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!

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!

braised beef rib with rosemary chips

I don’t cook beef often. I grew up eating a lot of grizzly, burnt steak that has turned me (unfairly) against red meat. I do appreciate a nice piece of rare meat on occasion, though it’s something I like to order at a restaurant more often than cook myself. So, I wanted to create a simple beef meal that even a steak-phobic cook like me couldn’t mess up.

tender beef, success!

Cider Braised Short Ribs

4 beef short ribs
1/2 cup apple cider
1 star anise
1/2 tsp peppercorns
1/2 tsp whole cloves
2 tbsp butter, divided
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp sifted flour

beef short ribs

Wash ribs, pat dry, season with salt and pepper. In a large saute pan, melt 1 tbsp butter and oil over medium high heat, until bubbles start to dissolve. Brown the ribs on all four sides – searing quickly for 1- 2 mins per side, using tongs to turn over.

Deglaze the pan with the cider. Place the ribs into the slow cooker, and scrape the brown bits with the cider and pour over ribs. Toss in your seasonings (peppercorns, cloves, star anise) and cook to internal temp of 145, or about 1  to 1 1/2 hour on high.

Once the meat is cooked, place on a cutting board or plate to rest. In a small saucepan, make a quick roux of 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp flour over medium-low heat. Once the roux is well combined but not too dry, pour the cider mix from the slow cooker through a sieve (to catch the cloves and star anise) into the pan. Stir until the gravy is an even consistency. If your gravy is too thick, you can thin it with a dash of cider.

Spread 2 tbsp gravy onto each plate, and place rib over the gravy. Serve with potatoes of your choice.

cider braised ribs with gravy