Recipes by Ingredient + Prep – Page 68 – Writing With My Mouth Full

Tea-Smoked Chicken with Pomegranate Glaze

Now I’m on a smoking binge. The pulled pork was such a success, I decided to smoke some chicken, too. It’s from the same article by Dana Bowen in The Times. This didn’t require the hickory-wood smoking chips, only ingredients I already had in my pantry. I loved cooking this because it turned out beautifully. The glaze gave the chicken a nice golden color and smoking it made the meat inside silky and juicy. It was perfect with some yellow rice and, you guessed it, pickled scotch bonnet peppers.

Ingredients:
1 chicken, cut in half, or in several pieces
2 small oranges
2 tbsps Earl Grey tea
2 cinnamon sticks
5 pods of star anise
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 tbsps pomegranate molasses
Sriracha chili sauce, to taste
salt, pepper, oil

1. Zest one orange and peel the other. Squeeze out juice and save for sauce. Scatter the orange peels on a roasting pan with the tea, cinnamon sticks and anise. Put the rack on top and place the chicken pieces on the rack. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.
2. Place the pan on the stove over medium heat. When it starts to smoke a little, cover with aluminum foil by forming a tent. Smoke for about 25 minutes. Turn off heat and let it rest for 5 minutes, covered.
3. While chicken is smoking, make glaze. In a bowl, combine zest, hoisin, pomegranate molasses and Sriracha. Add some of the orange juice to make sure it’s not too thick. Set aside.
4. In a large skillet with some hot oil, cook the chicken until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Reduce the heat to low and brush chicken with the glaze using a pastry brush. Cook for a few more minutes until the glaze has browned a little.

North Carolina-Style Pulled Pork

The Dr. called it dedication to my meat. When a friend asked me if I was interested in going out on Saturday, I had to decline. I said I was going to be busy smoking and roasting an eight-pound pork shoulder. I don’t know why that sounds funny, but it does, because I think I’ve come a long way from cooking small dishes. Now I’m roasting a part of a pig with a bone as large as my arm. What’s even funnier is that my friend reacted nonchalantly because I know she’s heard something similar from me before. I don’t think I can say anything anymore that would surprise the people who know me so well.

The recipe looked easy enough. It’s from an article written by Dana Bowen in The Times. All I had to do was buy a tin can of hickory-wood smoking chips from Zabar’s uptown and a large piece of pork from Bayard Meat Market that fit in my tote bag. I love my barbeque, I really do, and if I can produce a good version at home, I’ll be happy. Almost six hours later, I was; the entire family was. Serve with toasted rolls and of course, pickled scotch bonnet peppers.

Ingredients:
1 8-pound pork shoulder, bone-in
3 tbsps of hickory-wood smoking chips
2 cups of cider vinegar
1 tbsp red pepper flakes
1 tbsp white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup ketchup
salt and pepper

1. Massage pork with salt and pepper. Scatter the smoking chips at the bottom of the roasting pan. Place the pork on a rack and then on the roasting pan. Cover with two long pieces of aluminum foil, folding them together tightly and forming a closed tent. Make sure there is room for the smoke to circulate between the pork and the foil. Place on stovetop and turn on the heat to medium and smoke pork for 45 minutes. Turn off the heat and rest, covered, for 5 minutes.
2. While pork is smoking, preheat oven to 300Âº. Whisk the rest of the ingredients in a bowl to make sauce. Season to taste, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
3. Uncover the roasting pan and transfer it to the oven. Cook for 40 minutes per pound, or about 4 hours, turning the pork over every hour until a meat thermometer inserted into the middle of the pork reads 190Âº.
4. Remove pork from the oven and rest on a large cutting board for 20 minutes or until cool enough to handle. While still warm, pull meat away from bones and shred chunks of meat into long strands into a bowl. Chop crustier bits into smaller pieces and add to the bowl. Season with some of the sauce and mix well.

Lemongrass-Rubbed Pork Spare Ribs

The couple of days we had TV access while in Nicaragua, I watched a few shows that originally air in the South Pacific. Surfing the Menu features two hot boys who travel, surf and cook. I saw the episode shot in Otago and Canterbury in New Zealand where they roasted pork ribs on the bone. I scribbled on the back of my printed itinerary and promised the Dr. that I will make them for him when we return to the city.

