On March 8, 2004, I decided to start a blog. That blog is now 18 years old and can thus vote, buy a lottery ticket, and get a tattoo. I send my heartfelt thanks to all of you reading this today—those of you who have been here since the beginning, when there was no such thing as "social media," as well as those who've joined in at some point along the way. As I've said before, without you, I'd just keep a journal. I treasure the friends I've made here, in what used to be known as the blogosphere, and I love everyone's comments—whether here or on Facebook or Twitter or via email. Let's see if we can get this blog up to the legal drinking age, shall we?
While I'm here, I might as well share a couple of recipes. (As you've no doubt noticed, nearly all of my editor-speak and political rants happen over on Twitter, so recipes, book and movie reviews, and the occasional family update are pretty much the standard fare here now.)
I continue to loathe everything about football, but every year for the Super Bowl I welcome the opportunity to cook something fun and "Game Day"-ish. This year I went classic, with wings and ribs, but tried brand-new recipes that are both keepers.
The wings are the dry, crispy kind (as opposed to the saucy, sticky kind), but you could certainly offer Buffalo sauce or some other favorite dip alongside. We enjoyed 'em as is.
1 tablespoon cornstarch
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon black pepper
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper [As usual, I skipped this and added more black pepper.]
1 tablespoon neutral oil [What do you use? I use safflower these days. At some point I read something bad about canola, but now I can’t remember what it was…]
2½ pounds chicken wings (flats and/or drumettes) [I had only about 1½ pounds, but I didn’t decrease the spice quantities. The recipe says you could even double up on all the seasonings.]
Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, then place a wire rack on top.
In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and spices.
Pat the wings dry, then put them in a large bowl. Drizzle the oil over them, then toss until the wings are coated. Add the cornstarch-seasoning mixture, then toss again to coat.
Place the wings on the wire rack, making sure they're not touching. Bake for 30 minutes, then flip the wings and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes, or until they're as brown as you like.
The ribs recipe comes from a wonderful Chinese food blog called The Woks of Life, which features contributions by an entire family! The ribs came out awesome, and I served them on top of fried rice as recommended. You need to leave time to marinate, so plan ahead. And do check out the website (link below) for more info on some of the unfamiliar ingredients and some helpful process photos.
2½ pounds boneless pork butt
2 garlic cloves, minced
3½ tablespoons sugar
2½ teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon five-spice powder
¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon ground bean sauce [I couldn’t find this, in which case the recipe said to use more hoisin.]
1 tablespoon ketchup
3 tablespoons pineapple juice [I didn't want to buy a giant jug that would then go to waste, so I mixed about 2 teaspoons of frozen pineapple juice concentrate with 2 tablespoons of water. I later read in the comments where it said you could use orange or apple juice too, but this worked fine.]
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
⅛ teaspoon red food coloring (optional) [Yes!]
2 tablespoons maltose or honey [I couldn't find maltose.]
Freeze the pork until firm but not rock solid, about 45 minutes. Slice the pork into ¾-inch-thick slabs.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the garlic, sugar, salt, five-spice powder, white pepper, Shaoxing wine, hoisin sauce, ground bean sauce more hoisin, ketchup, pineapple juice, sesame oil, and red food coloring (if using). Mix until smooth.
Add the pork and toss until well coated. Cover and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours, stirring a few times if you think of it.
Let the pork come to room temperature on the counter for 2 hours. [This seemed like a long time to me—I did maybe 1 or 1½ hours max.]
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet pan or roasting pan with heavy-duty foil, then place a wire rack on top.
Place the pork pieces on the rack, leaving at least 1 inch of space between the pieces. Pour ½ cup hot water in the bottom of the pan and bake for 15 minutes. Flip the pork and bake for another 15 minutes. If the pan is dry, add another ½ cup hot water.
Mix the maltose or honey with 2 teaspoons hot water and generously brush the pork on both sides. If desired, you can roast the pork under the broiler set to low for a few minutes until the pork is lightly charred and caramelized, but watch closely so it doesn't burn! [I did this.]
After broiling, brush them once more with the maltose or honey. Let the pork rest for 5 or 10 minutes, then slice.
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