Pork with chick-pea (and navy beans) curry 豚肉と雛豆のカレー

This is another curry/stew made from the trimmings of skin-on and bone-in large pork butt roast we have been getting. As usual, after removing the skin and bones, I made two roasts; one for barbecue in the Weber and another for simmered pork. The remaining meat was cut up for stew. I simmered the stew meat ahead of time in chicken broth and kept it in the refrigerator with the broth. I then commissioned my wife to make something from it. She consulted her trusty Indian Cookbook by Madhur Jaffrey. The original recipe was supposedly pork chops with chickpeas. But as indicated above the pork stew meat was substituted for the pork chop. In addition by mistake, my wife opened a can of navy beans as well as a can of chickpeas. So navy beans were substituted for some of the chickpeas. (Note from Wifey: Both cans showed white beans on the label and I was concentrating on the inventory control of using the cans with the oldest expiration dates. I didn’t notice the cans were for different beans until I opened them) So as usual the ordinal recipe was basically “advisory”. This is not spicy hot but lots of spices went in. Like other curry, I served this over rice, with blanched broccoli and Japanese curry accompaniments, rakyo (white items in the picture below) and fukishinzuke (red one).

Since we precooked the pork in the broth, it came out extra tender. The combination of navy beans and chickpeas worked well.

As usual, I ask my wife to provide the recipe.

Ingredients
1 can of navy beans
1 can of chickpeas
3 garlic cloves
1 1/2 inch cube of ginger sliced
3 Tbs. chicken stock
1/4 tsp. cardamom
4 bay leaves
1 inch cinnamon stick
3 medium onions peeled and coarsely chopped
1 Tbs. ground cumin
1 Tbs. ground coriander
1 Tsp. ground turmeric
3 medium tomatoes peeled
3 parsnips peeled and cut into pennies (original recipe called for potatoes)
1 Tbs. salt
1 cup of mushrooms sliced
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper or to taste 

Directions:
Put the ginger, garlic, and chicken stock in a food processor with a blade. Pulse until it forms a paste.
Put several Tbs. oil in a frying pan. Add the cardamom, bay leaves and cinnamon. Heat until the spices bloom and become fragrant. Add the onions and stir until they are partially caramelized. Add the ginger garlic paste and stir until the garlic smells fragrant and the mixture has been incorporated with the onions. add the cumin, coriander, and turmeric stirring until they become fragrant. Add the parsnips (or potato) and tomato. Mash the tomato. Cook gently until the parsnips become soft. Add the beans and the stewed pork with the liquid in which it was cooked. Cook for 20 minutes until all the flavors meld. If the curry looks too soupy reduce it on low heat until the desired consistency is reached.

This was a pretty good curry. The mixture of chickpeas and navy beans worked out well. They absorb the flavor of the spices and add a creaminess to the curry sauce. The pork was deliciously tender. The parsnips added their characteristic sweetness. Although the curry was not hot (my wife forgot to add the cayenne pepper) it had multidimensional layers of flavor. A great way to eat pork trimmings.

Irish-style soda bread #3 アイルランド風ソーダブレッド ＃3

 This is the third and last of my wife’s Irish soda bread baking binge. This one is quite different from the “traditional” recipe. This came from “Nancy Silverton’s Pastries from the La Brea Bakery”.  It is much more complicated than the traditional recipe. (It wouldn’t be La Brea if it wasn’t). It is a muffins/roll and uses eggs, butter, sugar and Caraway seeds. This one is accordingly called  “Irish-style”. As a result, it has a very different flavor from the traditional. (Although I used an Easter bunny plate for the picture, my wife pointed out that I covered up the “bunny’s” face with the bread when I took a picture below so only his feet are showing). (Sorry).

Like all the other Irish soda breads my wife made this has the same rough brown texture on the crust.

I will ask my wife to fill in the rest.

