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| Thursday, June 26, 2008 Barbeque pork skewers  If you go to any summertime event at which a large number of Filipino-Americans are gathered, I guarantee that you will see some version of barbeque pork skewers. Often at food stands it is listed as "pork on a stick", serving as an example of how Filipinos keep it real when it comes to food descriptions (no fancy menu language here!) Here I will just call them pork skewers as pork-on-a-stick sounds like some kind of horrible jerky or something you would feed to your dog. When I was growing up, my uncle made the most kickass pork skewers. I remember asking him what was in it and he always said "7up!" I thought he was full of it until my mom was like, "There really is 7up in there, you know." I thought, "Awesome. Now that is totally summertime trashy!" When I began making my own marinade for pork skewers, I started out using 7up. There is science to it, not just shock value. (Speaking of which, I was making the marinade at a friend's house once and she was watching me pour half a can of Coke in it -- there wasn't any 7up -- and she was like, "That's what we're eating tomorrow??"). The carbonation helps soften the meat, and the sugar helps the meat caramelize on the grill (this is why so many bbq sauces have copious amounts of sugar). Ultimately, I replaced the 7up with pineapple juice -- this gives it a really nice 'fruity' flavor, also a boost in acidity, but still sweet. And, as we all know from Hawaii, pork and pineapple are an excellent combination. Whenever we've had summer barbecues, and I would literally make a hundred of these and still have none left at the end. They are kind of like lumpia shanghai—you don't know how many you've eaten until you've eaten too many. A couple of important factors when it comes to making the skewers: Do prepare the marinade and marinate the pork the night before. I usually give it a stir in the morning to mix things up. The pork I use is pork shoulder -- it has nice amounts of fat in it that keeps the meat moist when it hits the grill. Don't use lean pork -- it'll just get dry. Also the fat itself ends up being those little crunchy bits that you hated as a kid but love as an adult. Save a bit of marinade for brushing over the meat while it's cooking (I've adjusted the recipe so you should have about 1/2 cup leftover for brushing when you are grilling). And last but not least, soak the skewers in water that day: it'll make it easier to put the pork on it without it reducing to shards. It also keeps the sticks from burning on the grill.  BBQ pork skewers makes about 20 skewers Ingredients For marinade: 1/2 head of garlic, minced 1/2 cup pineapple juice 1/2 cup ketchup 1/3 cup dark soy sauce 1 teaspoon sesame oil 3 tablespoons granulated sugar 1 tablespoon honey 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 teaspoon salt 2 pounds pork shoulder 8-inch bamboo skewers
Labels: recipes, the savory and salty posted by sheryl | 4:17 PM | comments (0)
Tim Tam Slam  Our friend Fiona was kind enough to bring us some Tim Tams, chocolate covered biscuits, from Australia a few weeks ago. Tim Tams really are an ordinary, basically mediocre biscuit, but this was an extra special treat for one reason: the Tim Tam Slam. One of our friends introduced us to the Slam a while back, and we were instantly addicted. Basically, you use the biscuit as a 'straw' for hot coffee, tea or milk. The biscuit totally disintegrates into a delicious, oozy, sloppy mess. And thus, you achieve Cookie Nirvana. Here's a video in which I demonstrate. Links: Wikipedia: Tim Tam Slam Labels: the chocolatey, the sweet posted by sheryl | 7:28 PM | comments (0)
Stir-fried gai lan (chinese broccoli)
One of my all-time favorite vegetables is Chinese broccoli (also known as gai lan, sometimes spelled kai lan). It not only is really good for you (it's a classic leafy green, high in vitamin A and C), but it is super easy to cook and goes with just about anything. It is also really mild, absorbing the flavors of whatever you cook it in, so it is a good choice for those who are not crazy about greens. (We have this trick with my 5-year-old to get him to eat green vegetables. My daughter tells him, "It will make you really big and strong and it's good for your brain!" When he ate gai lan the other day, he said, "I can feel my brain growing!")
