VacatioNg-Roast Pork anyone?

We roasted a 10 lbs pork shoulder during our vacation. It turned out amazing... We finished every bit of it. You have to crisp up the skin at the end. Forget about watching your cholesterol. You and your guests will be fighting over the yummy, crispy skin. I guarantee it! I'm not sure if you remember my "I heart pork" post, that is where I got my inspiration. The recipe I use is a typical latin one (pernil). You have to try it!

First you pick the meat. Don't you just love him... He's so happy.

Clean and make slits all over the pork to insert the garlic and marinade.

Recipe:

-One 8-10 pound bone-in pork picnic shoulder with skin

-1 head of minced garlic

-1 cup of cilantro( finely chopped)

-1 cup of onion ( small diced)

-1 tbsp of salt for every pound

- 2 tsp of ground black pepper

- 2 tbsp of vegetable oil

- 2 tbsp of white vinegar

- 2 tbsp of adobo seasoning

Combine the garlic , cilantro and onion in a medium size bowl. Stir in the salt, adobo, pepper, oil and vinegar. Rub garlic paste all over the pork. Make sure to get some of the paste into the incisions so the flavoring can penetrate the meat. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.

Allow the meat to sit at room temperature for 30 mins before cooking. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Slow roast the pork for 6 hours, uncovered, skin side up (this is if you have all the time in the world). You can also roast it at a higher temperature for a shorter cooking time ( 400 degrees for an hours and then at 350 degrees for 2-3 hours) I'm sorry, you're committed at this point. When that is done, set your oven to broil to crisp up the skin. Make sure you get all of the skin. Be very careful. It is extremely hot. Use oven mitts! You'll thank me after :)

This is the perfect roast.

We served it with rice, beans and tortilla wraps that night.

Wish you all were there. Enjoy!

VacatioNg - Lunch at Joe's Crab Shack

The Ngs LOVE seafood and any chance to eat it together! We loved Joe's Crab Shack, it was exactly what we wanted!

From Dungeness Crabs to Snow and King Crab Legs, Lobsters, Shrimps,Clams...

In baskets, buckets and steampots!!

Basket of Fried Oysters

Samuel Adams Steam Pot :

Sweet Snow Crab, 1 LB of Clams, Lobster Claws, Sausage, Corn on a cob and Potatoes all steamed in S.A. Lager

Bucket of Garlicky Mussels

Joe's Classic Steam Pot :

Dungeness Crab, Snow Crab, Shrimp, Smoked Sausage, Corn on a cob and Potatoes

Looks a bit messy but that's where the fun comes in :)

lemon, butter and yes a couple of bibs please!

VacatioNg cont...

Everytime we get together I am always requested to make my corn casserole. I have been making this dish for holidays, birthdays, and gatherings for many years now.

Every night on this trip along with helping each other with cooking, one of the sisters were in charge of making a dish and I could not wait until it was my turn! I made this on the same night Emily made her Ox Tail Stew and it went together very well. This is a super simple recipe and everyone finishes it everytime! As many times as I've made it, I still go for seconds and sometimes thirds :o)

Cindy's Corn Casserole

1 14oz can whole kernel corn

1 14oz can cream style corn

1 8 0z sour cream

1/2 stick of butter, melted

1 small package of Jiffy corn bread mix

1 egg beaten

1 jalapeno minced (use more if you like it extra spicy)

Mix all ingredients together in a 2 qt casserole pot or baking dish and bake at 375 degress for about an hour or until the top browns and the middle is dry when you stick a toothpick or chopstick in.

A side corn dish that is sweet and spicy at the same time? It's always a winner! I hope this dish will be a great part of your dinners too!

VacatioNg- Braised Ox Tail

I'm still experiencing withdrawals from 7 days of fun and food with my family. I miss waking up everyday at 7 (that's really 4AM since we're west coast time!) just so I don't miss a minute of hanging out time with everyone! We all met in Orlando in the most lovely vacation rental house. It was a week of relaxation, tennis, swimming and EATING! We started the trip with a fun dinner at the Black Angus steak house! Then the next day we went straight to the Asian market with a pit stop at the Vietnamese restaurant next door of course. We stocked the fridge and pantry full of food and snacks and I mean FULL! Then the cooking began! I'm going to let my sisters talk more about the food but I would like to highlight my pride and joy for the week, braised oxtails!

We saved this dish for later in the week as you will see from the other Ngs that there were many nights of succulent roasted meats! We served it with rice, roasted zucchini and Cindy's delicious corn casserole.

Em's Ox Tail Stew

1 oxtail cut into pieces

1 can of whole plum tomatoes (hand crushed with juices)

1 carrot diced

1 onion diced

5 cloves garlic crushed

thyme - 1 teaspoon dried or 4 sprigs fresh

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon Goya sofrito (if not available, totally ok to leave out)

• brown oxtail in 9 qt dutch oven or other large pot
• remove oxtail and saute onion, garlic until caramelized
• add sofrito if using
• add tomatoes and bring to boil
• add bay leaf, thyme
• return oxtails and bring to boil
• add water to almost cover, bring to boil
• simmer for an hour and half to 2 hours until oxtails are tender

Vietnamese for Lunch

Three Treasure Rice - 3 style pork with soft fried egg

Grilled Pork with Vermicelli Dry / with Soup Bowl

Tomato Beef

We love tomato beef! Growing up, this dish would appear on the dinner table at least once a week, a memory of deliciousness and comfort.

 It is perfect with fluffy white rice, the sauce savory and a little sweet. For this dish we insist on the best ingredients since it is so simple. If possible use heirloom tomatoes, Chinese fermented black beans and garlic and organic beef.

4 medium tomatoes sliced in wedges

1 lb flank steak sliced

2 tablespoons chinese cooking wine

2 tablespoons soy sauce

4 slices ginger

3 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon fermented black beans - Dau Si (soaked in water for 15 mins)

1 tablespoon light brown sugar

slurry of 1 teaspoon cornstarch and some water
cilantro

• marinade flank steak in cooking wine and soy sauce for 20 mins
• wok on high heat, brown steak in a little oil for a few minutes, remove
• add garlic, ginger and black beans sautee for a few mins
• add tomatoes and cook down until soft
• add brown sugar
• return beef and add cornstarch slurry a little a time until thickness of sauce desired
• add salt or soy sauce to taste