CityMama™

Pork Belly-Shiso Skewers

The pork belly-shiso skewer about to be grilled.

If you've been reading this blog regularly, you've probably figured out that my surreptitious goal is get everyone out of their regular grocery store comfort zone and into Asian markets. Don't be afraid! You can find wonderful treasures at your local Korean or Japanese market, for example, like thin-sliced pork belly and fragrant shiso leaves.

Shiso is a fragrant herb that tastes not quite minty, not quite basil-y. It's perfumey like both of those herbs, but it has a subtle, flowery flavor all its own. You often find it in sushi rolls (maki) paired with ume (pickled plum). Pork belly is basically bacon, but unsmoked and cured. Together these two items are sublime.

The next time you are looking to impress your friends and family, try these super-simple pork and shiso skewers. Only four ingredients...once you find them. My brother, sister and I cooked together on Friday night (something I love to do) and this is what we came up with.

PORK BELLY AND SHISO SKEWERS

We made these as well as chicken-shiso skewers and shiitake mushroom-green onion skewers. When you make skewers part of the fun, I think, is making lots of different ones.

• 1 package (about a pound) of thinly-sliced pork belly
• 1 bunch of fresh shiso washed and spun dry
• sesame oil
• salt

Season pork belly with salt and sesame oil. Place one shiso lead atop each piece of pork belly. Roll up, skewer and grill. Optional: add a piece of green onion and roll that up, too.

Summery Pink Plum Salsa

Here's what I ended up doing with all those plums. 

I can understand why my girls don't like plums. The juicy sweetness of a perfect plum can be a little tempered by the bitterness and chewiness of the skin. I'm not about to peel plums for them (and they don't like jam) so they can eat them this way. 

SUMMERY PINK PLUM SALSA

I threw everything in the Cuisinart (pulsing the plums first, then the rest of the ingredients), but you can hand chop for a chunkier salsa. The sweetness of the plums really lends itself to salsa. Don't be afraid to use plenty of salt to bring out all the plummy flavor.  This would also be yummy with grilled fish or pork or chicken.

• 10-15 ripe plums (depending on size), quartered and seeded (not peeled)
• 1/2 sweet onion, finely chopped
• 1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 seeded serrano pepper, finely diced
• a good packed handful of cilantro leaves, chopped
• juice of one lime
• zest of half a lime
• plenty of salt

Chop, whiz, or otherwise combine ingredients. Serve with thick tortilla chips. Makes about 2-3 cups of salsa.

Bowl: Hipster bowl (small) by Rachael Ray.

Chili-lime-tequila shrimp on the barbie

I love the fresh, raw wild jumbo shrimp/prawns from Costco.  They're sweet and meaty and good eating. They run about 20 bucks for a large package, and there are enough prawns in a pack to get 2-3 meals out of it. They freeze beautifully.

My favorite way to prepare them is to marinate them, then skewer them with veggies (in this case, mushrooms) and throw em on the grill for a couple minutes per side. To serve them, I take them all off the skewer and pile them into a bowl, but you could just let everyone take their own skewer.

We served these as part of a surf-and-turf dinner with grilled porterhouse steak and BBQ corn on the cob.

For this recipe, you don't want to add the lime juice until just before grilling or else you'll end up with ceviche.

GRILLED CHILI LIME TEQUILA SHRIMP

Makes enough marinade for about 15-20 prawns. Rinse and peel prawns leaving the tails intact. Pat dry and place prawns into a medium bowl then add:

• sea salt
• fresh ground pepper
• chili flakes (omit or set-aside non-chili shrimp for the kids), i break up whole dried chilis for best flavor and heat
• a squirt of Sriracha sauce
• a glug or two of tequila (I used Casadores)
• a glug or two of olive or grapeseed oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• zest of half a lime
• add whatever chunked raw veggies you like (mushrooms, onions, colorful peppers) or omit

Toss gently and well to coat and refrigerate for at least an hour.  Just before grilling add:

• the juice of one lime

Toss again. Thread carefully onto skewers alternating prawns and veggies. Grill for 2 minutes per side until just cooked through. Do not over cook.

Here they are just on the grill:

And, hey!  My photo made Tastespotting! (Finally...)

Simply delicious: Baked Barbecue Chicken

Sometimes, it's the simple meals that are the best. The above meal was a hit and received "mmmmm's" all around.

Tuesday evenings are gymnastics night around our house.  We get home around 6pm and the girls are hungry. Before I left, I popped some chicken breasts into a 325º oven (covered with foil so they wouldn't dry out). When I got home, I removed the foil and let them continue cooking for another 10-15 minutes or so while I put together the rest of the meal: buttered corn and a green salad with sweet onion and avocado in a mustardy vinaigrette.

I realize people might not feel comfortable leaving their oven unattended while not at home, but I'm okay with it when cooking something that isn't spattery.  (Mom, I know.)

