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Mar. 20th, 2023 08:50 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
madbakerThis week's Resolution Recipe: Pork Afritada (Braised Pork with Brussels Sprouts).
"A Filipino classic that calls for simmering chunks of pork shoulder until tender in a tomatoey braise of peppers, Brussels sprouts, peas, and more."
2 Tbsp olive oil
1.5 lbs pork shoulder, diced
3 onions, diced
2 Tbsp garlic (Ha! I used... more.)
1/2 bell pepper, diced
3 carrots, sliced
2 bay leaves
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 15-oz can crushed tomato
2 quarts (!) chicken stock or water
1 1/2 Tbsp fish sauce
1/2 Tbsp black peppercorns
salt
1/4 lb Brussels sprouts, quartered
1/2 cup frozen peas
steamed rice, for serving
Warm the oil in a heavy huge pot over medium-high heat. Add pork and sear on all sides until golden brown, about 7 minutes. Stir in onion, garlic, bell pepper, carrots, and bay leaves. Sauté until onions soften, 3-5 minutes. Add tomato paste and stir to combine. Mix in crushed tomatoes, stock or water, fish sauce, and peppercorns. Simmer over medium-high heat. If the mixture begins to look dry (It won't with that quantity!) add a splash of water.
Meanwhile, bring a small pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the Brussels sprouts and blanch until soft and paler in color, about 3 minutes. Drain and toss dry.
When pork is almost tender (after simmering for about 20 minutes) stir in Brussels sprouts. Continue cooking for 10 minutes. Add peas and simmer until plump and bright green, about 2 minutes more. Serve over rice.
What worked: This worked well for a homeowners' meeting dinner on a cool and damp night. The chef tricks of blanching the sprouts and adding the peas at the last kept the colors bright as promised. The slight bite of cooked whole peppercorns worked well without being overwhelming.
What didn't: There's a major problem with this recipe - it calls for 2 quarts stock, which is 8 cups. That is a huge amount. Yet the directions and picture clearly indicate that this is supposed to be a barely-covered braise, not a soup. Maybe it's supposed to be 2 cups? (I added about 3.) I ended up simmering this substantially longer until it had cooked off most of the liquid, making it more serve-able. It probably improved the flavor, at least.
Will I make it again? Probably not.
The chef has a Filipino-inspired restaurant in San Francisco, whose menu looks pretty good. It's on the other side of the city, though, so we probably won't try it.
"A Filipino classic that calls for simmering chunks of pork shoulder until tender in a tomatoey braise of peppers, Brussels sprouts, peas, and more."
2 Tbsp olive oil
1.5 lbs pork shoulder, diced
3 onions, diced
2 Tbsp garlic (Ha! I used... more.)
1/2 bell pepper, diced
3 carrots, sliced
2 bay leaves
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 15-oz can crushed tomato
2 quarts (!) chicken stock or water
1 1/2 Tbsp fish sauce
1/2 Tbsp black peppercorns
salt
1/4 lb Brussels sprouts, quartered
1/2 cup frozen peas
steamed rice, for serving
Warm the oil in a heavy huge pot over medium-high heat. Add pork and sear on all sides until golden brown, about 7 minutes. Stir in onion, garlic, bell pepper, carrots, and bay leaves. Sauté until onions soften, 3-5 minutes. Add tomato paste and stir to combine. Mix in crushed tomatoes, stock or water, fish sauce, and peppercorns. Simmer over medium-high heat. If the mixture begins to look dry (It won't with that quantity!) add a splash of water.
Meanwhile, bring a small pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the Brussels sprouts and blanch until soft and paler in color, about 3 minutes. Drain and toss dry.
When pork is almost tender (after simmering for about 20 minutes) stir in Brussels sprouts. Continue cooking for 10 minutes. Add peas and simmer until plump and bright green, about 2 minutes more. Serve over rice.
What worked: This worked well for a homeowners' meeting dinner on a cool and damp night. The chef tricks of blanching the sprouts and adding the peas at the last kept the colors bright as promised. The slight bite of cooked whole peppercorns worked well without being overwhelming.
What didn't: There's a major problem with this recipe - it calls for 2 quarts stock, which is 8 cups. That is a huge amount. Yet the directions and picture clearly indicate that this is supposed to be a barely-covered braise, not a soup. Maybe it's supposed to be 2 cups? (I added about 3.) I ended up simmering this substantially longer until it had cooked off most of the liquid, making it more serve-able. It probably improved the flavor, at least.
Will I make it again? Probably not.
The chef has a Filipino-inspired restaurant in San Francisco, whose menu looks pretty good. It's on the other side of the city, though, so we probably won't try it.
