Norwegian Cabbage Rolls a Springtime Traditional Dish

Cabbage is not what we think of as a traditional Spring vegetable. Mostly in this country we think of it as a winter veggie or as a summer vegetable chopped up and made into coleslaw.

But in Norway the appearance of bright green leafed spring cabbages is a sure sign that winter is on it's way out and Spring has sprung.

This recipe is an ode to that wishful thinking we all have this time of year that Winter is waning and Spring will bloom.

For the Rolls:

1 .5 pounds beef and pork ground and mixed together
1 small onion finely minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons powdered ginger
1 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon corn starch
1/2 cup dried breadcrumbs
1 Tablespoon chopped parsley

¼ cauliflower, cut in pea sized pieces
8 big cabbage leaves, boiled for 2 minutes
1 cup chicken stock

For sauce:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups milk
salt and pepper to taste
2 chicken bullion cubes
2 tablespoons chopped parsley for garnish
Lingonberry jelly

Method:

Preheat the oven to 320°F (160°C).
Mix all ingredients for the rolls together really well
Divide the mix between the cabbage leaves
Fold around the filling and place the packages into a baking dish seam side down
Pour the chicken stock into the pan
Bake for 45 mins in the oven
In the mean time add butter to a small pot and melt then add flour and stir to make a roux.
Cook for 3 mins. until the flour has cooked
Slowly whisk in the milk till combined and cook till the mixture has thickened.
Add the chicken bullion and seasoning
When the rolls are done serve the rolls with the sauce and garnish with the remaining parsley and a spoonful of the jelly

Pork Chops Scallopini with Mushrooms and Thyme

Pork Chops are a hard thing to cook well. Especially the run of the mill grocery store variety. Yet for so many homemakers it's a very economical option for putting meat on the table. So I have decided over the course of the rest of this year to take on the challenge of making amazing pork chop recipes and sharing them with you all. Hopefully they will inspire you to find your inner pork lover and give them a try.

This recipe started with boneless center cut pork chops in a family pack of 6 chops. I thought that two chops would be a portion but when paired with a simple arugula salad and a pan of my cornbread one chop became a meal.

I started with a regular recipe for pork scallopini with capers and a wine butter sauce. And then decided to bump up the bulk of the dish by adding mushrooms and onions. It came out really really well. In fact when we ate this we both looked at each other and said, oh yes, that's good.

So try this out this Summer and I'm sure that this recipe will be one you are making well into the fall. Enjoy Y'all!

Pork Chops Scallopini with Mushrooms and Thyme ( serves 4-6)

6 good sized center cut boneless pork chops about an inch or more thick

flour for dusting plus 1 heaping tablespoon to add to the sauce

6 tablespoons of butter

2 tablespoon olive oil

1 1/4 cup white wine

2 teaspoons of lemon juice

1 medium spanish or white onion thinly sliced into rings

1 pound white mushrooms ( 1/4 sliced and the rest quartered)

2 teaspoons dried thyme

1 1/2 tablespoon capers

4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoons butter in the pan to medium high

Sprinkle the chops with salt and pepper

Dredge the chops in flour and quickly cook over medium high heat till just seared brown on both sides

Hold to the side on a plate

Add the rest of the olive oil and one tablespoon of butter to the pan

Add onions with a good pinch of salt and pepper and cook over medium heat till softened and slightly browned just till they have some color

Add the mushrooms  and thyme and cook till just slightly softened then add 1/4 cup of wine and deglazed the pan

Sprinkle the flour over the pan and stir to combine

Add the wine stir into the sauce

Add the capers

Taste sauce and season if needed

Nestle the chops into the mushrooms and onions and capers sauce spooning some of the mixture over the chops to cover the chops

Cover and turn heat to low and simmer for about 20 mins

When ready to serve add the remaining butter lemon juice the parsley stir in slowly till mixed and melted

Serve with a good portion of an arugula salad dressed tossed with lemon juice, olive oil and salt and pepper. Also serve cornbread on the side.

Oktoberfest Menu: The Midwest Makes It Best: Brats, Apples and Onions and Raclette with New Potatoes

The American Midwest is really called the heartland for a reason beyond it's geographical location. It's called the heartland because that's where so many of the ideals we take as "all American" reside in a way that other parts of the country just don't embody them.

