sesame

This recipe exemplifies “WHY” I love to cook! Calling for unfamiliar ingredients and new techniques, all leading me to new discoveries at the Asian market. I know these are the same things that will prevent many from making this recipe!

Starting as a kid, with the Time Life Foods of the World cookbooks, food has always allowed me to explore unknown places and cultures, without leaving my kitchen. The pictures, the recipes and finally; the meals, opened me up to new taste experiences. Luckily, the shrinking world (and Food TV) has made it easier to find “exotic” spices, seasonings, herbs, fruits and vegetables, that were a struggle to locate 30 years ago.

I am a big fan of warm, comforting bowls of broth, meat and noodles. They taste especially good after a week on the road, eating the nightly “specials” at some non-descript hotel! When this recipe showed up in my in box from Food 52, I knew I had to make it. It was originally posted by a food blogger from Hawaii, Gingerroot. The three day prep time, an extra trip to the Asian market and using every stock pot I own, were all worth it. This is absolutely delicious. I am excited that I have extras in the freezer, waiting for me to return from the next road trip!

Unlike most of my posts, I am not going to include detailed, step by step instructions. Food 52 did an amazing job, so refer to the link if you need help.

Spicy Sesame Pork with Noodles

adapted from this recipe

For Stock

3 pounds meaty pork neck bones – I used Pork Shanks
1 medium onion, rough chopped
2 medium carrots, preferably organic, scrubbed and rough chopped
1 tablespoon tamarind paste
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 smoked ham hock
5 whole cilantro plants, including roots, well washed – I used one bunch of Cilantro
5 whole scallions, including roots, well washed

Preheat oven to 400° F.

Brown pork bones in a little oil, on both sides, over medium heat, in a large stock pot, that will fit in the oven. Cook about 15 minutes. Add carrots and onions to pan, piling vegetables on top of the bones. Roast for 30-45 minutes, until vegetables begin to char around edges and bones begin to caramelize. Add 14 cups water. Water should be covering bones by about an inch. Be sure and scrape up all browned bits from the bottom of pan.

In a small bowl, whisk tamarind paste, tomato paste, and 2 tablespoons water from the stockpot. Whisk this mixture into the stockpot. Heat stock over medium-high heat until nearly boiling, and then reduce to a slow simmer. Continue simmering (uncovered) for 2 hours.

After 2 hours, using a sieve, strain out vegetables, pressing down on solids so liquids go back into stockpot. One at a time, carefully take out bones and put them on a plate near your stockpot. Using small tongs and a fork (or two forks) remove the meat. Transfer meat (should have between 3-4 cups depending on how meaty your bones were) to a container with a tight fitting lid and refrigerate. Return bones, including cartilage and fat, and any liquid that may have accumulated on the plate, to stockpot. Continue simmering for 1 hour. At this point, you can allow mixture to cool slightly before refrigerating overnight. The next day, remove congealed fat layer from surface of stock before simmering for a final hour, adding the smoked ham hock, whole cilantro plants and scallions. Strain out hock and aromatics with a sieve, pressing down on solids to allow liquids back into stock. Repeat cooling and refrigerating step.

Alternatively, you can make the stock in one day by adding the smoked hock and aromatics after three hours of simmering (skipping the extra overnight in the fridge), and continue cooking for the final hour. Cool stock enough to refrigerate overnight (see above in step 8).

Seasonings For the Soup

14-16 ounces rice vermicelli (from an Asian market or section of the grocery store – Do not substitute gluten free rice noodles) *Feel free to substitute your favorite Asian noodle instead, such as ramen
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1/2 chopped cilantro
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4 cups shredded Savoy or Napa cabbage
3 cups reserved pork meat, chopped
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 1/2 tablespoons Aka (Red) Miso paste found in the Japanese section of an Asian market or some grocery stores
1-2 tablespoons Gochujang** (fermented Korean chili paste) found in the Korean section of an Asian market or some grocery stores
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 cup Katsuo Furikake (Roasted Sesame Seed and Dried Bonito mix) *found in the Japanese section of an Asian market or some grocery stores

Take stock out of refrigerator and remove congealed fat layer from the surface of soup (stock should be more like jelly than liquid).

