Pork with Jalapenos and Cilantro

With no time for sausage making, I took the ingredients for the recipe I had to make meatloaf. Meatloaf? Again? Coarsely ground pork shoulder meets chopped jalapenos and cilantro for this fresh, spicy and moist dish that's delicious sausage-wise on the barbecue, or in this case, a succulent dinner as a meatloaf when time is compromised.

Two pounds of pork shoulder, one firmly packed cup of chopped cilantro leaves and five large sized jalapenos, chopped with half of the seeds. Add salt, a splash of tequila and form into a loaf pan. (Or stuff into sausage casings).

If you're concerned about the looseness of the mixture, add breadcrumbs and/or egg if you like, I prefer not.

Bake at 350 degrees until done.

I served the dish with a simple white rice steamed with the addition of a chopped tomato and two medium-sized sprigs of fresh mint. The tomato is for a bit of colour and the mint provides a delicate brightness to the rice that works well with the cilantro and jalapeno of the meatloaf.

A simple slaw of your own invention is a perfect accompaniment. In this case, cabbage, celery and carrot tossed in a lime vinaigrette.

Crazy delicious.

Ginger and Salt

The story goes something like this: When Mark Bittman hung out more in Vancouver - because he was/is jazzed about the outstanding selection of Asian cuisine - he happened upon a simply spectacular dipping sauce while noshing at a Richmond Cantonese restaurant.

It is a simple combination of ginger, green onions, oil and salt. And by salt, I mean it is an integral ingredient that sits out front alongside the others. And it is spectacular.

I re-discovered the recipe the other day and decided to pay a repeat visit.

While the original recipe stated by Bittman calls for steamed chicken, the bold flavour combination is brilliant on steamed white fish from cod to halibut. It's also delicious on steamed rice and vegetables, too. Be forewarned, you'll be trying this addictive sauce on everything from soup to nuts. Literally.
With 1/2 cup of canola oil, I add a little more than a tablespoon of minced ginger - my rasp produces a nice paste - 1/3 cup of finely chopped scallions - green and white combined - and salt to taste. Don't be afraid. It wakes up the other flavours. Think of the end result like the savoury version of pop rocks.

And don't be afraid to play with the balance of flavours either, add more ginger or green onions if you want. There are no fast rules, just use your own sense of taste.

Once the halibut is steamed, drizzle it with a tiny bit of sesame oil and soy, add the sauce as you see fit. The best thing is to issue each person with their own supply.

You're in for a treat.

Chilie Tuxta on a Sunday Afternoon

A recent chat about Mexican cookbooks had me hankering for a taste of Mexico. What better way than to start cooking those culinary souvenirs from a recent trip.

The tiny chilie tuxta, looking like a dried strawberry, that I purchased in the market of Puerto Escondido, needed to be made into a salsa.

The ratio is 1/2 ounce of chilies to 1/2 pound of tomatillos, but it's not etched in stone. (I'll play around with ratios for the next batch. Just because).

After a tedious session of picking off the stems and removing the outstanding amount of seeds each chilie contained, I quickly fried the little buggers in some olive oil to crisp them, and drained on paper towels.

Tomatillos, husked and rinsed, were roasted on a comal until the flesh turns a pale green ant the tomatillos become soft. I also roasted two cloves of garlic in their skins and two slices of onion.
Whipped up in a blender, the salsa was a wonderful blend of acidity and heat with a smokey undertone. I had to add a bit of sugar to the salsa to counteract the tart-bitter notes of the tomatillos.

Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close up.

Chips and salsa do not a lunch make, so with visions of summer to come, I cobbled together a lunch al fresco.

Lovage, a leafy pungent herb, is staking its claim in my garden. I find it a welcome flavour in ground meats for burgers along with mustard and chopped shallots.

So be it.

A little trick I like to apply is to stuff the inside of the burger with goat cheese so it becomes a molten patty when eaten.
A little caramelized onions, a bunch of salads, a couple of margaritas and you have yourself lunch.

Julie's Margaritas

Crushed ice cubes in glass

1 1/2 oz silver tequila (100 percent agave)

under 1 oz cointreau or triple sec

Juice of one lime - or to taste.

Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf

I dread potlucks. Memories of past events come streaming in: ten versions of hummus on one table, the horrifying multi-layered "Mexican" dip, the lazyass bag-of-chips bringers and the ubiquitous and tasteless shrimp ring. Sad and scary food experiences all.

