mmm-yoso!!!

Cooking the Book - Vegetarian "Eel" in Sweet and Sour Sauce, Inspired by Land of Fish and Rice

Yes, you read right...."mock eel"....like really. I've found some time to cook a bit recently and am now going to try to make it through those cookbooks I've got stacked on my coffee table. I've often done riffs on Fuchsia Dunlop's recipes. Her cookbooks hold a special place on my shelves. So when her latest cookbook Land of Fish and Rice was announced, I pre-ordered it.

Being married to someone from China and working with several others, I've noticed something quite interesting; the Missus's Shandong cum Hunan lineage struggles with the sweet flavors of Su-Cai and similar cuisines. As does our former coworker "Lily" who is from Shanxi. Meanwhile "YZ" can't deal with "Yang Rou"....and so one and so forth. Me? I love it all. So while I'm tempted to go for the Dong Po Rou, the Missus wasn't having any of that. While paging through, I found a rather simple recipe that caught my atttention it's called Vegetarian "eels" in Sweet-and-Sour Sauce in the book. I was mainly interested because the recipe didn't use tofu; which would probably have been the easy out. Instead, dried shiitake mushrooms were used.

Of course I adjusted the recipe to suit our (the Missus's) taste, upping the Chinkiang vinegar and soy sauce, adding a bit of five spice, mushroom soaking liquid, and a chili for some heat. And of course, using the Big Kahuna which cut the cooking time to mere minutes. The dish is best made in small batches. Also, do a good job of "scattering" the mushroom while deep frying, otherwise they tend to stick together.

The Missus really enjoys this; the sweet-salty-sour-savory components go together well.

Vegetarian "Eel" in Sweet and Sour Sauce:

10-12 dried Shiitake Mushrooms
About one-fourth of a good sized red bell pepper
About one-fourth of a good sized green bell pepper
Three thin slices of ginger
One medium sized red serrano pepper
Hot Water

2-3 Tb Potato Starch
1/4 tsp Five Spice Powder

2 cups peanut oil for deep frying

1 Tb Shaoxing wine
2 Tb strained mushroom soaking liquid

The Sauce:
1 Tb Shaoxing
3 Tb sugar
3 Tb Chinkiang vinegar
3 Tb light soy sauce
2 Tb strained mushroom soaking liquid

1/2 tsp Dark Soy Sauce (you may also want to try Mushroom Soy Sauce)
1/2 tsp Sesame Oil

- Soak the mushroom in hot water for 20-30 minutes
- Slice bell peppers into thin strips. Julienne the ginger. Cut the serrano pepper in half, remove seeds than cut into strips.
- Remove mushrooms from the soaking liquid, squeeze out excess liquid, remove stems and cut into strips.
- Strain 4Tb of the mushroom liquid
- Combine sauce ingredients until sugar is dissolved
- Combine mushroom slices with potato starch and five spice until coated
- Heat oil and scatter the mushroom, you may need to do in two batches. Fry until slightly crisp and remove from the oil
- Remove all but about 3-4 tb of oil and heat until nearly smoking
- Add peppers into the hot oil and stir fry
- Add Shaoxing, mushroom liquid, and ginger and stir fry until fragrant
- Add the mushroom back into the wok, add the sauce and stir fry until coated.
- Remove from heat and add dark soy sauce and sesame oil. Mix well.

Instant Pot Red Cooked Beef Short Ribs

I'd been waiting a while to post this little recipe. First off, it basically a rehash of my Red Cooked Pork Hock/Oxtail recipe. Secondly, it had been pretty darn hot for a while there. Since it finally feels like fall, the time seems right.

So yes, I did buy one of those Instant Pot 7 in 1 cookers. Mainly because our pressure cooker crapped out a couple of years back and I got tired of spending the entire day making Da Boyz food. I'd rather make the chicken-carrot-rice thing in a pressure cooker. What happened was interesting. I got the Instant Pot during Amazon Prime day for around $69. The Missus loves Her red cooked meats and one weekend requested that I make some short ribs. And so it came to pass....for 8 of the following 10 weekends I made this, only stoping when we left on our trip.