Heat stock over medium-high heat until nearly boiling, and then reduce to a slow simmer.

If you have them, use a suribachi (ceramic Japanese mortar with rough grooves on the inside of the bowl) and surikogi (wooden pestle) to grind katsuo furikake into a paste. If you do not, a regular mortar and pestle will also work. Add ½ t sesame oil midway through grinding to help mixture come together.

When almost all of the sesame seeds are mashed, add in 1 T of gojuchang. If you know you love heat, add 2 T. As you turn the pestle around the mortar, the gojuchang will ball up around the sesame seed mixture. Whisk this into the stock and allow soup to simmer for 20 minutes. If there is still a lot of sesame-gojuchang paste stuck in the mortar, add a little bit of stock to the bowl, stir, and pour mixture into the pot.

Turn off heat.

Place miso paste in a small bowl and whisk in enough hot stock (2-3 T) to liquefy the miso. Pour this into stock and stir to incorporate. Allow mixture to cool and refrigerate overnight.

Finishing the Soup

Remove your soup from the refrigerator and slowly heat it up.

In another pot, cook rice vermicelli according to directions on the package, and then drain in a colander, rinsing with some cold water to stop the noodles from cooking.

In a skillet large enough to hold pork and cabbage, heat sesame oil over medium heat.

Add chopped pork and stir to heat through. Add cabbage and stir to take off raw edge. Turn off heat, stir in balsamic and a pinch of salt.

Portion rice noodles into soup bowls.

Top each bowl with pork and cabbage.

Ladle steaming broth over each bowl.

Generously add chopped green onions and cilantro to each bowl and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Thanks for visiting. Have a wonderful evening!

Laura

**Gochujang – Awesome Korean Spicy condiment. A little sweeter than Siricha.

Have you heard about the Paleo Diet? It took awhile for me to be convinced that “eating like a caveman” was logical, sensible, necessary, or could in any way, provide a more positive outcome, than any other “trendy” diet. Well, I am here to say I was wrong! I’ve observed numerous friends, not only lose excess weight, but also be transformed into healthier, younger versions of themselves after only 2 or 3 months of changing their diet. Motivated by witnessing many of these transformations, I read many books, a lot of research, and hundreds of recipes. In early January I gave up grains, legumes, beans, sugar and dairy, in all forms. Was this easy? Hell no! Am I happy eating like this? You bet I am. (I will not go into detail why these specific items are “banned”, as there are numerous books, documents and research studies that go into detail available in bookstores, libraries and on-line.)

The interpretation of the Paleo diet I am sharing with you, is my own. First of all, this is not really what I would think of as a “caveman” diet. I am not grilling brontosaurus burgers and I’m not gnawing on tree roots. I am eating a pre-industrial revolution, pre-processed foods, non genetically modified, non-hydrogenated, non-sugar laden, non-messed up with hormones, pesticides or antibiotics diet of fruits, vegetables, meats, poultry fish, nuts and seeds. You are right; it is not easy. Most of my food is prepared from scratch, right on down to the mayonnaise. Every label of any item considered for consumption must be thoroughly scrutinized for sugar; in all it’s clever “non-threatening” disguises, GMO laden soy and canola – in any form, preservatives that we have been convinced are just fine and all sorts of other things that I never gave a second thought to. What I have learned in digging deep into the science behind the Paleo diet, is just how impactful these “acceptable” ingredients can be on our brains and bodies, throughout our lifetime. I thought I was eating “right”. Organic, natural, hormone and antibiotic free whenever and wherever possible. What I have learned is how a few changes can significantly improve my health. Again, these are my interpretations, based on my research and personal experiences. I have made these decisions for myself with no intention of recommending what anybody else should do. Except Dave….He has to eat what I cook.

