I can’t believe I haven’t posted this recipe yet! It has long been a favorite standby of mine. Pork shoulder is simply cut into large chunks and simmered for 90 minutes, cooled in the same liquid, then easily shredded by hand and ready to be seasoned with your favorite sauce and eaten. It goes well with mexican rice, or tortillas, or even rolled in lettuce with various accompaniments. Any fat should be trimmed before cooking, and on this particular cut of meat the fat was particularly thick. I think I’ve mentioned my love of crispy pork skin before, and I couldn’t resist giving it another try. This time I kept it simple and just deep-fried the sliced skin for a long time until it stopped bubbling, indicating that it had totally dried out. They were so good I could have eaten them like potato chips (and they seem to have upstaged the pulled pork in the picture above), but I instead chopped them up to use as a garnish for the rest of the dinner. It makes for a satisfying meal all rolled up with lettuce, rice, avocado and salsa.

Pulled Pork Shoulder (serves 4-6)

1 pork shoulder half, about 2-3 pounds
1 large onion, peeled and quartered
6 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
several sprigs of cilantro
Salt

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, remove any fat or skin from the pork - use as explained above if you wish. Cut the pork into large chunks, about 4-inch cubes would be ideal. When the water boils add the pork, onion, garlic and cilantro, plus plenty of salt. Return to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 90 minutes. Turn off the heat and cool for several hours in the liquid. I have refrigerated it over night at this point, still int the liquid.

When ready to proceed, simply pull the pork apart, taking care not to crush it - it should flake apart almost like a piece of fish. Reheat it with your favorite sauce - any kind of mexican sauce works well, like salsa verde, mole, and especially any roasted chile-based sauces. This time I just mixed in some tamarind paste, smoked paprika, lime juice and brown sugar, plus salt and pepper. Serve with rice, lettuce and tortillas. Avocado, beans and salsa make nice accompaniments.

We just received our annual shipment of tomatoes from Jenna’s Dad’s garden. Every year at around this time, his garden overflows with big, fresh, juicy tomatoes and we always end up bringing home a full bag. Rather than use them gradually and have them slowly go bad, I just use them right away to make a big batch of fresh tomato sauce. It freezes well if you can’t use it all at once, but we never seem to have that problem.

Fresh Tomato Sauce (makes about 2 quarts)

12 big, ripe tomatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
2 sprigs of fresh basil
salt and pepper to taste

First, peel the tomatoes. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cut a small X on the bottom of each tomato, then drop them on the water. Remove after no more than 30 seconds. Place them in ice water to cool them down. Peel off the skin, starting when the x was cut. When all the tomatoes are peeled, cut out the core and remove and discard the seeds.

(A tip: if you like your sauce thick, then at this point you should place the tomatoes in a strainer over a bowl to collect the juices. The more you let them drain, the thicker the sauce will be. It could even be left overnight in the refrigerator. However, I usually skip this step to save time, and also because I don’t mind a thin sauce.)

Heat the olive oil in a large pan. Add the onion and saute for one minute. Add the garlic and saute for another minute. Add the tomatoes, followed by the basil. Stir well, reduce the heat to medium, partially cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until has reached the desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper, then serve immediately over pasta.

I’ve been on vacation for a full week now and have cooked almost nothing. I made some butterscotch bars for our family reunion last Sunday, along with some peanut butter ice cream, but aside from that I’ve managed to stay out of the kitchen. While staying in Olympia, my mom came home with a bag full of fresh oysters, mussels and clams the other day, so we decided to make a chowder. The oysters were covered in barnacles and I struggled with cleaning and opening a dozen of then for over an hour, but in the end, it was worth it. Nothing really compares with homemade chowder made with freshly shucked shellfish.

