Momofuku Bo Ssam

This is a wonderful Korean dish.  I was introduced to it by our friend, Gerald.  He made it for a Saints party and I devoured it.  I couldn’t wait to try making it myself.  It not hard to make, the most difficult part is to find the ingredients for the sauce at the Asian market.

Ingredients:

Pork Butt:

• 8 lb. bone-in Boston Butt Roast
• 1 C. sugar
• ½ C. kosher salt, plus 1 T.
• ½ C. brown sugar

Ginger-Scallion Sauce:

• 2 C. green onions, thinly sliced (green and white parts)
• ½ C. fresh ginger, minced
• ¼ C. grapeseed oil
• ½ T. soy sauce
• 1 t. rice vinegar

Ssam Sauce:

• 2 T. ssamjang (fermented bean and chili paste)
• 1 T. kochujang (chili paste)
• ½ C. rice vinegar
• ½ C. grapeseed oil

Accompaniments:

• 4 C. white rice, cooked
• 2 heads bibb lettuce, washed, drained, and leaves seperated
• Kimchi (not necessary)

Directions:

1. Rinse the Boston butt in cold water and dry with paper towels.
2. Place the pork in a large, shallow bowl and then combine the sugar and salt in another bowl. Rub the mixture all over the meat and then cover with plastic wrap.
3. Place in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight.
4. When you are ready to cook, preheat the oven to 300 degrees, remove the pork from the refrigerator and discard the juices.
5. Place the Boston Butt in a roasting pan, fat side up and bake for 6 hours, basting with the pan juices each hour. After 6 hours the roast should begin to collapse easily to the tines of a fork.  (the bone should become visible when this happens)
6. Remove the roast from the oven and allow to rest for up to one hour. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
7. While the roast is resting, make the Ginger-Scallion Sauce by mixing all of the ingredients in a medium size bowl.  Place a spoon in the bowl for serving.
8. Next, make the Ssam Sauce in a medium bowl and whisk together using an immersion blender.
9. Finally, mix the 1 T. of kosher salt with the brown sugar and rub this mixture all over the cooked pork.  Place in the oven for 10 – 15 minutes or until a dark caramel crust has developed on the meat. 
10. Remove the roast from the oven and shred the meat.
11. Serve with the accompaniments.

Tips and Tricks:

• Momofuku Bo Ssam is best when served as a lettuce wrap.  Take a leaf of lettuce and place some rice in the leaf, cover the rice with some pork, spoon some Ginger-Scallion Sauce over the pork, and finally pour some Ssam Sauce over that. Wrap it up and dig in.
• The ingredients for the sauces can be purchased at an Asian market.  I used Sambal Oelik ground chili paste and Wang brand ssamjang sauce.

Italian Wedding Soup

My Mom and I used to love the Italian Wedding Soup at Bravo.  I found a Barefoot Contessa recipe and I made it myself.  It is good, perfect for a chilly night.

Ingredients:

Meatballs:

• 1 lb. ground pork
• ½ lb. pork sausage, casing removed
• 2/3 C. Italian bread crumbs
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• ¼ C. Pecorino Romano cheese, grated
• ¼ C. Parmesan cheese, grated
• ¼ C.milk
• 1 large egg
• 1 t. kosher salt
• ½ t. black pepper

Soup:

• ¼ C. olive oil
• 1 C. onions, finely chopped
• 1 C. carrots, chopped
• 1 C. celery, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 t. kosher salt
• ½ t. cayenne pepper
• 12 C. chicken stock
• ½ C. dry white wine
• 1 C. small pasta like tubetini or Acini di pepe
• ¼ C. chopped dill
• 1 (6 oz.) bag of baby spinach, stems trimmed off, and cut into ¼
• Grated Romano cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Combine all the ingredients for the meatballs in a large bowl (don’t over work the meat, just until everything is combined)
3. Using a 1 inch scoop leveled, form a ball (don’t pat the meatball, allow them to be loose formed)
4. Place the meatballs on a sheet pan and bake for 30 minutes
5. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large pot and add chopped onions, celery, and carrots cooking until veggies are soft, about 10 minutes
6. Add garlic for last minute
7. Deglaze the pot with the white wine (this step is NOT in the cookbook)
8. Add salt and cayenne pepper
9. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil
10. Add the pasta and cook simmering for 8 minutes
11. Add the dill and the meatballs and cook for 2 minutes
12. Add the spinach and cook for 1 minute
13. Cut the heat
14. Ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle with grated Romano cheese

Tips and Tricks:

• Making your own chicken stock for this recipe is cheaper and tastes better.  Follow my link to find out how I make mine.
• This recipe called for ground chicken and chicken sausage.  I couldn’t find ground chicken, so I used ground pork and green onion pork sausage.  I liked it, so I changed the recipe.
• This soup freezes great!

B-B-Q Country Style Pork Ribs with Corn and Potatoes

This is a Emeril recipe that I've barely tweaked.  The corn and potatoes are my addition.  If you have never tried boiling your ribs in crab boil, let me help you enter into a new dimension.  They are so tender and flavorful.  You are going to LOVE it.

Ingredients:

• 6 lbs. country style pork ribs
• ½ C. concentrated liquid crab boil
• 1 head garlic, cut in 2 pieces
• 3 ribs celery, cut into 3-inch lengths
• 1 large onion, cut in half with skin on
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 T. kosher salt
• 2 t. Tony Chachere Creole Seasoning
• 1 t. whole black peppercorns
• 1 bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce
• 12 pack of frozen corn
• 3 lb. bag of new potatoes

Directions:

1. Place ribs and all the ingredients through peppercorns into a large pot with enough water to cover the ribs by about an inch
2. Bring to a boil on high heat
3. Reduce heat to a low boil and cook for 1 hour
4. Remove ribs from the pot and place on a foil lined cookie sheet
5. Put the cover back on the pot and return to a boil for the corn and potatoes
6. Dry the ribs with paper towels
7. Now you have a choice, you can finish them off on the grill or
8. Preheat the broiler
9. Pour a ½ bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce over the ribs 
10. Flip each rib and pour the other ½ bottle of sauce
11. Broil for about 5 minutes each side or until they start to caramelize
12. Remove from the broiler
13. When water is boiling, add the potatoes and cook for 5 minutes once the water returns to a boil
14. Then add the corn and cook for 10 minutes once the water returns to a boil
15. Pour the contents of the  pot into a colander and serve the piping hot corn and potatoes with the ribs

Tips and Tricks:

• I use Kraft Spicy Honey Barbecue Sauce.
• Country Style Pork Ribs tend to be fatty, but some of the fat cooks off during the boiling and some during the grilling or broiling.  Don’t bother cutting off the excess fat.  It takes care of itself.

Barbeque Pork Chops

This is a recipe from Talk About Good Cookbook.  I am not very reverent of cookbooks.  I write in them and scratch things out and put a big star on the ones that we like.  This is one of the recipes that has a big STAR.

Ingredients:

• 6 – 8 pork chops
• ¼ C. vinegar
• 1/3 C.  chili sauce
• ½ C. water
• 1 T. Dijon mustard
• ¼ C. brown sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Mix all ingredients, except pork chops, in a baking dish
3. Place pork chops in mixture and cover with foil
4. Bake for 1 hour
5. Remove foil and bake for an additional 30 minutes

Tips and Tricks:

• I use apple cider vinegar.  I think it gives the sauce a great taste.
• I have made this recipe with pork chops and with a pork roast cut into cubes.  It tastes great both ways.