~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~
Every Thursday, here at Like Mother, Like Daughter!
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{pretty}
These little tomatoes are going into the dehydrator, and they will be so welcome in January!
{happy}
I am wicked proud of a) growing peppers and b) getting them all the way to red. Just hasn't really happened to me before.
{funny}
I sort of think everything, pretty much, around here is funny. I have this sense that most of the things I do are ridiculous.
So maybe this isn't that funny to you, but it's MY funny so there you go.
I borrowed a bunch of little kids to pick some of my pears (they really only managed one tree — two more to go!). Some for their families and some for mine. But then we went away for a long weekend, and I really had to do something about the bushels of pears, or my kitchen was going to be overwhelmed with fruit flies. It's tricky, because you pick pears unripe, but some are getting pretty darned ripe, and some are not at all ripe.
It's a sorting process. Takes time. But I had to go. So I quick separated them into “misshapen and ripe” “misshapen and unripe” “shapely and ripe” and “shapely and unripe.”
And all the “misshapen but ripe” ones got cooked up real quick for pear sauce (which is like unto applesauce and very delish) and then put in the fridge for most of a week! And you know what, that was fine. It's good to know that you can separate the various steps of this rather overwhelming process.
Pro-tips: a) get a Foley food mill (try to find one at a thrift store — the aluminum kind with the thicker handle is the best one) and liberate yourself from peeling and coring and b) cut each pear in half anyway to be sure that there are no bugs or other gross situations. Cut away any part you don't want. Be ruthless. This is a big mess of pear product and you can afford to be in a “take-no-prisoners” mood.
{real}
I am {really} going to give you a {real} recipe for a change!
While we were with Nick and Natasha, Natasha made us a delicious pork stir-fry supper. It really did seem to have a high deliciousness-to-difficulty ratio, so I asked her for the recipe, which she kindly gave me and I here offer with my tweaks.
When Natasha made it, I rustled up some Eggplant Obsession to go with (with zucchini, peppers, and onions as well). That was an excellent side dish. Here at home, I served it with a quick slaw made of red cabbage, kale from the garden, and chopped up carrots tossed with a little ginger-garlic paste (more on that below), mayo, and lemon juice. We also had some fabulous little tomatoes that needed to be eaten. Great supper! And yes, so easy.
The recipe is from the Wall Street Journal: Hooni Kim’s Recipe for Pork and Tofu Stir-Fry With Scallions — so it's behind a paywall, alas. But if you don't subscribe, just know that I am well within reason to sort of nudge this in a Thai/other-Asian direction, since according to this article, Hooni Kim nudged it from Chinese to Korean. So Asian readers, don't be mad.
Pork Stir-Fry, Like Mother, Like Daughter via the WSJ and dear Natasha
This recipe serves four. So definitely at least double it! Make a ton because it will freeze perfectly and isn't the kind of stir-fry that relies on everything being super freshly cooked — the veggies are on the side.
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (I used peanut)
1 pound ground pork
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (I do not recommend salting anything here — the miso is very salty!)
1½ tablespoons minced garlic*– see note!
1½ tablespoons minced ginger*– see note!
2 medium onions, finely diced (well, I diced because Natasha told me to dice and then I didn't read the “finely” — I like to know my onion is in there anyway)
¼ cup doenjang (Korean miso) or Japanese white miso (bought Japanese non-white miso because wasn't paying attention — and due to the saltiness, I think maybe starting with less is a good idea)
2 tablespoons gochujang (Korean red pepper paste) (we have various kinds of red pepper paste hanging around because I just am not a hot pepper person and never EVER use them, so I used one I had — see photo — and only put a microscopic amount IN the dish, passing the jar at the table)
1 cup low-sodium chicken stock (I used pork stock, which yes, I have in the freezer along with every other kind of stock due to obsessive Save-a-Step cooking)
2 pounds silken tofu, broken into large pieces (Natasha used tofu – I used mushrooms, chopped)
1 bunch scallions, white and light green portions only, thinly sliced
a handful of Thai basil, chopped (this is my addition — adds a lovely fresh tang as you eat, I think)
Cooked white rice, for serving (Natasha made a short brown rice, I think, very good — I made short white rice, the nice sticky Japanese kind with the rose on the bag)
Heat the oil in a wok or large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add pork, leaving out the salt in the original recipe. Start to cook the pork, about 4 minutes.
2. Stir in garlic, ginger* — see note! and onions. Stir-fry until pork browns, about 4 minutes more.
3. Stir in doenjang [miso paste], gochujang [or just a dab of a hot pepper sauce of some kind, or the full amount if you are a spice-o-phile], and stock. Simmer until meat cooks through and stock thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Stir in tofu or mushrooms and simmer about 7 minutes. Adjust seasoning as needed, adding more miso if you were conservative at first, and probably no salt.
