PEANUT-GINGER PORK WITH CELERY SLAW

Posted in Pork, Salads, Side dishes, Sous-Vide Cooking by sallybr

This is a sous-vide preparation, but you can change to regular cooking in any way you like to make pork tenderloin. The recipe was adapted from Melissa Clark, via The New York Times (click here for original post). I usually increase the cooking temperature because we dislike pork that is still pink in the center, no matter what the “experts” say. If you prefer it less done, set your sous-vide to 135F to 140F.

SOUS-VIDE PEANUT-GINGER PORK WITH CELERY SLAW
(adapted from The New York Times)

for the pork:
3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons Sriracha or chile-garlic paste
1½ teaspoons fish sauce
2 (1-pound) pork tenderloins, trimmed
Extra-virgin olive oil, as needed

for the celery slaw:
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
2 small celery stalks, cut crosswise into thirds, then very thinly sliced lengthwise
1 cup thinly sliced fennel bulb
fresh cilantro leaves
Chopped roasted peanuts, for garnish
sesame seeds for garnish

Fill a pot with water, add the sous-vide machine and set the temperature to 150 degrees.

Meanwhile, prepare the sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together peanut butter, sesame oil, soy sauce, lime juice, ginger, sugar, Sriracha, and fish sauce. Place pork in a sous-vide bag, then pour sauce all over meat. Lower bag into heated water, weighing the bag down if necessary, and cook pork for 3 hours.
Heat broiler and place a rack 4 inches from heating element. Remove pork from sous-vide bag and transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. Pour remaining cooking liquid into a small saucepan. Bring sauce to a simmer over high and let cook until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Cover to keep warm, and set aside.

Drizzle pork with olive oil and broil until charred in spots, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest, 5 minutes.

Make the celery salad: In a large bowl, whisk together sesame oil, rice vinegar, pepper and salt. Toss with celery, fennel and cilantro. Taste and add more salt, sesame oil and rice vinegar if needed.
To serve, slice pork and drizzle with sauce. Top with celery salad, and peanuts. Garnish with cilantro leaves, and sesame seeds if you like.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: The sauce is absolutely delicious, I am quite fond of peanut butter in savory preparations, in this particular case it goes well with the ginger and all other flavors. The way the recipe was published it called for 135F for 2 hours, but there is no way that would work for us. Do what you think is best. Whatever method you go for, make sure to incorporate the sauce reduction in the end and drizzle it over the meat. It takes the dish to a whole higher level. The slaw was good in terms of flavor, but the texture of the celery was a bit harsh, so next time I might just do the “microwave blanch”, in which I cook the veggie with a tiny bit of moisture (often just a damp paper towel will do) for 10 seconds or so. It is enough to just kill the raw texture. Plus, since it will be slightly warm it will incorporate the dressing even better. I don’t mind the raw fennel at all, so I would not “blanch” it.

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17Jul2023

PROSCIUTTO-WRAPPED CHICKEN BREASTS WITH PICKLED JALAPENOS

Posted in Poultry, Sous-Vide Cooking by sallybr

I am still totally in love with pickled jalapeños and this particular recipe has been in our menu three times in the recent past. It is very low in carbs, very flavorful, and if you own a sous-vide gadget, now is the perfect opportunity to put it to use, because the texture will be absolutely perfect. If you don’t have a sous-vide the process will be reversed. Start by browning the rolled chicken and then bake it. It will be a bit tricky to keep the shape, but doable.

PROSCIUTTO-WRAPPED CHICKEN BREASTS WITH PICKLED JALAPENOS
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)

4 chicken breasts
a little lemon juice
salt and pepper
8 prosciutto slices
reduced fat cream cheese (about 6 oz)
finely diced pickled jalapeños, amount to taste
finely minced kalamata olives (or sun-dried tomatoes)
olive oil for searing the outside

Pound the chicken breasts to make the meat uniform – if they are too thick, trim them a bit cutting lengthwise carefully before pounding. Squirt a little lemon juice over the pieces of meat, then season with salt and pepper. Reserve.