Ingredients
3 3/4 cups AP flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup wheat flakes (I didn’t have any so I left it out)
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 Tbs. baking powder
1 Tsp. baking soda
1 Tbs. lemon zest (or 2 tsp. lemon flavoring)
2 Tbs. caraway seeds
1/2 stick (2 oz.) butter cut into 1/2 inch cubes and frozen
1 3/4 cup buttermilk

1 egg

Directions:
In a bowl whisk together the dry ingredients from the AP flour to the the caraway seeds so they are well distributed. In the bowl of a food processor with a steel blade add some of the mixed dry ingredients with the butter and pulse until it resembles fine meal. Add the rest of the mixed dry ingredients and continue pulsing. (I found this works better to fully incorporate the butter. If all the mixed dry ingredients are added at once the butter remains in cubes.) Put the dry mixture into a large bowl. Mix the buttermilk and egg. If using lemon flavoring add it to the buttermilk now. Mix the buttermilk egg mixture into the dry mixture. Mix just until everything is incorporated. (I found I had to add more buttermilk for the dough to form otherwise it would have been just crumbs and not held together). Turn out onto a floured surface and gently pat into it together. (The original recipe calls for patting it into a 1/2 inch thick rectangle and then cutting it into various shapes using about 1/2 cup of dough for each shape.) I just took a 1/2 cup measure. filled it with dough and turned it out onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes.

This was without a doubt the most complex and refined version of the Irish soda breads my wife made. It had depth of flavor. The caraway seed with the slight hint of lemon was a very good addition. It had the familiar rough crunchy crust and soft moist interior. Traditionalist would say, “but it is not genuine soda bread.” Next time my wife said she would make it even less so by adding raisins.

Irish soda bread #2 アイルランドソーダブレッド ＃2

After making one Irish soda bread, my wife is on a roll and made this Irish soda bread from her favorite bread recipe book “Beard on bread”. This one used whole wheat flour.

Because of the whole wheat flour, the flavor is a bit different from the first bread she made but came out also nicely moist.

I will ask my wife to provide the recipe.

Ingredients:
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup AP flour

1 Tbs. kosher salt
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 to 2 cups buttermilk

Directions:
Combine the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly to distribute the soda and baking powder. Add enough buttermilk to make a soft dough. It will be the consistency of biscuit dough but should be firm enough to hold its shape. Knead for 1 or 2 minutes until smooth and velvety. Form into a loaf and place in an 8 inch pie pan well buttered or lined with parchment paper. Cut the traditional cross on the top of the loaf. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes until golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped.

This was a nice variation on the Irish soda bread theme. The whole wheat flour gave it a slight nutty flavor. The texture was fairly dense but also moist. It tasted great slightly microwaved and slathered with butter.

Traditional Irish soda bread 伝統的アイルランドソーダブレッド

 Just a few days before St. Patrick’s day, I happened to see  a  “real Irish soda bread” recipe on the “Serious Eats” website. I showed my wife the recipe and in passing mentioned that St. Patrick’s day was coming up. Next thing I knew she has found 2 other Irish soda bread recipes and for 3 days in a row when I came home a new loaf was cooling on the rack. What a treat!  This is the first loaf she made. It was baked in an enameled cast iron Dutch oven like “no-knead bread” and produced a nice brown crust and center was moist.

She cut the traditional cross on the top but the dough was very wet and just filled in. Nonetheless you can still a light impression of the cross.

The below recipe is from “Serious eats”

Ingredients
15 ounces all-purpose flour (3 cups; 425g)
1 3/4 teaspoons (7g) kosher salt; for table salt, use the same weight or half as much by volume
1 1/8 teaspoons (6g) baking soda
18 ounces low-fat cultured buttermilk (2 1/4 cups; 510g), well shaken

Directions
1.Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat to 450°F (230°C) at least 15 minutes in advance. Roughly cover the bottom of a deep 10-inch cast iron or enameled Dutch oven with a sheet of parchment paper; no need to trim.
2.Combine flour, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl and whisk a full minute to combine. Stir in buttermilk with a flexible spatula until dough is fully moistened and no pockets of flour remain. For extra-fluffy results, stop folding as soon as dough comes together. For extra-chewy results, fold dough about 20 seconds more. Scrape sticky dough into prepared Dutch oven and smooth with a spatula into a rough boule-like shape. Score deeply into quarters with a sharp knife or razor, cleaning the blade between each slice.
3.Cover and bake until well risen and golden, 45 minutes. Remove lid and continue baking until chestnut brown, with an internal temperature of 210°F (99°C), 12 to 15 minutes longer. Invert onto a wire rack, discard parchment, turn right side up, and cool until crumb has set, about 30 minutes. Cut thick slices to accompany hearty soups and stews, or slice thinly for sandwiches. (This will be easier if bread is allowed to cool 2 hours more.) Store up to 24 hours in an airtight container and toast to freshen bread before serving.

The bread had a nice crunchy crust and the interior was moist with a nice crumb. The buttermilk gave it a subtle tang. The flavor was a bit salty. We had this with a lamb stew I made. (What else would you have for St. Patrick’s day?) This was the perfect bread to accompany the stew. 

