Citrus and Beer-Braised Pork Shoulder

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When I heard that my local butcher had procured two local, pastured Berkshire hogs, all I could think about was getting my hands on a shoulder to braise. While braising is often associated with wintertime, there is no reason to limit its magic to the colder months. Why should we go half of the year without relying on one of the most simple, delicious, and high-yield cooking techniques?

This effortless pork shoulder is simmered in a sauce of spring onions, fresh squeezed OJ, coriander seeds, and a summery beer, and it will serve as a major component of several dinners at my house over the next few months.

We enjoyed it in all its naked glory tonight with baked sweet potatoes and a nice beet salad, and I plan to use another hunk in a simple fried rice dish with ginger and scallions later in the week. In addition, I mixed another nice chunk of the pork with some guajillo salsa and put together several tamales which I froze for a busy weeknight, and I am already envisioning tostadas heaped high with the delightfully citrusy meat and topped with pickled onions and crumbled cheese for an upcoming summer dinner party.

Four delightful meals from one nice hunk of shoulder? This dish is definitely worth making ASAP before it gets way too hot to turn on the oven.

Citrus and Beer-Braised Pork Shoulder

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Chicken Noodle Soup, Indonesian Style

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This is my version of Soto Ayam, the aromatic chicken and rice noodle soup popular in Indonesia.  The base for this satisfying soup in the broth, and making your broth from scratch will yield the most delicious and nutritious soup.  If you’re new to broth making, take the plunge – it really is a skill worth having. Truth be told, making broth doesn’t really require much in the way of technique, just a little advanced planning and a willingness to let it simmer on a back burner all day.

Bone broths are super nourishing, full of minerals and other beneficial compounds (like glucosamine and chondroitin) that leak from the bones as they break down. Boxed and canned broths are no substitution for a homemade bone broth nutritionally speaking, but of course you can use them in a pinch – I relied on them for years.  These days I make it a habit to make a batch of broth every 2 or 3 weeks, freezing a few quarts for later use.  After all, as Escoffier said, “Stock is everything in cooking.  Without it, nothing can be done.”
Chicken Noodle Soup, Indonesian Style
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Sweet & Savory Plantain Fritters

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I used to eat plantains only once in a blue moon, but these days I enjoy them as part of my dinner on a weekly basis.  Unripe, green plantain slices are delicious fried up in coconut oil, and while I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of having them cooked in that simple way, I had been wanting to experiment with ripe plantains.

This fritter recipe is a lovely and uncomplicated way to serve plantains with a little added sweetness and spice.  Choose ripe plantains, which are yellow with some black marks starting to show – they are naturally much sweeter and more flavorful than green plantains.  Add a little allspice and shredded coconut to give the fritters great flavor and texture, and throw in some bacon for good measure. If you’d prefer to make them vegetarian, just omit the bacon and cook up the fritters in pure coconut oil.


Sweet & Savory Plantain Fritters

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Mexican-Style Potato Salad

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This recipe was inspired by two of my favorite Mexican foods: elotes, the legendary Mexican street snack of corn on the cob slathered in mayonnaise and crumbled cheese, and cebollitas, grilled spring onions that are often served as a simple side dish alongside grilled meat. 

For this dish, tender, still-warm potatoes are tossed with grilled baby onions, sweet roasted peppers, homemade mayonnaise, smoky paprika, and plenty of fresh lime juice. Then I sprinkle in some salty, crumbled cotija cheese, brightly flavored cilantro, and top it all with toasted pumpkin seeds for great texture.

We served this salad alongside my Escabeche-Style Grilled Chicken, which is still my favorite chicken marinade to this day, and a simple green salad.  I think this potato salad would also make the perfect accompaniment to simple grilled fish topped with garlic-infused butter.


Mexican-Style Potato Salad

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Beef Stroganoff with Porcini & Cremini Mushrooms

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Beef Stroganoff is about as rich and satisfying a dinner as I know.  My dad made it on occasion when I was a kid, and I remember slurping up egg noodles that were slick with the delicious, tangy sauce. My version would surely be delightful with pasta, but for those who avoid wheat, these julienne zucchini “noodles” makes the dish equally swoon-worthy.

If you’ve never used zucchini as a pasta substitute, I really think you’re going to be impressed. It has a mild flavor which is undetectable in a well-flavored sauce, plus, its unique al dente texture mimics perfectly cooked spaghetti incredibly.  If you don’t have a mandoline, you can shave the zucchini into pappardelle-like noodles with a vegetable peeler, but I do think a mandoline is a great investment. I use mine to make quick work of all sorts of vegetables, and the cheap-o model from my local Asian market has lasted me five years already (so no need to spend $100).

Serve this dish with a simple green vegetable or a nice salad on the side.

Beef Stroganoff with Porcini & Cremini Mushrooms

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Shrimp Salad with Mango and Crunchy Vegetables

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Life is busy! But a healthy and colorful dinner doesn’t have to be complex.  It’s easy to forget that a square meal doesn’t necessarily require the use of an oven or grill, and I’ve created this simple shrimp and mango salad to serve as a gentle reminder.

The delicate texture of seafood is the perfect match for the crunchy jicama and red pepper in this salad, and the sweetness of the mango and distinct flavor of cilantro give the dish lots of added flavor. I love using these little bay shrimp, too – they’re easy to find, relatively inexpensive, and already perfectly cooked and seasoned.  Some of the most sustainable bay shrimp are coming out of Oregon these days (also some of the most delicious, I might add).  I found these guys at my local Whole Foods here in Chicago in the freezer section, and I hope you can find them in your neck of the woods, too.

*As an alternative, you can use larger shrimp that you have roughly chopped, or try using bay scallops that you have lightly steamed until just cooked through and then allowed to cool.

Shrimp Salad with Mango and Crunchy Vegetables

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