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Recipe: Pan con chicharrón (Peruvian pork roll)
Pan con chicharrón is one of the most iconic sandwiches of my home country. This is the Peruvian version of pork roll commonly eaten for breakfast or lonche (afternoon tea). Chicharrón commonly refers to fried pork in many former Spanish colonies. In Peru, however, you can also find chicharrón de pollo (chicken), pescado (fish), mariscos (seafood), etc. But back to pork! Peruvian chicharrón is cooked similarly to Mexican carnitas: boiled until the water is evaporated and then fried, traditionally in lard but these days usually in oil. Then it’s served in a French-style bread roll with slices of camote frito (fried sweet potato) and salsa criolla (lime-marinated onions). My version…
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Recipe: Chile verde pork ribs with Mexican slaw
I first tried chile verde in a Mexican restaurant in Sydney that no longer exists. I loved it, mainly because it reminded me of Peruvian seco. Unlike the most common chilli con carne, the sauce in chile verde is made with tomatillos, green chillies and coriander. It is normally made with pork shoulder but I decided to use the sauce to marinate pork ribs instead. The result: chile verde pork ribs with Mexican slaw. A few notes on ingredients and cooking method: Tomatillos can be found canned in ethnic grocery shops and some supermarkets such as Panetta in Marrickville Metro. I use this brand. The jalapeños used in the sauce…
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Recipe: Dry-brined pork chops with roasted asparagus, fennel and radishes
Dry brining is an alternative to traditional brining (i.e. submerging a piece of meat in salty water) with the goal of keeping the meat moist via osmosis. Dry brining involves covering the meat directly with salt (and optional spices), which initially draws water out of the meat. However, given enough time, the water is reabsorbed by the meat, which tenderises in the process and remains moist. This works better with thicker chops (steaks, etc.).
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Product review: Saucisson Australia
One of the most recent stallholders at the Eveleigh farmers markets is Saucisson Australia, selling premium French pork products such as fresh and cured sausages, and pork rillettes. The saucissons come in different shapes and sizes but are essentially the same. The quality and flavour are outstanding, quite possibly able to beat your favourite Italian salame. The rillettes are also great, and while the French recommend spreading it on bread, I normally enjoy it with celery and carrot sticks. The duck fat used for sealing the product is perfect for cooking eggs or greens. We’re also big fans of the the Toulouse sausages, made with pork (97%), salt, black pepper,…
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Recipe: Smoked pork, mushroom, ginger & cabbage soup
This recipe is more a guide than an actual recipe. Yes, this is an excuse to be inaccurate with the quantities. The results will be great, give or take reasonable amounts of any ingredient. You can also use pre-made broth if you can find a good one. Smoked pork, mushroom, ginger & cabbage soup Yield: 6-8 servings Ingredients Broth about 1 kg smoked pork (bacon) bones enough water to cover the bones Soup about 3 litres smoked pork broth about 300 grams mixed mushrooms (I used oyster, shiitake and black) 5-cm piece ginger 1/4 savoy cabbage about 2 tbsp tamari To serve, optional boiled eggs * Directions Broth Place bones…
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Recipe: Speck, beef & mushrooms
No fancy story behind this dish. I was browsing Feather and Bone‘s weekly list to order meat and noticed they had speck ends for cooking. They are cheaper than bacon and ham, and come from the same top-quality piggies. Mega win. Speck, beef & mushrooms Yield: 8 servings Ingredients 1 kg beef mince 500 g speck ends, cut in chunks 2 onions, sliced 2 bulbs fennel, sliced 1 tbsp lard (optional) 500 g mushrooms 1/2 tsp rosemary salt + 1/2 tsp sage salt (or 1/8 tsp dried rosemary + 1/8 tsp dried sage + 3/4 tsp salt) freshly ground pepper roasted Brussel sprouts, to serve Directions Brown speck at medium-high…
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Recipe: Carapulcra (Peruvian pork and potato stew)
This is very weird. I have hated this dish for most of my life. My mum and aunties are so nice that they actually cooked a different dish for me whenever they made carapulcra. When I went to cooking school my friends really trusted my palate and made me test their version before presenting them to the instructor for marking. I knew they were really well made but I still hated them. Last year Alvaro, Gladys, Vicky and I went to a Peruvian festival and I tried their carapulcra. I liked it. A lot. I liked it so much that I bought a bag of papa seca (dried potatoes, the…
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Recipe: Crustless sausage & spinach quiche
I know, I know… this is getting kinda boring but we’ve been really enjoying the variety of breakfast quiches I’ve been coming up with. For this one I didn’t even have to go to the market, as the sausages and spinach were already in my freezer. The snags were pork & ginger from Feather and Bone, the best quality you can possibly get: pastured-fed pork, no fillers (and therefore grain- and gluten-free), and amazing flavour. Crustless bacon & zucchini quiche Yield: 10 servings Ingredients 3 tablespoons coconut oil 1 kg good quality sausages (I used pork & ginger from Feather and Bone) 500 g frozen spinach 12 eggs salt and…
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Recipe: Gluten-free tonkotsu ramen
I had a lot of thick, gelatinous pork broth left over from the patita con maní I prepared a few weeks ago. What to do with it? Ramen of course! I must admit I sometimes feel I’m missing out on something given the number of apparently great ramen restaurants in Sydney, but I just don’t want to put my health at risk with the noodles. I found a couple of solid recipes for the pork and the eggs and made my version of the most decadent and comforting soup I’ve had in years. Please note that you’ll need to prepare the different elements of the soup in advance. Gluten-free tonkotsu…
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Recipe: Peruvian pork adobo
Let’s kick off this recipe with a few notes: Adobo is a very popular word in all cuisines that have Spanish influences, but it means a different thing in every country (so Filipino adobo != Peruvian adobo != Mexican chipotles en adobo, etc.) Peruvian pork adobo is a traditional dish from a city called Arequipa. Locals are notable for being very proud of their city and their people, so for Arequipeños reading this: I do know this is not the traditional version. I use kombucha in this recipe. I know cooking with kombucha is borderline retarded (why kill all those good bacteria??) but I use it as a substitute for…