Our plum tree was in full bloom and our backyard was filled with the nice sweet smell of plum blossom. This is the plum tree we got many many years ago. We wanted the type of plum that produced the fruit used to make Japanese salted plum and umeshu.  After some search, we finally found one at an Oregon nursery. It arrived as a twig in a small envelope but it miraculously grew into a good sized tree and provided lots of plum fruit over the years. We used the fruit to make “umeshu” plum wine. Then, a few years ago all the plum trees in the area got a fungal disease. Our poor tree was no exception. We thought it was a “goner” especially after we had to transplant it during a landscaping project. Although the tree is much smaller than it was at its peak, it appears that this plum tree is surviving. Spring is almost here.

Condensed milk bread V2 コンデンスミルクパン version２

 This is yet another version of my wife’s exploration of Japanese milk bread. This version is made with both condensed milk and cake flour so you would expect it to be very soft and fluffy...It wasn’t.

Ingredients:
3.5 cups cake flour
1 Tbs. instant yeast
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup whole milk at room temperature
3/4 cup condensed milk
1 egg
2 oz. butter

Egg wash
1 medium egg
1 Tbs. whole milk

Condensed milk glaze (I didn’t use)
3 Tbs. condensed milk
1 Tbs. butter.

Directions
Place the ingredients in a stand mixer with a dough hook. Mix until dough forms. Knead for 7 to 10 minutes. Form a ball. Put in a bowl. Coat with oil. Cover and put into proofing box until it doubles in size.
Deflate the dough and form into a cylinder that will fit in the load pan. Use a sharp knife and cut the cylinder into pieces of equal thickness. Place the pieces seam side down in the lightly greased loaf pan (shown in the picture below).  Cover and let rise in the proofing box until double in size. Lightly brush the top of the loaf with the egg wash mixture. Cook in a 350 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes until golden brown.



This bread came out hard and dry. The specified amount of cake flour did not result in a dough. The mixture was more like a batter. My wife had to add much more cake flour for it to take shape. We’re not sure what went wrong but this was a disappointment and will not be a regular on our baking schedule.

Condensed milk bread コンデンスミルクパン

 My wife has been on a “roll” of making Japanese milk bread. She found many recipe variations on the internet and is trying a number of them. The picture below is one. The directions for making the bread that results in the irregular crust shown in the picture below seemed improbable.  But it worked. The crust has a nice crunch and the bread itself is slightly sweet.  An almost custard like filling forms in the grooves created by the irregular crust. 

Ingredients:
for the dough
200 g of bread flour
20 g of sugar
3 g salt
3 g active yeast
30 g sweetened condensed milk
130 g warm milk
20 g butter

for the condensed milk filling
20 g sweetened condensed milk
20 g butter

Ingredients ( X 2)
for the dough
400 g of bread flour
40 g of sugar
6 g salt
6 g active yeast
60 g sweetened condensed milk
260 g warm milk
40 g butter

for the condensed milk filling
40 g sweetened condensed milk
40 g butter

Ingredients X3

for the dough
600 g of bread flour
60 g of sugar
9 g salt
9 g active yeast
90 g sweetened condensed milk
390 g warm milk
60 g butter

for the condensed milk filling
60 g sweetened condensed milk
60 g butter

Directions
Add the ingredients to a stand mixer with a dough hook. Mix until a dough forms then continue kneading on low speed for 7 to 10 minutes. It is ok if some of the dough sticks to the bottom of the bowl as it is being kneaded. Turn dough out onto a board and do final hand kneading. Form into a ball. Coat with vegetable oil and put into a bowl. Cover and put into the proofing box until it doubles in size. While the dough is rising mix together the filling. by mixing the butter and condensed milk to form a smooth paste.

Once the dough is finished rising roll out into a rectangle. Evenly spread the filling over the dough (#1).
Cut the sheet into 4 even pieces (#2). Then, stack them on top of each other. Divide into 8 even pieces. Arrange each piece in a loaf pan (#3). Cover and put back into the proofing box until it doubles in size (#4). Bake in a 300 degree oven for about 35 minutes or until golden brown.

The part where the dough pieces are arranged in the loaf pan as shown in #3 is the part that seemed improbable. The pieces slipped around and barely filled the loaf pan. It seems impossible that this would result in a loaf...but it did! During the second rise the pieces melded together and when they cooked they formed a loaf with lovely crunchy irregular crust. The filling became custard like in the crevices formed by the crust. The flavor was slightly sweet and the interior texture was very soft. This was an amazing loaf.

