Extra Schmaltz!

This recipe is really simple and easy to make, but shockingly delicious - the first time I made it I was trying for something that wasn't too much like American Chinese food but still had elements of sweet and savory. I was surprised how balanced it turned out. It's not overly sweet, nor is it overwhelmingly soy-sauce flavored. It's as easy to eat as it is to prepare. Ingredients Pork or Beef Roast (I used a 3 pound pork blade roast most recently - whatever is cheap) 1/2 c. soy sauce 1/2 c. water 1.5 Tbsp cider vinegar 2-3 Tbsp brown sugar (more if you want it sweeter) 1 Tbsp yellow mustard powder 1 tsp ground pepper 1 2" cube of ginger, cut into slices 2 medium cloves garlic, cut in half 1-2 dried red chilis (to taste) Combine sauce ingredients. Taste for balance. Place roast in crockpot, pour sauce over roast, let cook until it's dinner time. If you're feeling fancy, you can add some veggies to the crockpot at the very end. Make sure it ...

 WHITE BEAN MINESTRONE Adapted from recipe by Martha Rose Shulman (perhaps my favorite chef...She also has a version with squash that I'll have to try some day.) Serves 4-6 2 Tb. olive oil 1 large onion, finely chopped 1 carrot, finely chopped 1 celery stalk, finely chopped 2 Tb. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 4 garlic cloves, put through garlic press, divided in halves 1 can (14 oz.) crushed tomatoes (If necessary, use diced, and then mince them.) 1 1/2 lb. (or one small head) green cabbage, cored and chopped fine 1/2 lb. (1 heaped cup) dried white beans, picked over, rinsed, soaked in water for 6 hours or overnight OR 1 can cannelini beans 8 cups water (Optional: Substitute some broth for water, especially if you’re not adding meat) 1 Parmesan rind (No parmesan rind is fine. But then be sure to serve with Parmesan on top if possible. It adds great flavor!) 1 Bay Leaf Salt and freshly ground pepper 1/2 cup elbow macaroni other small pasta ...

My goal in making this recipe was to explore Asian recipes that would translate well into American holidays. I think this would be a great recipe for Thanksgiving or Christmas, as it has a rich, special-occasion quality to it, as well as spices such as cinnamon which are traditional at the holidays. It turned out great, and really wasn't that difficult. Maybe not an everyday meal, but certainly worth making a few times a year. The pork becomes glazed with a sweet, flavorful sauce, and the meat is fall apart tender, with the fat completely melting in your mouth. There are many versions online, and mine is primarily based on this video . You can add puffed tofu or hard boiled eggs at the end for more variety in texture. Finished product, with stir fried Chinese broccoli and scallion pancake. Towards the end of the cooking time, before you add the sugar and cook down to create the final glaze. The assembled ingredients. The pork has already been blanched and is ready fo...

We had this wonderful, hearty dish during a brief stop for lunch in Mulhouse in the Alsace region during our Europe trip this year. Using a recipe from an actual Alsatian, Hubert Keller , we found that our version actually far surpassed the simple fare we had in Mulhouse. The principle of the Baeckeoffe is similar to the Jewish cholent tradition: make a casserole in a earthenware or enameled dish, seal tightly, and allow to cook untouched for several hours (traditionally, by leaving in a baker's oven Friday before sabbath, then retrieve Saturday after sundown, when you are allowed to pick things up again). I opted not to seal the pot with dough because my lid has no vent (see original if you want to try). The heavy cast iron lid provided a plenty good seal. This dish takes some pre-planning because it should marinate overnight, but it is well worth it. Also, amazingly, I was able to find Alsatian Riesling at Total Wine! Protective and delicious layer of potatoes. The fin...

My wonderful siblings got me a cookbook in Morocco that is both inspiring and idiosyncratically translated. The quantities are along the lines of "heaping coffeespoonful" and "one teaglassful". Many of the dishes have combinations of sweet and savory, fruit and meat, which intimidate me. I should try out more of these recipes than I do, but I thought this relatively simple one would be a good start. Moroccans must be quite fertile, as these recipes often begin with "take 2 whole chickens, add 11 pounds of tomatoes...", so I scaled this one back for our 2-person family. The result was a deeply hearty, warming, satisfying stew, and I am finally reconsidering my dislike of sweetened meat dishes. A thoughtful gift from Alex and Melanie for a food-obsessed person like me! This dish has a wonderfully mellow, warming character. Almonds are supposed to be whole and blanched, but I couldn't find those. 1 whole cut-up chicken 1 stick butter 1 ...

My lovely brother accused me of posting elitist bourgeoise recipes using the steam oven, so here's a recipe for the people--LITERALLY. This is from DDR Kochbuch - Das Original , a cookbook of East German recipes that we got in Weimar. This clearly influenced by the multitude of Russian recipes for shchi , or cabbage soup. Being on the eastward side of the iron curtain, many GDR recipes were influenced by cuisine from within the USSR. I believe this could be made with sauerkraut rather than fresh cabbage. If you use kraut, rinse it a couple of times first, and then don't add vinegar later on. The humble appearance of this soup belies wonderfully rich flavor. For this version we used pork loin, but can be made with other cuts of pork, or with beef or veal. The meat is cooked until tender, but still with some chew to it. 2 lbs.  boneless stew meat: beef, pork, or veal (or 3-5 lbs bone-in) 1 large celery root (celeriac), cubed 1 large leek, separate the leaves, wash tho...

I've been debating whether I should post some of these more niche recipes--now that we have a steam oven and a high powered stove, I am making recipes that not everyone can reproduce with other equipment. I've decided to post some of them 1) for my own records, and 2) because there are very few recipes available online for these devices (especially the steam oven). Perhaps these recipes will be of use to others. I don't have a photo for this one because I decided to post the recipe after the fact. 3-5 lb pork shoulder roast (~3 lb without bone, ~5 lb with) 1 large white onion, 1/4" slices 1 Tbsp. butter 1 chicken boullion cube 1 c. water 2 tsp. dried thyme 1 tsp. dried sage 1 tsp. whole coriander 1 Tbsp. coarse ground salt 1 Tbsp. brown sugar 1 tsp. dry mustard 1 tsp. white pepper 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 tsp. cayenne 1/4 tsp. allspice 1/4 tsp. celery seed Saute the onions in the butter in a saute pan over medium for 10 min until the onions are somewha...