When Foodbuzz and Kikkoman announced that they would be allowing Foodbuzz Tastemakers a chance to sample a new Ponzu Lime Dressing Sauce, I immediately had a flashback to a dish that my Mom used to make at home that called for green beans, pork, and soy sauce. Why? Kikkoman Soy Sauce was a staple in our home. We used it for everything. Also, the green beans and pork dish mainly used soy sauce for its flavor. I was curious to see how this new Ponzu Lime Dressing Sauce combined with my Mom’s recipe would turn out.

This was one of my favorite dishes growing up. I haven’t had it in so long, so the opportunity to recreate a childhood favorite dish using Kikkoman’s Ponzu Lime Dressing Sauce was something that I was excited to try.

Ingredients
1-2 Pounds of Green Beans
1-2 Pounds of Pork Belly or Pork Loin
1/4 Cup of Kikkoman Ponzu Lime Dressing & Sauce
1 Large Diced Onion
5 Crushed Garlic Cloves
2 tbs. of Honey
1 tsp. of Salt
1/2 tsp. of Pepper
Olive Oil
3-4 tbs. of Kikkoman Soy Sauce
Water (Optional)

Steps
First prepare the green beans by cutting the stem ends off and wash them under cold water. After they are cleaned, take a large pot and boil the green beans for 10 minutes. Strain them after they are done cooking and set them aside.

Take the pork and cut it into small chunks, about 1 inch in size. Place the chunks into a large bowl.

Combine the Ponzu Lime Dressing Sauce, half of the diced onion, crushed garlic cloves, honey, salt, and pepper into the bowl of pork. Mix everything together and let it marinade. I marinated the pork for about half an hour. You can do it longer if you wish.

Now it’s time to cook the pork. In a large pot, heat up some olive oil under medium high heat. Pour the bowl of pork belly and marinade into the pot and let it all cook together. 5 minutes into cooking, place in the other half of the onion into the pot. Be sure to keep stirring everything together. After another 10 minutes of cooking, take the green beans and combine that with the onions and pork. The onions should begin to caramelize, which is what you want to do. You can combine the soy sauce with the dish now. You will notice a sauce forms from all of the ingredients cooking together. Let everything cook for another 15-20 minutes. In between that final time for cooking, continue to taste the sauce. If you feel that it’s getting too salty, add in some water to balance out the saltiness.

After everything was done, I finally sampled my recreation. It definitely tasted like what my Mom made years ago. It was funny how inspiration for cooking can come from looking at a label and just thinking back to food that you grew up with.

During special holidays, we often cook Chicken Relleno. Just this last Thanksgiving, we roasted a total of three of these deliciously stuffed chickens. With Christmas and New Year’s Day nearing, we’re expecting to cook even more.

Chicken Relleno is a roasted chicken that has been deboned and stuffed with a mixture of ground pork, Filipino hot dogs, and eggs. The pork stuffing is the key component to the dish. I first learned how to make the pork stuffing recipe from my Dad. With Chicken Relleno, the hardest part is to debone the chicken. Once you’re able to do that, this recipe is fairly simple to follow.

Continue Reading » Cooking Chicken Relleno

Chris, Rose, and I were looking forward to see if RoliRoti would be at today’s Thursday Ferry Plaza Farmers Market for a bite of their Porchetta sandwiches. After looking around, they were no where to be found. After walking around in search of that magical truck, we managed to work up an appetite. Instead of chowing down on a Porchetta sandwich, we snagged a few Korean style tacos from Namu, still wishing that we had that sandwich in our hands.

Before leaving, I stumbled upon a pleasant surprise. A new restaurant had opened up called Il Cane Rosso.

Il Cane Rosso is a casual Italian rotisserie and sandwich shop that focuses on using the freshest local ingredients possible. After checking their website, we found out that it was created by Daniel Patterson, the chef and owner of Coi, and chef Lauren Kiino. They had just opened about a week ago.

I looked at Il Cane Rosso’s menu and my eyes lit up after I saw that they had a Porchetta sandwich on the menu. Just behind the counter you could see the rotisserie at work, spinning the meats as their juices slowly dripped. Watching the rotisserie was hypnotizing. Suddenly, I just got hungry again. I still needed my pork fix so I gave in and ordered one to go.

The sandwich was piled with a good amount of sliced tender pork, topped with mustard greens. A plum mostarda finishes off the sandwich to give it a slight tart finish. Not only was it a relief knowing that I still had my chance at a Porchetta sandwich today, but it was good to know that this casual Italian spot had opened for when I’m in search of deliciously roasted meats.

Continue Reading » Il Cane Rosso, an Italian Rotisserie in The Ferry Building Marketplace

There’s something about the smell of barbecue that you can’t explain. Being able to have the smell of barbecue inside of your kitchen is even better. Keep in mind you don’t always need an outdoor grill to create great tasting ribs. The recipe I’m about to show you gives you succulent and tender Baby Back Ribs right from your oven. You’ll still end up getting the taste of barbecue, even without a grill.

Continue Reading » Slow Cooked Baby Back Roasted Ribs