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Sep. 13th, 2020 12:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
madbakerThis week's Resolution Recipe: Phoenician Diner BLT with Basil Aioli.
"Here's the number 1 rule with tomatoes: when you've got a really good one, leave it alone."
This will seem like a lot of work, but it's mostly planning. And then time.
cured pork belly, chilled (below - make ahead of time)
4 slices sourdough bread, toasted
basil aioli
2 large leaves crisp lettuce
1-2 large ripe tomatoes, sliced
Cured pork belly:
2 lbs fresh pork belly, skin-off
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 clove garlic, finely minced (Ha! I used... more.)
1 tsp Spanish paprika (I used smoked paprika)
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground fennel seed
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Place the pork belly in a large glass or ceramic baking dish. Mix the cure together, then sprinkle it generously over the meat and massage it into the flesh to coat evenly. Cover with plastic and leave in the fridge overnight or up to 24 hours.
The next day, position an oven rack at the lowest setting and heat the oven to 350. Remove the pork from the fridge and pat dry with a towel, leaving the rub that's clung to the meat, but scraping off any extra spice rub that has pooled at the base of the meat. Cook the meat for 30 minutes. Carefully pour off the rendered fat into a dish and return the pork to the oven to roast for another 30 minutes - the meat should be dark brown and soft to the touch. Remove from the oven and pour off the rendered fat again.
Once cool to the touch, wrap in plastic and store in the fridge until fully chilled, at least 2 hours and preferably overnight. It will keep up to 2 weeks in the fridge.
Basil Aioli:
1 large egg yolk
1 clove garlic, minced (Ha! You know the drill.)
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 cup each vegetable oil and olive oil
leaves from 1 small bunch basil, chopped (about 2 Tbsp)
salt
Combine the egg yolk, garlic, lemon juice, and mustard. Whisk together until smooth and creamy. Combine the oils and slowly drizzle into the egg yolk while whisking vigorously. Fold in the basil and season with salt. The aioli will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
BLT:
Slice the cured pork belly into 1/4" thick pieces, cut lengthwise so they're approximately the size of your toasted bread. Return the pork slices to the fridge for at least 10 minutes to fully chill.
Line a plate with paper towels. Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat and cook the belly pieces until brown and crispy, 3-4 minutes per side. Carefully pour the fat from the pan into a dish. Drain the belly on the plate.
Spread the bread generously with the aioli. Divide the pork belly among the sandwiches and top each with a lettuce leaf, several slices of tomato, and the top slices of bread. Serve immediately.
What worked: These sandwiches were very good, as promised. The fried cured pork belly was bacon-like, but chewy rather than crispy, and being much thicker was meatier. Basil aioli is a nice spread on a BLT.
What didn't: Both the pork belly and aioli recipe make far more than two sandwiches' worth - probably four to six. We had two nights of BLTs back-to-back and still had plenty left over.
Realistically, this is a lot of work for a home BLT and not that much of an improvement (especially when using house-made bacon).
Will I make it again? I did with the leftovers. But probably not again, although we quite liked it. It's just too much effort and output for two of us.
"Here's the number 1 rule with tomatoes: when you've got a really good one, leave it alone."
This will seem like a lot of work, but it's mostly planning. And then time.
cured pork belly, chilled (below - make ahead of time)
4 slices sourdough bread, toasted
basil aioli
2 large leaves crisp lettuce
1-2 large ripe tomatoes, sliced
Cured pork belly:
2 lbs fresh pork belly, skin-off
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 clove garlic, finely minced (Ha! I used... more.)
1 tsp Spanish paprika (I used smoked paprika)
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground fennel seed
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Place the pork belly in a large glass or ceramic baking dish. Mix the cure together, then sprinkle it generously over the meat and massage it into the flesh to coat evenly. Cover with plastic and leave in the fridge overnight or up to 24 hours.
The next day, position an oven rack at the lowest setting and heat the oven to 350. Remove the pork from the fridge and pat dry with a towel, leaving the rub that's clung to the meat, but scraping off any extra spice rub that has pooled at the base of the meat. Cook the meat for 30 minutes. Carefully pour off the rendered fat into a dish and return the pork to the oven to roast for another 30 minutes - the meat should be dark brown and soft to the touch. Remove from the oven and pour off the rendered fat again.
Once cool to the touch, wrap in plastic and store in the fridge until fully chilled, at least 2 hours and preferably overnight. It will keep up to 2 weeks in the fridge.
Basil Aioli:
1 large egg yolk
1 clove garlic, minced (Ha! You know the drill.)
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 cup each vegetable oil and olive oil
leaves from 1 small bunch basil, chopped (about 2 Tbsp)
salt
Combine the egg yolk, garlic, lemon juice, and mustard. Whisk together until smooth and creamy. Combine the oils and slowly drizzle into the egg yolk while whisking vigorously. Fold in the basil and season with salt. The aioli will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
BLT:
Slice the cured pork belly into 1/4" thick pieces, cut lengthwise so they're approximately the size of your toasted bread. Return the pork slices to the fridge for at least 10 minutes to fully chill.
Line a plate with paper towels. Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat and cook the belly pieces until brown and crispy, 3-4 minutes per side. Carefully pour the fat from the pan into a dish. Drain the belly on the plate.
Spread the bread generously with the aioli. Divide the pork belly among the sandwiches and top each with a lettuce leaf, several slices of tomato, and the top slices of bread. Serve immediately.
What worked: These sandwiches were very good, as promised. The fried cured pork belly was bacon-like, but chewy rather than crispy, and being much thicker was meatier. Basil aioli is a nice spread on a BLT.
What didn't: Both the pork belly and aioli recipe make far more than two sandwiches' worth - probably four to six. We had two nights of BLTs back-to-back and still had plenty left over.
Realistically, this is a lot of work for a home BLT and not that much of an improvement (especially when using house-made bacon).
Will I make it again? I did with the leftovers. But probably not again, although we quite liked it. It's just too much effort and output for two of us.
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Date: 2020-09-13 10:01 pm (UTC)