Dug out my slow cooker again yesterday after some time and made some pork neck. I don’t know where I got this recipe from anymore, but I really like it every once in a while since it’s very yummy and easy to make. The meat comes out fork tender and juicy and it has a nicely round and savoury taste.
My Kitchen Equipment
Since I’ve been asked, this is my standard cooking equipment. Oddly, when digging through my kitchen cupboards I found that it is not so very much. Of course there’s some more, since kitchen utensils have a tendency to accumulate like old socks in your drawer, but I don’t use everything regularly. I do almost everything with a very manageable amount of rudimental, yet essential tools that I use everyday:
Mushroom Rehydrating Time Lapse
I like cooking asian and this often involves the use of dried mushrooms. They can easily be rehydrated with boiling water in a few minutes. While for wood-ear mushrooms boiling water is perfectly ok, some say that it is not for shiitakes and one should rather use lukewarm water (having to accept a longer rehydration time) in order to preserve flavour. I personally can’t find any difference, so I always use boiling water for both.
This video is about 20 minutes condensed to 1. The wood-ear mushrooms are perfectly good after about 12-15 minutes, whereas the thicker shiitake take at least 20 minutes to rehydrate. You can save the flavourful liquid from the shiitakes for later use (the wood ear don’t deliver any), for example as soup stock addition etc. And don’t forget to remove the stems.
Cheesecake in the microwave
I’m not much of “sweets guy” but my SO loves a sugary treat from time to time, so I made her these. It’s actually this “Tasty“-Recipe and it works well. Almost no effort, nearly fool proof and apparently really delicious.
How To: Beef Jerky
I made beef jerky again, this time Teriyaki-style. Also, meanwhile I have “professional” Dehydrator that does a real good job and that has temperature control as well as a timer for “fill and forget”.
Seafood Gratin
I made a yummy Seafood Gratin these days. Attention: This is serious winter food – heavy, savoury, warming and high in calories… here’s how to cook it.
Smoked Meat (and Curing Recipe)
Eventually, I seem to get the hang on it. The latest piece turned out beautifully. After smoking it thoroughly with the cold smoker and hanging it in the fridge to age for about four weeks, I recently gave it a try and I really like it. Tasty, not harsh, rather mild and the fat melts in your mouth. Luckily, I wrote down what I did precisely, so I can (and will) repeat.
Szechwan Spicy Beans and Pork
Mhh, I think I’m on some kind of asian-cooking-trip at the moment… This one is hot, tasty and easy to prepare. Taken from here and adapted to my needs and possibilities.