Back in Manhattan, I stopped by the Bayard Meat Market in Chinatown and bought two racks of pork ribs for about $10 to keep my promise. The result? Succulent pork ribs good for four people and even better with pickled scotch bonnet peppers.

Ingredients:
2 racks of pork ribs
2 lemongrass stalks, smashed, 1 stalk sliced in an angle and in small pieces
5 cloves ginger, minced
a small knob of ginger, peeled, thinly sliced
a small bunch of thyme
peanut oil
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 tbsps hoisin sauce
1/4 cup honey
salt and pepper

1. Marinate the roast. Rub the roast with salt and pepper. Make small incisions all over the roast using a small knife and insert the garlic, ginger and lemongrass slivers in them. Rub the roast in peanut oil and place it in large glass pan with leftover ginger, lemongrass, garlic and the thyme. Marinate overnight.
2. When ready to cook, preheat the oven at 350Âº. Take the roast out and let sit in room temperature while making the baste. In a bowl, mix maple syrup, hoisin sauce and honey. Set aside.
3. Place the roast, bone side down, in a large roasting tray, and roast for about 20 minutes, turning over halfway. Using the other lemongrass stalk as a brush, baste every few minutes. Cook until you can insert a knife in the roast and the liquid that comes out is clear.

Pickled Scotch Bonnet Peppers

It always tempts us: that clear, glass jar stuffed with peppers, carrots and onions, drowned in vinegar. We know it’s going to hurt, but it’s one of those things we can’t help but eat when we’re on some island in Central America. The coasts of Belize, Costa Rica and most recently, Nicaragua, reminded us that African slaves were imported by the Spanish to fulfill their labor needs. Slave traders supplied the colonies with their human cargo, and as they intermingled, they formed ethnic groups like the Creoles. The settlers adapted to their new homes and passed on their beloved cultures and histories to the next generations.

Scotch bonnet pepper is just one of the ingredients that make Creolan food livelier than the rest. They are related to habaÃ±eros, only they “cause dizziness, numbness of hands and cheeks, and severe heartburn” when eaten raw. When I made jerk chicken, I had to wear disposable gloves before I handled them to avoid trouble. But there is no gain without the pain, so I attempted to make my own and relive our time on the islands. A day later, I served it on the side with roasted pork ribs on the bone, and the rest of the night was, well, spent at home. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Ingredients:
2 palm-fulls of scotch bonnet peppers, some halved
1 large white onion, thinly sliced
1 medium carrot, cut in matchsticks
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small knob of ginger, peeled, sliced thinly
white vinegar
salt

1. In a sauce pot, simmer the garlic and ginger in the vinegar with some salt. Add carrots and peppers. Keep the fire low and stir ocassionally to avoid the vinegar from boiling.
2. When vinegar is somewhat reduced, remove the garlic and discard. Taste the liquid at your own risk. Season with some salt. Turn off the heat and let cool before transferring to a glass jar. Keep in room temperature for at least eight hours and then refrigerate to preserve. Serve a small portion when needed.

Shrimp Hot and Sour Soup

Brrrr. It’s winter in New York City! This soup warmed the deepest of my organs.

Ingredients:
1 pound of shrimps with heads and tails saved, peeled and deveined
chicken stock
1 bunch cilantro, thoroughly rinsed
1 bunch watercress, thoroughly rinsed
2 red chilies
1 small knob of galangal or ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1 small red onion, chopped
1 lemongrass stalk, white part only, pounded with a pestle
lime juice
fish sauce
sambal oelek
shrimp paste, to taste
peanut oil

1. In a large pot, heat some peanut oil and add the shrimp heads and tails until they turn orange, about 4 minutes.
2. Add the lemongrass and the ginger with the stock. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain the stock and discard the shells and heads. Return the stock to the pot.
3. Add lime leaves, scallions, mushrooms, cilantro and watercress. Cook for less than 5 minutes.
4. Add the shrimps and cook for another 3 minutes. Adjust the broth taste by adding lime juice, fish sauce, sambal oelek and shrimp paste.