In the Kitchen With: Casey Barber’s BBQ Pulled Pork Pierogies By: Kristina Gill

Casey Barber, cookbook author and editor of Good. Food. Stories, is no newcomer to the column. She has already shared recipes with our readers over the years, including Drunken Spaghetti with Clams and Coconut Cherry Suzy Qs. In honor of the upcoming Fourth of July holiday, she is sharing a recipe for BBQ Pulled Pork Pierogies from her upcoming book, Pierogi Love: New Takes on an Old-World Comfort Food. Having just returned from a quick trip to Nashville — where I did manage to get one pulled pork sandwich in — I must say these pierogies are a great option to have available at your holiday festivities. As Casey notes, you will have a lot of pulled pork left over, which means plenty of sandwiches for later! Happy Fourth! —Kristina

Why Casey loves this recipe: The cliché is that bacon is the gateway meat, but I feel like I could make a pretty good case for pulled pork. It’s just as intoxicatingly fragrant, it’s tender and juicy, and you get much more bang for your buck with a pork shoulder than a belly. This pierogi is much easier to eat than the Pulled Pork Pierogi Stacker, a sandwich served at the Pittsburgh Pirates’ ballpark. Instead of trying to squish pierogies on top of a pile of pulled pork on a sandwich, why not just put the pulled pork directly inside and eat it in one bite? So much simpler, and SO satisfying.

BBQ Pulled Pork Pierogies
Makes Approximately 24

Full disclosure: you only need a small quantity of pulled pork to fill your pierogies, but nature doesn’t make small pork shoulders. So I’m giving you my favorite recipe for making an entire tender, juicy, melt-in-your-mouth pork shoulder overnight in the slow cooker. You can freeze any leftover cooked pork shoulder for future use in enchiladas, casseroles, sandwiches, or whatever your heart desires. It might be one of the most valuable recipes in the book!

Basic savory dough

– 2 large eggs
– 1/2 cup (4 ounces, 113 grams) sour cream or plain Greek yogurt (full-fat, reduced-fat, or nonfat)
– 3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces, 43 grams) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
– 1 teaspoon kosher salt
– 2 cups (8 1/2 ounces, 240 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
– 1 tablespoon water

Pierogi Filling

– 2 tablespoons kosher salt
– 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
– 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
– 1 teaspoon garlic powder
– 1 ⁄ 2 teaspoon ground coriander
– 1 ⁄ 2 teaspoon ground fennel seed
– 1 ⁄ 4 teaspoon fresh or dried thyme
– 1 ⁄ 4 teaspoon celery seeds
– 1   4- to 5-pound bone-in pork shoulder (also called picnic shoulder) or 1 3- to 4- pound boneless pork shoulder
– 2 medium onions, cut into chunks
– 4 large carrots, peeled and halved
– 4 garlic cloves, halved
– 1   14-ounce can diced tomatoes
– 1   12-ounce bottle beer of choice

BBQ Sauce

– 1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil
– 1 small or 1/2 medium red onion, minced
– 4 garlic cloves, minced
– 1 cup (12 ounces, 340 grams) ketchup
– 3/4 cup (6 fluid ounces) dark beer, such as a brown ale or dark lager
– 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
– 2 tablespoons honey
– 1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
– 1 teaspoon pure chile powder, such as Ancho or California
– 1 teaspoon kosher salt
– 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
– 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

For Dough:

1. Whisk 1 egg, sour cream or yogurt, butter, and salt in a bowl. Pour flour into a large bowl. Gently stir wet ingredients into flour. The dough will initially be very dry and shaggy, seeming as if it will never come together, but have no fear: Keep stirring, and it will pull itself into shape.
2. Once the dough starts to come together, press and smash it against the sides of the bowl with your palms, picking up dough bits and essentially kneading it within the bowl until it forms a ball.
3. Tip dough and any remaining shaggy flakes out onto a clean work surface or Roul’Pat. Knead until smooth, about 1 minute. Cover dough with the bowl and let rest 15 minutes.
4. Whisk remaining egg and water in a small bowl for egg wash.