And while this is basically my red cooked stove top/braised meat recipe; there are some differences I made for using the Instant Pot. First off, I ended up reducing the water, because there's very little evaporation, so too much water waters things down. Second, the Missus loves mushroom in this; so why not add the strained mushroom soaking liquid as another layer of flavor. Third, because I wouldn't be there removing scum; after marinated the beef for about 15-20 minutes, I dusted it with cornstarch and browned. The Instant Pot has a saute setting which is great for softening vegetables, but it really doesn't do much for meat. Plus, the pot is quite small and I'd have to do more batches than if I did this on the stovetop. Fourth, the pressure in the Instant Pot is about 11 - 12 psi, versus a conventional pressure cooker, which, if I recall comes in at about 15psi. This means that cooking time takes a bit longer. Also, things are pretty easy with the Instant Pot, when finished you can do a quick release, check, and do another short session if you need to.

This may seem like a lot of steps but it really isn't and is rather quick. It's all about organization. Be careful not to overfill your instant pot!

I enjoy this over noodles; a pseudo niu rou mian for me.

Red Cooked Short Ribs Instant Pot Style:

3 1/2 - 4 pounds English Style Beef Short Ribs sliced to a 1 1/2 - 2" width
12-14 dried shiitake mushroom soaked in 1-1/2 cup warm water
2/3 Cup + 2 Tb Soy sauce
1/3 Cup Dark Soy Sauce
1/2 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
2/3 Cup + 2Tb + 1/4 Cup Shao Xing Wine
5 cloves garlic roughly chopped
1-2 1/2" knobs of ginger smashed
3 Star Anise broken in half
4 Scallions - white part only, roughly chopped
1 piece dried tangerine peel broken in half
1 2-3" cinnamon stick
1 Red Serrano Pepper sliced
1/2 tsp Ground White Pepper
1 Tb Granulated Garlic
1 Tsp Five Spice
1 Tb Ground Sichuan Peppercorn
2 - 3 Tb Corn Starch
1 Cup strained mushroom soaking liquid
2  - 2 1/2 Cups Water
2Tb Avocado or similar neutral flavored oil
1 - 2 Blocks Tofu
6 - 8 Boiled Eggs
Steamed Bok Choy

- Soak the dried mushrooms in 1 1/2 cup warm water
- In a pan rub the ribs with 2 Tb Soy Sauce, 2 Tb Shao Xing, Ground White Pepper, Sichuan Peppercorn, Granulated Garlic - let marinate
- Prep and combine garlic, scallions, and Five Spice
- Prep and combine ginger, star anise, tangerine peel, cinnamon stick, serrano pepper
- In a bowl combine 2/3 cup soy sauce, 1/3 cup dark soy sauce, 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- Strain about 1 cup of the mushroom soaking liquid
- Dust the short ribs with corn starch and start browning in oil on the stove top in batches.
- Once the beef has completed browning deglaze with 1/4 cup Shao Xing wine.
- Use the fat and liquid from the beef (do not add burnt bits) to the Instant Pot and set on saute
- Add dry ingredients and saute until fragrant
- Add the garlic-scallions to the pot and saute until fragrant and soft
- Add 2/3 cup Shao Xing wine and bring to a boil
- Layer the mushrooms on top of the spice and scallion mixture
- Add the mushroom soaking liquid
- Layer the beef ribs in even layers
- Add the soy sauce mixture
- Top off with water. First using only 2 cups, then more if necessary. Do not use more than 2 1/2 cups. Adjust and mix the beef if necessary
- Cover and set to 45 minutes high pressure
- Once complete do a quick release of pressure. At this point, use a wooden skewer or similar item to determine how tender the beef is. If more time is necessary set to high pressure for 10 more minutes
- Once done, you may find that some of the bones have come out of the meat remove them. You can skim off excess fat if desired. This gives you more room to add the drained tofu and boiled eggs.
- You can put on slow cook for up to 20-30 minutes before serving. Though it's actually better the next day.