I marinated the chicken for about two hours in a combination of a mild and not-too-smoky barbecue sauce and honey. (I'm not a fan of most BBQ sauces because of that fakey liquid smoke taste. Check the ingredient list.) I seasoned them with sea salt and pepper before putting them into the oven. Originally I had paillard plans for those breasts, but when I realized too late that I wouldn't have time to pound them out and grill them, I turned to my oven. I written before about how unpounded chicken breasts really aren't my favorite part of the bird, but these came out moist, not dry.

This would have been really tasty on the grill, too, though I would definitely pound out the breasts before marinating.

Barbecued Leg of Lamb for J.'s Birthday

For my husband J.'s 38th birthday bbq blow out, I made a marinated, butterflied leg of lamb (two of them, actually) that I grilled...until I started a small grease fire in our grill.  Thankfully, the lamb was almost done and about 20 minutes in a 350º oven was enough to finish it to medium-rare perfection. Disaster averted.

The Greek theme of the party was the easiest ever.  I marinated the lamb over night, drained the yogurt over night, had all the greek salad ingredients prepped mostly in advance. I purchased the vat o' hummus at Costco where they carry my favorite store-made brand, and when dinner was ready to be served, we fired the grill back up and warmed up some Trader Joe's flatbread.

a big ole Greek salad with kalamata olives and sheep's milk feta

It was fun party, so fun that I also ended up cooking a pile of spaghetti alla carbonara at 1:00 AM to help stave-off any potential hangovers (Trader Joe's carries Citterio diced pancetta which I buy 4-at-a-time and keep in freezer for such occassions)...It didnt quite work since I woke up "suffering from exhaustion" that only 4 Advils and an El Grullense chile verde burrito could cure.

Half way into the festivities, my five-year-old declared that it was, "The best party ever!"  Happy Birthday, J.!

MARINATED GRILLED LEG OF LAMB FOR A PARTY

2 boneless, butterflied legs of lamb removed the netting and laid flat
8-10 sprigs of rosemary, leaves removed
1 whole head of garlic, peeled
4-6 sprigs fresh oregano, leaves removed
1 cup of red wine
1 cup of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Combine everything but the lamb in a food processor and whiz until a uniform paste is achieved.  Shmear all over the lamb, working into all the cracks and crevices, and then refrigerate overnight. (You can place the lamb in large zip-loc bags.)

To grill: preheat grill to high for 15 minutes. Salt lamb again on both side with coarse sea salt. Reduce heat to med-high then grill the lamb approximately 15 minutes on each side, with cover closed, checking occassionally.  Remove from grill, tent with foil for 10 minutes before carving and serving. Serves 12-15 people. Accompaniments: Greek salad, tzaziki, hummus, and flatbread.

Pasta with fresh white corn, heirloom tomatoes, and herbs

This is that salad that everyone makes in the summertime. I just love fresh (raw) corn, just off the cob, and summer tomatoes together.  When I want to make it into a heartier main dish or side, I add pasta to it, and perhaps some cheese (crumbled sheep's milk chevre is wonderful in this).

The tomatoes (especially the Green Zebras) were so outstanding that I didn't add cheese to it. I didn't want to take away from their sweetness.  I simply dressed the pasta with olive oil, salt and pepper and tossed it with the tomatoes and corn which I seasoned separately with salt, pepper, olive oil, and a splash of white balsamic vinegar. The final touch was the addition of freshly pick oregano and Italian and Thai basil, all of which I grow in pots on my patio.

We had company and I served this alongside grilled chicken paillard. It was a match made in heaven. It tasted so good sitting outside in our backyard sipping wine and chatting with our guest.  We had leftovers of both so I just chopped the chicken into the pasta and we ate it the next day for lunch.

Chicken Paillard on the grill

Thick chicken breasts make me gag. Especially when they are slathered in barbecue sauce to try and cover up their dry, stringiness. Bleck. I am definitely a dark meat kinda girl.

But—

I love chicken paillard (I've written about it before) which is just a fancy way of saying chicken that has been pounded uniformly flat, to about a 1/2-inch thickness. Parents: this is a great way to do chicken if you want to cook it quickly.  It couldn't be more kid-friendly.

The other night we had a friend over and did these on the grill. I marinated them in Eye-talian dressing for a couple hours after pounding them out and then cooked them for a couple minutes on each side. They came out moist and juicy and so tasty. A little squeeze of lemon and they are perfect.

Cheeseburgers with Sage Cheddar and Bacon (and lots of napkins)

I love writing about raw food and becoming vegetarian then following it up with a post about cheeseburgers.  I'm an unabashed Libra. What can I say?

Tonight we had grilled burgers topped with sage cheddar and bacon. The hamburger patties themselves were from Costco. They come in a huge pack and I divide them up and freeze them in 4's.  I really like the Costco hamburger patties (these are fresh, not frozen, and are located near the steaks) because they are so thick and so incredibly juicy. We've done them for friends and always get compliments. I just shrug and say, "Costco."  They don't need anything except salt and pepper.

