colcannon

Malbec-Braised Pork Belly With Napa Potatoes

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For a long time, nobody around here would touch Pork belly with a ten-foot pole.
Pork belly was deemed to be inferior, unhealthy and fattening. However, during the past couple of years, secondary meat cuts (as well as offal) have become “IN”, so all of a sudden pork belly, almost always “Asian Glazed”, has popped up on every menu in town. While this could be a good development, the sad fact is that a tiny portion of pork belly now costs as much as a steak and most preparations leave a lot to be desired.
The smart solution? Cook it at home, naturally 🙂
I grew up with pork belly and most other secondary cuts, as well as offal, so I have been eating this stuff all my life and have a number of recipes for all of them.
Yesterday I prepared pork belly in one of the most simple yet also most delicious way:
Braised in red wine and veggies, served with mashed potatoes.
When I was a kid, my Mom used to mix the mashed potatoes with fresh cabbage to make a very hearty and tasty dish. Although I don’t remember the name of this dish, it stayed in my memory because my brother and I loved it, but my Dad hated it because in his opinion it was not traditional and therefore should not be served for a proper meal. This dish approximates the Italian “Lesso di Patate e Cavolo Verza” and the Irish “Colcannon”. Apparently, my Mom was right-on with her creation 🙂
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Click here for more Pork Belly on ChefsOpinion
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Malbec-Braised Pork Belly With Napa Potatoes

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: cut 2 lbs pork belly into 8 thick pieces, season with kosher salt and fresh-cracked pepper

: saute pork belly on all sides until golden brown

: remove pork from pan, reserve

: in the same pan, saute 1 cup diced carrots and onions until caramelized, deglaze with 3 cups malbec (or red wine of your preference)

: return the pork to the pan, add 3 cups of beef stock

: cover pan, simmer until pork is tender, about 2 ,5 hours

: meanwhile, peel and dice 2 lbs potatoes, cook in salted water, drain

: while the pork and the potatoes are cooking, saute 1 cup onion julienne in 3 oz whole butter and 3 oz olive oil until translucent

: add 1 ea sliced napa cabbage and 1 cup chicken or beef stock, saute until cabbage wilt’s

: add the cooked potatoes

: mash the potatoes coarsely, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper

: if the potatoes are too dry, add olive oil until the puree has the desired texture

: check/adjust the seasoning

: when the pork belly is tender, add 1/2 cup sliced scallions, check/adjust seasoning

: plate the potato puree, top with the pork belly and sauce or serve pork belly and sauce separate; serves 4

: Malbec-Braised Pork Belly With Napa Potatoes

: Malbec-Braised Pork Belly With Napa Potatoes

: Malbec-Braised Pork Belly With Napa Potatoes

: Malbec-Braised Pork Belly With Napa Potatoes

: Malbec-Braised Pork Belly With Napa Potatoes

: Malbec-Braised Pork Belly With Napa Potatoes

: Malbec-Braised Pork Belly With Napa Potatoes

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Éirinn go Brách – Cál ceannann (Colcannon)………

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Colcannon, Corned Beef & Horseradish Sauce
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Cál ceannann (Colcannon) is, in the form presented here, without a doubt one of the most sumptuous and decadent potato dishes you’ll find in any home or restaurant. Far removed from its humble beginnings, this version is loaded with butter, cream, leeks and scallions, seasoned with sea salt and nutmeg and served with corned beef in horseradish cream. This combination far elevates the corned beef above its more common pairing with simple cabbage and onions.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Link to Horseradish Sauce Recipe
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Link to Corned Beef Recipe
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Colcannon, Corned Beef & Horseradish Sauce

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: getting started with the colcannon…..

: dice leeks into fine brunoise, thinly slice scallions

: simmer leeks in cream until soft

: peel and slice potatoes, simmer in salted water until soft

: drain potatoes

: add a stick of butter, cayenne pepper, grated nutmeg

: add cream with leeks

: add scallions

: blend all into smooth puree

: to serve, place a portion of potatoes on plate next to sliced corned beef, make an indention, place a generous knob of butter in indention

: ladle horseradish sauce over corned beef

: Colcannon, Corned Beef & Horseradish Sauce

: Colcannon, Corned Beef & Horseradish Sauce

: Colcannon, Corned Beef & Horseradish Sauce

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Corned Beef – Getting Ready For St Patrick’s Day

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Here is the deal – you can of course buy corned beef ready-made :-(, – or you can make your own, which in most cases will leave you not only with a far superior product, but also with unbeatable bragging rights 🙂
Usually, you want to brine your brisket for about 10 days (depending on the size), but if you add the beef to a boiling brine, bring it back to a simmer for a few minutes, then cool it down in the brine, your beef should be ready after 4 – 6 day’s, again depending on the size of the brisket. (Cut it into smaller pieces if you are pressed on time, the brine will penetrate faster)
So, two weeks ago I bought 8 lbs of the finest brisket I could find – grass-fed, organic – no added hormones nor added antibiotics. At about $ 10.00 a lb, this was a sizable investment, but judging after the first test, well worth the Mula. Bella agreed, as you can see in the pic below 🙂 Then there was the waiting time for ten days until yesterday, when I cooked the meat for about 2,5 hours, (one more time – cooking time depends on the size of the brisket) and then, finally, corned beef wonderland !
Bella and I had some of it yesterday, the rest will be had for a variety of dishes for the next few days leading up to St Paddy’s day.
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Bon Appetit ! Life Is Good !

Click here for Corned Beef Brine

Please note that I omitted the Saltpeter (potassium nitrate) in the brine of the corned beef. Saltpeter will turn the meat into the bright- red colored corned beef we are normally used to. However, I am trying to stay away from the stuff since my doctor has given me the news that all the medicine I am forced to take has messed up my kidney’s, most notably Metformin. Saltpeter is therefore not an ingredient I should use in my food. On top of that, if you want to use the stock from cooking the corned beef for a soup, you sure don’t want that soup to be laced with saltpeter ! After the corned beef is cooked, you want to strain the stock and reserve for further use for soup and/ or sauce. I will make a Velouté with some of the stock to make a horseradish sauce for my “Corned Beef With Horseradish Sauce And Colcannon“. (Upcoming post).

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