Boucher Farm Pork Stir-fry

Boucher Farm Pork Stir-fry

This recipe comes from one of my very first cookbooks, Better Homes and Gardens Cooking Chinese.  While I still own many of their cooking series from the late 80’s my copy of this book devolved into sticky pages held together by paperclips. 

We parted ways long ago.

The Stir-fry Basics

1) Peanut oil and aromatics: garlic, onion, ginger, chilies

2) Sliced or diced veggies: carrot, sweet pepper, cabbage (mushrooms)

3) Thinly sliced or diced meat, marinated 24 hrs.

4) Sauce (cornstarch, wine, stock)

My go-to “secret” is using Wickle’s Pickle juice to marinate the meat, but any Italian-type dressing will work.

Half Pint Farm Pea Shoots

Pork & Pea Shoot Stir-fry

Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens, Cooking Chinese

Serves 4

1 lb. Pork Cutlets (Sliced thinly across the grain, marinated overnight) *

1 Cup Shallots and Spring Onions, (thinly sliced)

3 Dried Chinese Peppers

1 Handful Pea Shoots (Half Pint Farm)

½ Cup Stock or White Wine

1 TB Cornstarch

Peanut Oil for frying

Instructions:

Prepare and marinate the meat overnight. 

Drain well, and slice your veggies of choice.

Combine stock and cornstarch together, and arrange all your ingredients by your cooking station.

Heat the wok over medium-high heat (indoors or on the grill).

Dried Peppers and Onions

Add a tablespoon or two of peanut oil, then the dried peppers and onions.  Stir briskly for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Add pea shoots, and keep stirring until just starting to wilt. Remove to a bowl.

Add another tablespoon of peanut oil.  Add ¼ to ½ of the meat to the wok, and stir until no longer pink. Add to shoots.

Stir the cornstarch/stock and add it to the wok. Stir until clear.

Last Step

Add the meat and veggies back to the wok and coat them with sauce.

Serve over baby spinach or with rice or noodles; sesame oil, soy sauce, Chinese vinegar, or chili oil on the side.

* Tip: It is easier to slice meat when it is slightly frozen.

Sweet and Savory Tomato Jam

Homemade Tomato Jam

I’ll admit it. I grew up spoiled.

Whether it was grandma’s cookies, my mom’s jams, pickles, and canned goods – or relative’s homemade biscuits, breads and pies.  It seemed everyone knew how to make things delicious.

On August 8^th, we had a fire on the farm, losing buildings, animals, and inventory. 

Amid all the sadness and kindness we’ve received, a lovely thing happened: the fruit trees came in with a bumper crop of apples, crabapples, and pears.

I began making jams like crazy, in spite of never having done so before.  It just seemed like the right timing, and the right thing to do.

This is the first recipe I made, just two small jars of “ideas” to build up my confidence (using tomatoes), and it didn’t take any specialized equipment.

My husband Dan was reluctant to sample the trial batch, with a who-are-you-and-what-did-you-do-with-my-wife look on his face.

“It’s not right, making jam from tomatoes.”

“Tomatoes are fruit!” I insisted.

After a few nibbles, he jokingly added “Okay, I’ll keep you if you can make more like this”.

I will and I have, because it’s family tradition.

Sweet and Savory Tomato Jam

 Sweet and Savory Tomato Jam

Makes about 1 Cup

1½ lbs. Roma Tomatoes

4 Cloves Garlic

Zest of 1 Large Lemon

1TB Olive Oil

1TB Lemon Juice

1TB Rice Wine Vinegar

½ tsp. Kosher Salt

1-4 TB Raw, Unfiltered Honey

Grill tomatoes over medium heat until they soften and the skin slips.

Remove cores. Transfer to a saucepan with all ingredients EXCEPT honey.

Cover, set heat on low.  Stew for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Let cool.

Use a stand or immersion blender to create a chunky paste.

Return to pan and reduce over low heat until a spoon drawn across the bottom of the pan leaves a clean line (about 30 minutes).

Be mindful of scorching.

Stir in honey, one tablespoon at a time until sweetened to your liking.  (I used only one.)

Adjust for salt.

Transfer to a sterilized container. Keeps refrigerated for 2 weeks. (Recipe may also be canned.)

Sweet/Tart Raspberry Sauce

Grilled Sweet Corn with Raspberry Sauce

Here’s a simple recipe for a sweet/tart sauce featuring fresh raspberries that were picked in my Mom’s back yard.

The flavor is exceedingly vibrant with complexity provided by using raw, unfiltered honey – added at the very end, off the heat so those subtleties are preserved.

I’ve enjoyed it is a dressing for salads and cold veggies; it works well without any added oil or salt. 

It’s a bit thin.  If you prefer thicker, just add a ½ tablespoon or more of prepared mustard and adjust the sweetness if necessary.

This works with any fresh or frozen berry.

I made a second version of the recipe by adding a seeded habanero to the saucepan.

I loved the flavor of the hot sauce, but when steam started coming out of my ears I knew I’d made a mistake.

Next time, I’ll use a pepper not quite as intense.

Easy Raspberry Sauce

Sweet/Sour Raspberry Sauce

Makes 2 Cups

2 Cups Raspberries (fresh or frozen)

½ Cup Rice Vinegar

¼ Cup Lemon Juice

1-4 TB Honey

Place all ingredients except honey in a saucepan over low heat.

At the simmer, continue cooking for 12-15 minutes, until berries fall apart.

Cover pan and let cool 20-40 minutes.

While still warm, stir in honey one tablespoon at a time, tasting after each addition. (I used 4 TB)

When sweet and sour are in balance or to your taste, strain through a sieve to remove the seeds.

Cover and refrigerate

Use for basting grilled chicken and pork, to dress greens and cold vegetables, or as a base for pan sauces (just swirl in a few tablespoons and a bit of butter when deglazing the pan).