The Friggin' Gourmet

Cooking with Warren Ellis

2008-10-03T08:55:00.000-04:00

Writer Warren Ellis (above left, with the late Rory Root) is the default Lord of the Internets.

Or something to that effect. He's projected a rather interesting personality through the Web but he's mostly a writer; comics, games; animation; a novel; and loads of commentary. Never met him, though we've exchanged e-mail a couple of times.

In the paperback edition of his novel, "Crooked Little Vein," there are some recipes, and he recently posted more, so allow me to share.

Slow Roasted Chinese Pork

2008-09-27T15:20:00.000-04:00

Get a 5-6 lb Boston pork butt. Brine it overnight in enough water to cover and 2 tbs. (each) sugar and coarse (kosher or sea) salt.

Rinse the pork and dry it with paper towels. Let it air-dry for an hour.

Preheat your oven to 250º F.

Prepare a rub with 1 tbs. Chinese five spice powder, 2 cloves finely minced garlic, 1 tsp. finely minced fresh ginger, a dash each of salt and pepper, 1 tsp. sesame oil and 1 tbs. vegetable oil. Combine ingredients and rub thoroughly into the pork, especially in the nooks and crannies.

If there's a layer of fat on one side, score it with a couple of diagonal cuts, without cutting into the meat below the fat.

Put a few drops of sesame oil on the bottom of a metal pan and rub it in. Place the pork, fat side up, in the pan.

Roast for 5 hours. Turn the oven up to 450º for the last 20-30 minutes to crisp the fat. You may have to drain the liquid at the bottom of the pan so it doesn't smoke too much.

Remove from oven and allow to rest for 20 minutes, then slice. Serve with hoisin sauce for dipping. Accompany with fried rice and stir-fried vegetables.

Deep-Fried Turkey Parts?

2008-07-14T16:22:00.000-04:00

In the kitchen? On the stove?

Yes, but...

(Coming soon! I swear!!)

Eggplant Parm

2008-05-23T13:18:00.001-04:00

Yeah, I have to get with the steak stuff, but in the meantime, may I share this fabulous recipe for Eggplant Parmesan?

Just allow yourself enough time. Even though it's pretty easy, it always seems to take a little longer than expected. I made it last night, btw, in a convection oven and it worked out just fine. Had to do some of the early steps in batches, but no biggie.

I didn't make my own sauce, but used a jar of Barilla tomato and basil and it was lovely.

Chuck U

2008-05-11T14:02:00.000-04:00

I swear there's a chuck steak that you can grill or even fry, isn't tough and tastes great. It's about half the price of a Delmonico or rib eye, too, and you can get it at the supermarket right now.

Interested? Details soon. (And what the heck is this?)

What this is

2008-05-10T23:03:00.001-04:00

Recipes, shopping, how to make things, do things and like that. But without going nuts or working too hard. Most of the time, anyway.

We'll see.