 Labels: recipes, the savory and salty posted by sheryl | 4:08 PM | comments (1)
Rice with everything  Clockwise, from top left: Canarian mojo, Chickpeas stew, Homemade naan, Chicken katsu I started a Facebook group called Rice With Everything. (In hypnotic voice, "You must join....") Basically, I realized, when I was watching Kyle eat spaghetti sauce with rice the other day, that yes, I have managed to have an impact on him. Good or bad is up to you. In conjunction with the group creation, I've rounded up my "must-eat-with-rice" recipes. Peruse, and make sure to eat it all with rice. Recipes that are great with rice Rice pudding (rice for dessert-- how can you go wrong?) Chicken katsu Stir-fried snow peas Risotto with dried porcini mushrooms (okay, not with rice, but is rice itself) Quiche with bacon and cheese (yes, I do eat this with rice. Crazy, I know.) Homemade naan Butter chicken curry Chickpeas stew Canarian mojo (put this sauce on anything you want spicy. Although not traditional, it is off the hook with rice dishes.) Baked salmon with kecap manis Beef with coconut milk (ginitang) On a related note, in all seriousness, there is a dark side. I read this article about the rising cost of rice and a worldwide shortage. If you've ever been to the Philippines, you'll understand why this situation is so dire: it is basically the only food that much of the population was able to afford. I felt the rice increase halfway across the globe-- the 20 lb bag at the Chinese grocery was nearly one-third more expensive. If I'm feeling the impact of rice prices, how much more devastating is it in the developing world? (One way to have a small impact? Play FreeRice.com.) Even in the U.S., many people are hoarding rice because of the shortages. This may be hysteria (for now, at least), but I'll tell you what this most has to do with: rice type. For westernized Asians, this most impacts the sort of rice you buy. I gotta admit, when I have to buy anything other than jasmine rice (or even particular brands of jasmine rice) I can seriously tell the difference. I'm not exaggerating when I say I may have a freak out if the specific rice bag I normally buy is unavailable, or if the price is jacked. I'm hoping this hysteria in SF is just that: hysteria. Links Facebook: Rice with Everything FreeRice.com NY Times: A Drought in Australia, a Global Shortage of Rice NY Times: A Run on Rice in Asian Communities Labels: recipes, the savory and salty, the sweet posted by sheryl | 7:58 PM | comments (0)
Kickass brownies  So I think I've finally done it. I finally have the perfect kickass brownie recipe. I know your heart is palpitating with excitement (sit down, you don't want to faint) but at the same time, you're wondering, "What makes it perfect?" We can all argue (for days, perhaps) the merits of fudgy versus chewy versus cakey brownies. Believe me, unless you are some sort of psychotic chocolate hater, you probably have an opinion on it. What I've realized is that you can't please everybody when it comes to brownies, so you might as well just make yourself happy. What do I like? For me, it is the chewy with the crackly top. I thought I had come across the right recipe, but somehow this ended up feeling too... I don't know, intensely chocolate, almost like a flourless chocolate cake. I've been trying to find something ever since that has more chewiness, still chocolatey but doesn't knock you out-- or basically not falling over from the chocolate and sugar rush afterward. I came across a NY Times article on this very subject. (Great article-- with a brief history of the brownie, just in case you are a food nerd like me.) In it, one of the recipes had the unusual ingredient of brown sugar, which I never thought to put into brownies. I gave this recipe a go and there was my Baking Epiphany: the brown sugar added moisture, which made it chewy, and a quick whisk on the eggs gave it the crinkly top. The only thing I found is that it was too sweet. So I adjusted the sugar by cutting back on the white sugar, and replacing some of it with brown sugar. One major plus point with brownies is that you don't have to bother with super expensive chocolate. Believe me, it won't make a difference. Just use chocolate that you would choose to eat. (If you hate Hershey's, don't use it. I'll admit, I don't like Hershey's. But I'll use Ghirardelli for brownies any day.) That is one of the things that is awesome about brownies: they are totally common, totally proletariat, but even the most pretentious, Valrhona-only-eating foodie still digs them. With this recipe, the brownies taste even better the next day (if they last that long). They become sort of chewier; just make sure you wrap them up tightly when storing. Kickass brownies adapted from the NY Times Makes 9 large brownies or 12 smallish ones Ingredients 4 ounces butter (110 grams) 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate (110 grams) 2 eggs 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup dark brown sugar (155 grams) 1/4 cup granulated sugar (50 grams) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (56 grams) 1/3 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Fine Cooking: Baking Brownies Just Right: Cakey, Chewy, or Fudgy NY Times: Simple Pleasure, American Style Labels: recipes, the chocolatey, the sweet posted by sheryl | 7:56 PM | comments (1)
Worst drinks in America
This article is great, with a totally disgusting breakdown of what are in some of America's favorite drinks. (Whoever thought that Vitamin Water is so unhealthy? Shame on you 50 Cent!) Ever since I read once that one Cinnabon contains as many calories as a pork chop dinner, I've been fascinated by what we are basically eating when it comes to throwaway fatty sugary foods.
I will admit this though: I love that Jamba Juice Peanut Butter Moo. (Although knowing that it has more sugar than an entire bag of chocolate chips will definitely make me think twice next time.) Link: Yahoo: America's Unhealthiest Drinks Exposed  Labels: the sweet posted by sheryl | 1:50 PM | comments (1)
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Welcome to Sheryl's site dedicated to the humble waffle, among other sweet, savory and delicious things. I'm based in The Hague, Netherlands, and post recipes and travel (food, of course) photos. Mmmm...photos... Top Posts Categories Recent
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