Oyster and Clam Chowder (serves 4-6)

12 medium oysters, cleaned
2 pounds littleneck clams, soaked in water for 30 minutes and scrubbed
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, sliced
2 Tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
3 Tablespoons dry sherry
1/2 pound thick sliced bacon, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 onion, diced
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
3 Tablespoons flour
3 cups milk
2 cups chicken stock or water
Salt and Pepper to taste

Open the oysters and remove from the shells, reserving the juice. Cut them into bite size pieces and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large pot. Add the garlic, cook for a few seconds, then add the clams and oregano, followed by the sherry. Cover and cook over medium-high heat until all the clams have opened. Cool for a few minutes, then remove the clams from their shells, reserving the cooking liquid. Chop the clams roughly and set aside.

Heat another large pot over medium-high heat and add the diced bacon. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until crispy, about 6-8 minutes. Remove the bacon and set aside. Add the celery and onion to the same pot and cook for 3 minutes. Add the potatoes and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the flour and cook for one minutes, stirring constantly. Add the milk, stock or water, and the reserved oyster and clam liquids. Bring to a simmer and cook only until the potatoes are cooked. Add the chopped oysters and clams, cook for just one minute, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Here’s an example of a dish I made up from ingredients that were laying around. I bought some shrimp, yellow squash and sweet peppers and figured that I’d find something to do with it. When it was all finished I realized it was pretty much a ratatouille with the addition of shrimp (and no tomatoes). I marinated the shrimp, cooked the vegetables separately and mixed it all together and served it over couscous. I suppose if it was served over rice I could have called it a stir-fry.

Shrimp Ratatouille (serves 4)

1-1/2 pounds large shrimp, cleaned
4 Tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 Tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 yellow squash, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 green pepper, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 red pepper, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Juice of 1 lime
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix the shrimp, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, garlic, cilantro, paprika, salt and pepper together in a bowl and set aside to marinate while you prepare the vegetables. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a heavy skillet until very hot. Add the yellow squash and cook until it starts to caramelize, stirring occasionally, maybe 4-5 minutes. Add the green and red peppers and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside. Add the remaining olive oil, heat until very hot again, and add the marinated shrimp. Cook for just a few minutes, turning once, until just cooked. Add the cooked vegtables and stir to mix. Add the lime juice, salt and pepper and serve.

I’m a sucker for short ribs. Even in the middle of July, with our 100-degree heat index, I could not resist these thick, meaty ones from the store. I did a few things to lighten it up a bit. First, I did not add any onion or garlic to the pot, instead I added extra carrot and celery. Second, for the liquid I used only white wine and water, flavoring it with some lemon thyme and rosemary from our balcony garden, along with a bit of citrus zest and ginger. Lastly, I pureed the cooked vegetables into the cooking liquid after I removed the cooked ribs. It made it into a sort of thin vegetable puree, which is a little lighter than the sauce would have been by itself. The kids never eat braised vegetables anyway, so at least they get a bit this way.

Summer Short Ribs (serves 4)

3 pounds short ribs
2 Tablespoons canola oil
4 stalks of celery, cut into 3-inch pieces
2 large carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
3 one-inch pieces of fresh ginger
2 small sprigs each of rosemary and lemon thyme
1 Tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup white wine
2 Tablespoons sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)
2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar
Zest of one lemon and one lime, grated
Water to cover

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Season the short ribs well with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a dutch oven until very hot. Add the short ribs and cook, turning, until brown on all sides. Remove and set aside. Add the vegetables and herbs to the pot and cook for 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste and stir briefly, then add the remaining ingredients. Return the short ribs to the pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, cover, and put into the oven. Bake for 2-1/2 hours. Remove the short ribs from the pot again and set aside. Discard the herb stems and ginger. Cook on the stovetop for about 5 minutes to reduce the sauce a bit. Turn off the heat and cool for a few minutes. Puree the vegetables into the cooking liquid using an immersion blender. Return the short ribs to the sauce and serve.

During a recent trip to the farmers market I noticed an unusually long line at one of the stands. It seemed like they were selling the same vegetables as everyone else, but then I spotted them - zucchini flowers. No other stand had them that day and they were nice and fresh. Five dollars for a good sized container. I hopped in line and bought some.

