuterie, cooking, cutting, and Jake's experience.The audience was so engaged, Jake invited a few of them to help him with the remaining side. It was really amazing to watch everyone dive in!

At the end of the day there was a spit-roasted fresh ham waiting for us along with beans, and sauteed greens. We want to thank CCF, North Plain Farm, and Phil for including us in this beautiful event and we look forward to working with them again!

Field Trip: Art & Agriculture at Old Field Farm

This last weekend we had the great pleasure of participating in a "pig party" for Art and Agriculture at Old Field Farm. Old Field Farm is an idyllic 160-acre farm / stunning art space in Cornwallville, NY. Started by artists Anne Kennedy and Peter Nadin, the organization's goals, ideas and approach are right in line with ours and we were thrilled to be involved.

The event came together with just a few months of planning and a handful of small world connections. Over the summer, while working towards his MFA at Bard College, Jake was introduced to Old Field Farm through an article in the New York Times. The article began with a quote from Peter: "A carrot is not a work of art. I’m not proposing that anyone think of a carrot as a work of art. But what I am saying is that a carrot and the art I make here are both results of the same process.” Well, with that Jake immediately knew he wanted to call Peter up and pick his brain. But with a busy fall, getting in contact fell to the back burner. 
 

A few months later our friend Tess Diamond came to Jake with some questions about cutting and selling meat. We already knew that, on top of her job in Food Studies Education, she was the operations manager at a small farm upstate. But about half-way through the conversation, we realized her farm was Old Field Farm! We also learned that their former butcher was Bryan Mayer, Jake's mentor at Fleischer's! Like we said - small world!

We immediately planned a meeting to discuss a butcher demo / charcuterie party and went upstate to scope out the farm. Whoa. Dreamiest. Farm. Ever! Beautiful Tamworths and Old Spots rooting around, chickens pecking, bees buzzing, several ponds, and at the heart of everything, a huge art studio/food space overlooking the Hudson valley, and the Catskill and Berkshire mountains. Everything was too good to be true... until Tess finally introduced us to the pig Jake would be cutting. It was SO HUGE! It ended up being the biggest pig the slaughter house has ever processed! We were a little freaked, but decided we were up for the challenge. 

This past Friday we went back to Cornwallville to prepare for the event. We got our recipes in order, took a look at the now-hanging and headless pig, made a huge pot of cider brine, and had some farm-made pork belly before getting a good night's sleep. On Saturday morning we woke up and headed up to the studio. Peter built a fire while Anne put together a beautiful table of local food. Tess and Silka started putting together the dry cures for the lardo, pancetta, and bacon and Jake started to break down the pig. All day artists, food writers, farmers, neighbors, and friends passed through to lend a helping hand and soak in the beautiful afternoon sun. We answered questions about butchery, pigs and charcuterie, drank hard cider and ate freshly cut and grilled pork. It was heaven!

After a day of cutting and curing we went back to the farmhouse for a bath and more food, and revved up to make some fresh sausage and render leaf lard. Finally, with an incredibly successful day behind us, exhausted and stoned on pork fat, we fell into bed. The next morning we woke to an incredible breakfast cooked by one of our favorite food writers, and headed back to the city.

We want to thank Anne and Peter for inviting us to work with them and for sharing their inspiring vision. And we want to especially thank Tess for putting it all together! This is the beginning of a very exciting partnership!