Venison Sliders

These are my new favorite burgers of all time, I love the combination of the slight gaminess of the venison, with the sweetness of the added pork - it produces a sublime flavor. It is the pork that gives the needed balance of fat that the venison lacks and allows these burgers to be grilled, and the addition of the chopped mushrooms and apples gives the moisture to keep the sliders juicy. Top these little sliders with a slice of Comte, a little onion and a smear of Fig Mustard - delicious.

Grinding fun

Brig was excited to use the meat grinder attachment to our kitchen aid mixer, and after installing it incorrectly 3 times, then reading the instructions and installing it correctly, we were off to the races.  For grinding purposes I have found that the grinder works best if the meat is really cold so, after cubing the meat, I typically put it in the freezer for about 10 minutes.  We used the top round, but any of the roasting cuts of venison would be fine.

1 1/4 lb ground venison
1 lb ground pork

1 egg beaten
salt
pepper

1 C peeled, chopped apples
3 oz chopped mushrooms
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
16 2"x2" slices of Comte or Raclette cheese


In a large mixing bowl mix together the ground venison and ground pork until well combined.  Season ground meat mixture with salt and pepper, add the egg and mix again until the egg is completely incorporated.  Set aside.
In a food processor pulse the remaining ingredients until combined, stir the vegetable mix into the ground meat until well combined.  Form the ground meat into sixteen small burgers and set aside.
Heat grill, when the grill is hot grill the sliders medium well, top with the Comte cheese.  Serve on wheat slider rolls with sliced onion and fig mustard - or your own favorite toppings.

Did I mention we made buffalo chips as a side? Yum!

Home Farm Tokyo Nachos

Of course, there is a story, with food there is always a story.  During the Sundance Film Fest we had a friend visiting and a group of us decided to head up to Park City to look at all the beautiful people, see the scene and get some sushi.  We ended up at the Flying Sumo on Main Street, not bad for Utah sushi but the highlight was the Tokyo Nachos - wonton wrappers topped with a Tuna Tartare and served with a Wasabi Guacamole.  Delicious and trivial to make.  So a few days later I purchased some nice Ahi and proceeded to make this at home.  The dish came out great, better fish, more guacamole and no need to drive up to the Backside.
To serve, top each fried wonton wrapper with a heaping tablespoon of the Tuna Tartare, diced tomatoes, and dress with the spicy mayo.  Place on a tray with the Wasabi Guacamole and watch them disappear.

1 tomato, seeded and diced

Wonton Chips
12 wonton wrappers
2 T olive oil
Put the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat, when the oil is hot but not smoking add the wonton wrappers.  Take care not to over crowd the pan.  Fry until lightly browned, turn over and continue frying until the other side is also golden brown.  Remove and drain on paper towels.  Set aside to cool.

Tuna Tartare
8 ounces sushi-grade Ahi tuna, cut into a 1/4" dice
2 T green onions, green part only, finely chopped
2 T toasted sesame seeds
2 T soy sauce
1 t sesame oil
1/2 t kosher salt
1 t Yuzu
Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl.  Let sit for 10 minutes for the flavours to combine.

Wasabi Guacamole
3 ripe avocados, cut into a 1/4" dice
juice of 1 lime
2 T red onion, finely minced
1/4 C cilantro, finely minced
1 t wasabi, or more to taste
1 T kosher salt
1 T pickled ginger, minced
Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl, use a fork to lightly mash the avocado and all the other ingredients are incorporated.

Slow Cooker Bo Saam

I now have my THIRD freezer, a small upright version (15 cubic feet) that fits nicely in the laundry room.  I don't know if it is testimony to my food storage nature, fear of the end of the world or that we have far too many residences.  But this a food blog not a psychiatrist's couch so, while I admit there maybe some lurking unresolved issues in my psyche, I refuse to divulge them here.  The facts were:

• we had brought a bunch of meat down from Lyle 
• I had made freezer strawberry and raspberry jam 
• I had roasted and frozen 2 boxes of red and yellow peppers
• there was a corn glut this summer and I have 20 freezer bags of corn
• Trader Joe's had a sale on quick frozen artichoke hearts and I bought 18 bags
• Scott encountered a mispricing at our ghetto Smith's and came home with 8 beef rib roasts ranging in price from 92cents to $5
• ditto a pork chop sale ( huge 1" thick chops, delicious)

So there are the facts.  We have a freezer and I have filled it.  So now all I have to do is eat it.  From the buy 1 get 1 free pork butt sale in combination with a snowy preseason day purchase of a DI crockpot comes the following.

