One way to add depth to any soup is to cook meat bones for a long time, say more than 6 hours. My parents would just cook this stove top for a couple hours, but I find that in these modern and subsequently lazier times, I would much rather start this in the morning and have it ready by dinner in the slow cooker.
It's quite a simple recipe and it makes a few things: a hearty meat stock that can be a base for other soups, a bone broth, and the pork itself can be chilled, sliced and served up with hot or cold noodle dishes. But, for me, I just like the meat and marrow part of the pork.
For those of you (like me) who had to look up what part of the pig the "hock" is, it's the part of the fore or hindquarters above the hoof and below the pig equivalent of the knee/elbow; as illustrated in this Wikipedia stub.
Ingredients
1-2 tbsp olive oil (if cooking by stovetop)
1 lb pork hocks
1 star anise
2-3 slices of fresh ginger, peeled
2-4 tbsp soy sauce
filtered water
To cook this by stovetop:
Brown the hocks in 1-2 tbsp olive oil (or any vegetable oil), add one star anise, a few slices of peeled ginger, 2-4 tbsp of soy sauce (depending on how salty you like it) and an amount of water that covers the hocks. Bring to a boil then simmer covered until the meat is tender, 1-2 hours. Be sure to check on the pot every so often so that the water does not boil all away.
To cook this by slow cooker / crockpot:
Place pork hocks (about a pound) in slow cooker, preferably in a single layer. Add a star anise (one is plenty of flavor per pound of meat), 2-3 slices of peeled ginger, 2-4 tbsp soy sauce, and enough water to cover the hocks. Cook on LOW for 8 hours.
If putting raw meat into a slow cooker is a concern, you can also brown the hocks before putting them in but this is not necessary and it means more stuff to wash.
Chicken and Dumplings
This recipe starts off as though making chicken stock with the addition of both the chicken parts and flour-based dumplings. I have omitted the onion part, but you could always put it back in. This is the second time I've made this recipe; though probably the first time I've taken a photo of the dish. I used 1 lb of chicken thighs (skin-on and bone-in) and 1 lb of chicken drumsticks.
Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
2 lbs chicken parts
sea salt
fresh ground black pepper
2 stalks organic celery stalks, diced
4 organic carrots, sliced
1-2 small onions, diced (optional)
2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves or 2 tsp dried thyme
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 bay leaves
1/2 c all purpose flour + 2 c stock (from the pot)
10 cups filtered water
Dumpling Ingredients
2 c all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
3/4 c buttermilk
2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
Directions
In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat olive oil and fry chicken parts in batches on medium-high heat, 5-6 minutes on each side. Remove chicken to a plate and reserve pot.
Add to the: celery, carrots, thyme, cloves, bay leaves. Cook over medium heat for 6 minutes until softened. Add chicken, bay leaves, and 10 cups of water.
Simmer for 25 minutes. Discard bay leaves and transfer chicken to a plate. Shred chicken and return to the pot.
Whisk 1/2 c all purpose flour with 2 cups of cooking liquid (stock), pour into pot and simmer for an additional 10 minutes.
To make the dumplings:
In a large bowl, whisk together 2 cups of flour, baking powder, baking soda, 1/4 tsp sea salt and 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper. Stir in butter, buttermilk and parsley. Form into small balls or divide into 8 large spoonfuls.
Reduce pot to low and drop in the dumplings. Simmer covered for 15 minutes.
Serve hot.
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| TheFoodeningBlog - Chicken & Dumplings |
1 tbsp olive oil
2 lbs chicken parts
sea salt
fresh ground black pepper
2 stalks organic celery stalks, diced
4 organic carrots, sliced
1-2 small onions, diced (optional)
2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves or 2 tsp dried thyme
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 bay leaves
1/2 c all purpose flour + 2 c stock (from the pot)
10 cups filtered water
Dumpling Ingredients
2 c all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
3/4 c buttermilk
2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
Directions
In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat olive oil and fry chicken parts in batches on medium-high heat, 5-6 minutes on each side. Remove chicken to a plate and reserve pot.
Add to the: celery, carrots, thyme, cloves, bay leaves. Cook over medium heat for 6 minutes until softened. Add chicken, bay leaves, and 10 cups of water.
Simmer for 25 minutes. Discard bay leaves and transfer chicken to a plate. Shred chicken and return to the pot.
Whisk 1/2 c all purpose flour with 2 cups of cooking liquid (stock), pour into pot and simmer for an additional 10 minutes.