For Pulled Pork:

1. Stir the salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, coriander, fennel seed, thyme, and celery seed together in a bowl. Rub the spice blend liberally onto the pork shoulder.
2. Place the onions, carrots, and garlic in the bottom of a 7-quart slow cooker or large Dutch oven. Set pork atop vegetables. Pour the can of tomatoes and beer around the pork.
3. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours in a slow cooker or for 3 to 4 hours in a 325-degree oven, until fork-tender. Transfer the pork to a platter until cool enough to handle. Discard the vegetables.
4. Shred the cooled pork by hand into bite-size strips, discarding large chunks of fat. Or tear the pork into palm-size pieces, discarding any large chunks of fat, place into a stand mixer bowl, and shred with the paddle on low speed.  (Pork can be made up to 5 days ahead; wrap and freeze if making more than 24 hours ahead or cover and refrigerate if making 1 day ahead.)

For BBQ Sauce:

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion is soft and starting to caramelize, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes.
2. Whisk in the remaining sauce ingredients and bring to a simmer. Cook until the BBQ sauce has reduced and thickened, about 40 minutes. (Sauce can be made up to 1 week ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Assemble:

1. Place 1 heaping cup (4 ounces, 113 grams) shredded pork and 1/4 cup sauce in a mini food processor and pulse until coarsely ground. (Reserve remaining pork for another meal, and reserve remaining sauce for dipping or for another use.)
2. Line a rimmed baking sheet with waxed paper or parchment paper.
3. Divide rested dough into 4 equal pieces with a bench scraper or knife. Set aside 3 dough pieces and cover with the mixing bowl. Roll remaining dough as thinly as possible into a rough 8- x 12-inch rectangle.
4. Using a 3-inch round cookie cutter, cut out 6 rounds of dough. If the dough isn’t quartered evenly, you may get 5 rounds from one piece and 7 from another. Resist the temptation to re-roll dough scraps for additional rounds. It seems wasteful, but the dough won’t be as tender the second time around.
5. Spoon 1 teaspoon filling into the center of dough rounds.
6. Using your finger, swipe a very scant amount of egg wash—just a light touch—around the dough edge.
7. Fold into a half-moon shape: Either fold the dough over the filling on the work surface—I call this “the blanket”—or gently cup the pierogi in your hand in a U shape—I call this “the taco.” Gently but firmly seal the pierogi by pinching and squeezing the edges together with your thumb and pointer finger. Start with one pinch at the top, then move to one “corner” of the pierogi and pinch along the edge back to the top. Repeat on the opposite side to finish sealing the pierogi.
8. Transfer to the baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough rounds and filling. Freeze on the baking sheet, refrigerate up to 3 hours, or cook immediately.

Cooking and storing pierogies:

To boil fresh or frozen pierogies: Boil a pot of water over medium-high heat (fill approximately 1 quart water for every 6 pierogies). Add pierogies and cook until floating, 2 to 3 minutes for fresh and 4 to 5 minutes for frozen.

To pan-fry fresh or boiled pierogies: Heat 1 tablespoon neutral oil (like canola or vegetable) or melt 1 tablespoon unsalted butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add as many pierogies as will fit in a single layer without crowding. Cook until pierogies are brown and crispy, about 2 minutes per side. Repeat with additional oil or butter and pierogies. To cook large batches for parties, you can also pan-fry pierogies on an electric or two-burner stovetop griddle.

To deep-fry fresh or frozen pierogies: Use an electric deep fryer or a large, high-sided pot filled with at least 2 inches of vegetable or canola oil (fill the pot no more than 1/3 full). Heat oil to 350 degrees. Add pierogies and cook until golden brown; frying time varies based on equipment, about 3 minutes for fresh and 5 minutes for frozen.  Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Transfer pierogies to the baking sheet and cool for 1 minute.

