Ever wonder what 5lbs of pork belly looks like?

For the homemade bacon, I cut out two slabs of about 1.8 lbs. Not for any particular reason, but that’s just how they came out. I prepared the salt cure mix as described in Ruhlman‘s Charcuterie and then added my seasonings – brown sugar, maple sugar, maple syrup. I rubbed one of the slabs with a bit of homemade cajun seasoning (cayenne, allspice, paprika, garlic and onion salts, black and white pepper) before rolling in the salt cure, to see if I could get a bit of heat in with the sugar.

can't wait til this is bacon

Well, these two are now hanging out in the fridge, and I’ll get to cut them up and smoke them next week.

In the meantime, I took the left-over bits of pork belly and made a quick meal. I had a bit of pork broth left over from my weekend boudin project (more on that soon, I promise!), but a seasoned chicken broth will do just fine. If your broth is plain, add some dried herbs during the braise, and the pork fat will do the rest of the magic.

braised pork belly with vegetables

Braised Pork Belly with Cabbage, Parsnip and Carrots
1 lb (or more!) pork belly
1 head small savoy cabbage
2 carrots
2 parsnips
1 – 1.5 cups broth
Preheat the oven to 375F. Wash the carrots and parsnips but do not peel. Halve and cut into 1″ long slices. Remove the heart of the cabbage, halve, then chop roughly.

Heat a cast iron dutch oven over medium heat. Add the pork belly, fatty sides facing down, and brown on all sides. Once browned, add broth with the carrots and parsnips, along with salt and pepper to taste. Place cover on dutch oven and braise at 375F for 40 minutes. After 40 minutes, stir in cabbage, and braise for another 5-7 minutes, until cabbage is soft. If your cabbage hasn’t wilted, you can stir it on the stove top removed from heat, as the cast iron will retain some heat for a while.

Serve, and enjoy!

Mac and Cheese works great in cast iron. It retains more heat than glass or enamel casserole dishes, so it cooks evenly, which comes in handy when you’ve got a dense dish like baked mac and cheese.

skillet mac and cheese

Most of the restaurants around around Somerville have some kind of Mac & Cheese on the menu (Highland Kitchen, The Independent, Trina’s). As far as comfort food goes, it certainly has taste and nostalgia in its favor. I also think it acts as a great basis for the clean-out-the-fridge type of cooking.  Cheese? almost any kind will work, grate it and toss it in. Meat? dice it. Milk or cream? Use them for your sauce. Got leftover greens or carrots in your crisper? Cut em up, toss em in. I think you get the idea.

just add bacon

Skillet Mac & Cheese with Bacon
baking time: 25 minutes
total time including prep: about 90 minutes

1 lb dry pasta
2 strips bacon
6 tbsp butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups whole milk
8 oz cheddar cheese
8 oz gruyere cheese
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup breadcrumbs

Boil pasta in salted water – I usually remove it from the heat 2 minutes before the recommended time. Drain and set aside. Shred cheeses in a grater or food processor, and mix together in a small bowl.

Preheat the oven to 400F. Warm a cast iron skillet or dutch oven over medium heat on the stovetop. Add bacon, cook until browned, and drain on a paper towel.

Build the roux – melt 4 tablespoons butter in bacon grease. Add 1 cup flour, and stir vigorously. Pour milk in a single stream.

pouring milk into roux

Once the milk is absorbed, add cheese, but reserve 1/4 cup. Turn off heat and stir until cheese is melted. Turn pasta into the cheese sauce, then crumble in bacon.

assembling the mac and cheese

Layer half of the breadcrumbs, then remaining 2 tbsp butter chopped into small pieces, then 1/4 cup cheese, then remainder of breadcrumbs.

layering butter, cheese and breadcrumbs

Bake at 400F for 25 minutes. Add cover,  and bake 5 additional minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for another 10-15 minutes with cover on. Slice up with a pie wedge or slotted spoon and serve.

skillet mac and cheese with breadcrumb topping

coq au vin for two

I saw a recipe for “Quick Coq au Vin” in last month’s Bon Appetite, which is a shame, because this is not a difficult dish. I’ve also seen (and been served, eeks!) lots of variations with white wine. I do enjoy a buttery white wine sauce, but that ain’t no coq au vin. The red wine marinade and mushrooms give this a lovely beefy flavor.

A traditional coq au vin requires a whole bird (rooster, specifically), cut up for marinating and frying. A traditional coq au vin would also marinate the bird in burgundy, but since I’m not in France and I don’t have batches of home-made table wine kicking around (someday, right?), I picked up a $5 bottle of Portuguese Vinho Tinto at Jerry’s.  So, here is my less-than-traditional, but not blaspheming, go-to Coq Au Vin. For Two.

Coq Au Vin for two

2 leg quarters, or 1.5 lbs chicken parts, skin on
4 cups red wine
4 slices thick-cut bacon,
2 tbsp butter
1 small onion, finely sliced
2 celery stalks, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup dried porcini mushrooms
2 tbsp flour
salt

Rub salt into the skin of chicken. Place chicken in a shallow bowl or roasting pan and cover with red wine. Refrigerate and marinate overnight, turn a few times during the next day if you’re able.

marinated chicken

Prep and dice all your vegetables.

diced celery and carrots

Pour 1 cup steaming hot water over dried mushrooms and let soak for 20 minutes.

Cook bacon in a large saute pan until slightly crisp, then move to paper towel to drain. Remove chicken from wine with tongs, reserving wine. Brown chicken in bacon grease, skin side down to start, on each side, about 6-8 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Chop bacon into 1 inch slices.

well browned chicken

Heat butter in stock pot over medium heat. Add onions and saute  until translucent, 5-8 minutes. Add celery and carrots, simmer 10 minutes, and continue stirring.  Add garlic, stir for 2-3 minutes, then add mushrooms and broth. Pour wine over vegetables, bring to simmer. Add chicken and parsley. Simmer covered for 30 minutes – after 20 minutes, add bacon.

vegetables simmering in wine and broth

Use tongs to remove chicken to plate. Add 2 tablespoons flour, stir until absorbed. Simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Spoon sauce over chicken and serve.

coq au vin - serve with wine and bread!