Kind of Kelaguen and Fast Finadene

The first dish that comes to mind when I think about Chamorro style dishes is Kelaguen, specifically Kelaguen Manok, the chicken version of the dish which is what you'll find in all the Chamorro/Guamanian restaurants in the greater San Diego area. After making the drive up to Guahan Grill a couple of times early last year with the Missus, She asked if I could just go ahead and try and make the stuff already.

So I did....after a couple of tries, I had it kind of dialed in. The Missus has a couple of coworkers who are from Guam and they make Kelaguen a lot....mostly using leftover rotisserie chicken and...ick, boiled chicken! After trying things a few different ways; I've settled on boneless, skin on chicken "legs", actually quarters, grilled over hard wood charcoal. Again, this is "kind of Kelaguen"...... I noticed that versions I've had here in San Diego lacked coconut. My solution was to use organic, non-sweetened coconut flakes and a tablespoon or so of coconut oil, which adds to the moisture, and provides for a nice fragrance. I use skin on chicken because it tends to preserve the moisture of the meat.

Even with all of this; I noticed that I could not get the lemon flavor dialed in; it just never came out the way I wanted. That's when one of the Missus's co-workers told Her that everybody "back home" uses "Yours Lemon Flavored Powder"! Which I wasn't able to find here, but you gotta love it; I actually found it on Amazon. I was a bit dubious about this stuff...looking at the label, "Ingredients: Citric Acid (Trehalose), Natural Lemon Flavor, L-Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Sodium Citrate. Made in Japan." Hmmm......

But in the end, this is what I needed to make the Kelaguen taste right.

At the same time, I was trying to put together the classic sauce/condiment for the kelaguen; Finadene (Fina'denne). After going thru a couple of iterations, I found that rather strangely, since I've said not to use said shoyu for sauces; Kikkoman actually worked the best for me. Along with Distilled White Vinegar and one other item to give it just a bit more umph; Spiced Sukang Maasim (cane vinegar). The slight spice and sour gave it a nice kick. As for the chilies....I've used everything from Chili de Arbol, Thai Chilies, Red Habaneros, Scorpion Peppers, to Ghost Peppers......it's all good! Actually the Missus is partial to white ghost peppers.

So now the Missus's Guamanian coworkers actually request that I make this; so I guess it's got their seal of approval.

The Missus really likes to saturate Her Kelaguen with Finadene. And I've actually used the Finadene in other dishes....even stir fried bean sprouts which come out like namul on jet fuel.

Kind of Kelaguen:

The Chicken
1 1/2 lbs of skin-on boneless chicken quarters
salt
black pepper
granulated garlic
one lemon sliced in half
ghost pepper salt (optional)

- Season the meat side of the chicken with salts and black pepper
- Season the skin side of the chicken with salts, black pepper, and granulated garlic
- Grill over charcoal. Squeeze the juice of the lemon over the chicken while grilling
- Once the chicken is cooked, remove to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap.

1 Tb coconut oil
1-2 Tb shredded coconut
2-3 stalks scallions sliced
1 Tb Yours Lemon Flavored Powder diluted into 2 Tb water
salt, black pepper, and sliced chilies to taste

-Remove the chicken from the bowl reserving the juices; the objective is to conserve all the flavor you can.
- Remove the skin from the chicken and consume later....it tastes really good fried up.
- Chop or mince the chicken to your desired texture and add back to the bowl with the juices from the chicken
- Add coconut oil, coconut, scallions, and chilies and mix
- Add the lemon flavoring mixing well.
- Season with Salt and Pepper to taste.

I'm going to give you what I started with when I decided on my final array of ingredients for the Finadene. Think of this as being a 1:1 ratio of soy sauce to vinegar. I think it's a good starting point. You can adjust to your taste from here. Actually, you might like to add some calamansi juice to replace some of the vinegar.

