Cola Ham Hocks with Miso Glaze (SP)

• 4 ham hocks (about 1 pound each) [I used slices since I thought they would be easier to sear off.]
• 2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 cup dry vermouth
• one 12-ounce can cola
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 star anise
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 2 bay leaves

MISO GLAZE

• 1/4 cup red miso
• 1/2 cup apple cider
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons sorghum
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce

Mise en place.

Soak hocks in cold water for 30 minutes.  Then pat dry.

Brown hocks.

Saute onions and garlic for 2 minutes.

Add in everything but glaze ingredients and braise for 2 hours.  I considered letting this go and braise while I went out for karaoke which would've amounted to 4 hours.  I tried contacting Aly Lopez about whether or not this was a good idea but had already left the house when she answered.

I should've done it.

When hocks are almost done, heat glaze ingredients until dissolved and syrupy.

Glaze the ham hocks and broil for a couple minutes after being pulled from the braising liquid.  They are accompanied here with a side dish that is also in Edward Lee Jr's cookbook but was sourced so poorly that I rather not talk about it.

Ha, I guess the ham hocks could've been more tender, but they were pretty good.  The braising liquid was awesome.  I wonder if the flavor would have altered much if I used Coca-Cola rather than Whole Foods cola.

Miso-Smothered Chicken (SP)

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 4 bone-in chicken thighs
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 cups chopped yellow onions
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/3 cup bourbon
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon dark miso
• 8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded, thinly sliced
• Cooked rice for serving

Mix flour, salt, cayenne, and garlic powder together in a bowl.  Coat thighs evenly in mixture and brown until golden.

Finished up the rest of the mise while cooking the chicken.  No, I didn't use fresh orange juice since I didn't have to use its zest anywhere.

Even though the secret is that I have plenty of oranges in the fridge and I'm not eating fruit on the reg as much as I used to.

Cook onions over medium-low heat until softened and golden.

Add garlic and cook for one minute.  Then add bourbon and cook until all the liquid has evaporated.

Add in everything except for the mushrooms, cover, and simmer until chicken is cooked through and tender, approximately 30 minutes.

Add mushrooms and simmer, uncovered, until sauce is thickened to the consistency of a gravy.

Out of the 5 dishes so far that I've have cooked from Smoke and Pickles, I think this is the only one that didn't wow me.  Growing up in a Vietnamese/Chinese household, the dish doesn't have much to distinguish itself from all the stuff I ate growing up.  That food was good, but I like adventure.
I'm not sure why I thought miso and bourbon and orange juice would make any difference.  Maybe I just cooked the dish since it was one of the few recipes left in that book that was really accessible for the single cook.

Miso Soup with Bok Choy, Soba, and Broiled Tofu (FM)

• Salt
• 8 ounces soba noodles
• 1 block firm tofu
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon five-spice [freshly ground, even] or chili powder
• Black pepper
• 1/3 cup any miso
• 1 pound bok choy, stems separated and chopped, leaves cut into ribbons
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted if you like
• 1/4 cup chopped scallions [I flaked on this]
  

Mise en place.

Blanching the soba noodles.

Tofu, sliced, seasoned, and ready for the broiler.

Reserve 2 cups of pasta boiling water. Combine one with a quart of fresh water and bring to a boil. Add bok choy and cook until silky.

Whisk miso with remaining cup of pasta water and add with noodles into bok choy and cook until just heated through.

I wasn't really bowled over by the dish, but Jimmie R liked it.

Beef Stew with Bean Paste (BRW)

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless beef sirloin, cut into 1-inch cubs
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons dark sesame oil
• 1 large potato, peeled and diced (I realized that all my potatoes had indeed gone bad.)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 medium carrots, chopped (So I used extra carrots. Later, I've realized that the dish might have had better texture if the potato had been there. Oh well, it would probably be awesome to use boneless chicken thighs in here as Bittman suggests substituting.)
• 2 long fresh red chiles, 2 small fresh chiles, or hot red pepper flakes to taste (Not sure why I kept leaving out chiles on my grocery list.)
• 2 tablespoons go chu jang or dark miso, or to taste (I looked for the things myself at that Korean supermarket on Harvard Ave in Allston. Next time maybe I'll just ask the people who work there. Used some dark Miso from Whole Foods.)
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds for garnish (Damn, I did have sesame seeds on hand but just started eating anyway.)
• 2 tablespoons chopped scallion for garnish (Don't do garnishes apparently.)

Mise en place.


Carrots and onion sauteed in sesame oil. Potatoes probably would have released starches to thicken the sauce, but I didn't have any.


On some leftover brown rice from that Chickpea and Eggplant dish. I bought the smallest jar of kimchee because I didn't want to but TOO much, but I used a third of the jar here.
I'd make this again some day sure. With actual fresh chiles, potatoes, and chicken thighs.