Strong working class communities and craftsmen as well as farmers and tradesmen made the Midwest a place which created the work ethic we speak of yet today as the "Midwest work ethic" and more inclusively the "American work ethic". It was the proving grounds for major US. industries and the backbone of the industrial machine which made up much the power base for growth which has fueled the American dream after the second world war.

The Midwest was a place that saw a huge influx of immigrants from central and northern Europe during the mid to late 1800's and early 1900's. Chicago a city in the center of it all had large ethnic neighborhoods which grew up along side one another preserving in some respect the language, traditions and foods which those people brought with them from their homelands. Many of these foreign traditions and foods slowly found their way into mainstream American life. Some are represented yet today by regional holidays, regional traditions or regional foods.

German and Scandinavian immigrants were two of the largest groups to move into the area. Their influence can yet be felt all over the region. Festivals celebrating various food and cultural traditions are common and they are often well attended and woven into the area's holiday seasons.

So I have spoken before of my sojourn in the land of cheese and dairy better known as Wisconsin. I worked for about a total of one  and a half years of my life at the Fireside Theater. I got to see a lot of that state while I was there and became very interested in the local food scene. I later spent time working in Milwaukee and got to know some of the German heritage foods that are popular in that town.

When we think of German traditions popular in the US. today one comes to mind immediately. Octoberfest which is celebrated in southern Germany as a form of harvest festival has found it's way into the American landscape and has become a fun beer and food festival celebrated all over the US.

So I wanted to make a dinner the other day that sort of evoked the whole Oktoberfest thing. I decided on Brats which I love. I also wanted to make sides that would be fun and a little different. So a very fall and very German thing is baked apples and onions. I wanted to ramp that up a little bit so I decided to add chopped sweet and hot cherry peppers and the result was delightful. Sweet apples baked soft with the sharp and sweet contrast of the onions and then the chopped peppers added a spicy unexpected The brats were first slowly simmered in beer then thrown in with the apples and onions to bake to a golden brown.

The other part of this menu was the side dish. Potatoes boiled and served with melted Raclette cheese which is a Swiss and French dish garnished with pickled veggies. I decided on a oven version melting the cheese over sliced boiled potatoes and crisping the top with the broiler right before serving.

It all came together. Browned and crisped skinned plump Brats piled over a mountain of roasted apples and onions spiced unexpectedly with the cherry peppers joined creamy melted Raclette on soft boiled potatoes with cold pickled veggies and onions. It was delish. Served with a German style cole slaw it was an amazing meal. Here is the Brats apples recipe more to follow. Grab a beer and enjoy ya'll!

Brats roasted with Apples, Onions and Cherry Peppers 

8 Fresh Bratwursts from the Butcher
2 bottles of pilsner style beer
4 red apples cored and sliced into wedges
2 spanish onions also cut into wedges
6 to 8 sweet and hot cherry peppers roughly chopped

In a pot add the beer and 2 to 3 cups of cold water
Bring to a boil turn off the heat and cool for 15 mins
Add brats
Let sit in the liquid for about 30 mins
Drain and remove the brats

Turn oven on to 350

Next on a sheet pan toss the apples the onions and the peppers with some olive oil with salt and pepper and some garlic powder
Place brats on the bed of the apples and onions and place in the oven for about 20 mins then turn the brats over and place back in the oven for another 20 mins.

Remove from the oven and platter the apple and onions then top with the brats and bring to the table.
Serve with a potato side and a salad. I did a Raclette which is a traditional Swiss dish it's so easy!

15 small boiled potatoes cooled slightly and then sliced.
1 lb Raclette cheese sliced
1 large red onion sliced and quick pickled
1 large jar of Pickled Veggies
1 small jar Cornichons french styled pickles

Place the sliced potatoes in a small oven proof dishes
cover with the cheese
place in the oven till cheese melts them place under the broiler till bubbly and slightly brown
Serve with the brats and apples.


 Enjoy!!

Tricks of the Trade for Entertaining Groups: Oven "Smoked" BBQ Pork Butt for Easy Summer Entertaining

People are always asking me when I host a group of thirty people or so for a party in NYC, "how can you cook all this food?" or "It must have taken you hours to do all this!!" The truth is a well done dinner party for more than 4 takes some planning but is actually not all that hard when you keep several rules of thumb in mind.

