Kosher-Style Pork Cracklins

One of the best things about getting Fine Cooking is that the recipes are seasonal, so they include fruits and vegetables that are in season. I made a quick visit to Boggy Creek Farms one morning and picked up some heirloom tomatoes and eggplant for two recipes I found in the August/September issue. However, I wasn't there right at the moment they opened, so it was slim pickin's in terms of good tomatoes. I found a couple that were satisfactory, but I had to cut out a lot of bruised and unripened parts. I swung by Whole Foods to pick up some other ingredients and completely forgot about getting an extra tomato or two. After getting the good parts off the tomatoes I had, I still needed a lot more, so I went back again to Whole Foods for more tomatoes. (and these babies are not cheap!) As you can see from the picture, I made sure I would not run out! I liked that I could let this no-cook tomato sauce sit from 30 minutes to 3 hours while I worked on preparing the rest of dinner. I made a topping for the grilled eggplant that had anchovies, olives and orange in it! I also made my first solo attempt at the Rosemary Focaccia Bread.

The meals were good. I think the salsa cruda would have been better if my tomatoes were all properly ripened. They didn't have a whole lot of flavor, but the dish was good. I invited my neighbor Gen over since I figured I'd have plenty more food than just for two. She said the salsa cruda reminded her of bruschetta. The grilled eggplant on its own was excellent, and the topping was good, too. Although it was good, I think there might be a better one of the four recipes listed. I'll definitely be trying one of the other recipes soon because grilled eggplant was easy and yummy. The rosemary bread tasted as delicious as always, but it really, REALLY liked the pan and wouldn't let go. There was a lot of pasta leftover. Like usual, I used whole wheat pasta. Jay did an excellent job of grilling the eggplant!

• No-Cook Tomato Sauce (Fine Cooking, August/September 2007, p. 39)
• Grilled Eggplant (Fine Cooking, August/September 2007, p. 49)
• Olive, Orange & Anchovy Vinaigrette (Fine Cooking, August/September 2007, p. 50)
• Focaccia Bread

When it came time to create my wedding registry, I made sure to seek the advice of my expert Pork Cracklins cooking friends. They helped me quite a bit. Sometimes I'd have the right idea for an item, but maybe not have selected the best version of it. For items that weren't for sale at the two stores where I was registered, I just kept a list on the side, and mentioned an item off the list when someone asked if there was something specific I wanted. I also looked at other brides' registries for ideas.

Since then, I have been buying items as the need arises, such as a dutch oven and toaster. Very often I find that either Cook's Illustrated or Fine Cooking has mentioned the item, or ran some tests of the item across various brands and given them ratings. (I also buy some of my food this way!)

Two friends of mine are marrying soon, and the list of items on their registry was pretty short. I decided to offer them some suggestions, and found a way to create a public wish list on Amazon with all the items. I added comments, priorities and quantities to each item as well. Just like photographers like to learn about and share what's in your bag, I think cooks are equally interested in what's in your kitchen!

What's in my kitchen?

PS - I do not actually have any pink appliances.... or any All-Clad!

Amy said this would be good, and she was right. I don't have much to say about this, except that it was terribly easy to make. I like that the only fresh ingredients you need to buy is the meat and limes. Also, you can prepare it a few hours ahead of time, perfect for preparing before a workout and then cooking and eating it right after. The only thing to watch in this recipe is the drippy sauce. If you're not careful you will drip it all over the grill, countertops, cutting boards, floor, etc.

While it does have coconut milk in it, the recipe calls for light coconut milk, so it doesn't have nearly the same amount of saturated fats.

The sauce was super yummy. But then, so was the pork, with or without the extra sauce added after grilling. This also made excellent leftovers.

• Grilled Asian Pork Tenderloin with Peanut Sauce (Fine Cooking, July 2007, p.78a)