Fast Finadene:
1/2 cup of Kikkoman Soy Sauce
1/2 cup Distilled White Vinegar
2 Tb Spiced Sukang Maasim
2 stalks of scallions sliced
1 small sweet onion thinly sliced
sliced chilies to taste

-Combine ingredients. Taste and adjust flavor as desired.

Enjoy!

Easy Pickled Eggs

So what to do after pickled celery? Which the Missus loved so much....well, I had to actually go to the market and buy more celery....just to buy celery, something quite rare in our household. So now, the "hearts are for braising", the stalks are for pickling. Then the Missus said the magic words, "can you make some pickled eggs". It seems after all these years, it has come to fruition, I love pickled eggs, I mean, really enjoy them. The Missus, on the other hand hasn't been too keen on them. But now, I was all in. And this recipe turned out well. This time around, I went ahead and bought some pickling spice. The Missus really enjoyed the flavor that clove gave to the pickle....so I'll probably be revising my other pickle recipes soon. You can always add beet juice if you want those nicely colored pickled eggs.

The eggs were delish; and a dozen doesn't go very far in this household.

Pickled Eggs:

1 dozen boiled eggs
4 cups distilled white vinegar
2 Tb Kosher Salt
2 Tb Pickling Spice
1/3 Cup White Sugar
1 Tsp Mustard Seed
1 Small Vidalia Onion - quartered - but not cut all the way through (optional)
2 Chilies (optional - I used some Chili de Arbol from the yard)
2 cloves of garlic (optional)

- Wash and sterilize 2 ball jars
- Combine Vinegar, salt, and sugar is a pot bring to a boil and then remove from heat.
- When cooled add Pickling Spice and mustard seed
- Place 1/2 of optional items into each jar
- Add 6 eggs into each jar
- Top off with pickling liquid and spices
- Seal, cover, and refrigerate . Leave for 2 days before eating.

For some reason, it really went nicely with that nice tomato/mozzarella salad with basil.....some Maldon Sea Salt and a drizzle of Arbequina Olive Oil  and it made for a nice light dinner on one of the recent hot days we've had.

Easy Pickled Celery

Here's something you might not know about the Missus...She hates celery. Now, I can get away with using the leaves in a stir-fry; but for some reason She just doesn't care for the flavor of celery. She does however, really enjoy pickled items. So last weekend, the Missus wanted some white beans and ham hock....now I use the "Cajun Holy Trinity" as the mirepoix for that dish. So what to do with the leftover celery? The Missus had just asked me why I hadn't made my easy pickled onions in a while (because I've been busy at work and basically lazy on the weekends). So, I just used that base recipe, added some sugar, more salt, and some mustard seed. Also had half a Vidalia onion and of course some chilies from the garden. I did peel and do a quick blanch of the celery.

 Well, turns out the Missus loves these....and I like them as a nice addition to a salad.

Slight spicy, with a touch of sweetness and salt, this is pretty darn good.

Easy Pickled Celery:

1 cup distilled white vinegar
1 cup water
2 tb sugar
2 tb Kosher salt
1 tsp black peppercorns
1/2 tsp mustard seed
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

peeled celery stalks cut to size
2-3 chili peppers (optional - I used some Chili de Arbol from the yard)
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 small Vidalia Onion - quartered - but not cut all the way through (optional)

- Wash and sterilize a ball jar
- Combine vinegar, water, sugar, salt, red pepper, and peppercorns in a pot, bring to a boil and then remove from heat.
- Add peeled celery to pot to lightly blanch
- Place celery (and whatever else) in jar, add celery seeds, top off with pickling liquid
- Seal, cover, and refrigerate . Leave for 2 days before eating.

Local Kine Teriyaki (Barbecue) Pork

Great thing about living in San Diego, you can grill just about any month of the year. I've been told that there's been a dearth of cooking/recipe type posts over the last two years....I guess I've been kinda lax in posting these. Though I've posted on most of the dishes I make regularly over the last 10-11 years. Anyway, here's a wrinkle on the recipe I use for Teri Beef and my Local Kine Teriyaki Chicken.

When putting together these type of recipes, I think in terms of ratios.