The first rule for easy summer entertaining is keep it simple. Over the years I have cooked for a lot of groups. And I have to say that unless they are paying you to make lots of different foods, simple is better. Let me tell you why. First is the "This is overwhelming and driving me crazy rule". That is the more you have to make to make  the crazier you will make yourself. No better lesson than the one I learned from Stuart and Mine's first underground dinner for On the Plate. Indeed, we planned a 5 course meal, cooked too much food even with all of our collective chefing experience drove ourselves nuts. All because we perceived that value was based on volume and not on quality. In show business you learn always leave them wanting more. In cooking while you want to satisfy, you don't want people overwhelmed. So fix a meal just like you would for 4 people but amp up the volume. A protein and 2 sides. Maybe bread and that's it.

The second rule actually drives the first. It is the "No one is going to appreciate all the crazy it took you to make the dinner cause they are only here to eat and have fun... but mostly have fun!" How many times does someone throw a dinner party and get stressed out over the food prep and presentation and serving. Just relax. The rule of a good party is gathering good people providing good food and or drinks and letting them ENJOY themselves and your company. People want to eat but mostly they want to relax and have a good time. And most importantly if you are stressed you are not going to have a good time. And remember at the end of the day...it's all about you having a good time too.

The "Why" is the third rule "People like to eat but, they especially like to eat good food done well and not necessarily the Smorgasbord of the Universe that they never expected you to cook." I remember a party I threw years ago when I made so many different items. It was not expected and it was not appreciated. Well, that's not totally true. It was appreciated but not as much as I thought it should have been given the effort I put into it! But that was the problem. I did not follow rules one and two and then got into trouble. And then got upset. Really all my fault!
Delicious is where it is at. Pick three things and prepare them in appropriate volume. Make sure they are delicious and your job is done. Room temperature foods or foods that are easily prepared in advance and are put out warm to be shared are your friends, and they help you to follow rule numbers one and two.

The last rule is "Make a list". Being organized is the other factor that can make entertaining easier. No one knew this better than my Mother. She is the most list savvy person I know. Even her lists have lists. But boy is she on top of her life! Always has been. This was never more true than when she entertained. Years ago my father's job required that they throw parties. I can remember helping. Now these were not summer casual BBQ's but full on 1970's style house work parties. You know shrimp cocktail to Steak Diane with all the trimmings all done on a buffet table and served up with a full bar. My brother an I would help my Grandmother and Mother all day and sometime days before shopping, prepping, peeling, cleaning, and organizing. It was fun but the most fun was getting to stay up for the parties! But it all started with those lists of to do's and they made everything easier.

So following these simple rules you can tackle the most difficult group entertaining tasks. Remember for outdoor entertaining keep it simple and fresh, keep it less but delicious and make a list to organize and to do ahead everything you can so you can enjoy the party too. Oh and have fun, lets not forget that! Because isn't that why we entertain to start with!

So here's an easy recipe for a crowd. It's done in the oven, it's done before the party starts, it's casual and easy for people to help themselves. It is as all American as can be and will make people think you worked really hard. But it's as easy and 1,2,3. SO Enjoy Ya'll.

Oven "Smoked" Pork Butt BBQ with Sesame Seed Buns, Pickles and BBQ Sauce
serves 30

Take 16 pounds of  pork shoulder bone in

Mix together
1 1/2 cups yellow mustard
1/4 cup garlic powder
3 teaspoons liquid smoke
1/4 cup salt
1/4/ cup pepper
1/4 cup water

Slather all over the pork shoulder and place in the fridge for at least three hours to overnight

Preset oven to 220 degrees

Place shoulder in roasting pan fat pad side up and cover with tin foil

Roast overnight for 12 hours ( easy while you sleep cooking start at 8pm done by 8am with your coffee)

Remove from the oven and cool, reserve drippings

Remove the fat pad. Shred pork and remove bones, skim fat off the drippings and use about 2 cups to moisten the pork

Mix well with the drippings and place in a oven proof pot with a lid

Before serving mix in 1 cup BBQ sauce of choice ( can be store bought) and heat in the oven till warmed through at 300 about 1/2 hour or so.