Reprinted from Pierogi Love: New Takes on an Old-World Comfort Food, © 2015 by Casey Barber

About Casey: Casey Barber is a freelance food writer, photographer, and editor of the critically acclaimed website Good. Food. Stories. She is also the author of Classic Snacks Made from Scratch: 70 Homemade Versions of Your Favorite Brand-Name Treats, the illustrator of A is for Absinthe: A Spirited Book of ABCs, and the co-writer of Inspired Bites: Unexpected Ideas for Entertaining from Pinch Food Design. Though she’ll always be a Pittsburgher at heart, Casey lives in New Jersey with her husband, two cats, and a freezer full of kielbasa, sour cherries… and pierogies. Find out more at caseybarber.com. You can also find Casey on Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.

via Design*Sponge http://ift.tt/1C6v5rP From Kristina Gill

In the Kitchen With: Marcella Kriebel’s Avocados in the Half Shell By: Kristina Gill

Given summer’s gift of ripe avocados and juicy tomatoes, I thought these very simple recipes for avocados in the half shell with red quinoa salad and salsa roja would be perfect for this week. They are from illustrator Marcella Kriebel’s Mi Comida Latina cookbook. Mi Comida Latina is not only special because it is impeccably printed in large format on beautiful stock — it is also special because of the mission of its publisher. Burgess Lea Press is a new traditional trade publisher specializing in books of high quality from chefs, restaurants and farms, with 100% of after-tax publishers’ profits donated to non-profit organizations that address hunger, farmland preservation, culinary education and other food-related issues, chosen in collaboration with each book’s authors.  Marcella chose Adelante Mujeres in her native Oregon as a beneficiary for her book. Upcoming beneficiaries for other books include Edible Schoolyard Project (California), Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture (New York), The Vetri Foundation for Children (Philadelphia), and Urban Roots (Minnesota). —Kristina

Why Marcella loves this recipe: Avocados add a great richness to a dish like very few other fruits or veggies do. For example, when a salad doesn’t call for meat, I still desire something that lends more substance, and find that avocado is often the answer. I also must say that avocado green happens to be my favorite color! Color plays a big role when I paint, but it’s also really important when I cook, as well!

Avocados in the Half Shell with Red Quinoa Salad
Serves six

Ingredients

– 1 cup red quinoa
– 2 cups water
– 1 cup roasted tomato salsa
– ½ tsp salt
– 3 ripe avocados, halved and pitted
– ¼ cup chopped green onion

Method

1. Bring quinoa and water to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until all the water is absorbed (15 minutes), then let it cool.

2. In a large bowl, combine the quinoa, 1 cup roasted tomato salsa (recipe below), green onions and salt, stir.

3. Using a tablespoon, generously fill the cavity of each avocado half; the dish can be enjoyed right out of the shell. The quinoa salad looks like the pit, but one that can be eaten!

4. Serve avocados on a platter, adding extra salad to the center of the dish.

Salsa Roja Recipe
Makes three cups

Ingredients

– 2 pounds ripe tomatoes
– 1-2 jalapeños, cut lengthwise
– 6 cloves garlic, unpeeled
– ½ tsp salt, or to taste
– ½ cup finely chopped white onion
– ¼ cup chopped cilantro

Method

1. Line a skillet with a sheet of aluminum foil and heat over high heat.

2. Roast the tomatoes on the aluminum, turning every 1 minute, to blacken skin. When at least 50% of the tomato skin is roasted and blackened, remove from pan.

3. Remove foil then add jalapeños and garlic and roast over high heat until they are soft and blackened.

4. Peel the garlic and, using a large mortar and pestle, crush it with the jalapeños and salt to make a chunky paste. Add the tomatoes and the onion and crush to combine. If the mortar gets too full, transfer to a bowl. Add cilantro and more salt if needed.

Marcella Kriebel is best known for her vibrant watercolors, and illustrates everything from sunflowers to salmon in her own distinctive style. She used her degrees in studio art and anthropology background as a springboard for travel, journaling and cooking in numerous Latin American countries. An initially successful Kickstarter campaign allowed her to assemble her large archive of recipes and illustrations into her beautiful cookbook, Mi Comida Latina. The third edition of the book is now published by Burgess Lea Press. Marcella is an Oregon native, and currently a resident of Washington DC. Marcella’s originals, art prints and stationery are available on her website, and you can check out her latest projects on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

via Design*Sponge http://ift.tt/1KfQxvQ From Kristina Gill

In the Kitchen With: Yossy Arefi’s Fruit Pie By: Kristina Gill

Many times, the recipes you see on the In the Kitchen With column are the result of years of patient pursuit (and vigilant spam filters). I begin to admire photographer, baker, and author, Yossy Arefi’s photography a few years ago and reached out to her immediately through her blog, Apt 2b Baking Co. After several unsuccessful attempts, we were finally able to get in touch via Instagram this year. This week’s Apricot and Raspberry Pie is the result! I agree with Yossy that summer is the best time for pies because of the wonderful selection of fruits available. I am also always in pursuit of the next best crust. Try this out and let us know what you think! –Kristina

