Food Fit for a Power Ranger

This evening at dinner Sonny said, “This is so yummy, I bet even Power Rangers would eat it!” If you knew how obsessed my son is with Power Rangers, you’d understand what a huge compliment that was. But don’t get the wrong idea, he wasn’t talking about mac n’ cheese or pizza (which we’ll have tomorrow night). He was talking about yakisoba stir-fry.

This is such a versatile dish because you can basically use just about any meat or vegetable you like. The sauce is slightly sweet due to the hoisin, but that’s balanced by the black soy sauce (which is very salty) and chili bean paste. (don’t worry, this is not at all spicy). To further balance the hoisin, I recommend a strong veggie like mustard greens, bok choy, asparagus or even broccoli. For the meat, I used chicken, but you could just as well substitute pork, beef or tofu.

This recipe easily serves 6 (8 if it’s part of a multi-course meal).

Yakisoba Stir-fry with Chicken and Mustard Greens

• 3 tbs hoisin sauce
• 2 tbs black soy sauce (regular soy sauce is fine too)
• 1 tbs Chinese chili bean paste (or chili garlic sauce will do fine)
• ½ tbs brown sugar
• 1 tbs sesame oil
• 1 tbs minced garlic
• 1 tbs minced or grated ginger
• 1 bunch mustard greens, roughly chopped
• 1 ½ to 2 chicken breast, sliced for stir-fry
• 2 bunches green onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
• 1 (32 0z) package of yakisoba noodles

Start by separating the noodles. They come compressed together and it can be hard to separate them when they are cold. You could dunk them into boiling water for about 10 or 20 seconds, but that’s too much work for me. I’m also afraid they will get too soft and become soggy when I stir-fry them. What I normally end up doing is putting them into my stockpot and filling that with lukewarm water and carefully trying to separate the noodles with my hands. Every strand doesn’t have to be separated, but they should be loose. Drain them and keep them in a colander until ready to use. They come lightly coated with oil so they shouldn’t clump together and stick.

Make the sauce mix by combining the hoisin, soy sauce, chili bean paste, brown sugar and sesame oil. Mix well to dissolve the sugar and set aside until it’s needed.

Heat a wok over high heat. When it’s very, very hot add a splash of oil (about 2 tbs). Add the garlic and ginger and fry for about 10 seconds. Add the chicken and then the mustard greens. Stir-fry for about 2 minutes, until the chicken is almost done. Add the drained noodles and stir-fry until everything is well mixed, about 1 minute. Add the sauce mix and continue to stir-fry until the noodles are coated with the sauce, about a minute or two more. Turn off the heat and throw in the green onions. Toss a couple more times and you’re done! Serve immediately. Even though this is well seasoned, I always serve noodles with fish sauce, lime wedges and sambal oelek on the side just in case anyone wants to a little extra seasoning.






We scored this costume at the local Goodwill. Nevermind the costume is for the black ranger and the mask belongs to the green ranger. What can you ask for for $6.99?? He'll probably wear the Darth Vader mask we picked up at the same time anyways. Don't you just love the poses?

Eat Like a Dane

If I had to guess which country consumes the most paté per capita, I would bet my money on Denmark. Of course, I’ve seen no statistics to back up my speculation (nor do I actually intend to look up this silly fact). My only evidence comes from living there for 2 ½ years. So I know what I know, and I know the Danes love them some paté.

The best recipe I’ve tried for Danish-style liver paté comes from a cookbook called Frøken Jensen’s Kogebog. It’s the Danish version of that Betty Crocker (or was it Better Homes and Gardens??) cookbook so popular a couple of generations ago. There’s not one picture in this entire cookbook. Each page is so dense with text (the recipes are presented one right after another) that I literally have to follow each line with my finger or I’d get lost. And like it’s outdated American counterpart, there are recipes as unappetizing as a savory gelatin mold (is there really such a recipe or is it urban legend??). Yet, I have a warm spot in my heart for Miss Jensen’s book. It reveals an entire culture’s past eating habits. And while many of the recipes are probably outdated, hidden in the dense text are some gems to be found. Recipes like Danish rice porridge, fish cakes, pancakes and the paté (actually 2 different versions).

The Danish paté can be eaten cold or warm. When cold it will spread creamy, but when warm it’s loose. It's also well suited to freezing due to the high fat content. I recommend freezing before you bake. Then when you want to eat it, just put it into the oven frozen. I’d guess you’d need to extend the cooking time by 20+ minutes (depending on the size of the form you use).

Leverpostej (Danish-style pate)

• 10 ½ oz liver (recommended pork or chicken liver)
• 5 ¼ oz pork fat
• ½ large onion, diced
• 3 anchovy filets
• 3 oz butter
• 2 ½ tbs flour
• 10 oz warm milk
• 2 eggs
• 2 to 3 tsp kosher salt
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• ¼ tsp ground allspice
• fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Start by making a roux with the butter, flour and milk. In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Add the flour while whisking vigorously. You should get a uniform mixture. Make sure to warm the milk and whisk vigorously while adding it slowly. At first, the mixture will be thin. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, over low heat until it thickens and bubbles lightly, about 5 minutes. Pour the béchamel into a large bowl and press plastic wrap onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Put it aside to cool completely.