In six weeks I have strayed from the guidelines of the diet only slightly; by consuming a glass or two of wine socially. In six weeks I have lost 12 pounds and I have more energy than I have had in a very long time. I am sleeping like a baby and, when taken a week ago, my blood pressure was about what it was in my 20’s. In six weeks, the life long patch of eczema on my elbow has all but disappeared; confirming my long-held suspicion of a wheat sensitivity. Can I and will I eat this way for the rest of my life? I don’t know, but I can say I will continue to follow the guidelines until I have finished losing the weight I need to and until my “numbers” are where I want them to be. I do know that I will pay far more attention to “hidden” ingredients and that if I choose to ingest sugar, in any form, it will be rare. Honestly, removing things like bad fats and processed sugar from your diet changes what you crave. If I miss anything, I miss cheese, yogurt and sour cream. I will add dairy back slowly; at some point, and determine if I have any negative reactions to it. Is this way of eating more expensive? Maybe a little, but not much overall when I consider the items I am no longer buying. The secret to any eating plan is just that; PLAN. Having food on hand is key. Making sure you have dinner leftovers for tomorrows lunch and healthy grab and go items in easy reach makes things a lot easier.

If you do need to grab something quick, my favorite sweet is anything from Hail Merry – macaroons, nut mixes and chocolate tarts, and my favorite protein / savory are the jerky bites from EPIC. (These are not PAID endorsements; I have not received any form of compensation. These are my personal “always in my backpack” lifesavers.)

Since we rapidly depleted $22 worth of mail-order No-Grain Granola, I decided I best figure out how to make this tasty breakfast alternative, myself. I am so happy I did! After reading numerous recipes and ingredient panels, I decided on a combination that would work for us. I spent about 20 minutes in the bulk bin section at my favorite store bagging up all the “legal” necessities: flaked coconut, cashews, sesame seed, chia seed, sunflower seed, pumpkin seed, and various forms of almonds. All were organic and most were raw and untoasted. Though I preferred all raw ingredients; rather than make a stop at a second store with the other 50,000 people shopping for weekly staples on a Sunday afternoon, I decided I would just adjust my cooking technique to balance the raw and pre-toasted ingredients. I had the other ingredients I needed at home: sea salt, Grade B maple syrup, organic vanilla extract, and organic coconut oil.

Heat your oven to 250′ F.

I used convection as it speeds the toasting process.

Line 2-4 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.

For every 6 cups of dry ingredients you will need 1 cup of liquefied coconut oil, 2-4 tablespoons of grade b maple syrup (depending on your preferred level of sweetness), 2 teaspoons of vanilla and 1 teaspoon of fine sea salt.

(I am not giving specific quantities – just proportions for dry to liquid. This is to allow you to adjust the ingredients to your liking.) If using a combination of raw and pre-toasted nuts: Place your non-toasted nuts and seeds in a large mixing bowl. (Hold back the toasted ingredients.) You can also add cinnamon, cardamom, or any other spices that you enjoy.

Pour the coconut oil mixture over all. Mix thoroughly. Spread evenly on the baking sheets. Bake for about 30 minutes, stirring every ten minutes until lightly toasted. Set aside.

Place the remaining pre-toasted nuts and seeds in the large mixing bowl. Add the proportionate amount of liquefied coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla and sea salt. Mix thoroughly. Add the nuts and seeds from the baking sheets back into the bowl and remix. Distribute the mixture evenly amongst your baking sheets. Return to the oven and continue to toast until golden brown, another 45-60 minutes; stirring every 10 minutes.

Don’t try to speed this up with higher heat, as you will burn the delicate ingredients.

Remove toasted “granola” from oven and allow to completely cool. Place in air tight jars or freezer bags and store in a cool, dark place.

This is fabulous with the nut milk of your choice for breakfast, sprinkled over a warm baked apple for dessert, or by the handful as a quick snack.

Spicy Sesame Pork and Noodle Soup

Thoughts on the Paleo Diet and MSLS Nutty, Grain Free, Gluten Free Paleo Friendly “Granola”