Why Yossy loves this recipe: Summer is my very favorite season to be a baker, which I know sounds a little backwards, but it’s because I love making fruit pies. My favorite pies strike a balance between sweet and tart, so I often combine an extra-sweet fruit like apricots with a fruit more on the tart side in this case, raspberries. The pairing also provides a nice mix of textures within the pie; the apricots are luscious and soft and the raspberries provide little bursts of crunchy seeds, which I love. The small amount of almond extract in this pie is a subtle flavor note that complements both fruits, but if you are allergic to nuts or don’t care for almond extract, feel free to omit it.

Photography by Yossy Arefi, portrait by Christine Han

Apricot and Raspberry Pie

Makes one 9-inch pie

Crust

– 2 2/3 cups all purpose flour

– 1 teaspoon salt

– 18 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

– 6-8 tablespoons ice cold water

– 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

– 1 egg, lightly beaten for egg wash

– turbinado sugar, to finish

To make the crust, combine the flour and salt in a bowl. Use your fingers or a pastry cutter to cut in half of the butter until it is the size of peas, then cut in the other half until it is the size lima beans. Some of the butter will be completely worked into the flour, but you should have lots of visible pieces of butter in the dough too. Add the apple cider vinegar to the water and make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Use a gentle hand or wooden spoon to mix about 6 tablespoons of the water into the flour until just combined. If the dough seems very dry, add more water a couple of teaspoons at a time. You have added enough water when you can pick up a handful of the dough and squeeze it together easily without it falling apart. Press the dough together, then split it in half, form into discs and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Chill the dough for at least one hour before using, or overnight. I prefer an overnight rest if at all possible

 

Filling

– 1 1/2 pounds fresh apricots, firm but ripe

– 8 ounces raspberries

– 3/4 cup granulated sugar

– 3-4 tablespoons cornstarch

– zest and juice of 1/2 of a lemon

– 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped and pod reserved for another use

– 1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional)

– pinch salt

 

To Assemble and Bake

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 425ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out one piece of the dough into a 12-inch circle about 1/8-inch thick and place it into a 9-inch pie pan. Refrigerate while you prepare the rest of the pie. Roll out the other piece of dough into a 12-inch circle about 1/8-inch thick and place it in the fridge on a sheet pan to chill while you prepare the filling.

In a large bowl, rub the vanilla bean seeds and lemon zest into the sugar with your fingertips to evenly distribute, add 3 tablespoons of the cornstarch and stir to combine well.

Use your hands to tear the apricots in half and discard the pits, they should easily come apart. Add the apricot halves to the bowl with the sugar mixture, and stir gently to combine. Add the raspberries, lemon juice, and almond extract. Stir gently until just combined. Be careful not to crush the raspberries too much. If there seems to be a lot of excess juice in the bowl from the fruit, add the remaining tablespoons of cornstarch and stir gently to combine (when making the pie pictured, I used all 4 tablespoons).

Fill the prepared pie shell with the filling and top with the second crust, crimp the edges and cut a few vents in the top. Alternately, you can top the pie with a woven lattice crust (see a tutorial here).

Trim the edges of the dough evenly, then fold the bottom dough up and over the lattice strips. Crimp the edges of the dough together to seal.

Slide the whole pie into the fridge or freezer for about 15 minutes or until the crust is very firm before baking. When you are ready to bake the pie, brush the crust with the beaten egg and sprinkle with a healthy dose of coarse sugar.

Put the pie on the prepared baking sheet to catch any drips and bake for 15 minutes then lower the oven temp to 400ºF and bake for 35-45 more minutes or until the crust is deep golden brown and the juices bubble. Cool before serving with ice cream or whipped cream.

