Tag Archives: Pork

May 17, 2012 · 10:00 am

recipe goodness :: know-thy-farmer scrapple omelet

Scrapple Omelet

Scrapple what? This is a clear case of “I know a guy.” I was hanging out at the greenmarket with Keith from Grazin’ Angus Acres last week and he pulled out this special treat to share. What is it? What do I do with it?

Locally called “everything but the oink,” scrapple is typically made of hog offal, such as the head, heart, liver, and other scraps, which are boiled with any bones attached to make a broth. Once cooked, bones and fat are discarded, the meat is reserved, and cornmeal is boiled in the broth to make a mush. The meat, finely minced, is returned to the pot and seasonings, typically sage, thyme, savory, black pepper, and others, are added. The mush is formed into loaves and allowed to cool thoroughly until set.

With my know-thy-farmer treasure in hand, I marched home, pulled out a pan, cut a few 1/4-inch slices and pan fried the scrapple until it formed a lovely crust. The result? Better than bacon! It’s crispy, salty, meaty — exactly the partner you want for your eggs. If you can manage to find some scrapple from a local farmer or friendly butcher, I highly recommend giving it a try — this puts Jimmy Dean to shame.

Know-Thy-Farmer Scrapple Omelet

Individual serving

2-3 1/4-inch slices of scrapple
olive oil
2 eggs
salt and pepper to taste
chives or parsley for garnishing

Cut 2-3 1/4-inch slices of scrapple and add them to a warm pan with a drizzle of olive oil. Leave whole or break up into smaller pieces, but continue to turn, getting both sides crispy.
Whisk two eggs with salt and pepper and add to the pan once the scrapple is crisp.
Using a rubber spatula, create small holes in the middle of the omelet to let the liquid go to the bottom to cook.
Once the egg starts to firm, flip the omelet by sliding onto a plate and turning over back into the pan.
Cook until both sides are cooked through and then serve with a sprinkle of maldon salt and fresh herbs.

All About the Incredible Edible:
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How To Cook The Perfect Sunny Side-Up Egg
How to Cook the Perfect 8.5 Minute Egg
How to Cook the Perfect Poached Egg {with Ramp Butter!}
Inside-Out Scotch Eggs w/ Ground Lamb, Harissa Yolk & Panko Gremolata
Southern Breakfast Egg Casserole
Wild pokeweed {or Aspargus} and field garlic breakfast tart

NYC Best: Momofuku That Noodle Bar is Good Too!

momofuku noodle bar

After coming back to 20 inches of snow after Christmas, there was nothing I craved more than a big bowl of soup…or even better, David Chang’s present to New Yorkers, a bowl of piping hot, warm-your-soul, Japanese ramen.

As is typical of David Chang’s Momofuku empire, regardless of what time you go, a line of diners hungry for something special streamed out the door into the snow bank. We managed to squeeze into the open-kitchen bar seating that overlooked where all the magic happens {clearly my preferred perch anyway}. As we sat on the blond wood stools, we could see the fast-moving kitchen hands lining up ten bowls at a time, scooping in the piping hot, flavorful pork broth. The broth, which only filled the bottom third of each bowl, served as the base for the precisely segregated additions of diced scallions, shitake mushrooms, chard, and pork belly, all topped with a runny poached egg sprinkled in sesame. It’s up to you to delicately savor each of David Chang’s contributions separately or give the whole bowl a swirl of your chopsticks to marry the flavors and see what this genius ramen is all about.

momofuku ramen w/ eggy goodness

And while you might be there for the ramen, don’t forget to order a round of steamed buns. These made-to-order treats are prepared at the other end of the narrow open kitchen, where a white, pillowy bun is generously stuffed with shrimp, shiitake or pork.

momofuku shiitake steamed bun

The Skim: Love him or hate him, David Chang knows a thing or two about subtly inventive food. Priding himself on using only the freshest ingredients, mostly locally sourced, David Chang has brought good things to New York in his Momofuku empire. It’s snowing outside — time to conjure up a visit downtown.

More Momofuku:
Momofuku That Pork Butt is Good!
Le Grand Fooding ‘Twas A Grand Yummy Evening

Le Grand Fooding ‘Twas A Grand Yummy Evening

Foodies, NY-ers and SF-loyalists alike made their way to MoMA PS1 in Long Island City on Friday, for what was to be a food face-off of epic proportions {all in the name of charity of course}. After David Chang, of the Momofuku empire, dropped a comment that “fuckin’ every restaurant in San Francisco is just serving figs on a plate with nothing on it. Do something with your food,” San Francisco-based chefs packed their knives and headed east to prove otherwise.

Le Grand Fooding

As a 3-block long line of eager eaters made their way through the entrance, they were handed four tickets good for a glass of Veuve, Cotes du Rhone red wine and two Belvedere Vodka cocktails concocted by drink masters, Jim Meehan of Please Don’t Tell {NYC} and Erick Castro from Rickhouse {SF} to enjoy alongside a selection of tastings prepared by notable chefs themselves under nothing more than pop up tents and the stars.