Serve with more sauce, sliced dill pickles and sesame seed buns.

Boy aren't you impressive!

Enjoy the compliments.

Fork and Knife BBQ Baby Back Ribs So Easy You Won't Believe It!

Ok it's summer and everyone wants to grill grill grill! Well that's what the food industrial complex would have you believe. But sometimes we don't have time to grill or space or even ...a grill. So how can I provide really great bbq to myself and my friends without a grill, well follow this and here we go!

So folks I live in New York City and I live in a nice building. We even had a bbq grill built in on our roof, But there are 420 apartments in my building. So you can imagine that finding time to make food in that space is a little tough and gaining access to the rooftop is not always a sure thing. I mean I don't mind sharing (after all I am from the Sesame Street generation) but sometimes you just want to do it when you want to do it and not wait to share the grill. So this summer I decided that making the most amazing Ribs is the goal I would have, and making them in my apartment was the caveat to that statement.

Now as many of you know I love the food at the Hillstone restaurants, some called Houston's Restaurant in some cities. Houston's BBQ "fork and knife" ribs are probably the best ribs I have ever eaten in a restaurant that does not specialize in BBQ. But I happen to know they cook their ribs via a process using a alto-shaam oven so that would not work for me. Cause I don't own one! What that process does however is cook the meat at 225 degrees for 4 to 6 hours and then at 150 degrees holding for about 8 hours total cooking time. The process is such that it breaks down the collagen in the meat to the point where they are "fork and Knife" tender. Well if you have been reading the blog you will have known that I discovered a shortcut for breaking down the collagen in meat when I made the Short Ribs Recipe earlier in the blog ( See the post ).

So what to do, well lets just use that process which will accomplish the same thing as the alto-shaam and is super easy and clean up is a breeze! HERE'S HOW!

                                  Hillstone's Fork and Knife Ribs

Forrest's Super Easy Best Ever Baby Back BBQ Ribs! ( In three easy steps)

Step one: Take 2 racks of baby back ribs for 3 to 4 people or more (depending on how much they eat). Carefully with a small knife remove the membrane on the back of the ribs or get your butcher to do this.  On wax paper season with garlic powder and black pepper, let sit at room temp for 30 mins. Then place ribs in a deep pan or large tupperware mix the following ingredients for a brine and pour over the ribs till they are covered)

2 cups prune juice
1 cup Hickory ( must be hickory ) BBQ sauce (Kraft makes a good one or if you can get Cattleman's Kansas City brand use it!!!)
1 cup water or more to make sure they are covered by the brine.

Cover and place in the fridge for 8 hours or better yet over night

Step Two: Carefully remove ribs from the brine and place each rack on a large piece of aluminum foil that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Brush generously with additional hickory flavored BBQ sauce until nicely coated. Seal ribs in the foil and place on a baking sheet.

Step Three: Place in a 300 degree oven for 2 hours. Remove from the foil carefully as ribs will be fall apart tender. Then slather with more sauce. Serve immediately!

Or to make ahead just cool the ribs down completely after baking don't unwrap them, and hold in the fridge. When ready, slather them with sauce and re-warm them uncovered in a 250 degree oven until heated through about 45 mins. to one hour. This will also make the sauce that much more thick and sticky ( This is what I like to do when i have time to prepare ahead!) The ribs can be made up to 3 days before and held in the fridge and just reheated when you want to serve them. Slather with extra sauce and serve.

PLT a Twist on an Old Sandwich Favorite

Necessity is the Mother of invention they say. I would agree and from my experience also a great motivator.

This post today is a simple reminder of that. Yesterday I was at home nursing a cold and I thought that I would just lay around all day and order food in. Well time came for me to eat and I realized that I did not have any cash to pay the delivery guy from my favorite Thai place, which happens to be cash only.

So I looked into the fridge and realized that while I was far from starvation I was not sure what if anything I wanted to eat out of the fridge. Then I saw some left over pork shank and thought that might be good, but the portion was too small. What I thought can I do with other things in there. I did not feel like really cooking ( believe it or not) but I was willing to see what I could put together from leftovers.

