Miso Satisfied!

Before I get to the reason for this post, the amazing Ginger-Miso Striped Bass I made last night, a quick sharing moment so that you might be saved my pain. Or, in other words, using my stupidity to save yourselves. I was prepping the rub for the incredible Pernil (a slow-cooked pork shoulder) this morning for friends who are coming over later today. I had yet to put in my contacts, and was buzzing around in my glasses, processing up the onion, garlic, chili powder and other flavoring agents, slathered it all over that lovely piece of pork goodness, washed my hands, and made the ill-advised decision to put in my contacts. Popped the first one into my right eye, and....HOLY FUCK!! I almost dropped to my knees as my whole eye lit up like someone had stuck a lit match in it. As tears were streaming down my face and expletives were flying fast and furious, I realized that maybe washing one's hands that had recently been in contact with acid laden spicy bits then applying those same hands to tender body parts wasn't the best idea. I washed up again before doing harm to my left eye while cursing myself for being such an idiot. To save yourself the same self inflicted pain, wash twice...at least, or better yet: latex gloves!

Now that the burning in my eye has stopped and I can see my keyboard again, I can get to the whole point of this missive, which was last night's deliciously satisfying dinner. w and I have been on a kind of meat fest lately at home, or going out way too much, so we were both in the mood for something lighter. While I was at work not working, I came across the perfect antidote to indulgence-itis in the form of this Japanese inspired recipe from epicurious. I called w and she went shopping for the few things we needed at our favorite Asian market here in PDX, ABC Seafood. They cleaned and filleted a fresh striped bass into two perfect portions, she grabbed the rest of the stuff, and we were on! Another way simple to prepare dish that tasted so fresh and clean, yet with a nice complexity from the ginger-infused miso broth. It immediately earned a place in our regular rotation, and I can't wait to share with friends!
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Ginger-Miso Striped Bass in shiitake mushroom broth
from epicurious
makes 2 servings.

ingredients:
2 cups water
4 tablespoons red miso (aka-miso), divided
4 large shiitake mushrooms (about 4 ounces), stemmed, thinly sliced
3 green onions, dark and pale green part thinly sliced, white part minced
4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
2 6-ounce skinless striped bass fillets
1/4 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
Chopped fresh cilantro

method:
Whisk 2 cups water and 2 tablespoons red miso in medium saucepan. Add shiitake mushrooms and simmer over medium heat until mushrooms are soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in dark and pale green onion tops. Cover to keep warm and set aside.


The striped bass, just after going in the pan with the coated side down.






Meanwhile, mix 2 tablespoons red miso, minced white part of green onion, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, and minced fresh ginger in small bowl. Sprinkle striped bass fillets with salt and pepper. Spread ginger mixture over 1 side of bass fillets, pressing to adhere. Sprinkle panko over coated side of fillets; press to adhere.

Now flipped over, just getting done, ready to lay on top of the udon and broth.







Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add fillets to skillet, coated side down, and sauté until brown and crisp, about 3 minutes. Turn fillets over and sauté until cooked through, about 3 minutes. Divide shiitake mushroom broth and shiitake mushrooms between 2 shallow bowls.

Pernil...aka pork shoulder love!

Not to go all Apocalypse Now on you, but I love it when people get all shot up, blood splatters all over the landscape, and general emotional and physical mayhem ensues.........oh, wait, what I meant to say is "I loooove the smell of pork in the evening". Especially a huge honking chunk of pork product slowly roasting in the oven . In this case the star of my little production was an 8-1/2 pound piece of bone-in pork shoulder, and it turned out to be everything Mark Bittman promised in a recent NYT article. Thank god Marlon Brando wasn't around to shove it all in his gaping maw.


The pernil after (top left) and before cooking (left), all rubbed up and ready to go.









The occasion for this big bit of hog heaven (and tiresome cinematic references) was my sis's birthday dinner, which she kindly consented to let me cook for her. I already had my main course agenda planted in my mind ever since reading Bittman's story about a dish called Pernil, which is Puerto Rican spice rubbed, slow roasted pork shoulder. As soon as I read about it (and watched this video), I knew I had to make it....and soon! I really do love large hunks of animal, and luckily I have a large number of enablers who are always more than willing to help me explore this passion. With side dishes consisting of Puerto Rican rice and a bacalao and onion salad (which were both perfectly stunning accompaniments) provided by our friends J&K, this was can't miss. Although I had never cooked this particular meatiness before, I had to believe Bittman's comment that "the process is beyond easy and incredibly impressive, it feeds as many people as a medium-size ham, and the flavor is unbelievable." And it was. Crazy tender, succulent, beautifully flavored from the spice schmear and the fat that had been rendering into the meat for the six hours it spent in the oven. I don't care if I ever see another lean, bland pork loin, because it doesn't even come close to the flavor of the shoulder. Plus, our 8.5 pound piece of piggy cost a mere $17.00!! The bang for the food buck is off the charts. For those of you who have a hard time accepting compliments, this might not be your dish. But for those who love the lotion like me, try this at home next time you have a table of six or eight waiting to be wowed, and let the food love wash all over your deserving ego.

J's fab Puerto Rican rice with sneaky bits of pork loin!







Oh, and did I mention the wine we had with dinner? No? Well, wait until tomorrow.......
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Pernil
from Mark Bittman/NYT
Time: At least 4 hours

ingredients:
1 pork shoulder, 4 to 8+ pounds (or use fresh ham)
4 or more cloves garlic, peeled
1 large onion, quartered
2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves or 1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ancho or other mild chili powder
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil as needed
1 tablespoon wine or cider vinegar
Lime wedges for serving.

method:
1. Heat oven to 300 degrees. Score meat’s skin with a sharp knife, making a cross-hatch pattern. Pulse garlic, onion, oregano, cumin, chili, salt and pepper together in a food processor, adding oil in a drizzle and scraping down sides as necessary, until mixture is pasty. (Alternatively, mash ingredients in a mortar and pestle.) Blend in the vinegar.

2. Rub this mixture well into pork, getting it into every nook and cranny. Put pork in a roasting pan and film bottom with water. Roast pork for several hours (a 4-pound shoulder may be done in 3 hours), turning every hour or so and adding more water as necessary, until meat is very tender. Finish roasting with the skin side up until crisp, raising heat at end of cooking if necessary.

3. Let meat rest for 10 to 15 minutes before cutting it up; meat should be so tender that cutting it into uniform slices is almost impossible; rather, whack it up into chunks. Serve with lime.

Yield: At least 6 servings.