So then I had to decide what to do with them. Zucchini flowers were made for stuffing, but the only question is with what. I love stuffing them with crab or lobster, but that’s obviously not your everyday dinner. Even plain cheese is nice, but I wanted something different. I decided on polenta. I had never done it before, but it sounded like it might work. When soft polenta cools it is easy to stuff into things (especially with the help of a pastry bag), and when reheated it regains its creamy texture. The crispness of the fried zucchini flower provided a nice contrast to the soft filling. It was a very satisfying dish (and next time I think I’ll add some lobster).

Polenta Stuffed Zucchini Flowers (serves 4-6)

24 zucchini flowers
2-1/2 cups water or stock
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh herbs (I used lemon thyme, rosemary and sage)
1/2 cup fine cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup diced cheddar cheese
2 Tablespoons shredded parmesan cheese
Flour for dredging
2 eggs
2 cups Japanese breadcrumbs

Wash the flowers and remove the stamen from the center. Bring the water or stock to a boil with the fresh herbs. Whisk in the cornmeal, salt and pepper. Cook and stir on medium-low heat until thick. Remove from the heat and cool completely.

Add the cheeses when the polenta is cool. Fill each flower with the polenta - a pastry bag makes it easy, otherwise use a small spoon. Coat the flowers with flour. Lightly beat the eggs, then dip in the flowers. Finally, coat each flower with the breadcrumbs and fry in a large skillet over medium heat until golden. Drain on paper towels and serve immediately.

What is a sign of a great cookbook? To me, a great cookbook has a worn-out binding, a frayed cover and food-stained pages. That indicates that the cookbook is in use, rather than one that is just admired. On my shelf no book is more worn-out than this one: Frozen Desserts. I have owned it for over ten years and have used it extensively at every job I have had. The recipes are reliable and tasty and even work well in a commercial ice cream maker. I bought some plums to make ice cream the other day and turned to this book for guidance. I’ve used their recipe for plum ice cream on my dessert menus before. It calls for rosé wine, but I usually substitute with plum wine. This time I replaced it with créme de cassis. It ended up giving it a richer flavor as well as a much deeper color. Make sure to use dark-skinned plums for the best color.

Plum Cassis Ice Cream (makes 1 quart)

1 pound black plums
1/2 cup créme de cassis (blackcurrant liqueur)
1 cup heavy cream
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar

Wash the plums, remove the pits, then slice each into eight pieces. Place in a small pot with the créme de cassis. Bring to a boil, then simmer until the plums are soft - about 8-10 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Bring the cream just to a boil. Whisk the yolks and sugar together in a bowl, then slowly pour in the hot cream while continuing to whisk. Add the cooked plums. Purée both together until completely smooth. Chill completely before processing through your ice cream maker.

My fascination with Chinese crispy eggplant goes way back to when I lived in Portland, Oregon. I was with a large group of friends at a restaurant called Fu Jin. One person did all the ordering and one dish that arrived at the table was Crispy Eggplant. Sounds simple enough, but it turned out to be one of the most memorable dishes I’ve ever eaten. In a world where eggplant usually gets pureed and turned into things like Baba Ganoush and Baingan Bhartha, and then to be presented with this - crisp and saucy all at once - was truly a revelation. Sadly, twelve years later I have not been back to that restaurant, or even had the same dish elsewhere that was quite as good. Occasionally I have tried to recreate it on my own, as I did the other day. It is super easy, at least if you have a deep-fryer going. Although it doesn’t quite live up to my first experience, it is still a tasty dish. And maybe I’ll visit Fu Jin next month on my vacation!

Crispy Eggplant (serves 4 as a side dish)

3 japanese eggplants
cornstarch for dredging
oil for deep-frying
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 cup stock (chicken or vegetable)
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 green onion, thinly sliced

Begin heating the oil in the fryer. Slice the eggplant diagonally into 1/4-inch slices. Toss with cornstarch and shake off the excess. Begin frying the eggplant when the oil is hot. Fry in batches for 5-6 minutes, until very crispy. Remove and drain on paper towels. Continue until all the eggplant is cooked.

Meanwhile, bring the remaining ingredients (except the green onion) to a boil in a small saucepan. Boil for 2 minutes. When all the eggplant is cooked, mix it with the sauce and green onion and serve immediately.