Then it struck me, "make a Sandwich"! So as I looked through my options I saw that I had the pork shank  piece. The only bread I had was a package of Martin's potato roll hot dog buns I had rescued from the trash at work. And for veggies, the only greens I had was some ice berg lettuce hanging out in the crisper. I was wishing I had a tomato when it hit me, I did but in the form of a jar of sun dried tomatoes. I also had all the condiments you could want. So I thought alright I will make a sandwich out of all of these and some condiments.

I leapt into action chopping the pork into a chipped pile a pork goodness all sweet and rich from the sticky sauce I had made for it ( see pork osso buco entry for description).  I then shredded the lettuce finely and chopped some pickled jalapenos mixing them together with some mayo and black pepper. I chopped the sun dried tomatoes up and found some red onion which I finely sliced and laid in a bowl. I then poured off a little dill pickle juice on them and let them set up for ten minutes for a quick pickle. I toasted 2 buns and lightly spread them with mayo.

Then to assemble. Bun then the lettuce and jalapeno mixture then the tomatoes then the pork and then as garnish and to add visual interest the lightly pickled red onions on top.

I wish I had taken a picture, because it really looked impressive. It tasted even better all the salty, sweet, spicy. pickled tastes all worked well together. YUM!

So I have a new sandwich. I think that any kind if pork roast leftover would do with a little BBQ sauce but recreating this might take some doing. But regardless, necessity got me to invent a great sandwich for lunch. And that's what is great about cooking, sometimes things happen one time, but at least they happen if you try to do something new. That's the adventure of the kitchen.

Pork Osso Buco the Roast that dare not speak it's name!

 Osso Buco. It is a dish whose name conjures up the most amazing food visions. Rich meaty bones on a platter laden heavy and smothered in some fabulous sauce. And that meaty goodness sitting on a bed of some starchy, ridiculous, cheesy or buttery laden side dish. It's a winter dish fit for a king, and a very good idea for entertaining. One pot wonder and all.

Osso Buco is an Italian dish generally served one of two ways. It is Veal Shank braised with a brown sauce and served with a gremolata, or in a rich tomato sauce. The first is the older of the two preparations and is traditionally served with saffron risotto. The more modern version is generally served with mashed potato or polenta. Either way it is a 19th century dish which made it's way into the modern Italian kitchen and has stayed there.

I first had Osso Buco when I was in Europe and was treated to a dinner of Osso Bucco by one of the lady's who I was aquainted with through work. She had me and another colleague over for dinner and prepared this as the main course. She was from Tessin in Switzerland, which is the Italian speaking portion of that country. She made this dish in the old style and served it with amazing risotto flavored with mushrooms and herbs. Wow, was that good. Like so many foods I had in Europe for the first time I was amazed that this meat preparation even existed. It was so far from my normal knowledge of the braised meats of my home cookery. Which resided in the camps of the English, German, and Scandinavian camps. But this was awesomely different and special.

Since then I have made traditional and tomato based Osso Buco a few times. But it's an expensive and a time consuming dish. Veal shanks are not the cheapest cut of meat after all and the braising process can take 3 to 4 hours traditionally. So obviously I was wanting to try something a little different. Plus I was cooking for the girls. They were coming over and I had to put a really good feedbag on for them. So I started thinking about lamb. No that too was rather pricey. Then I stumbled on an article while looking around for pork belly recipes that mentioned pork shanks. Cheap and pretty hearty I thought. Oh why not. I am up for a new experience. So lets do them.

So I did a little research and many of the things I read made me recognize that the long braise seemed in my future. I was also unsure of the sauce quality and the flavor profile that the dish might have. I am obsessed with sauce on braised meat. I want it thick and full of flavor. But then I thought. Well, we just did short ribs with an overnight marinade and a 2 hour stove top braise with an amazing sauce. Why not try this with the pork shank. What do you have to lose. I mean if it doesn't cook in the two hours you will just keep cooking it. Not only that but prunes, which are in the marinade go really well with Pork naturally.

So the plan began. I returned to Esposito's Pork Shop espositosausage.com home of some of the finest Pork and Pork products in the city and talked to my guy there. I told him I was interested in getting some Fresh Pork shanks and having them cut and tied like Osso Bucco. I got a package of six large beautiful pieces of Pork Shank for under 15 dollars and headed back to the kitchen.