About Yossy: Yossy Arefi is a Brooklyn-based photographer, baker, and writer. Originally from Seattle, she moved to New York in 2007 to pursue her passion for cooking. She spent several years baking in a busy Manhattan restaurant, and in 2012, she left the restaurant business to focus on photography and writing full­ time. Regardless of the season, you’re likely to find her navigating the stalls of New York’s many Greenmarkets with her trusted Pentax K1000 close at hand. Yossy’s forthcoming cookbook will be published by Ten Speed Press in early 2016. Yossy can also be found at Twitter and Instagram.

via Design*Sponge http://ift.tt/1cQg8ya From Kristina Gill

In the Kitchen With: Beau Ciolino’s Matcha Truffles By: Kristina Gill

Beau Ciolino, a New Orleans-based writer and author of Probably Baking blog, is another one of my favorite Instagram finds this year. His enthusiasm for baking is present in every image and in his writing, making his blog and Instagram feeds both fun places to wander around. Beau created this recipe for Matcha Dark Chocolate Truffles for us this week. Though the shops here in Italy remove chocolate from their shelves around late May, when it starts to get hot (and chocolates don’t typically return to stores until autumn), I think there’s always room for a truffle or two in the summer! —Kristina

Why Beau loves this recipe: I’ve always loved making truffles. They are so easy and versatile, and will totally impress your dinner guests. I fell in love with matcha a few months ago and use it constantly in baking and desserts. Its zing of green tea flavor pairs perfectly with the very intense dark chocolate in this recipe. These little guys are a great addition to a fruit and cheese board, just add a glass or three of champagne and you’ve got yourself a lovely after-dinner delight. If you don’t like extremely dark chocolate, you can always use a lower cocoa percentage, such as 50%, to make it more to your taste.   

Matcha Dark Chocolate Truffles
Makes about 12 truffles

Ingredients

For the truffles:

-10 oz dark chocolate (I used 70% cocoa)
-½ cup heavy cream
-¼ cup sugar
-4 teaspoons matcha powder (I used Aiya cooking grade matcha)

For topping:

-¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels
-½ Tablespoon unsalted butter
-2 Tablespoons heavy cream
-Matcha for dusting

Preparation

1. Roughly chop the chocolate into small pieces (if using a chocolate bar) and place in a heatproof bowl.

2. In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the heavy cream to a boil. Add the sugar and matcha and whisk until dissolved.

3. Pour the cream mixture into the chocolate and whisk until smooth. If all of the chocolate does not dissolve, fill the saucepan halfway with water and bring it to a boil. Place the bowl of the truffle mixture over the saucepan at least one inch above the water and whisk until smooth. Pour the mixture onto a baking sheet and place it in the refrigerator until cooled and firm.

4. Remove the mixture from the fridge and scoop into balls using a melon baller or spoon, forming small ½” – 1” balls. You can use your hands to do this if necessary, though it’s going to be a little messy! Place the formed balls back on the baking sheet and place in the freezer for 30 minutes to an hour, until firm. When the truffles are almost done firming up in the freezer, place ¼ cup of semi-sweet morsels in a heatproof bowl.

5. Bring the two tablespoons of heavy cream to a boil (20 seconds in the microwave will do it) and pour it on top of the chocolate morsels. Immediately add the butter and whisk vigorously until it is all smooth. If it doesn’t all melt, use the method listed above to finish melting the chocolate.

6. Remove the truffles from the freezer and dip the top half in the melted chocolate. Place the dipped truffles on wax paper or parchment paper and use a sifter to sprinkle with the matcha powder. Let dry before serving.

These can be stored in the fridge for up to one week, just let them sit out at room temperature for half an hour before serving!

About Beau: Beau Ciolino is a New Orleans-based writer, photographer, and food blogger who runs the blog Probably Baking. Growing up in a big Italian family, Beau has been surrounded by remarkable cuisine since he was a child. Pastas, meats, and cheeses were staples of his diet, though his dessert-heavy blog may lead you to think otherwise. Beau is a recent college graduate and is currently a freelance writer and photographer, hoping to one day work for a food publication or in a test kitchen. When he isn’t talking about cake and pasta, you can find Beau obsessing over dishware from Williams-Sonoma and binge-watching Netflix shows. Beau is the New Orleans recipes contributor for Where Y’at Magazine, a local New Orleans publication. You can find the Probably Baking facebook page here.

via Design*Sponge http://ift.tt/1FZXONC From Kristina Gill