Almost no-knead whole wheat bread

I am experimenting with "almost" no-knead bread  variations. This time, I made a whole wheat version and increased the hydration level to exactly 70%. As shown below it came out nicely. 

Some of the holes were a bit too large but it had a nice overall texture, crust and flavor. I am posting this just as notes for my record.

Ingredients:(everything except salt and yeast were weighed)

425gram of AP and whole wheat flour (1 cup wheat flour and I added about 3 cups of AP flour to reach the total weight of 425grams).
300 grams of liquids (Total liquid amount is most important),

80grams (6tbs) of beer (again I used Samuel Adams Boston brown ale)

13grams (1tbs) of rice vinegar

207grams of water (I just added water to the total liquid amount of 300grams)

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp instant yeast

Hydration ratio = 70%

Direction:
Mix the ingredients in a bowl with a spatula until all the flour is incorporated (towards the end, I used my hands to incorporate all the flour. Again it looked too dry). Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap.
Place the bowl in the proofing box at 85F (with a water tray), this time, I let it rise overnight for about 12 hours.
Next morning, the dough was more than doubled and well-hydrated. Using a floured plastic dough scraper, I placed the dough on a well floured board and quickly kneaded it 15-20 times then made a boule shaped dough ball.
I placed the dough ball on a piece of parchment paper (sized to hold the whole thing) with the seam side of the dough boule down. I then placed it in a bowl or skillet in which the dough ball snugly fit.
The bowl uncovered went into the proofing box for 1 and half hours.
Preheat the oven with a cast iron Dutch oven in at least 30 minutes before the secondrise is finished.
Slash the top of the dough ball using a lame.
Lift the dough by the parchment paper and place it in the hot Dutch oven. Put the lid on and bake for 30minutes.
Remove the lid and bake another 10 minutes.
Again,hydration ratio of 70% makes a wet but very manageable dough and using the parchment paper is easier and safer than the original floured towel method.

Smothered pork スマザードポーク

Again we ended up with a bone-in cut of pork. This time, it appeared to be a "butt roast" instead of "shoulder roast" judging from the bone structure. In any case, I did more home butchering by removing the bones. I made one larger and one smaller roast (the large roast went for barbecue in our Weber grill and the small one for "nibuta" 煮豚 simmered pork). The prepared remaining smaller portions of meat around the bones were destined for a type of stew. I again tasked my wife to make something with the stew pork meat. She came up with this "smothered pork" dish based on a recipe from her favorite Indian cookbook by Madhur Jaffrey "Quick and Easy Indian Cooking". (She made alterations to the recipe based on various ingredients she had on hand). This was a lunch one weekend. We used frozen rice and added  snow peas and skinned Campari tomatoes. We defrosted the rice then microwaved the rice and smothered pork and vegetables in a bowl.

I also added pickled  Japanese “rakkyo” ラッキョウ small cocktail onion and Fukushinzuke 福神漬け.

This is really good. Lots of spices but no cayenne pepper but it had slow pleasant heat probably coming from fresh ginger. I will ask my wife to take over.

Ingredients:
About 1lb pork shoulder, cut into bit-size chunks
2 Tbs. catsup (or how every much you may want for taste). (This was a substitute for 2 Tbs. tomato paste)
2 onions roughly chopped
1 inch long piece of ginger finely chopped
3 garlic cloves finely chopped
1/2 tsp. turmeric
4 tsp. garam masala
2 tsp. cumin
3/4 tsp salt
4 compari tomatoes peeled

Directions:
For the pork:
The last time I made curry with this type of pork it was extremely tough. I ended up removing the pork from the curry and simmering it for 2 hours covered in chicken stock until it became very tender. I then added it back into the curry. This time I did the same thing but cooked the stew pork in the chicken stock before I made the curry sauce.

For the curry sauce:
Caramelize the catsup by stirring it in a frying pan until it turns brown in color. Add some peanut oil and the onions. Cook the onions until wilted. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant then add the ginger. Add the remaining spices and "bloom" them until they become fragrant. Then add the pork as well as the chicken stock in which it was simmered. Finally add the fresh tomatoes. Cover and cook for about 30 minutes to let all the flavors meld.

This was a very good curry. Plenty of flavor but just a pleasant mild heat that must have come from the ginger. The caramelized catsup added a slight hint of barbeque that was a nice addition. The pork was very tender and had absorbed the complex flavors from the curry sauce.