Momofuku Slow Cooker Bo Ssam
Credit to momofukufor2 for pointing me to this recipe, which I ultimately found on Martha Stewarts web page.  Momofukufor2 are diligently cooking their way through David Chang's Momofuku cookbook and noodle bar menu, a very funny and great photographed food blog.  When I looked at the recipe and saw a low slow cooking time in the oven and a light went off in my brain - SLOW COOKER, combined with a Napa Cabbage Kimchi (can anyone say we get to make pickles) this recipe was right up my alley.  I added 1/2 C beer to the bottom of the slow cooker and put the pork in on high for 2 hours and then on low for 6 hours.
Quick digression on what is Bo Ssam.  The idea is everyone makes their own lettuce wraps with the soft melt in your mouth pork, rice and sauce.  Sauce wise I used the sauce recipes provided by David Chang, a delicious ginger scallion sauce, his Ssam sauce and the Kimchi.  Apparently the Kimchi reaches it's peak deliciousness after about 2 weeks in the refrigerator so I am hoping for another buy 1 get 1 free pork butt sale at Harmon's.
1 bone-in pork should or pork butt (8-10 lbs)
1 C granulated sugar
1 C salt plus 1 T kosher salt
1/2 C beer
7 T brown sugar
1 C Napa Cabbage Kimchi, pureed, for serving
1 C Napa Cabbage Kimchi, for serving
1 C Ginger Scallion Sauce, for serving
1 C Ssam sauce, for serving
2 C steamed rice
3 heads butter lettuce
sea salt
Place pork in a large bowl and rub all over with the granulated sugar and salt, cover and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.
The next day rinse the meat and put in slow cooker with 1/2 C beer.  Turn slow cooker on high for 2 hours and then turn down to low for 6 hours or until pork is fork tender, remove and transfer pork to a roasting pan.  
When I took the pork roast out of the slow cooker it was SOOOO tender, the meat totally melted in my mouth and had a slightly sweet/salty taste.
When you are ready to serve - sauces are made, lettuce is washed, rice is cooked etc. turn the oven on to 500 degrees F.
Stir together the remaining tablespoon of salt and the brown sugar and rub the mix all over the pork.  Place in the oven until the sugar has melted into a crisp and sweet crust - about 10 minutes.
Serve the Bo Saam whole and hot, surrounded with the various accompaniments.


Ssam Sauce (Makes 1 C)
1 T Korean soybean chili paste (Ssamjang, available at an Asian Supermarket)
1 1/2 T Korean chili-pepper paste (available at an Asian Supermarket)
1/4 C grapeseed oil
1/4 C sherry wine vinegar
Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl.  Sauce may be kept refrigerated for 2 weeks.


Ginger Scallion Sauce(Makes about 3 C)
2 1/2 C thinly sliced scallions (1-2 bunches)
1/2 C finely minced, peeled ginger
1/4 C grapeseed oil
1 1/2 t soy sauce
3/4 t sherry wine vinegar
3/4 t coarse salt
Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl and let stand at room temperature for 15-20 minutes.  Sauce can be kept covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.


Note:  I sometimes serve this with Quick Pickled Cukes and a quick pickled combination of julienned carrots and radishes

Ginger Scallion Noodles, Momofuku Style

I am cooking my way through David Chang's Momofuku book, and loving it.  I had initially intended to go through the book recipe by recipe but I have found that the second time is the charm as far as tweaking the recipes to my palate.  With this recipe there really wasn't that much tweaking required, a few changes in the quantities for the Ginger Scallion Sauce and I omitted the meat, might as well be vegetarian a few nights a week.
Ginger Scallion Sauce is one of the greatest sauces I have tasted in a long time.  I have stirred it into all kinds of hot noodles - lo mein, rice noodles,soba - and it is deliciousness in a bowl.  Brig now loves it on his lunch rice and I have done the same for a mountain lunch.
The dish goes, for me, like this: boil 6 ounces of ramen noodles (no not the instant stuff), David Chang makes his own but I have a good fresh provider at the Korean Market, drain and toss with 6 tablespoons of Ginger Scallion Sauce; top the bowl with 1/4 C each of Quick-Pickled Cucumbers, Pan-Roasted Cauliflower; a pile of sliced scallions; a squirt of Hoisin; and a sheet of toasted nori.  I've improvised with snap peas, chinese long beans (roasted) and a quick pickling of carrots.
All I know is that I need Ginger Scallion Sauce on my noodles, on my rice, in my fridge, in my life.  It may even cure the common cold.