To make the dumplings:
In a large bowl, whisk together 2 cups of flour, baking powder, baking soda, 1/4 tsp sea salt and 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper. Stir in butter, buttermilk and parsley. Form into small balls or divide into 8 large spoonfuls.
Reduce pot to low and drop in the dumplings. Simmer covered for 15 minutes.
Serve hot.
Buttermilk Biscuits
I wish recipe sites would say what size biscuit cutter to use. I used a 2" cutter and these turned out enormous! And, also considering that it is raining today, I'd say that it is very humid and my biscuit dough was very sticky, so sticky in fact that I had a hard time even getting a layer to form. But, dusting the cutter in flour prior to cutting was a great help. With a 2" cutter this recipe ratio made 5 enormous biscuit-textured scone-like objects. I'm sure if I used the smaller cutter, it would have come out to be more like the 10 biscuits the original "grandma's recipe" suggests this yields.
Ingredients
2 c all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 organic granulated sugar
6 tbsp cold unsalted butter
1 c buttermilk
Directions
Preheat oven to 450 F
1. In the bowl of a food processor machine, pulse together flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, salt, and unsalted butter.
2. Add flour mixture to a large mixing bowl and add the buttermilk. Stir to combine but do not over mix.
3. On a silicone mat, use a silicon spatula to press dough down to 1/2" thickness. Use a biscuit cutter to cut the dough into biscuit rounds.
4. Place biscuit rounds onto a parchment paper-lined baking tray.
5. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.
Serve hot and enjoy.
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| TheFoodening Blog - Buttermilk Biscuits |
2 c all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 organic granulated sugar
6 tbsp cold unsalted butter
1 c buttermilk
Directions
Preheat oven to 450 F
1. In the bowl of a food processor machine, pulse together flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, salt, and unsalted butter.
2. Add flour mixture to a large mixing bowl and add the buttermilk. Stir to combine but do not over mix.
3. On a silicone mat, use a silicon spatula to press dough down to 1/2" thickness. Use a biscuit cutter to cut the dough into biscuit rounds.
4. Place biscuit rounds onto a parchment paper-lined baking tray.
5. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.
Serve hot and enjoy.
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| TheFoodening Blog - Buttermilk Biscuit with Peach Bourbon Jam |
Small Batch Bread and Butter Pickles
Did you know that if you chopped these up in a food processor, you can make sweet relish?
As far as pickle recipes go, this is really easy. The secret to a crunchy pickle is the salt brine, or letting the cucumber's excess moisture drain out by using salt. This recipe ratio comes from the TasteofSouthern.com blog. I omitted the onion, of course. Also, my pickle slices are thicker because I don't like wafer thin, transparent pickles. It's a blue ribbon recipe so by default it should turn out great. :)
Ingredients
3 lbs pickling cucumbers, ends trimmed
1/4 c kosher or sea salt
2 c white vinegar
2 c sugar
1/2 c water
1 tbsp mustard seeds
2 tsp celery seeds
2 tsp pickling spice mix
1 tsp turmeric powder
Directions
1. Slice cucumbers and place in a large bowl and toss with salt. Let stand for 1-2 hours or overnight in the refrigerator (I did the latter for this batch).
2. Rinse the cucumbers and let drain in a colander until ready to use. Place as many as will fit into half-pint or pint jars.
3. In a large saucepan, combine vinegar, water, sugar, mustard seeds, celery seeds, and turmeric. Heat to a boil.
4. Pour vinegar mixture over cucumbers in jars.
If canning, process in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes.
If using as refrigerator pickles, cover with sterilized lids and bands. Let this cure in the fridge for several days before using.
As far as pickle recipes go, this is really easy. The secret to a crunchy pickle is the salt brine, or letting the cucumber's excess moisture drain out by using salt. This recipe ratio comes from the TasteofSouthern.com blog. I omitted the onion, of course. Also, my pickle slices are thicker because I don't like wafer thin, transparent pickles. It's a blue ribbon recipe so by default it should turn out great. :)
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| TheFoodening Blog - Bread & Butter Pickles |
3 lbs pickling cucumbers, ends trimmed
1/4 c kosher or sea salt
2 c white vinegar
2 c sugar
1/2 c water
1 tbsp mustard seeds
2 tsp celery seeds
2 tsp pickling spice mix
1 tsp turmeric powder
Directions
1. Slice cucumbers and place in a large bowl and toss with salt. Let stand for 1-2 hours or overnight in the refrigerator (I did the latter for this batch).