The process was pretty easy just like the Short Ribs had been. Although, I wasn't sure this time if it would work. I made the marinade, prune juice, teriyaki sauce, and water and placed the pork shank pieces into it until they were submerged. Then clipped the lid of the bucket on and placed it in the fridge. That was it.

In the later afternoon about 4 hours before my party ( because I wanted time to make sure things had cooked correctly) I took the container out of the fridge, poured the liquid into a braising pot threw in 2 star anise pods, brought it to a boil, and then turned down the heat to a simmer bubble thing and returned the meat to the pot and put on the lid. 2 hours later I took off the lid and tested the meat. Fork tender! Unbelievable! I carefully took the meat out of the liquid and removed the star anise I had added as flavor enhancer.  I added 1/2 cup Carolina Gold Mustard based BBQ sauce ( I make and keep this or you can buy it, if I buy it I like Cattleman's BBQ sauce it's my favorite go to red or yellow sauce in a bottle) This was for smoke and edge and 1/4 apple cider vinegar and 1/4  pancake syrup to balance it out. I brought the liquid to a boil and boiled it down, down, down till it was so thick it would have coated and hung onto a spoon like a gravy. It took awhile but when it hits that soiling point it looks like dark caramel in a pot. YUM! I then returned the Pork to the pot and ladled the thick sauce over the meat till it was glistening. I held it until I was ready to serve over very very low heat, then brought it up a little right before serving. I served it over a winter veggie hash that had a vinegar edge and went very well with the sweet smoky sauce, but it could have gone over mashed white or sweet potatoes with lots of butter and garlic or even horseradish. Or a polenta, grits or risotto would have been nice.

It was incredible. Really good. So next time you want to impress your family or your guests try this. Your butcher should be able to help you. You just have to have him cut the shank into 2 pieces and cut the ends off. beforehand. This will give you an ample piece of meat. Enjoy!!

Forrest's Pork Osso Buco with Smoky Sweet Blackened Vinegar Sauce
serves 6


Ingredients

3 pieces of pork shank cut like osso buco and tied up ( get your butcher to do this)
This will give you 6 portions
2 cups prune juice
2 cups low sodium Teriyaki sauce
2 cups water
2 pieces star anise
1/2 cup South Carolina Style Yellow Mustard BBQ sauce
1/4 cup Apple Cider vinegar
1/4 cup Pancake Syrup Maple Flavored

Method 

Mix prune juice Teriyaki sauce and water and place in an airtight container
Submerge Pork in the liquid and let sit in the fridge over night at least 10 hours
Next day take from fridge and pour liquid out and bring to boil in a braising pot on stove.
When boiling reduce heat, return meat to the liquid and simmer on low bubble for 2 hours
Then remove cooked meat carefully and hold.
Remove the Star anise and add the other liquids. Bring to a boil and reduce till very thick and bubbling almost like sugar when it's boiling and it coats a spoon thickly like a gravy. ( if sauce ever gets too thick thin with a little water)
Turn down the heat and return the meat to the sauce. Coat liberally with the sauce and serve warm over your choice of side dish.
Enjoy Ya'll!

Bacon's Brother, Pork Belly, And an Artist's Birthday

Ok so I know I know bacon is out. It's no longer cool. It's over! But Pork Belly is so in!

In it's latest incarnation Pork Belly has become a popular menu item all over the place. I mean I grew up in the South and I never really ate a lot of it. I never even really was aware of it, until the resurgence of Pork, which happened in the last 20 years. Pork was such a low class meat. it was always the meat of the poor, or a meat which was associated with budget dinners like Pork chops and applesauce. ( thank you Peter Brady ). Of course bacon was big, and popular, but cuts of pork were popular because of their economy more than just their taste.

As US. pork producers turned their attention to breeding lower fat beasts, they hoped that they could turn Pork's image around from an unhealthy alternative to other meats, to one which had the nutritional value of those other meats. You know "the other white meat". And as we see on menus at the finest establishments they succeeded to some extent.

So with the swell of bacon's popularity in the food economy, Pork Belly took it's place among the culinary preparations popularized by such Chefs as Jamie Oliver in England and April Bloomfield in NYC. Pork Belly is bacon. Uncured and fresh it is the same cut of meat used to make bacon. So it has a high fat content and a lot of flavor. Because let's face it, fat equals flavor. It became a popular preparation in the gastopub revolution that happened in Britain. British chefs rediscovering and reinventing their national dishes and pork belly was amongst those foods popularized again by this movement. Here in the states as pork became king of flavor again it was a natural cut of meat to become popularized.