Anyway, I've started buying a pound or so of sliced Berkshire pork shoulder from Nijiya on "Meat Day" along with a pound and a half of boned chicken legs. I then do a grill session and make Kelaguen with the chicken legs (I know, I know....recipe one of these days) and Teri-Pork with the sliced pork. I also grill whatever the heck I can find....even cabbage.

Yes....cabbage. Since I grill over hardwood charcoal, and even throw some soaked oak/hickory chips on the coals, everything tends to have a nice touch of smokiness. The Missus loves the pork and the tofu....and even the cabbage! I make little Bi Bim Bap type bowls for Her to take to work, topping the whole mess with a couple of fried eggs.

Anyway, back to the pork. While this is basically the same as my other "Local Kine Barbecue" recipes, there's a slight twist. I use sliced onions and gochujang.....I buy stuff made from soybeans.....don't buy the stuff that lists wheat as ingredient number 1. Another key point....this can get messy, removing the sliced onions before grilling and all. But you can use cheesecloth to bundle up the onions. I also found that pork can handle a bit more sweetness and that granulated garlic(good quality stuff) works better than minced/grated garlic with this recipe. Lastly, like grilling the teri beef, if you're not careful, stuff will fall between the grill grates. As I've mentioned many times before, I use Aloha, Yamasa, or Tamari for these type of recipes.

Teriyaki (Barbecue) Pork:
1 - 1 1/2 pounds thinly sliced pork (shoulder or loin - it should have a good fat content)

1 cup Aloha or Yamasa Soy Sauce
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1/3 cup agave syrup
2/3 cup mirin
2 tb granulated garlic
1 tb ginger juice
1 tb Gochujang
1 tb Sake
1/2 medium onion sliced thin

Optional Stuffs:
1/4 c minced cilantro
1 tb good quality sesame oil
Ground cayenne or sliced chilies to taste

- Combine marinade ingredients
- Separate slices of pork and place in gallon ziploc bag
- Pour marinade into the bag
- Gently mix
- Marinade 4-6 hours, no more than 10.
- If grilling remove 1/2 cup of marinade and heat until boiling. Remove from heat. Use to baste meat.
- Wipe off onions and cilantro if using.
- Cook.......

Kind of Cassoulet

Remember I mentioned that the Missus requested a restock of the duck confit and a cassoulet for New Year? So, well that actually happened.

The request kind of threw me at first.....after all duck confit is a two day process for me. But as usual, in the end the Missus got what She wanted. Not a traditional "cassoulet" by any means as I portioned things out and heated them in the a gratin pan.....but that just meant more crunchy toppings. And on the second day, I added some collard greens to the whole thing (photo above),  I also posted a photo to Flickr. Which leads to this post. I'd kinda gotten distracted making this dish and hadn't taken a whole lot of photos, so was just going to wait until I did this again. But "Hao" who comments every once in a while saw a photo of this on my Flickr page and asked if I'd do a post. So here you go....not quite, but kind of cassoulet.

A couple of items to note, I had just completed making a batch of my duck confit, so I had duck fat at hand as well as confit duck legs. Second, I've seen recipes that call for clove, but since I cure my duck legs with Chinese 5 spice, I figured that there's be that light hint of clove-cinnamon flavor in the background. On New Year's eve, I went out looking for beans. I'd seen Flageolet beans at Whole Foods, but when I got there it was no Bueno. So I ended up with organic Navy Beans, which worked out well. New Year's day saw me running around looking for the rest of the ingredients and I just improvised when needed. Everything was done in between getting called into work.....

So while this might just set you over the edge....remember, it's "kind of cassoulet". After all, I tend to think of cassoulet as being a rustic, peasant dish, something that uses preserved meats and beans. And no, I didn't use a Cassole either.

You might look at the steps and think this is difficult, but it's not....in spite of all the steps, which are just simple strategies and techniques to get the most of what I had, this wasn't too hard. There's a good amount of idle time as well.