4. Garnish with scallions and Thai basil and serve over cooked white rice.
* Garlic and ginger! Instead of always chopping these separately for your Asian dishes, why not make a paste and keep it in the fridge? I've posted about this before re: this cole slaw recipe — a great trick that has you only do the work once in a while and gives you a seasoning that is more than the sum of its parts, as the flavors meld magically as they sit.
Next time you are at the store, get a few heads of garlic (or a jar of already peeled cloves) and a good big hunk of ginger. Throw the peeled cloves (1/2 cup or more) and the peeled ginger (ditto) into the food processor or finely mince by hand. Add a little salt and oil (do this right in the jar, if you are working by hand) and put this paste into a jar. Just keep it in the fridge — for this recipe, instead of 1 1/2 tablespoons of each, just add 3 tablespoons of the paste. It instantly “Asianizes” your dish, making those last-minute stir-fries a lot quicker than ever.
Julie says
What a yummy recipe. I will definitely have to stir fry this one! I will be following your advice on the garlic/ginger paste, does your jar seem to keep the smell from say, creeping into the butter?
Thanks again!
Julie
Leila says
Julie, the smell is completely contained! Just choose a nice jar with a good seal.
Laura says
Those tomatoes do look beautiful!
What a delicious dish! Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Chere Mama says
Oh, there is nothing like tomato and peppers RED. Your vegetables are so beautiful!! And I think I will try your Pork dish. Yum!!!!
lisa says
Where dod you get your table cloth? It reminds me mother Theresa and brings a smile….much like the mugs I find for 88¢ ea at Wal-Mart with the sMe blue stripe…
Do share if you recollect!
🙂
Leila says
Lisa, I just got the tablecloth at Homegoods — it was a Fourth of July splurge! Not very expensive, though.
Kristina B says
How long does the garlic-ginger paste last? I love the sharp clarity that ginger brings but I’ve had it go bad a couple times on me and so I’m wary of buying too much…
Jeannie says
I am curious to know as well. We don’t eat Asian often because I never have anything but garlic on hand. So I’m intrigued by the ginger paste. Will it be rancid in two weeks? Thanks for the recipe. I don’t have any of those pastes and perhaps I can expand my repertoire. 🙂
Your eggplants and peppers look great.
Annalisa says
I haven’t tried the paste myself yet, but I do have a tip for using ginger root if you don’t go the paste route. I keep mine in the freezer for the few months that it takes me to go through a good chunk. I haven’t noticed any freezer taste. Also, frozen ginger is easier to grate than fresh.
Jennifer says
What type of dehydrator do you use? I am thinking of getting one but have no idea which kind if best. Thanks.
Leila says
Jennifer, it’s one that I got at a yard sale for $5 –you can see it in this post: http://www.likemotherlikedaughter.org/2015/08/a-quilt-for-a-little-boy/
When I use it I put it in the mudroom on the dryer because it has a fan that goes all the time, which can get pretty annoying in the kitchen.
It’s a super-cheap kind — it does have the nice feature that you can regulate the temperature. So it’s a step up from the previous yard-sale one that just plugged in and turned on — but worked perfectly fine, to be honest.
Theresa says
Thanks for hosting the giveaway, Leila! I’m hoping it will help my sister-in-law as she and her fiance plan their wedding from across several states. 🙂
Leila says
You are welcome, Theresa!
Maurisa says
Your garden goodness looks fantastic! There is nothing quite as satisfying as growing your own food, in my opinion! Thanks for posting the recipe. I love a good stir fry and this looks fantastic!
Katie says
Stir-fry has been one of the most rewarding things I’ve learned to do as I’ve taught myself to cook as a grown-up. How exciting when my husband and I agree that what we can fix at home is tastier than what we’ve occasionally paid for in those Asian-fusion fast-casual types of lunch places! Then the fact that it’s healthy, fresh (or leftover-friendly), and often meatless/frugal makes it even better. Once I learned to shop for a couple of “international” pantry staples, we really are able to whip up something tasty as often as we like. My go-to lately has been a shrimp and broccoli stir-fry . . . buying the bag of frozen shrimp when it goes on sale, making the sauce earlier in the day, and then boom, it’s all done by the time the rice has cooked at dinnertime. Glad to have a new recipe to try– thanks for sharing.