Ginger Scallion Sauce
2 1/2 C thinly sliced scallions (greens and whites)
1/2 C finely minced peeled fresh ginger
1/4 C grapeseed oil or other neutral oil
2 t usukuchi (light soy sauce)
1 t sherry vinegar
3/4 t kosher salt, or more to taste
Mix together the scallions, ginger, oil, soy, vinegar and salt in a bowl.  Taste to check for salt, adding more if necessary.  The sauce needs to sit for 15 to 20 minutes, it really tastes better, although you can use it from the minute you stir it together.  Will keep for a day or two in the fridge, if you can resist it for that long.

Quick Pickled Cucumbers
6 1/2 oz Persian cukes, Korean cukes or Kirbies
1 T sugar
1 t kosher salt
Combine the cucumbers with the sugar and salt in a small mixing bowl and toss to coat with the sugar and salt.  Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes.
Taste: if the pickles are too sweet or too salty, put them in a colander, rinse off seasoning and dry in a tea towel.  Taste again and add more sugar or salt as needed.  Serve after 5 to 10 minutes, or refrigerate for up to 4 hours.

Pan Roasted Cauliflower
I love the way cauliflower tastes after pan roasting - it really adds a nuttiness to the profile.  So easy, and it looks like popcorn, so it is kid friendly.
1 large cauliflower cut into bite size florets
2 T olive oil
1 t kosher salt
Preheat oven to 400 degrees farenheit.  Spread the cauliflower out on a rimmed sheet pan and toss with oil to evenly coat, pop the sheet pan into the oven.  After about 10 minutes check and turn the cauliflower.  After another 10 minutes the cauliflower should be browned in spots and tender.  Season with salt and use in the Ginger Scallion Noodles or eat as is.

Slow Cooker Vietnamese Pulled Pork Sliders and The Slaw Throw Down

Slow Cooker Vietnamese Pulled Pork Sliders

This recipe was originally posted Sundaynitedinner.com as an oven roasted version, it was further modified on sloblogs.thetribunenews.com where Larissa and Chrissy first introduced the slow cooker modification.  And now I have further modified the recipe with respect to some of the seasonings and the quantity of the delicious Lemongrass Caramel Sauce.  The bottom line I doubled it.  

This recipe seems time consuming but the individual steps take very little time and the crock pot does most of the work.  Given that the pork butts needs to marinate overnigth, cook for 8 to 10 hours in the crock pot and be basted half way through the cooking with the Basting Liquid.  Plus, it will need some cooling time before you can shred it.  The only tricky part is making the Caramel Sauce that is a component to the Lemongrass Caramel Sauce, there can be some sizzling drama but if you persevere through it is well worth a few bubbles.

A key ingredient for this recipe is the Chinese Five Spice, unfortunately I was out (very bizarre) so I sourced an online recipe and think I will make my own from now on.  If you are also out here is the link Chinese Five Spice Powder .


I have to add that the leftovers I used to create a faux version of pho.  A phenomenol soup that I am going to have to measure next time so I can create a recipe.  Too pho-king crazy.