But when I was recently asked to attend a family birthday with a dish, "it's a Hawaiian theme," I winced once or twice and then rallied strength once I remembered the Bacon Explosion. (Besides, the event sounded like a hummus and Mexi-dip-free zone).

Riffing on the original, I used ground pork and beef, adding drained and finely chopped canned pineapple and a good handful of chipotle en adobo, seeds removed. Worked together and formed into a giant meatloaf, I then wove a blanket of bacon and tucked the whole thing into a 350 degree oven.
When the internal temperature reached 150, I removed from the oven, wrapped the whole thing in two towels and packed it to-go in a thermal bag.
Sweet, hot, meaty and juicy with a good dose of bacony goodness. Potluck dread no more. The lesson here is a theme. It helps the hostess, the potluck bringers and receivers.

Garlic Chicken Revisited

When dinner needs to be quick and easy, I turn to garlic chicken for sustenance.

I upped the garlic this time around , 20 cloves crushed to a paste with salt in my trusty molcajete.
I'm really into chicken legs with back attached these days. There's some extra tasty goodness from those backs that I'm really enjoying. I remove the skin just for some sense of healthiness - but don't let me dictate your preferences. I used four legs with backs, separating each for eight pieces total.

The garlic paste is worked into the flesh, then add a slick of olive oil, freshly cracked pepper and a smattering of sea salt.

For baking, I've given up on tin foil for the joys of parchment paper. Less to clean up, and the chicken doesn't stick to the paper. And the paper doesn't stick to the pan like foil always does!

Bake at 375 degrees, turning once, until done, about 40 minutes.

While the chicken is baking, risotto with chopped lemon zest and parsley seemed the right thing to accompany.
And the easiest salad in the world is iceberg lettuce, cut into a wedge, sprinkled with blue cheese, drizzled with olive oil, sherry vinegar and salt and pepper.

Rasp out some cheese for the risotto (I used some ricotta salata I had on hand).

Add to the risotto. Plate up. Dinner is served.

Sugar Buns

Here it is. The object of my affection. Set among the scones, muffins, cinnamon buns, wicked cakes and breads at Vancouver's Giovane Cafe and Bakery is the Sugar Bun. A force to be dealt with.

Created and perfected by manager and pastry chef Dawne Gourley, the voluptuous sugar bun is part doughnut, part sweet bun, with a good dose of divine deliciousness. Made from brioche dough, the creature, about as big as a baseball, is baked with a little pastry cream to create - as Gourley notes - steam and space. Perche? Wait for it.

Once baked, the bun is brushed with melted, clarified butter, rolled in granulated sugar and then......... filled with more pastry cream. You need space for that.

A sense of decorum is needed if sitting in the cafe with the sugar bun. In this instance, I find a knife and fork essential. Otherwise, what you do in private is nobody's business.

Baked daily and selling out fast, this unique Vancouver treat kicks those creme puff joints to the curb.

Giovane is located at the new Fairmont Pacific Rim, 1038 Canada Place. Go get one.

Vancouver's Ramen Rapture

Santouka is the latest ramen house to open on lower Robson Street in Vancouver. Hokkaido Ramen Santouka is a well-regarded Japanese chain with five outlets in California. This is their first Canadian enterprise.

Slowly simmered pork bones(tonkotsu) produces their stock in trade, resulting in a rich, pearl-coloured elixir that has a toasty aroma revealing notes of dried kelp and dried fish that are some of its other integral ingredients.

Six large stock pots are in various stages of simmering at Santouka, watched over by the resident chefs.
Ramen noodles imported from Japan are cooked to order in mini steam baskets set in boiling water. Set in signature blue bowls the noodles are worked by a chef to separate and mingle with the broth before serving.
I ordered the #12 Toroniku Shio Ramen of long cooked - up to 20 hours - pork cheeks presented on a plate with salted Japanese plum, bamboo shoots, fish cake, green onion and the chocolate-coloured wood ear fungus.

The pork cheeks with excellent fatty edges were akin to eating soft butter. It was so good I almost fell off my chair.

Add the ingredients to the amazing broth, slurp the perfectly cooked noodles. Taste and be seduced by the flavour complexities. Go directly to ramen heaven.
While some aficionados aren't convinced of Santouka's superior product, my experience was nothing short of an epiphany. (After all, I am from Vancouver Island, a far cry from ethnic diversity in the culinary department.)

I relish the idea of my future ramen adventures. One down, three more to go. Ramen here I come.

Hokkaido Ramen Santouka, 1690 Robson St., 604-681-8121 Open 11 am - 11 pm. (Cash only).