Your tomatoes and veggies are so pretty. Our garden has been terrorized by squirrels and chipmunks this year– zero big red tomatoes, zero peppers of any sort; just an overabundance of giant cucumbers with bitter skins. Finally the delicious little Sun Sugars are actually ripening (are the birds and squirrels blind?? or just bored with us now??), but then the toddler swoops in for “orange tomatoes!” and who can say no to a sweet little barefoot girl willing to brave the mosquitoes for her favorite treat? We have to hide what we can on the way in to end up with any in the kitchen!
Tia says
do you think the ginger/garlic combo would also work for Indian dishes? We make a lot of those round these parts, and I am always looking for a way to shorten cook time. But I worry the proportions would be off? I feel like with Indian food, the proportions on the spices are very important?
Leila says
Tia, yes — any recipe that calls for garlic and ginger! Since it’s equal amounts, you could always add more of the one or the other — but at least you wouldn’t be doing a lot of chopping right at that moment.
Mary says
Oh, so much garden goodness! We didn’t have a garden this year so I have to live vicariously through others like you!
I also posted about our pear canning! I actually now leave all the skins on and sort as I slice them with the apple/pear slicer. It saves SO much time. The skins are tolerable for the amount of time and work it saves..I’ve been able to can enough for all winter’s lunches! And for the sauce, I use an immersion blender that blends it right up. It’s awesome.
Marcia says
This an amazing garden-and-kitchen post. I’m taking down notes! Thank you yet again.
Leila says
Kristina and Jeannie — the paste lasts a LONG time. It has the oil and salt… just use an utterly clean knife or spoon to get it out!
You can try with just, say, 1/4 cup of each and see how it goes. But for me, this paste really helps me decide to go ahead and make a stir-fry or what have you — because I don’t want to shop for a small piece of ginger and have it go bad…
NY Mom says
To keep ginger fresh, place it in a glass jar, cover with Amontadillo sherry (actually any kind, but that’s my favorite), and refrigerate. Lasts a good long time and the subtle sherry flavor doesn’t hurt!
arlene says
Leila,
Since you seem to do alot of canning, may I suggest you try the Victorio food strainer and sauce maker. It works great! Much faster than the Foley food mill. I have had mine for many years…..great for applesauce and tomato juice, too. I see that it is available on Amazon or at your local kitchen supply stores.
Arlene
Ashley says
I need to make this paste (and this stir fry)! I’ve been on an Asian kick lately and so we use lots of ginger and garlic and this would help cut down on prep time. I love it when you post recipes and kitchen wisdom!
Your garden produce looks beautiful. Tomatoes don’t grow very well along the Gulf Coast so I’m a little envious of your bounty. 🙂
Kimberlee says
‘I sort of think everything, pretty much, around here is funny. I have this sense that most of the things I do are ridiculous.’ I just love this line, and can relate more than you could ever know. 😉
Your produce all looks lovely! A groundhog got in our (doubly fenced) garden and of course dug its tunnels under the tomato row, so few very tomatoes here this year. Yours are beautiful! And I’ve got to try that garlic/ginger combo soon. thanks!
Woman of the House says
The pear sauce looks delicious! Neat tablecloth too!
Erika says
Your stir fry sounds great, and certainly is quite Korean. One commenter already mentioned the frozen ginger option. Another option for garlic only is to grind it all up, put it in a plastic bag, and freeze. Then any time you need some, you open the back, chop off a piece with a knife and toss it in the pan. If you are trying to go Korean and are not sure how much a tablespoon (or any other specific measurement) is, just go large. Never too much garlic for Koreans! Here in Korea, you can actually buy your garlic pre-ground in the markets, by the scoop. Thus the need for the freezer – you can have a LOT of garlic around.
Sharon says
I love your blog! I look forward to all your posts.
I have some pears and was wondering about your pear sauce. Do you have a recipe or is it the same as applesauce? I was hoping to try it this week. Thanks so much!
Leila says
Sharon, it’s so simple — like simple applesauce. Since you have the food mill (right?), just cut the pears (as described above) (I remove the stem and any parts that don’t look good) and throw in your big pot. Don’t add water, don’t add sugar. Just cook on low (a crockpot works great, although there will be no caramelization). Since I often am a bit distracted, it will happen that the bottom will ahem cook a little more than I thought it would, but that adds good flavor (just don’t let it burn!). Stir and keep cooking.
When it’s all cooked, process through the mill. Take the sauce and either freeze it or warm it up and process in a warm water bath in clean warm jars, for 10 minutes for a pint jar.
Sharon says
Thanks! I don’t think it could get much more simple than that! I have a victoria strainer like a previous commenter suggested. I have a food mill also for really small amounts, but the strainer is the ticket for larger amounts. Thanks again!!