Real Food: Masitas de Puerco Frita
Succulent, crisp Cuban fried pork chunks with black beans and mojo criollo (Creole garlic sauce)..
Adapted from recipes by Mary Urrutia Randelman
Rinse, pick over and soak dried black beans overnight in filtered water.
Cut boneless pastured pork into large (1 1/2 inch) chunks and season liberally with seal salt and freshly-ground pepper. Crush fresh garlic into a paste and rub into the meat. Place into a glass bowl and pour fresh orange and lemon juice over the top. Enhance with dried citrus peel and herbs if you like (I do). Refrigerate at least 2 hours.
Meanwhile, prep Creole garlic sauce by crushing fresh garlic into a paste and adding thinly-sliced onion, a medium-hot pepper of your choosing, sea salt, orange and lemon juices and olive oil. Allow to sit a room temperature while the pork is marinading.
Cook black beans until just under done and set aside. Cook chopped bacon, bell peppers and garlic in olive oil until just tender, about 5 minutes. Add beans, a little of the cooking liquid, bay leaf, cumin and S&P and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat an inch of unrefined peanut oil in a deep, heavy over medium heat until shimmering hot. Carefully ad the pork to the hot oil one piece at a time and allow to sizzle undisturbed for 5 minutes. Increase the heat incrementally, if necessary to keep the oil hot (but not smoking).
Turn the pork over with tongs or a slotted spoon and fry another 5 minutes undisturbed.
Continue to cook, now turning often, until pork is cooked through and golden brown on all sides. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
Pour off all put a generous tablespoon of the hot oil, return the pan to the heat and quickly fry the Creole onions until tender.
Serve pork alongside black beans and dress with Creole garlic sauce.
Genetically Modified Rice
“Rice is daily food for half of the world’s population. Genetically modified (GM) rice, on the other hand, is a threat to our agriculture, our biodiversity and a possible risk to our health.
At present, GM rice is not grown commercially anywhere in the world. But Bayer, the German chemical giant, has genetically manipulated rice to withstand higher doses of a toxic pesticide called glufosinate, which is considered to be so dangerous to humans and the environment that it will soon be banned from Europe.
In just a few weeks, the European Union will decide whether or not this GM rice can enter EU countries, appear on supermarket shelves and end up on our dinner plates. If the EU approves the import of Bayer GM rice, farmers in the US and elsewhere may soon start planting it.”
Ain’t no God in this garden..
Real Food: Pickled Peppers
No-excuse method for preserving fresh jalapeño and bell peppers..
Recipe adapted from Michael Symon’s Live to Cook..
1 pound fresh peppers
2 1/2 cups filtered water
2 1/2 cups vinegar
3 tablespoons coarse sea salt
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons whole coriander seeds
3 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons black peppercorns
Place 1 lb of cut peppers into a sterile, quart-sized canning jar.
Boil the remaining ingredients together for 5-10 minutes, then let cool another 5 minutes.
Pour the brine into the jar. If necessary, weigh the peppers down to keep them submerged.
Allow to cool on the counter overnight before transferring to the refrigerator for up to several months.
BPA Found To Leach From Polycarbonate Drinking Bottles Into Humans
ScienceDaily (May 22, 2009) — A new study from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers found that participants who drank for a week from polycarbonate bottles — the popular, hard-plastic drinking bottles and baby bottles — showed a two-thirds increase in their urine of the chemical bisphenol A (BPA). Exposure to BPA, used in the manufacture of polycarbonate and other plastics, has been shown to interfere with reproductive development in animals and has been linked with cardiovascular disease and diabetes in humans.
BPA is also found in dentistry composites and sealants and in the lining of aluminum food and beverage cans.
Real Food: Bacon & Eggs with Toast
Here’s a tasty variation of the classic shirred eggs.. local, pastured bacon, farm fresh eggs, raw milk cheddar cheese, tomato and jalapeño baked in an organic oat bread cup..
Grease ramekins (or a large muffin tin) with butter. Press a slice of bread into and up the sides of the well. Bake in a 400 degree oven until lightly toasted, then set aside.
Meanwhile, fry bacon seasoned with smoked pepper until just under done but still pliable. Allow to cool enough to handle.
Form the bacon into a ring, encircling the inside of the toast near the top.
Put a little shredded cheese into the bottom of the cup, then crack 2 large eggs over the cheese.
Garnish with a split cherry tomato and some chopped, pickled jalapeño and bake in the oven until the eggs are set to the consistency that you like. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 1-2 minutes before transferring to a plate.
Trecce dell’orto with Field Greens and Seasonal Vegetables
Trecce dell’orto (braids of the garden) is an Italian semolina colored by and flavored with spinach, carrots, basil and beets. I’m having this as a warm dinner salad with sautéed squash, cippoline onions, garlic, tomatoes, saffron and fresh herbs..
Wash, dry and refrigerate fresh field greens an hour or so before assembly.
Cook trecce del’orto until just under done. Drain (don’t rinse), dress with a little olive oil and set aside to cool slightly.
Heat a heavy skillet over medium heat for 10-15 minutes – we will want to cook the vegetables quickly so as to maintain their flavor and nutritional value.
While the pan is heating, prepare the rest of the ingredients – squash, onions, garlic, tomatoes, bell pepper, porcini mushrooms, herbs and spices.
Sauté mustard seeds and red pepper flakes in olive oil, stirring continuously until they begin to release their oils, about 2 minutes.
Add all the vegetables and sauté until slightly brown around the edges. Add the garlic and herbs and cook another minute. Deglaze with a little vermouth, then add saffron, capers and S&P to taste.
Stir in the reserved pasta and a dollop of fresh cream, stir and remove from heat.
To serve, mound chilled greens on a dinner plate and dress with aged balsamic vinegar. Top with warm pasta and vegetables and dress with shaved manchego cheese.
This post is part of Food Renegade’s Fight Back Fridays