2. Rinse the cucumbers and let drain in a colander until ready to use. Place as many as will fit into half-pint or pint jars.
3. In a large saucepan, combine vinegar, water, sugar, mustard seeds, celery seeds, and turmeric. Heat to a boil.
4. Pour vinegar mixture over cucumbers in jars.
If canning, process in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes.
If using as refrigerator pickles, cover with sterilized lids and bands. Let this cure in the fridge for several days before using.
Quick Buns for Sliders or Burgers
An hour or so before dinner, your friend says that he feels like grilling hamburgers but has neither hamburger buns nor tomatoes. Thanks to GirlVsDough, a beautifully warm day, and the first recipe title I stumbled upon with a quick Google search, I made these in just under an hour.
I used a digital kitchen scale to divide the dough. The total mass was roughly 2 lbs, and divided by 12 would have yielded 2.67 oz per ball of dough. As laziness would prevail, some balls of dough were 2.5 oz while others were 2 oz 7/8 oz. The smaller balls could pass for slider buns, and the larger balls were just about the right size for a grilled average hamburger patty. I also didn't have any milk on hand so I watered down some heavy cream instead.
Note: if you do a lot of bread baking, I recommend picking up the 2 lb block of yeast from Costco. At roughly $4, it really brings down the cost of making bread. Plus, you can store 8 oz of it in the freezer in a freezer jar and some in a pint jar in the refrigerator.
Ingredients
3 1/2 c all purpose flour, plus more for dusting/kneading
2 tbsp active dry yeast + 1 cup warm water (115 F)
1/4 c sugar
1/3 c olive oil, or neutral smelling vegetable oil
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp sea salt
1-2 tbsp sesame seeds (optional)
Egg wash (for making buns golden brown):
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp heavy cream
1 tbsp water
-or-
1 egg yolk
2 tbsp whole milk
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
1. In a 2-cup measuring cup, dissolve yeast in warm water, then add the sugar.
2. In a large mixing bowl, egg, salt and oil. Whisk together. Add yeast water. Add flour.
3. With a wooden spoon, stir to combine.
4. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 2-3 minutes. Weigh dough and divide equally by what you want to make:
3 oz = medium sized hamburger bun
2.5 oz = slider sized bun
If you chose the latter, one batch of dough will make 12 slider buns.
5. Form balls of dough. To make a smooth surface on one side of the ball, bring all the odd edges of the dough to the center and pinch it together. Place folded side down onto parchment paper or a silicone mat. Let rest for 10 minutes. I didn't cover these and it didn't seem to matter. Also, my oven takes 10 minutes to heat up to 425 F.
5.1. If you are using an egg wash to make the buns a nice golden brown color, brush the egg wash onto the buns using a pastry brush.
6. Bake for 12 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on a rack.
7. To use, simply slice each bun in half with a serrated knife (e.g., a bread knife).
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| TheFoodening Blog - Hamburger Buns |
Note: if you do a lot of bread baking, I recommend picking up the 2 lb block of yeast from Costco. At roughly $4, it really brings down the cost of making bread. Plus, you can store 8 oz of it in the freezer in a freezer jar and some in a pint jar in the refrigerator.
Ingredients
3 1/2 c all purpose flour, plus more for dusting/kneading
2 tbsp active dry yeast + 1 cup warm water (115 F)
1/4 c sugar
1/3 c olive oil, or neutral smelling vegetable oil
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp sea salt
1-2 tbsp sesame seeds (optional)
Egg wash (for making buns golden brown):
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp heavy cream
1 tbsp water
-or-
1 egg yolk
2 tbsp whole milk
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
1. In a 2-cup measuring cup, dissolve yeast in warm water, then add the sugar.
2. In a large mixing bowl, egg, salt and oil. Whisk together. Add yeast water. Add flour.
3. With a wooden spoon, stir to combine.
4. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 2-3 minutes. Weigh dough and divide equally by what you want to make:
3 oz = medium sized hamburger bun
2.5 oz = slider sized bun
If you chose the latter, one batch of dough will make 12 slider buns.
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| TheFoodening Blog - A classic hamburger with grilled bacon |
5.1. If you are using an egg wash to make the buns a nice golden brown color, brush the egg wash onto the buns using a pastry brush.
6. Bake for 12 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on a rack.
7. To use, simply slice each bun in half with a serrated knife (e.g., a bread knife).
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