Tag: main course
Polska Kielbasa
Polska Kielbasa
In Polish, kielbasa simply means “sausage.” What we consider to be kielbasa in America is called Polska Kielbasa wedzona in Poland. This particular version of polska kielbasa is very similar to the Polish government’s official recipe. Yes, Poland has an official recipe.There are a few things that make kielbasa, kielbasa. Kielbasa is always smoked; specifically with cherry wood. The only place you will find raw kielbasa is at a Polish deli in Poland. Kielbasa is usually around 70-80% pork, with the rest being beef. The main flavor profile of kielbasa comes from garlic and marjoram. Salt, sugar, and black pepper accent the sausage. Lastly, all kielbasa is cured using pink curing salts. This adds what I like to call “hamminess” to the sausage.Grind the meat on the fine grinding plate. Mix in all of the seasonings. Then mix in ice water to help the fat bind to the meat. Stuff through the stuffer using hog casings. Make each kielbasa about 18” long. Tie the ends of the casing together to make loop. Let dry in the refrigerator overnight before smoking.When ready to smoke, preheat the smoker to 250 degrees. Tie the kielbasa to the top rack with twine to allow them to hang. Place all of the kielbasa in the smoker. Let the wood chips ignite and smoke for 10 minutes. Then drop the heat down to 185 degrees. You will want to smoke the kielbasa low and slow so you don’t render out the fat. Repeat this process one more time. The kielbasa take about 3 hours to reach an internal temperature of 155 degrees. Once finished, place the kielbasa in an ice water bath to stop the cooking process. Drain the water, then let cool more in the refrigerator overnight. Kielbasa can be grilled, pan fried, and even broiled. They’re great sliced and sautéed with sauerkraut, served with a whole grain mustard. You can either wrap any extra kielbasa in freezer paper or even vacuum seal them down, storing in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Equipment
- grinder
- sausage stuffer
- Electric Smoker
- Probe Thermometer
Ingredients
- 4 lbs pork shoulder cubed
- 1 lb chuck cubed
- 2 tbsp sea salt
- 1 tsp pink curing salts
- 2 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp marjoram
- 2 tsp sugar
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 cup ice water
- pork casings
Wood Chips
- cherry wood
Instructions
- Grind the pork and beef with the fine grinding plate on your grinder.
- Thoroughly mix in by hand all of the dried spices. Then mix in the ice water. Put the sausage in the refrigerator until you are ready to stuff it.
- Pipe the sausage in the casings through the stuffer, making each kielbasa about 18” long. Tie the ends of the casings together to form a loop. Let your kielbasas dry out in the refrigerator overnight.
- Preheat your smoker to 250 degrees. When ready to smoke, tie your kielbasa to the top rack with twine so they can hang during the smoking process. Once all of the kielbasa are hung and the smoker is at 250 degrees, place them in the smoker. Let the wood chips get lit for 10 minutes, then turn the heat down to 185 degrees.
- Change out the wood chips every 90 minutes until the sausages reach an internal temperature of 155 degrees.
- When the kielbasa reach temp, cut them from the twine. Immediately place the kielbasa in an ice water bath to stop them from cooking.
- Drain the ice water. Let the kielbasa sit overnight in the refrigerator before use.
Ginataang Mungo at Baboy (Pork and Mung Bean Stew)
Ginataang Mungo at Baboy (Pork and Mung Bean Stew)
Ginataang mungo at baboy is a mung bean stew with diced pork belly, spinach, and coconut milk. This stew is kind of the Filipino version of a split pea soup, just with a lot more going on. The stew is very comforting and creamy, especially on a cool day. If you want your pork to be a little leaner then belly, you can substitute cubes of pork shoulder.
Ingredients
- 1 cup mung beans
- 6 cups water
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 lb pork belly diced
- 2 roma tomatoes diced
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 1/2 cups coconut milk
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 bunch spinach
Instructions
- Bring 6 cups of water to a boil. Add in the mung beans. Cover. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 45 minutes.
- Turn off the heat. The mung beans should’ve split in half like split peas.
- Heat up cooking oil in a pot over medium high heat. Sauté the onions and garlic for 5 minutes.
- Add in the pork belly. Sauté for 7-8 minutes until browned.
- Add in the tomatoes and fish sauce. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Pour in the mung beans with all of the bean stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Add in the coconut milk, salt, and pepper. Continue simmering for 5 minutes.
- Turn off the heat. Stir in the spinach.
Folded Kimbap, 3 ways
Folded Kimbap, 3 ways
Folded kimbap pays homage to the traditional kimbap, only in sandwich form. Instead of rolling the kimbap ingredients, the sheet of nori is cut halfway through up the middle. This will allow the kimbap to be folded into 4 sections. What’s nice about the folded kimbap is that there are limitless combinations you can make. Kimbap sesame oil rice is always placed on the bottom left corner of the nori. Then the protein above it. The right sides are for vegetables and other ingredients. Simply fold the rice side up on the protein, then fold over to the right, then bottom right side folded up.
Equipment
- scissors
Ingredients
- 1 cup steamed rice
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 sheets nori
Spam and Eggs Kimbap
- 2 slices spam pan fried
- 1 large egg scrambled
- 1 piece green leaf lettuce washed
- cucumber thinly sliced
Fish Cake Kimbap
- 1 sheet fish cake pan fried
- 1 slice cheese
- carrots julienned and sautéed
- 2 perilla leaves
- cucumber thinly sliced
Beef Bulgogi Kimbap
- 2 oz beef bulgogi
- carrots julienned and sautéed
- 1 strip pickled radish
- 2 perilla leaves
- baby spinach blanched
Instructions
- Mix together the sesame oil and salt with the steamed rice.
- Using scissors, cut half way up the center of a sheet of nori. Place it shiny side down. Place 1/3 cup of rice on the bottom left corner of the nori. Place the spam on the top left corner. Place the eggs on the top right corner. Place the green lettuce and cucumber on the bottom left.
- Fold the rice side up over the spam side.
- Fold over to the right on the egg side.
- Fold over to the bottom on the vegetables.
