Blasphemy Stack

If you're looking for a rabbi to send you to Jewish culinary hell... put pork on latkes. Cover it in dairy. I mean... the only way it could have been less Kosher was if I added shrimp and ate in a church. But you want to hear a secret...? It. Was. Incredible.

How did I get into this blasphemous position? I had a lot of leftover pulled pork - a position that I should not have been in, in the first place. But then I had a hankering for Hollandaise sauce. And if you give a mouse some hollandaise sauce, they're going to want it in benedict form. And what happens when that mouse is out of English muffins but has a bunch of russet potatoes? Latke benedict. Obviously.

Sorry for the dark photo! Nighttime photography strikes again.

 Seriously, 3.5 lbs of pork to feed two people for dinner (including third servings), and lunch for two days still leaves you with a bunch of left over pork. And I've been in a mood to cover everything in hollandaise sauce (despite the new year and half stick of butter per serving). Okay, so I do feel a little weird about putting it all on top of a latke, so just call it hashbrowns or blinis and we can all get over it. I also have to admit that this makes quite a mess in order to serve two people. It wouldn't make hardly any more mess to serve 4, or even 6 people. While I re-used a frying pan, there are basically 5 separate recipes using at least 3 pans and 2 appliances. And I had leftover latkes and leftover pork, and it was still a lot of work. Delicious, gut-bomb work.

This would be a great option for a rich dinner to stick to your ribs, or a great way to start off a weekend brunch if you don't plan on moving the rest of the day (but do plan on running a lot the day before and after - I refer you to the stick of butter in the hollandaise). In fact, with the runny yolks of a perfectly poached egg, you could possibly skip the decadent hollandaise and this stack would still be delicious.

Pulled Pork Benedict
(for two-ish servings)
The hollandaise recipe was adapted from my favorite cookbook

4 latkes (try about half of this recipe, or english muffins, or hashbrowns...)
2 egg yolks (at room temperature)
2 tsp half and half (not the skimpy fat free kind, either)
1/4 tsp kosher salt
dash of cayenne pepper
10 Tbls butter (melted and heated until bubbling but NOT browned)
2 tsp fresh lemon juice at room temperature
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1 Tbl olive oil
2 cups fresh baby spinach
2 cloves of garlic (peeled and sliced very thinly)
Leftover Pulled Pork
4 eggs

1. Heat up the latkes in an oven at 350 degrees. Next, start on the hollandaise.
2. Put the egg yolks, half and half, salt, and cayenne in a blender. Blend on high speed until smooth and frothy, 2 - 3 seconds. While the blender is on high speed, add the hot butter in a thin, steady stream (it will start to thicken immediately). Next add the lemon juice, then the white wine vinegar. Season with salt to taste. Transfer the sauce to a microwave-safe bowl.
The next few steps will happen quickly, so get ready!
3. Remove the latkes from the oven and place two on each plate.
4. In a large pan, heat the olive oil. Add the garlic and saute for about a minute. Then add the spinach and heat until just barely wilted, but still crisp. Remove from pan and set atop the latke.
5. In the same pan, heat up and add about a cup of pulled pork. Heat the pork for a few minutes, tossing occassionally. Once heated, place on top of the spinach.
6. While the pork is heating, bring a few inches of water to a simmer in a saucepan. Add a capful of white vinegar. Gently break 4 eggs individually into the pan, and poach for 2 minutes, being careful to keep the water at a simmer, not boil. Remove the eggs and put on top of the pork.
7. Microwave the sauce for about 10 seconds and stir the sauce (really, that's all it takes!). Spoon on top of the whole stack.

Indulge Enjoy!

Mango ColeSlaw on Nom-rritos

I would apologize for not having a creative and witty post title, but then again... I'm not really sorry. I'm lowering expectations, and am excited enough that I managed to post twice this week, let alone added witicism. Sorry I'm not sorry.

If you read yesterday, you may be fresh out of ideas as to what to do with 3 lbs of freshly pulled pork shoulder. Here's just one idea. When I was roasting the pork, it was my second day back from a South American business trip, during which I enjoyed some absolutely tremendous fruits, including pineapple, citrus, and mango. My gawd the mangoes. I'm tardy to the mango party. They're my grandfather's favorite fruit, but he likes his fruit crunchy (practically his bananas, too), so I never quite got on the mango band-wagon.

Until South America. It's different fruit down there. Like Italy is the only place I enjoy tomatoes. I have since found better mangoes here, but they're still quite difficult to find. If you can find them, it turns out they're fantastic in cole slaw. With which I put on top of the pork and wrapped the whole thing in a tortilla. Nom-rrito.

While I'm not a huge fan of barbeque, my favorite part was always slapping the coleslaw onto my pulled pork sandwich. While this pulled pork is rather neutral - missing the sweetness of barbeque, and only seasoned with Cuban spices - I think the mango adds the South American flare I wanted.

Carnitas with Mango Cole Slaw


Pulled Pork 
Tortillas of your choice
1 bag coleslaw mix (shredded cabbage and carrots) (alternatively: 1/3 head of green cabbage and a few carrots - all shredded)
1 mango (peeled, sliced into matchsticks)
1/2 cup of your favorite coleslaw sauce (confession: I used a jar)
1 lime

1. Assemble coleslaw: in a large bowl, combine the coleslaw mix and mango. Add the coleslaw dressing. Cut the lime in half, and juice one half. Add the juice to the bowl, and combine everything. Add salt and pepper to taste.
2. Assemble the Nom-rrito: In each tortilla, add some pork (to taste) and top with coleslaw. Cut the remaining half of lime into wedges and squeeze onto each serving as desired.  

If you make the pork in advance, this is a really quick weeknight fix!

Pulled Pork

I'm challenge with tender meats. Searing, braising, baking - it's all somehow beyond my grasp. I can roast a chicken, cook a chicken breast, render fat from a chicken thigh (noticing a theme?), and I can total nail ground meat (That's what... she... said?). I've ruined roast beef (tough), braised brisket (chewy, tough, and overcooked), and that pot roast nearly ruined my dutch oven.

But I am obsessed, stubborn, and determined. 

Food Network magazine to the rescue. I've delayed trying pulled pork recipes in the past because I'm not a fan of smoking meats in my apartment (for obvious reasons) and many of the rubs are so sweet (I'm not a huge barbeque fan for the same reason). And when I saw this very simple recipe in the magazine, I decided that it was high time for me to attempt meats again. And it was a HUGE success! I made tacos the first night, and then a few nights later, I made a super rich, insane hollandaise stack (teaser alert!). Also, this is one of the few recent recipes simple to elicit a coveted "Mmm!" from the husband and have him going back for thirds.

Pulled Pork
Adapted from Food Network Magazine

1 3.5 lb boneless pork shoulder
2 Tbl kosher salt
4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbl McCormick's Cuban Seasoning blend
1 onion roughly chopped
1/2 head (~7 cloves) garlic, peeled and sliced
1 cup white wine

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Rinse the pork and pat dry. Rub all over with salt, pepper, and cuban seasoning. Add the wine to an enamel dutch oven, and place the pork in the wine. Scatter the onion and garlic over the pork.
3. Place a lid on the pan, and place in the oven for about 3 hours. Check for tenderness by placing a fork in the roast and turning the fork. If the meat starts to shred easily, then you're done! If not, return it to the oven and check again in 20 minutes.
4. Once done, remove the roast from the pan and let it rest for 15-20 minutes. Then, using two forks, shred the roast. Keep it moist by returning to the pan juices. Use as you wish.