Archive for Pork Recipes
Aspen Spotlight: Chef Michael Symon
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The plethora of celebrity chefs attending the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen was overwhelming and enlightening. Always in awe off all legendary chefs, several of them truly carved a footprint for being approachable, personable, and happy to talk with their fans. In addition to Stepanie Izard, Michael Chiarello, Richard Blais, Hosea Rosenberg, and Ming Tsai, we also fell quickly into chefophile love with Chef Michael Symon.
Owner and Executive Chef of Lola and Lolita in Cleveland and Roast in Detroit, Michael held the title of a Food & Wine Best New Chef in 1998, and is recently was named as a James Beard Best Chef in America in the Great Lakes Region for 2009. He has also been a winner on Iron Chef America, and a host on the Food Network show Melting Pot, as well as Dinner Impossible. An wrestler in high school, Michael’s strong presence is softened by his frequent high pitched laugh, and even the most timid of foodies are sure to feel comfortable after a few minute of hearing him speak. I attended his cooking demo entitled “In Praise of Pork” (who could miss that one?) with Chef John of Food Wishes to my left in our prime 2nd row seats. Chef John caught an amusing moment on video of Michael Symon describing his conversation with Tom Colicchio on how to rename “Pork Belly” on his menu for greater customer appeal in the restaurant. This truly is a must see, check it out!
In the demo, Michael prepared a braised pork belly with pickled green tomatoes. Mr “meatcentric” admitted to loving all portions of pork, such as pork tenderloin, but said that he is partial to the fattier portions of the animal such as pork belly for having the best texture and flavor. Here is the recipe for you to make at home, courtesy of Michael Symon, thank you!
Braised Pork Belly
Ingredients:
2 lbs of pork belly, skin removed
2 tbsp of kosher salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp cinnamon
Grated zest of 1 orange
1 red onion sliced
1 carrot sliced
1 bay leaf
1 cup of white wine
1 quart chicken stock
1 cinnamon stick
Mix together the salt, sugar, coriander seeds, crushed red pepper, ground cinnamon and orange zest. Rinse the pork belly and pat dry. Coat the pork belly with the seasoned salt and place in a sturdy resealable plastic bag, and refridgerate overnight or for 24 hours.
Preheat the oven to 275F. Rinse the seasoning off of the pork belly, pat dry. In a large pot, combine the onion, carrot, garlic, bay leaf, white wine, chicken stock and cinnamon stick, bring to a simmer. Place the belly in a casserole dish or dutch oven and pour the liquid over it. Cover and bake for 7 hours.
Remove the casserole from the oven and let the pork belly cool in the liquid, let cool until ready to serve.
In the demo he cut the pork into sandwich friendly slices, making a savory baguette sandwich topped with pickled green tomatoes.
I had several questions to ask him after the show, but had to put on my nursing hat for 10 minutes, ask Chef John about that one! All and all a very memorable lesson in pork, and if you are lucky enough to live in Michigan or Ohio, absolutely pay a visit to one of Michael Symon’s restaurants. Also be sure to visit Amazon and preorder his new cookbook due for release in November, Michael Symon’s Live to Cook: Recipes and Techniques to Rock Your Kitchen.
For more delicious Michael Symon recipes, check out:
- His top 100 Food Network recipes
- Pickled Chilli Peppers
- Greek Meatballs and Tomato Salad from the Dinner Impossible show
- For Scallops with a Warm Ginger Vinaigrette, Roast Salmon with Ancho Chili Ginger Sauce and Couscous,Pork Shoulder braised in Ginger Beer, and Ginger Mango Rice Pudding with Thai Basil recipes go here
- Spicy Sriracha Chicken Wings a must try recipe receiving 10 5 star ratings from food network reviewers
- Spicy Tomato and Blue Cheese Soup
- Creamed Corn
- Cheesy BLT’s
- Famous Mac and Goat Cheese
- And a delicious looking Sopressata, Prosciutto, Mozzarella, Egg, and Basil Breakfast Sandwich recipe.
Also be sure to feast on savory Food & Wine Classic in Aspen photos from our slideshow!