Kind of Cassoulet

1 - 1 1/4 pounds Flageolet or Navy Beans

1/2 pound pork belly
1/4 pound pancetta
4 confit duck legs
1 pound pork sausage - preferably Garlic sausage, but what the heck, I used mild Italian Sausage. If you've got an inside line on Toulouse style garlic sausage in San Diego - let me know!

2 medium onions
1 whole bulb of garlic
4 cloves of garlic
6 sprigs fresh thyme
6 bay leaves
1 Tb whole peppercorn

4-5 Tb duck fat
1 quart stock (the good stuff, preferable made at home - veal or chicken)
2 cups white wine - I like something with a nice acidity
2-3 Tb Concentrated Tomato Paste

Salt and Pepper to taste

Part 1 The beans
- Soak the bean overnight in enough water to cover by at least 3-4 inches
- Drain the beans
- While the beans are draining chop the pork belly into cubes
- Brown the pork belly over medium-low heat to render fat. Browning will help the pork belly keep it's shape during cooking. After all, we all love biting into a nice piece of pork belly, right?
- Drain half the rendered fat from the pork belly, then add 2 Tb duck fat
- Add well drained beans and cover with water and combine.
- Create a bouquet garni (so fancy shmancy) of 3 sprigs of thyme, 3 bays leaves, and peppercorns. Add to the pot with 4 garlic cloves
- Simmer for about an hour or so until tender, but still slightly firm - remember, you're going to be cooking this again.

Part 2 Meanwhile, while the beans are simmering, the meat
- Set oven at 325.
- Dice the pancetta
- Prick the pork sausage, this will allow the fat to render.
- Chop the onions and the peeled cloves of the entire bulb of garlic.
- In a large Dutch Oven, brown the whole sausage, then remove.
- Add the remainder of the duck fat to the pot
- Add the pancetta and brown.
- Add tomato paste, onions, and garlic. Stir and let soften.
- Meanwhile, slice browned sausage into slices
- Once the onions and garlic are fragrant, add the sliced sausage back into the pot.
- Add the two cups of white wine and bring to a simmer
- Add the stock and bring to a simmer
- Create another bouquet garni of 3 sprigs of thyme and 3 bays leaves and add to the pot
- Give the whole mess a good stir, then add the duck confit. If you want the legs to stay whole....be gentle
- Place in the oven and let braise for an hour or so, checking once or twice and giving a gentle stir

Part 3 Putting it together
- Once beans are ready drain into a colander, reserving the bean liquid. Remove the bouquet garni.
- Remove the braising meat pot from the oven and turn the temp up to 350
- Add beans and pork belly to the braised meats.
- If more liquid is needed, top off with bean juice.
- Give a gentle stir and return to oven for another 30 minutes. Remove the Dutch Oven, taste and adjust flavor with salt and pepper.
- Return to oven until the beans reach the desired texture.

Part 4 So here's where I do something a bit different

2 slices uncured bacon cut into lardons
2 Tb duck fat
1 Tb finely minced garlic
1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
1 cup panko

-Add duck fat and bacon to a cold pan.
- Over medium heat brown and render the fat from the bacon
- When the bacon is almost browned, add garlic, then parsley
- Add panko and stir letting the panko absorb all the oil

-Heat oven to 350
- Add the desired amount of cassoulet to a gratin pan
- Place in the oven until the cassoulet is heated through and starting to bubble
- Remove the pan from the oven and turn the temp up to 450
- Top the cassoulet with flavored panko and return to oven
- Remove when the panko reaches a light brown color

The first day it was pretty much straight up. The second time I put it together and added come collards which the Missus enjoyed, so you might want to try that.

Salmorejo Time.......

Man, it wasn't the heat, but the humidity that was pretty bad for a while there, eh? I'm from Hawaii and it still drove me crazy. And I just saw that we're in for a bit more the next couple of days.

One of my favorite dishes during our recent trip to Spain was Salmorejo, a thick puree/soup made up of tomatoes and thickened by bread. It's the bread that makes this look almost like a thick carrot soup.

