Vietnamese Sticky Pork Curry

"The pork is cooked slowly with spices and some sugar for a sticky, sweet, spicy dish. This dish has a Korean background but is not traditionally Korean. Some heat balances the stickiness."

Lame write-up for that one.

From Food&Drink, Autumn 2006, page 192.

2 lb pork shoulder
1/4 c. miso
1 T sugar
1/2 c. light soy sauce (better find low-sodium!)
1 T korean chili sauce or asian chili sauce
1/4 c. rice vinegar
3 star anise
salt and pepper
2 T vegetable oil.
1 T sliced garlic
1 T sliced ginger
1 c. water
2 c. carrots, cut into 1 inch cubes
6 shallots, cut in half
2 T chopped coriander

1. Cut pork shoulder into 1-inch cubes.
2. Combine miso, sugar, soysauce, chili sauce, rice vinegar and star anise.
3. Toss 1/4 c. of the mixture with the pork cubes and marinate overnight.
4. Preheat oven to 300F
5. Remove pork from marinade and pat dry. Season w/ salt and pepper. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Sear pork 1 minute per side, or until browned. Place in a casserole.
6. Add garlic and ginger to oil. Toss together, then add reserved marinade and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, return pork and cover.
7. Bake for 30 minutes and add carrots and shallots. Remove lid and bake for another 30-45 minutes or until pork is tender and sauce reduced.
8. Remove pork from liquid and reduce liquid (if it needs it) until it coats the back of a spoon. About 3 minutes.
Return pork to liquid and stir in coriander. Serve over rice noodles.

Okay....whoever actually wrote this recipe needs a little kick. There is WAY too much adding/removing for my taste. I don't see why this recipe needs to bake if you have to constantly put it back on the stove. I suggest using a large, deep skillet that has a lid. You can get a similar effect, and you're not going to be popping things in and out of the oven all the time. I'm all for keeping it simple - this recipe sounds so yummy, but is a bit labour intensive as written....

Celery Root and Cèpe Soup

From Food&Drink, Autumn 2006, page 198.

Haven't tried this yet but it looks fabulous!

"This is a sophisticated rich soup, and the croutons, while not essential, provide and interesting contrast in texture"

1/2 oz (15 g) dried cèpes (or porcini)
2 medium onions
1 celery root, about 5 inches in diameter
2T unsalted butter
2 T olive oil
2 t kosher salt
freshly ground pepper
1 c light cream
fried bread croutons, optional

1. Place the dried mushrooms in a bowl and pour over 3 cups boiling water. Leave the mushrooms to soak for 20 minutes.
2. Peel and dice onions and celery root. In a large frying pan with a lid, heat the butter and oil over medium-low heat. Add the onions, celery root and salt. Stir to coat the vegetables, cover and cook gently for 15 minutes.
3. Remove the dried mushrooms from the soaking liquid, chop them coarsely and add to the vegetables. Carefully strain the soaking liquid through a fine sieve and pour into the pan (not sure why you're supposed to strain...a mushroom bit is a mushroom bit, as far as I'm concerned). Cover and cook until the vegetables are very soft, about 15 mins. Season with pepper and more salt if necessary and let cool slightly.
4. Puree the vegetable mixture in batches in a blender, then pour into a saucepan. Add cream, then heat the soup gently. If it seems too thick, add more water.
5. Serve topped with croutons, if desired.

The recipe says this soup serves 6-8.....but with only 3 cups of liquid, I would bank on it serving four people. I also fail to understand why recipes never mention the magic of the immersion blender. WHY in god's name would you dirty a blender, as well as another bowl (and mess with pouring hot chunky soup) when you could just use a nice little immersion blender to accomplish nearly the same thing. It won't be *quite* as smooth, but it will still rock. And you will have fewer dishes. :) How can that be a bad thing????