One Ham, 5 Meals. Chef Recipes from Walter Staib
Posted by: | CommentsFrom the Chef’s Kitchen chef Walter Staib bakes a Dietz & Watson ham, and makes 5 meals from it. This video shares his economical recipes for a pineapple glazed ham, a ham and pepper potato hash, a cabbage ham and potato soup, as well as two creative ham sandwich recipes. You may view and print the detailed written recipes here.
Chef Curtis Stone and a Delicious Pulled Pork Sandwich
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Australian celebrity chef Curtis Stone is the host of Take Home Chef on TLC. A charmer, this master chef was voted as one of People Magazine’s “Sexiest Men Alive” in 2006.
Alas, we digress! More importantly, he whips up some amazingly delicious recipes. In this video he shares with us his special recipe for a crave inducing pulled pork sandwich, complete with grilled pineapple and barbecue sauce.
Pulled Pork Sandwich
Ingredients
* 1 4-pound boneless pork shoulder roast
* Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 2 Tbsp olive oil or canola oil
* 2 red onions peeled and quartered
* 2 large carrots peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
* 3 celery sticks cut into 1-inch chunks
* 1 whole garlic head split in half horizontally
* 1 c dry red wine
* 2 1/2 c chicken stock
* Small handful of fresh thyme sprigs
* 1 orange quartered
* 1 bay leaf
* 1/2 tsp whole black peppercorns
* Barbecue Sauce (see recipe) warm
* 6 thin slices peeled pineapple halved and cored
* 6 crusty rolls halved horizontally
* Homemade Coleslaw (see recipe)
Preheat the oven to 275°F. Sprinkle the pork shoulder all over with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat a heavy large wide pot over high heat until it is very hot. Add the oil and then add the pork. Cook until the pork is golden brown on the bottom about 5 minutes. Turn the pork and continue cooking until it is golden brown all over about 10 minutes. Transfer the pork to a baking sheet and pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the oil from the pot.
Add the onions carrots celery and garlic to the pot and cook until the onions are golden brown all over about 5 minutes. Return the pork to the pot. Add the wine and simmer until it is reduced by half stirring to scrape up the browned bits on the bottom of the pot about 3 minutes. Add the stock thyme orange bay leaf and peppercorns. Bring the liquids to a simmer then cover the pot and place it in the oven.
Cook in the oven until the pork is fork-tender about 2 1/2 hours. Remove the pot from the oven. Let stand uncovered at room temperature for 30 minutes to cool slightly.
Transfer the pork to a baking dish and pull the meat apart with a fork and knife. Toss the shredded pork with some of the warm barbecue sauce. Cover with foil to keep warm.
Meanwhile preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Grill the pineapple slices until they are heated through and soften slightly about 2 minutes per side. Meanwhile grill the bread slices cut side down until lightly toasted.
Spoon the coleslaw over the bread bottoms. Top each with the shredded pork then 2 half slices of pineapple. Spoon more barbecue sauce over and cover with the bread tops. Serve warm.
Barbecue Sauce
Ingredients
* 1 Tbsp olive oil
* 1/3 c finely chopped red onion
* 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
* 1 c ketchup
* 1 c peeled cored finely diced pineapple
* 1/2 c orange juice
* 1/4 c low-sodium soy sauce
* 2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
* 2 Tbsp chopped green onions
* 1/2 tsp ground cumin
* 1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Heat the oil in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until tender and pale golden, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the ketchup, pineapple, orange juice, soy sauce, cilantro, green onions, cumin, and sesame oil. Cook uncovered over medium-low heat until the pineapple softens, the mixture thickens and the flavors blend, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper.
Homemade Coleslaw
Ingredients
* 1/2 c white wine vinegar
* 3 Tbsp sugar
* 2 tsp salt
* 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
* 1 small head green cabbage, halved, cored and thinly sliced
* 1 large carrot, peeled and shredded
* 1/4 c crème fraîche (or sour cream)
* 1/4 c mayonnaise
* 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
* 4 green onions, finely chopped
Stir the vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper in a large bowl until the sugar dissolves. Add the cabbage and carrots and toss to thoroughly coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Stir the crème fraîche, mayonnaise, and mustard in a small bowl to blend. Drizzle over the cabbage mixture and toss to combine thoroughly. Mix in the green onions and serve.