To the burgers I added hunks of sage cheddar that I bought from a local maker at our neighborhood farmer's market. Then I topped them with thick-cut bacon (another reason to have ready-cooked bacon on hand), onions and lettuce. We like our burgers with mayo and ketchup, and for me, a squeeze of Sriracha.

Maybe tomorrow is vegetarian day.

The infamous "black meat" (so good)

Here in Silicon Valley, Schaub's Meat Market's Fred's Steak (aka marinated bottom sirloin) is legendary for two reasons:

1. It's made from a secret recipe and the butchers will not tell you what it is.
2. It's pitch black because of the air drying and the marinade. It's so weird-looking that my husband has dubbed it "baby seal."

I can honestly say that when we lived in Portland, this was one of the things I missed eating (along with good Mexican and Chinese Portland. And don't even go there Portland. You gotta a lot of great things to offer up in your beautiful city from the best cocktails anywhere to the luscious porchetta at Pastaworks, but good Mexican and Chinese food ain't on that list. Trust me.)

Henyway, the steak is best done up on the grill. Because it's so black it's hard to know where the marinade ends and the yummy, smokey,crusty char begins. The butchers will give you exact directions on how to cook it.  I follow it to the "T" and have never been disappointed.  The one time I overcooked it, it was still yummy, but I missed the juicy red center.  I prefer it cooked medium, but anyway you slice it, it's going to be a winner. It's also a fun thing to bring to cook-outs since people that have never seen it before just stare at it wondering what it is.

If you ever find yourself at Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto, swing around the backside and visit Schab's. It's worth a visit even if you don't buy a thing.

Great meals in Honolulu

a local-style lunch: fish, fried saimin, mac salad, rice, and mochiko chicken

I had planned on writing these meals up as I went along, but the beach got the better of me, and I never got around to it. Now the yumminess is just a distant memory, but just in case you ever visit Honolulu, you have to try these places.

Yesterday I was sitting in the hair salon getting my french-fried hair toned down (a month in the sand and surf did nothing for my hi-lites), and the woman next to me was talking about how horrible the food is in Hawaii.  How everything comes with two scoops of rice and macaroni salad, and I thought, "Girl, you have no clue." Then I  I thought, "Mmmmm. I could go for some of that RIGHT NOW."  She was obviously talking about plate lunches which are a local thing, and to understand the beauty and magic of a plate lunch you have to either be 1) local or 2) really hungry or 3) both.  The best place for plate lunches in Honolulu, bar none, is Rainbow Drive-in, a local institution.  Where else can you get a plate of gut-busting beef curry, beef stew, or chili with, yes, rice and mac salad for under $6? Shoot.

For quick snacks, you cannot beat Shirokiya's food hall. Shirokiya is a Japanese department store located in the Ala Moana Mall.  The top floor is a food hall which sells everything from packaged and canned Japanese goods to freshly prepared foods and groceries.  Grab a basket and wander around. Soon it will be filled with inari sushi, freshly fried tempura (sold by the piece), all manner of Japanese pickles, croquettes, assorted bento boxes, soba, you name it they have it or make it. My daughters love Shirokiya because they can choose whatever snack they want.  And don't forget to pick up a pastry or cream anpan at the St. Germain Bakery downstairs.

For sushi, I like to go to Akasaka at 1646 Kona Street, which is an unassuming restaurant sandwiched between a bunch of Korean strip clubs.  Hands down, the sushi cannot be beat. Silky, buttery, generous slices of fish overlap small balls of rice so much so that the end of the slice of fish fans out like a tail on the plate.  That is the way to eat sushi, in my opinion. Lotsa fish, not a lot of rice. I also like to order the chawanmushi there. It's like eating a puffy, custardy cloud.

For Korean food, nothing beats the hustle and bustle of the always-open Sorabol on Keeaumoku Street, near the Ala Moana shopping center.  My favorites there include: the raw fish salad (cubes of raw fish atop a herby mix of fresh greens with a spicy dressing), the fried zucchini and fish "jun", steamed butterfish, and, of course, the kal bi (bbq ribs).  Best of all, it's open 24 hours so you can get your barbecue on anytime.

And back to local favorites, I have to make my way to a Zippy's (Hawaii's version of Denny's) within 24 hours of setting foot on Hawaiian soil.  Where else can you get two eggs over-easy atop fried rice with a side of Portuguese sausage for breakfast?  Or fried saimin with sides fried chicken, kimchi, and macaroni salad for lunch? Zippy's is a beautiful, beautiful thing. And the service is always quick and friendly.

Lastly, it's not really a meal, but for groceries, I like to stock up at Umeke Market (4400 Kalanianaole Hwy.) in Kahala.  They have a wide selection of organic local produce (I practically ate my weight in local greens when I was in Honolulu) and organic meats. They also carry other organic grocery and health items like sunscreen and bug spray. The sad part is that a Whole Foods is going in nearby which almost assures the end of Umeke and the other local health food stores in the area.

I did go back to Side Street Inn while I was there, but I felt they were off their game. It just wasn't as good as the last time, but the pork chops still kick ass.