It is served cold, like gazpacho, but is much richer and thicker. It was one of my favorite items in Spain. It's usually topped with finely chopped Serrano ham and coarsely chopped boiled egg. I really didn't feel staying the kitchen and boiling some eggs so I went with some finely chopped prosciutto ends; which you can buy at Bristol Farms. They sell it cheap. It's hard and waxy, but does well as salad topping when chopped finely. I added some cucumber and red onion and a few small, thin slices of Serrano peppers from the yard.

Here's a photo of my favorite version from Madrid (I'll get to the post one of these days):

It was much more refined than what I made. I based this on a recipe from the late Penelope Casas' fine cookbook; 1,000 Spanish Recipes. It's an easy recipe. And a refreshing dish....of course, the more ripe the tomatoes, the better the flavor.

Salmorejo:

1 1/2 (approx) Cups Country Bread (I used a leftover baguette) crust removed, cubed

1 1/2 pounds very ripe Roma tomatoes, peeled and seeded

2 cloves garlic

1/3 cup Arbequina extra virgin olive oil or something that you enjoy

1 tsp white wine vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Traditional Topping:

Finely chopped Serrano Ham Hard Boiled Eggs Coarsely Chopped

1 - Soak the bread in water for about 3-4 minutes, then squeeze dry

2 - Place tomatoes, garlic, vinegar, and half the bread in a blender/food processor.

3 - Start the blender and add in the olive oil until smooth

4 - Slowly add in the rest of the bread until the desired texture is reached

5 - Season with salt and pepper to taste

6 - Refrigerate at least an hour - I've found that this does taste better the next day.

To serve, ladle into a shallow bowl, top with ham and eggs, add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. 

We Interrupt Our Scheduled Post for a Wagyu Locomoco with Veal-Porcini Pan Sauce and Shaved Truffle

Yes....for real.

It took us 21 hours to get back to San Diego. The next morning it was time to restock. Among the stops was Nijiya. I was shocked to see truffles in the produce case. I probably shouldn't be surprised as over the years Nijiya has had seasonal items like fresh chanterelles.

So no, that's not a turd. It's not super fragrant, not like what we came across in France. It was 8 bucks for something that works grated on the microplane over eggs.

Which gave me the idea of doing a locomoco....but it couldn't be just any loco....

Sooooo.....long story short, ground wagyu from Bristol Farms, I have frozen veal stock in the freezer, dried porcini in the cabinet, shallots on the counter.

And all those basic skills everyone who cooks should have; how to cook an egg, how to make a burger, and how to make a simple pan sauce. Shave truffle on egg and...say no more.....

So it was time to "go loco, or go home"! Or maybe....go take a nap?

Hope you're having a great week!
 

Three Minute Whole Egg Mayo

It'll take longer to read this post than to actually make this. But first, a word from our legal department:

Consuming raw or undercooked meats, poultry, seafood, shellfish, or eggs may increase your risk of foodborne illness.

Now that we got that out of the way....yes, I use raw eggs...well, egg actually, for this.

I also use an immersion blender and a Ball Jar.

The eggs are either pasteurized or the best we can find - pasture raised and all that. I also use whole eggs, which makes this much lighter than just egg yolks. As for the science; if you love that kind of stuff, get Harold McGee's classic - On Food and Cooking.

I've read where having all ingredients at room temperature, but I've done this with cold eggs and mustard and the results has been fine.

It is of course, a main part of my Copycat Radicchio Salad.

Ready to whizz? Ready, set, go:

- In a ball jar crack 1 egg, add 1 Tb White Wine Vinegar, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 1/2 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp kosher salt

- Add 1 cup neutral oil - I used avocado oil

- Place head of the immersion blender at the bottom of the jar and turn on. Slowly lift the head of the blender up until totally emulsified. This makes just under a cup.

Keep refrigerated. The longest I've kept this stuff is about 5 days.

That's it. Really.

Then you can start having some fun....next time add some fish sauce or other items and you'll come up with some interesting flavors.

Hope you're having a great week!