Roughly, here is my timeline:

Evening Day 1: 

• Prepare Dry Rub and marinate pork butt
• Make Basting Liquid and put aside in refrigerator

Morning Day 2:

• Put pork butt in slow cooker
• Make slaw (see recipes that follow, choose whichever you like)

Afternoon Day 2:

• Baste Pork Butt

Evening Day 2:

• Make Lemongrass Caramel Sauce
• Pull your Pork Butt
• Serve 

Dry Rub Ingredients: 
2 T Chinese Five Spice 
1 T ground black pepper 
3 T course kosher salt 
2 t cayenne pepper 
2 T dark brown sugar

Basting Liquid Ingredients:

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

3/4 chicken stock

1 T dark brown sugar

2 T fish sauce

2 T Chinese five spice

1 t sambal olek

Lemongrass Caramel Sauce Ingredients:
5 tablespoons canola oil
6 medium stalks lemongrass , mince in a food processor
10 cloves of garlic, minced
4 large shallots, minced
12 T caramel sauce
5 T fish sauce
3 Thai chili peppers or Serrano pepper, minced
1/2 t pepper
1 1/2 cup low sodium chicken stock

1 (5 to 7 lb) bone-in pork butt, shoulder or Boston Butt
14 - 16 hamburger buns

Remove fat cap and trim excess fat from pork butt. Mix dry rub ingredients together in a small bowl. Apply dry rub evenly over pork butt, wrap in Saran wrap and place in a ziploc bag, refrigerate overnight.  The next morning place the pork butt in the slow cooker and set the crock pot on low.  Cook for 8 to 10 hours or until the pork shreds easily with a fork.

Halfway through the estimated cooking time baste one side by spooning the the Basting Liquid over the pork butt.  Flip the meat over and baste the other side.  Repeat the basting process one more time, halfway through the remaining cooking time.

Meanwhile, prepare the Lemongrass Caramel Sauce.  In a saucepan, heat canola oil over medium heat. Add the lemongrass, garlic, shallots, stir and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in caramel sauce, fish sauce, chili peppers, and black pepper. Gently simmer for 2 minutes. Add chicken stock, return to a simmer for 3 minutes and then set aside.

When the pork is fork tender, remove from the cooker and place in a bowl. Cover loosely with aluminum foil and rest for 30 minutes. Shred pork by using two forks and pulling apart the meat and discard fat. Put shredded pork in a large bowl. Pour sauce on shredded pork and mix well.

Serve pulled pork on a hamburger bun with a side of either Hao Long Dragon Slaw or Asian Slaw My Way(recipes below).

Basting Liquid Recipe

In a saucepan, heat chicken stock, vinegar, brown sugar, fish sauce, five spice, pepper and cayenne over medium high heat.

Simmer gently, stirring for 5 minutes until sugar dissolves. The basting liquid will thicken slightly when removed from heat.

Caramel Sauce Recipe
Caramel sauce (nuoc mau, pronounced "nook mao") is one of the cornerstones of Vietnamese cooking. The color and flavor of caramel sauce are transformative, making food not only look beautifully amber but also delectable. 

1 C sugar

1/4 C water, plus 1/2 C

Fill the sink with enough water to come halfway up the side of a 1-quart, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Place the sugar and 1/4 cup of the water into the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves, about 2 to 3 minutes.

As the sugar melts, the mixture will go from opaque to clear. Small bubbles will form at the edge and gradually grow larger, moving toward the center of the pan. Eventually, bubbles will cover the entire surface. After about 15 minutes, the sugar will begin to caramelize and turn in color. You’ll see a progression from champagne yellow to light tea to dark tea.

When smoke starts rising, remove the saucepan from the heat and slowly swirl it around. Watch the sugar closely as it will turn darker by the second; a reddish cast will set in (think the color of a big and bold red wine) as the bubbles become a burnt orange. Pay attention to the color of the caramel underneath the bubbles. When the caramel color is that of black coffee or molasses, place the pan in the sink to stop the cooking process. The hot pan bottom will sizzle upon contact and the bubble action will subside.
Add the remaining 1/2 cup of water (there may be a small dramatic reaction) and place the saucepan back on the stove over medium heat, stirring until the caramel has dissolved into the water. The result will be slightly viscous; flavor-wise, it will be bittersweet. Pour the caramel sauce into a small glass jar and let it cool; it will thicken further. Store indefinitely in your kitchen cupboard.