My first contact really was in the catering world. As chefs continued to follow the foodie trends and offer it as an alternative meat. Mostly shied away from by most clients, it showed a connection to and a hipness  for, the most modern food trends out there. But I thought when I had it that it was really good. I mean I had had it at Chinese restaurants but had never thought twice about it. BBQ pork Belly was something I had tried at those places but never recognized it as bacon's brother.

So one day out of the blue I decided to make it at home.  Well it was not exactly out of the blue, I was walking home from Hell's Kitchen ( that's a neighborhood in NYC if anyone was wondering) and I called a friend of mine Angelo Musco, whose birthday was the next day. Well long story made short, next thing I knew I was making dinner for him and 2 other friends that night!

OK so dinner on the fly, something impressive, and worthy of my friend's place and space in my life. I met Angelo Musco in 2002, ten years ago. And not only was he voted the best new friend of 2002, but he has become one of the most important and pivotal people in my life over the last ten years. Sharing wonderful times and heartache alike this is a person I love and adore. He also happens to be an amazing artist as well as an amazing friend. You can check out his work at AngeloMusco.com .

So you can see that planning this dinner on the fly was going to be no short order. But I had a secret weapon. I had Esposito's Pork Shop. Yes this classic NYC butcher was steps away from where I was when the invitation was finished to dinner. So into Esposito's I went.

Now for those of you who do not know about Esposito's, it is a bit of a legend in the NYC food scene, and one of the oldest butcher shops outside the Meat Packing district for home cooks left in the city. It is famous for Pork and Pork products, although you can buy anything there. So I go in and tell my guy what I am trying to do. He says how about Pork Belly. I say oh no that will take to long I thought that needed hours of braising. He says to me I will give you a recipe that can have it on the table in one hour and ten minutes cooking time. So I said, lets do it!

So armed with my Pork and my recipe I head home. One I get home I think well I should have everything I will need. The recipe seemed almost too simple. Pork, Onions, apples, white wine. I have all that. But as I begin to put together everything on the fly, I realize someone has eaten the last apple and has drunk the last bit of white wine hanging out in the fridge. So I start to think. Well, I could substitute the apples with dried prunes and prune juice which I have, and I an use beer instead of wine. OK, well hope it all works. I put everything into the pan as directed, crank up the oven to 425, and we are off. After cooking 30 mins at high heat I add the beer and let it cook another 45 mins. In the meantime, fix a salad, plan a side dish ( stovetop Mac N Cheese with a Grueyere cheese sauce) ,  get the table set and plan dessert. No small feat.

Well, when dinner was served what went out to the table was spectacular. The Pork has crisped and caramelized, the onions were sweet and salty, and the prunes plump. This on top of a bed of the Mac N Cheese was really impressive.

                                          In the pan with the sauce waiting to be reduced

                                         On the plate with grueyere mac n cheese and onions on top                                                

So I give you my new Pork Belly recipe. Please give it a try, do not fear the pig! And all will be well in Zion and on your table! Enjoy!

Individual Pork Belly with onion Confit  Gastopub Style

Ingredients:

2 lbs pork belly cut into 4 pieces
2 large yellow onions
1/2 cups Prune Juice
1/4 cup dried prunes finely chopped
salt pepper
3 tablespoons BBQ seasoning ( I use Bluesmoke Flavor Blend )
2 cups Beer

Method:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees
Place onions, prunes, and prune juice
in the bottom os a heavy roasting Skillet ( I use cast iron )
Sprinkle with salt
rub pork belly with spice
place on top of onions
place in the oven and bake for 35 mins
Then pour the beer into the pan and bake for another 45 mins.
Bake until the pork is crackled and brown. and remove from oven.
Take pork out of pan.
Place skillet on stove top and bring to boil.
Reduce till juice in pan is thick and syrupy and onions are well coated.
Return pork to pan and top with  mound of the onions
Place into warm oven till ready to serve.

To serve place on top of side dish of choice and garnish with chopped chives or parsley.
Enjoy!