Tag Archives: Pork

A Review of Stop & Shop’s Recipe for Korean Stir-Fry with Pork and Asian Noodles

15 Friday Dec 2017

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Korean Stir-Fry with Pork and Asian Noodles

I’ve been trying some new recipes while we are between baseball and soccer seasons.  First, right off the bat, this is a recipe we would try again.  That being said, I think some comments and modifications are in order.

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Some notes about us, because that may affect how you perceive the comments:

  • We don’t eat many stir frys.
  • We’ve never had veggie noodles.  And, I’m the only one here who really likes sweet potatoes.
  • I haven’t cooked these noodles or with Korean BBQ sauce before, but those both seemed well within our reach.
  • I am a zero pepper person, though most of the family would prefer things spicier.

There are definite pros:

  1. This recipe is super easy.  The most time consuming thing was cutting up the pork.  Plus, it gives suggestions for preparation that can be done in advance.
  2. It is good and was accepted by all the kids.
  3. It’s quick, and makes a complete meal in one pot.
  4. The ingredients are not hard to find.  I did not buy all of them at Stop & Shop, despite this being their recipe.  I’m sure I could have.

But, I would change things up a bit:

  1. It needs more sauce, like double the amount.
  2. And, I think pretty much anyone could handle a spicier sauce.  They sell a spicy Korean BBQ sauce also which I would recommend.
  3. The sweet potato noodles felt a bit gimicky.  They tasted fine and were cooked properly, they just didn’t seem necessary.
  4. On the other hand, this could easily be made vegetarian by leaving out the pork.  You wouldn’t be missing much, but I would leave the sweet potato noodles in.

In summary: more sauce, possibly spicier, and leave out either the sweet potato noodles or pork.

**Stop & Shop is not everywhere within the US.  In the Metro DC area, for example, it is known as Giant.  Maybe other names elsewhere.

Pan-Fried Pork Dumplings

05 Friday May 2017

Posted by in Recipes

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This recipe admittedly takes a long time.  It also uses some less standard ingredients.  But, it makes a lot so freeze some and have an easy dinner another night (or two).  Yes, there is a broccoli stir fry that goes with the dumplings.  I’ll post that recipe next week.

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Pork Dumplings
adapted from Family Fun magazine, February 2010

Ingredients:
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1 Tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp oyster sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp cornstarch
½ tsp sugar
¼ tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp pepper
¼ lb shredded Napa cabbage (about 2 cups)
¼ cup minced scallions
2 tsp minced fresh ginger
1 small garlic clove, minced
½ lb ground pork
24* round dumpling wrappers or wonton skins

Directions:

  1. Whisk together the egg white, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, cornstarch, sugar, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.
  2. Stir in the cabbage, scallions, ginger, and garlic.  Add the pork and stir until fully combined.
  3. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  4. Stuff the dumplings.
    1. Fill a small bowl with water.
    2. Lay out 6 wrappers on your work surface.  Cover the remainder with a wet paper towel.
    3. Spoon 2 tsp of filling into the center of each wrapper.
    4. Using water on your finger, moisten the outer rim of each wrapper.
    5. Bring the opposite sides of the wrapper together and pinch together, eliminating as much air as possible.
      1. Avoid having too much filling as it will break the wrapper.
  5. Transfer the dumplings to the baking sheets, spacing them so they don’t touch.  Cover with a damp cloth while you finish the other dumplings.
  6. Refrigerate for up to two hours.  Or, freeze on the baking sheet and then transfer frozen, uncooked dumplings to a freezer bag for up to three months.
  7. Cook the dumplings.
    1. Heat 2 tsp vegetable oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.  Arrange about a dozen dumplings in the pan, not touching, and leave for 2 minutes to cook the wrapper.
    2. Add ¼ cup of water, and cover.  Let cook for 5 minutes.
    3. Uncover the pan and raise the heat to cook off the remaining water.
    4. Continue frying the dumplings for 2 additional minutes.
    5. Serve immediately or transfer to a warm oven.
    6. Repeat for remaining dumplings.
    7. If dumplings are frozen, do not thaw.  Follow the same process, but increase the cooking time from 5 to 7 minutes.

*Note:  I have never been able to fit all the filling in 24 wrappers so I purchase extras (roughly double) to use all the filling.

Braised Pork

06 Friday Feb 2015

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Well, one positive thing did come out of all this snow.

When all this first happened they were forecasting widespread power outages.  That didn’t happen and our smoker got entirely buried.  So, the pork butt I bought had gone unused.

But, the second storm came along and it was time to shop the pantry.  Searching online for something to do with it I found Melissa d’Arabian’s Succulent Braised Pork.  I had all the ingredients (except the parsley stems so we just skipped those).  I also doubled the recipe.  It was excellent – flavor and texture – and so easy to make.  We served it over a bed of mashed potatoes.

Succulent Braised Pork
Recipe courtesy of Melissa d’Arabian and Food Network

Ingredients:
2 pounds of pork shoulder, cut into 6 large chunks
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 cup red wine
1 ½ cups beef stock or broth
1 bunch parsley stems, tied with string
2 bay leaves
1 cup water

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Pat the pork dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
  2. In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches brown the meat on all sides until a golden crust forms.  Transfer the pork to a plate.
  3. To the pan add the onion, celery, and carrot and sweat until softened, 5 to 7 minutes.
  4. Add the garlic and sweat another 2 minutes.
  5. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 3 minutes to cook off the raw flavor and caramelize it.
  6. Sprinkle with the flour and cook another 2 minutes to cook off its raw flavor.
  7. Wisk in the wine and reduce it by half.
  8. Return the pork to the Dutch oven, then stir in the beef stock/broth, parsley stems, and bay leaves. Add the water if liquid does not come up to the top of the pork.  Do not cover the pork with liquid.
  9. Cover the pan and place it in the oven to braise until the meet is fork tender, about 3 hours. Taste and season with more salt and pepper, if needed.  Transfer to a serving platter and serve.