Read Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans Online
Authors: Michelle Tam,Henry Fong
Tags: #Cookbooks; Food & Wine, #Cooking by Ingredient, #Natural Foods, #Special Diet, #Allergies, #Gluten Free, #Paleo, #Food Allergies, #Gluten-Free, #Healthy
SLOW COOKER KALUA PIG
Makes
8
servings | Hands-on time:
10
minutes | Total time:
16
hours
Once or twice a year, our family decamps to Hawaii—our home away from home. I love everything about the islands: the people, the pace, the climate, the beaches, the sunsets, the food.
Foremost among the Hawaiian dishes I crave? Kalua pig.
Often the headlining dish in a lu’au, kalua pig is the epitome of slow-roasted porky goodness. And I do mean
slooow
.
To make kalua pig the old school way, you first have to dig an
imu
—a big underground pit oven—and build a fire in it. Into the imu goes a whole pig, stuffed with hot volcanic rocks and wrapped in ti and banana leaves. The pig (
pua’a
in Hawaiian) is usually enveloped by chicken wire, too, so that once the pork is cooked and ready for removal, the fall-apart-tender meat stays together. The pua’a is then covered by burlap, a tarp, and a mound of dirt. Eight to ten hours of slow roasting (and a good amount of shoveling) later, dinner is served.
But something tells me that your local fire marshal is less than enthusiastic about you excavating part of your backyard so you can bury and cook a pig in it. So to keep you out of trouble, here’s a much less labor-intensive recipe for succulent, Hawaiian-style kalua pig. All you need are a few strips of bacon, a pork roast, Hawaiian sea salt, a slow cooker, and a little patience. The slow cooker helps retain all the juices of the meat, producing a roast pork that’s ridiculously tender and flavorful.
GET:
3
slices
bacon
1
(
5
-pound)
pork shoulder roast
, bone-in or out (it doesn’t matter)
5
garlic cloves
(optional)
1
½
tablespoons coarse
Alaea Hawaiian sea salt
ALAEA WHAT?
C
oarse and unrefined, Alaea sea salt gets its deep terra-cotta hue from
alae
, a purified red volcanic clay that originated on the island of Kauai. The red clay is more mineral-rich than most salts, and imparts a subtle earthiness to dishes.
I
stock up on Alaea salt whenever I visit Hawaii, but you don’t need to fly to paradise to get your hands on this wondrous ingredient—it’s widely available for purchase online.
E
ven if you don’t have any Alaea salt on hand, don’t fret. There’s nothing quite like the real thing, but in a pinch, any coarse salt will work.
DO THIS:
PUT THAT PIG TO WORK!
J
uicy, tender slow cooker kalua pig is fantastic when served as-is, but it also makes for an incredibly versatile filling. I'm not kidding, folks: you can stick it in just about anything, and it'll be delicious.
E
ntertaining visitors for brunch? Make porky breakfast scrambles, omelets, or frittatas. Hosting a Mexican fiesta? Fill crisp lettuce tacos with savory kalua pig and top it with homemade guacamole and tomatoes. (Call it carnitas, and your guests won't be the wiser.)
A
nd on those busy nights when you’re desperately in need of emergency protein (and wishing you were magically whisked away to Hawaii), just grab your leftover pork and toss it on a summer salad or wrap it in toasted sheets of nori. Dinner'll be on the table in no time at all!
VIETNAMESE LETTUCE CUPS
Blending Chinese and French influences, Vietnamese cuisine is pure alchemy; it balances and mixes flavors, textures, and temperatures to create unique, surprising dishes that pop.
This easy weeknight meal is a fantastic example. Scoop the steaming-hot filling into cool, crisp lettuce cups, add sweet-tart pickled carrot strings and a squirt of spicy sriracha, and get ready to be transported. Sure, this recipe requires some basic knife skills, but once your
mise en place
is set, it’ll take just minutes to get these wraps from wok to table.
Makes 4 servings | 1 tablespoon coconut oil or fat of choice |
Hands-on time: 30 minutes | 1 small shallot , minced |
Total time: 30 minutes | Kosher salt |
1 pound ground pork | |
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger | |
1 garlic clove , minced | |
1 teaspoon Paleo-friendly fish sauce | |
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice | |
Freshly ground black pepper | |
½ medium Golden Delicious apple , cut into ¼-inch dice | |
2 scallions , thinly sliced | |
¼ cup minced fresh cilantro | |
1 teaspoon minced fresh mint | |
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil | |
1 head butter lettuce , leaves separated | |
Quick-Pickled Carrot Strings | |
Paleo Sriracha |
DO THIS:
I
n a large skillet or wok, melt the fat over medium heat. When it’s shimmering, add the shallot and a pinch of salt and sauté for about
3
minutes or until translucent. Toss in the ground pork and cook, stirring, until no longer pink. Add the ginger and garlic, and stir-fry until fragrant. Season with fish sauce, lime juice, and pepper. Remove from heat, add the apple and minced herbs, and stir to combine. Serve in individual butter lettuce leaves with a garnish of pickled carrot and sriracha.