The Slaw Throw Down
The first recipe I sourced from a Washington Post article that featured Hao Long Dragon Slaw This cabbage-free slaw is served atop Vietnamese pulled pork sliders at Social Restaurant in Columbia Heights, wherever that is.  Nevertheless since I STILL have zucchini it seemed perfect.  After a few hours of thought, it came to me that I might prefer something with a bit more onion, to cut the richness of the pork.  So I decided since I was going to be inside for the whole day, due to the weather, I might as well go for a second slaw and have a showdown.
Both of these slaws should be made several hours ahead and refrigerated.
In the end it was a draw, I preferred my version and Scott preferred the Hao Long Dragon Slaw.  Obviously we need to make this again.
Hao Long Dragon Slaw

• 2T unseasoned rice wine vinegar
• 2 T sesame oil
• 1 T soy sauce
• 2 T sugar
• 1/2 lb carrots, peeled and cut into julienne
• 1/2 lb zucchini, cut into julienne
• 1 apple, cored and cut into julienne
• leaves from 2 large sprigs of mint, finely chopped
• 2 scallions, chopped
• salt
• freshly ground pepper

Combine the vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce and sugar in a large bowl, stirring to dissolve much of the sugar.  Add the carrots, zucchini, apple, mint and scallions; toss to coat evenly.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Refrigerate several hours before serving.

 Asian Slaw My Way
I made this up using the flavours that I was craving to go with the Vietnamese Pulled Pork Sliders, plus I really wanted to give cabbage another try.  It is pretty basic.

• 2 C shredded Savoy cabbage
• 1 large carrot, cut into julienne
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/4 C cilantro, minced
• 3 T mint, minced
• 1/4 C rice wine vinegar
• 2 T sugar
• 1 T sambal olek

In a bowl mix together the rice wine vinegar, sugar and sambal.  Add the vegetables and toss to coat.  Refrigerate for several hours and serve with Pulled Pork Sliders.

Home Sick - Healing Food Number 1

Okay, so Brig had been in school for 2 months and brought home a cold at the same time my mother-in-law (Lucia) came to visit.  She brought with her a cold she caught from my niece Abi whom she had been visiting before us.  The upshot was we all got sick - a coughing, runny nose kind of winter cold.  So we needed some healing foods to kick those bad bugs out of our bodies and here is what I am making this week.

Hot and Sour Soup

I modified this recipe from A Spoonful of Ginger by Nina Simmonds, a highly recommend this cookbook as an addition to your library.  I also make a vegetarian version with a vegetable stock and omit the chicken.  To make this a quick supper, marinate the chicken in the morning and it will be seasoned in time for supper.  If you don't like tofu(how could you not?) you can omit it.  My kids love tofu, they think it is a kind of chicken and Reidar, my non-meat eater, could easily go through 6 oz of tofu in a broth all by himself.  Two comments regarding the seasonings:

1) I like my hot and sour soup on the sour side, you can always start with only 4T of chinese black vinegar and increase to taste.

2) With only 1t sambal olek to start with this is a kid friendly recipe, for Scott and I we typically augment the heat individually so I pass some extra sambal to the table.

6 C chicken stock

1/3 C rice wine

6 slices fresh ginger, about the size of a quarter, smashed lightly

8 whole scallions, ends trimmed

10 oz ground chicken breast

Chicken Marinade

• 3 T rice wine
• 2 T soy sauce
• 1 t sesame oil
• 1T chinese black vinegar
• freshly ground black pepper

1 lb firm tofu, excess water pressed out and cut into small square

1/2 sliced shiitake mushrooms

2 C julienned leeks

2 1/2 T cornstarch

Seasonings

5 1/2 T Chinese black vinegar

3 T soy sauce

2 T kecap manis

2 t minced fresh ginger, or to taste

1 t sesame oil

1 t salt or to taste

1 t sambal olek, or to taste

Bring the stock, rice wine, ginger and scallions to a boil - reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.  Set aside, when cool remove the ginger and scallions.  Meanwhile mix together the ground chicken, rice wine, soy sauce, sesame oil and black pepper.  Let the chicken marinate for at least 1 hour or up to 8 hours.

In a medium saucepan over medium high heat, heat 1 T oil until hot.  Add the chicken and cook, stirring frequently to break it up until no longer pink.  Add the chicken broth, mushrooms,tofu and leeks and heat until boiling.  Boil for about 2 minutes, skimming the surface to remove any impurities.

Mix the cornstarch with a little water and slowly add the slurry to the soup, stirring constantly to prevent lumps.  Add the Seasonings and stir.  Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed.  Ladle into bowls and serve immediately.