As far as the cocktails go, Jim Meehan won this face-off hands down. Using the new line of Belvedere Citrus, he shook up what he called the Park Side Fizz, a blend of Vodka, Orgeat {a sweet syrup made from almonds, sugar and orange- flower water}, Lemon, Fresh Mint and Soda. It was refreshing, not too sweet and went down all too easily, as I painfully discovered the next morning.

Park Side Fizz, Jim Meehan, Please Don't Tell

With drinks in hand we patiently lined up to try as many of the food stations as we could. With a large crowd and real-time food prep, some of the lines were longer than ideal, but this made a winning dish that much more of a satisfying bite. Here’s the scoop…

Le Grand Fooding @ MoMA PS1

Laurence Jossel, Nopa {SF} — Grilled Pork Shoulder Loin {aka Country Rib} with Early Girl Tomato Jam on Toast won my vote for Best Dish of the Evening!! Marinated for 4 hours, then slowly grilled for 35 minutes, this pork was full of flavor and tender on its own, but the sensory scales were quickly tipped by the most amazingly sweet, vinegary tomato jam that had hints of ginger and lovingly topped the stack of crostini and pork. I loved this dish so much I waited in line three times and am strongly considering booking a flight to SF to pay homage to a man who could create such a delicacy.

“I feel like I’m gonna go hug them for making something so delicious” — overheard @ Le Grand Fooding

Grilling Up Some Pork Shoulder, Nopa

Nopa Tomato Jam and a Classic T-Shirt

Best Dish of the Night: Grilled Pork Shoulder with Tomato Jam, Nopa

David Sclarow, Pizza Moto {Brooklyn} — Grilled Pizza with Ricotta, Mozzarella, Parmesan, Lemon, Sea Salt and Basil. So simple, but with that list of fresh ingredients it was well worth the wait, especially since they were pairing it with a glass of generously poured red wine.

David Sclarow of Pizza Moto

Pizza Prep

David Chang, má pêche {NY} — Bodega Granola. A play on yogurt granola cups sold at corner delis, the bodega granola walks a fine line between sweet and savory, constructed from walnut granola topped with beet reduction tapioca, goat cheese foam, beet chips and greens.

Bodega Granola, ma peche

Mario Carbone & Rich Torrisi, Torrisi {NY} — Pickle Salad New Yorkese. This was one of the most unique dishes of the evening, with a nod to traditional deli items, the salad of cucumber and pickle slices was topped with corned lambs tongue and dressed with a a mustard-red vinegar dressing. Probably not the first thing I would normally order, but somehow it just worked.

Pickle Salad New Yorkese, Torrisi

The word on the street is the Tennessee-style fried chicken by Robert Newton, Seersucker {NY} was outstanding, but I didn’t wait in the hour-long line to confirm for myself. I’m guessing the wait confirms it though.

All in all, a great evening that raised a lot of money for Action Against Hunger, brought more awareness to a number of all ready notable chefs and restaurants and provided a great venue for social noshing and imbibing under the lights of New York.

Le Grand Foodies

Looking for More to DO!?:
Do This!: First Ever Puglia Wine Week
Do This!: EAT DRINK LOCAL week
Do This!: A Taste of What to Expect @ Artisanal Premium Cheese Classes

recipe goodness :: whole-grain mustard and rosemary pork chops

Rosemary Mustard Rubbed Pork Chops

Hello God, it’s me Mustard. Ok, so yes, I have admitted before that mustard is one of my single most favorite flavors to add a spicy, earthy kick to any dish. And one of my favorite things to pair this with is grilled pork chops {it’s a match made in heaven}. This dish is so easy to prepare and has such a good flavor, you will fool any table guest into thinking you work miracles in the kitchen. The mustard will caramelize, giving the pork chops a sweet and savory flavor, brightened by the herby fresh rosemary. Don’t be afraid to be generous with the mustard spreading as a lot of it will cook off onto the grill or in the pan.

Grilled Whole-Grain Mustard and Rosemary Pork Chops

Serves 4

4 8-oz bone-in Pork Chops
4 TBS Whole Grain or Dijon Mustard
1 Sprig Fresh Rosemary
Pepper to Taste

At least 2 hours before you plan to cook the pork chops {optional}, spread approximately 1 TBS of Whole Grain or Dijon mustard on each chop front and back. Give each chop a few cranks of black pepper on each side {no need to add salt as the mustard is salty enough}. Remove rosemary leaves from sprig and sprinkle on the top and bottom of each chop. Cover and let them hang out in the fridge until ready to cook to let the mustard flavor get into the meat. It’s that easy!

Heat the BBQ, or grill pan if doing on the stove, to medium heat and cook the first side for ~5 minutes until surface is slightly golden and grill marks appear. Flip and cook for another 6-8 minutes or until done. Pork chops should be firm to the touch, but can still be slightly pink in the center when done. Depending on thickness, cooking time may vary.