Mix the cream cheese with the jalapeños and kalamata olives. Season with a l little salt if you like. Add a small amount on top of the meat, closer to one end. Roll the meat around the filling, lay the roll on top of two slices of prosciutto and roll as tightly as you can. Seal in a vacuum bag, and place in the sous-vide bath for 3 to 4 hours at 142F.

Remove from the bag, dry well and sear the outside quickly on a non-stick frying pan with a little olive oil. Serve right away.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: We are pretty hooked on this preparation. I always do the pickled jalapeños and sometimes couple with different goodies. Olives, black or green, sundried tomatoes are both winner combinations. In this type of recipe the sous-vide truly shines. I don’t make it in the oven anymore, but as I mentioned in the beginning you can do that, reversing the steps. Start with searing. Probably 375 F for 30 minutes maximum will work.

With a side of green beans and walnuts, we did not need anything else!
.

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9Nov2020

A MAGICAL MARINADE

Posted in Poultry, Sous-Vide Cooking by sallybr

Not too long ago I shared with you the youtube channel from Helen Rennie. I landed there through baking, but quickly realized her area of expertise covers pretty much all things cooking. Including sous-vide. The marinade I am blogging about today works wonders to finalize meat prepared by that method, but I also tried it for straight grilling and was equally blown away by how well it performed. It gives the meat a mixture of sweet, salty and umami. I now call it my default marinade for all things protein, and I bet it will do a great job on tofu. That shall be tested in the near future.

MAGICAL MARINADE
ONE RECIPE, THREE USES
(from Helen Rennie’s youtube channel)

1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, grated through a microplane (I omitted)
1 tablespoon za’atar (optional)
1/2 cup grapeseed or canola oil

Whisk all ingredients except the oil together in a small bowl until completely emulsified. Slowly add the oil, whisking constantly. Your sauce is ready to use.

to print the recipe, click here

PERFECT SOUS-VIDE CHICKEN BREAST
(adapted from Helen Rennie)

Place boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a bag appropriate for sous-vide cooking. Add 2 teaspoons of the magical marinade and rub it around the meat. Seal the bag and cook for 2 hours at 150F (or your preferred temperature).

Leave the meat to cool in the bag for 10 minutes. Remove from the bag, dry the surface blotting with a paper towel.

Finalize by searing on a hot skillet with a smidgen of olive oil, 30 seconds per side, pressing down with a lid. Marvel at the beautiful color, slice and serve.

Comments: The only drawback of this recipe is that it generates a bit of smoke during the final searing, and our kitchen has such poor ventilation that all fire alarms go crazy. I intend to use the outside grill next time, although it is really hard to beat the gorgeous sear from the skillet. The texture of the meat is perfect, no stringiness, it really elevates sous-vide to a new level.

Another way to use the chicken is to go from the sous-vide step into a stir-fry. I do that often, but with this magical marinade the result is even better. You can sous-vide a couple of days in advance, and just slice the meat and use it in any stir-fry recipe you are fond of.

For that version, I used zucchini, mushrooms and cashews, finishing the stir-fry with a soy-mustard sauce thickened with a touch of cornstarch. The texture of the meat is very similar to that obtained by velveting. Every week I cook some chicken breasts sous-vide and then incorporate in stir-fries. This marinade just makes it perfect.

But what if you don’t own a sous-vide and don’t have any interest in investing in one? Just use the same marinade to grill meats. I share here my recent version with boneless chicken thighs. Place them with enough marinade to coat the surface well, and leave in the fridge for a few hours or even overnight. Then, remove from the bag, dry the surface, season lightly with more salt and slap on the grill…

Isn’t that a thing of beauty? So I hope I convinced you to bring that magical marinade into your life. And a sous-vide would not hurt either (wink, wink).

Helen, thank you for another gem of a recipe!