Cut the pork fat into very small chunks. Do the same with the liver. Throw the liver, fat and onion into a food processor and process until uniform. Stop to scrape down the sides if necessary. There shouldn’t be any large chunks of fat or onion left. Add the eggs and process until incorporated. Pour the mixture into a large bowl. Add the spices. Add the cooled béchamel and mix very well. Pour into a greased loaf pan (I recommend mini loaf pans or small 3 or 4 inch ramekins) and bake in a waterbath at 350ºF until center springs back to the touch. It will take anywhere from 45 minutes to 1 hour in mini loaf pans. Alternatively, bake until the internal temp is about 160F. The way I usually tell it’s done is to slightly tip the form. If the liquid is clear, then it’s done, but if the liquid is still pinkish, give it another 5-10 minutes. Don’t worry about overcooking these. There’s so much fat in here, it’s virtually impossible. Besides, the Danes re-heat this all the time and when it cools down it’s still creamy. It can be served cold or warm with Danish rye bread (called European rye bread at your local Trader Joes, or bake your own with this mix from Ikea). I prefer it cold because it spreads nice and creamy. It’s still delicious when served warm, but the texture is looser. Don’t forget the sweet pickles, pickled beets or pickled red cabbage on the side! To make it extra special, the Danes will also dress it up with sautéed mushrooms and crisp bacon.

Let's Talk About Top Chef and Pork Loin

I don’t normally watch a lot of TV, but I do like me some Top Chef. I just happened to stumble on it about a month ago, and I was hooked. Gotta say, I was disappointed that Dale didn’t win. Yes, I know Hung was very well trained. I was very excited when he put together a Vietnamese-inspired, French-executed menu and showed the judges it could be tasty and sophisticated (although I just couldn’t get behind the coconut foam; call me a bumpkin, but foam belongs on a latte). BUT Hung was so arrogant throughout the competition. In a previous show, he wouldn't even help one of his competitors mash some potatoes because he was “here to win”. Please. No need to worry, dude; no one was going to win Top Chef with mashed potatoes.

Dale, on the other hand, was completely different. He was courteous and good-humored. And he kept it real. Like when he said “I’m gonna cook the shit out of your ass” (or something to that effect). Or when he confessed he knew nothing about cowboys, but he had slept with a few. Great in the kitchen, great sense of humor, cute little mohawk. Yes, he’s going to make some dude very happy one day.

If you’re a Top Chef fan, leave a comment and let me know what you thought about this season and the finale.

And if you’re a pork loin fan, I have something for you. It’s a brined pork loin with caramelized onion and apples. The brine recipe came from this month’s issue of Gourmet. I made a couple of substitutions, but I don't think it affected the results at all. The meat came out tender, not salty. The onions and apples make a sweet and tangy topping for the pork so you don’t really need a sauce, but a nice pan sauce would be easy enough to make.

Pork Loin with Caramelized Onions and Apples

• 6 cups water
• ½ cup kosher salt
• 1/3 cup sugar (brown or white is fine)
• 5 or 6 whole all spice berries
• 1 ½ tsp black peppercorns
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 3-inch piece of cinnamon
• 6 center-cut pork loin chops, 1 inch thick
• 1 large apple, cored and sliced
• 2 medium onions, sliced
• ¼ cup cider vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste

Start by making the brine. In a saucepan combine the water, salt, sugar, all spice, peppercorns, bay leaf and cinnamon stick. Heat until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Allow the mixture to cool completely before adding the pork. Brine the pork for 12 hours to 2 days in the fridge.

I actually made the brine the night before. After it sat for about half an hour, I took out the cinnamon stick, covered it and left it on my back porch overnight (because my fridge is packed full of stuff and my back porch is just as cold, which is very convenient for chilling beer and sodas as well). Then the first thing I did when I woke up the next morning (at 6:30!!) was add it to the pork chops in a large Ziploc bag. When I got home from work, they were ready to cook up.

A half hour to an hour before cooking the chops, pull them out of the fridge to take the chill off.

In them meantime, heat some oil in a frying pan over medium to medium-high heat. Add the onions and apples. Cook until they caramelize. It could take 15 to 20 minutes to get them soft and brown. Add the apple cider vinegar and let it reduce completely. Add salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm until the pork is done.

The chops take about 10 minutes to cook. I cooked them in a cast iron skillet over high heat. They can also be grilled (if you like grilling in the rain). Let the meat rest for 5 minutes before serving. In addition to the onions and apples, you could serve this with potatoes and a nice pan sauce, or you could serve it on your favorite bread for a kick-ass sandwich.