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13Jun2020

KALE AND PROSCIUTTO-WRAPPED CHICKEN BREASTS

Posted in Poultry, Sous-Vide Cooking by sallybr

Are you going to run away if I tell you this is a sous-vide recipe? No need, because you can make it on the stove. It will just require a little more hands-on attention so that the meat ends up properly cooked and still tender and juicy. With the sous-vide you can set it, forget it, and concentrate on making your side-dish, as the final preparation of the chicken takes literally minutes.

KALE AND PROSCIUTTO-WRAPPED CHICKEN BREASTS
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)

4 chicken breasts
kale leaves, tough stems removed
prosciutto slices
lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil

Set the sous-vide to 148F.

Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper, rub a bit of lemon juice all over them. Wrap with kale leaves, then with prosciutto slices. If using the sous-vide, no need to worry too much about wrapping it all tightly because it will firm up as you seal the packages. If not using sous-vide, try to wrap as tightly and neatly as possible.

Seal the pieces of in a vacuum-bag and submerge in the water-bath for 2 hours (up to 4 hours will be ok). When the time is up, remove the chicken pieces from the bag, dry them well and sautee quickly both sides in olive oil, preferably using a non-stick skillet. Let it cool briefly and slice to serve.

If not using sous-vide, sear both sides of the chicken in olive oil, also using a non-stick skillet. When both sides are golden brown, add a little chicken stock to the pan, a squirt of lemon juice, reduce heat to a simmer, cover the skillet. Cook until the chicken is done to your liking, it will probably take around 15 minutes.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Sous-vide does such a fantastic job for tender meats like chicken breast, and pork tenderloin, it’s truly hard to beat this method of cooking. I sometimes cook a few chicken breasts seasoned with salt, pepper, and lemon juice, and keep it in the fridge, still vacuum-sealed in the bag. They are ready to use in stir-fries, or curries, anything you feel like it. The first time I made this recipe, I wrapped the kale outside of half of the pieces. It also works, but I prefer the prosciutto outside, it gets a nice texture once you brown it. This recipe is now part of our regular rotation, husband refers to it as “that prosciutto chicken.” We both loved it!

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24May2020

WHOLE CHICKEN SOUS-VIDE

Posted in Poultry, Sous-Vide Cooking by sallybr

No sous-vide? You can still make this recipe using a regular oven, very low and slow for the first part of cooking and then brush with the final glaze and roast under the broiler. But the texture you get from sous-vide is hard to beat. I just rubbed it with dry spices and sealed in the bag. Although on my first time I cooked a whole chicken inside the bag, I found it easier the way I share today. I cut the chicken in four pieces (two breast/wing, and two full legs, placing two pieces in a single bag. Works great and the final presentation is better than keeping it whole or even spatchcocking.

WHOLE SOUS-VIDE CHICKEN
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)

1 whole chicken, cut in four pieces
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoons ground black pepper
for final roasting:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tsp agave nectar (or honey)
squirt of lemon juice

Pat chicken dry. Rub the skin with the mixture of spices. Place in bag and seal.

Heat sous-vide to 150 F. Cook chicken for 6 hours.

Whisk all ingredients for the roasting step. Once the chicken is done, remove from the water bath and transfer it onto a plate. Pat with paper towels. Place on a roasting pan. Brush the skin with the olive oil mixture, run under the broiler until the skin is cooked to your liking. The meat will be tender and juicy.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: As usual, the timing with sous-vide is very forgiving, which is one of the reasons I love it. If you need to leave it longer than 6 hours, no harm done. You can change the spices to take this recipe in any direction you like. Gochujang will be happening soon in our kitchen.

We enjoyed it with sauteed Brussels Sprouts with Lemon and Almonds, and a little couscous with roasted butternut squash (full disclosure: the squash was leftover from a previous meal).

The leftover meat can be pulled from the bone and used in many different preparations, we usually save it for a couple of days and then the husband turns it into chicken fajitas or tacos. It has such perfect texture, all it needs is a brief encounter with a hot skillet, some lemon juice and additional spices, if so desired.