[Full Metal Junkie]

Behold a hearty dish that is fairly easy to make and fairly hard to screw up: the miso ramen

Broth: ground pork and portobello mushrooms stir-fried with fresh green onions, fresh red thai chili peppers, and plenty of finely grated ginger + garlic. Then simmered in beef stock, with a couple of spoons each: white miso, red miso, chili miso.

Ramen bowl: rice noodles and blanched bean sprouts with a couple of ladles of the broth poured over top.

Garnish: soy sauce marinated egg, canned corn, fresh green onions.

 

[Jonny5]

Behold a hearty dish that is fairly easy to make and fairly hard to screw up: the miso ramen

Broth: ground pork and portobello mushrooms stir-fried with fresh green onions, fresh red thai chili peppers, and plenty of finely grated ginger + garlic. Then simmered in beef stock, with a couple of spoons each: white miso, red miso, chili miso.

Ramen bowl: rice noodles and blanched bean sprouts with a couple of ladles of the broth poured over top.

Garnish: soy sauce marinated egg, canned corn, fresh green onions.

Oh, this is a perfect moment to share an article I stumbled upon recently in the Guardian.

Great introduction to miso for those like me who don't know much about the different varieties.

Miso mystery: red, white or yellow – how does each paste change your dish? | Kitchen aide

Our experts unpack the power of miso paste, and the unique flavour profiles you need for your home cooking

www.theguardian.com

 

[Northern Light]

Oh, this is a perfect moment to share an article I stumbled upon recently in the Guardian.

Great introduction to miso for those like me who don't know much about the different varieties.

Miso mystery: red, white or yellow – how does each paste change your dish? | Kitchen aide

Our experts unpack the power of miso paste, and the unique flavour profiles you need for your home cooking

www.theguardian.com

This is a very straight forward mushroom pasta with miso recipe that I quite like. I tweaked it slightly, I like some zing in things, so I added 1 Thai chili dice, I also thought it needed a fresh element, and I used a bit of parsley and some finely diced scallion.

Creamy Miso and Mushroom Pasta | RICARDO

Become a pro in the kitchen with Ricardo Cuisine. Learn all the skills, techniques and recipes you need to prepare amazing meals and desserts.

www.ricardocuisine.com

 

[artyboy123]

This is a very straight forward mushroom pasta with miso recipe that I quite like. I tweaked it slightly, I like some zing in things, so I added 1 Thai chili dice, I also thought it needed a fresh element, and I used a bit of parsley and some finely diced scallion.

Creamy Miso and Mushroom Pasta | RICARDO

Become a pro in the kitchen with Ricardo Cuisine. Learn all the skills, techniques and recipes you need to prepare amazing meals and desserts.

www.ricardocuisine.com

I am going to make this over the long weekend!

 

[Bayer]

My husband and I don't tend to do much on Valentine's Day, but as people around me are getting older and sicker and I'm about to be investigated for the big C, I think we deserve a good meal.

I've got beets roasting in the oven, and I will slice them, lightly dress them with olive oil and probably white balsamic or champagne vinegar, and serve them with a burrata and lightly roasted pine nuts and lemon zest. The main course will be seared scallops with just a bit of white pepper on a cauliflower purée with mascarpone and nutmeg, and chives on top. And then even more cheese: gorgonzola dolce and roquefort with roasted walnuts and grapes.

Drinks will be a Krug Grande Cuvée champagne with the appetizer and main dish, and a Château La Tour Blanche Sauternes with the cheese. No actual dessert - the Sauternes will be sweet enough!

 

[just east of the creek]

May I recommend braised rabbit in your Le Cruset (or similar) (with a little mustard) for any upcoming slow and relaxing meal, especially in these colder days. Serve with your favorite winter vegetables (roasted and optionally mashed), Potatoes (same -baked or mashed with garlic) and sliced, baked apple. Pair it with your opening glass of champagne (to lower the blood pressure), then a nice glass of Ricard (for your digestion) and then serve with a nice white (Sancerre would be my preference but there would be other choices both red and white) and enjoy. Dessert I leave up to you. Cheers all!

 

[just east of the creek]

Not sure where to stick this Note, but this thread seems to be close. So re the agricultural outlook for 2026 and projected impacts on food prices. Farm Credit Canada (FCC) has been releasing and posting a series of technical projections for 2026 - from egg production, protein prices and substitutes to herd sizes, the used tractor and equipment market etc etc

We are certainly growing enough, and in combination with trade issues, to see downward pressure on prices. But rising costs are an ongoing crucial issue which cannot be underestimated. Rates of farm debt continue to rise and are somewhat compensated by the continuing appreciation of farm land values. Smaller farm expansion and new farmer entrance are restricted by land and equipment price levels, while larger and much larger ‘corporate farm land holders’ have access to larger pools of investment funds and are expanding their holding throughout Ontario.

Go to outlooks. https://www.fcc-fac.ca/en/topic/outlooks

 

[Northern Light]

No pictures for this one simply because I had company and no time......

But the reviews were sufficiently glowing that I thought it merited discussion.

Roasted Pork Tenderloin, with caramelized onion and fennel, and smoked rice, with a Chipotle-Orange Sauce over the top.

The details:

Iranian Smoked Rice, cooked simply with grated garlic, grated orange zest, salt, freshly ground fennel seed, butter, and homemade chicken stock.

Thinly shaved onion and fennel (anise) using a mandolin, sauteed in a bit of canola, w/just salt and pepper, initially. Then grated garlic, a bit of sugar, dried chipotle powder, and butter, finished w/some homemade chicken stock (like 2 tablespoons, enough to create a veil of steam, but leave the veg a bit crispy from the sautee)

Then a simple dry rub of garlic salt and freshly cracked pepper, w/ground fennel on the whole pork, which was seared off in canola, then put in the oven for about 10m at 350 to a temp of 130F. This will give tender pork with a blush of pink after a 5-10 minute rest. (no need to tent it)

When it comes out, the pre-mixed sauce goes in ...... 1 cup of OJ, 3 tbsp Chipotle puree (chipotle adobo in a can, pureed in a blender with just a bit of oil), 1 tsp cumin, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp soy sauce (trust me), some finely diced fresh jalapeno, 1/2 cup homemade chicken stock, and freshly grated garlic.

This goes in the hot saute pan to deglaze after the pork is removed, scrape the fond off the pan, add any resting jus from the pork, reduce by 1/3 to 1/2, should still be very liquidy, but thickening.

Take off the heat, add six pats butter (1/2 a stick or 1/8 of a pound). Melt that in and whisk. Then add 2tbsp cornstarch slurry (corn starch and cold water well whisked). Whisk in, add back to heat, keep whisking to avoid clumps. When happy w/the thickness, strain into a gravy boat/sauce container through a mesh strainer, push though with spoon or spatula.

Mold the rice in a large ramekin. Spoon out the middle, put the caramelized onion-fennel in the cavity. Press down firmly. Put service plate on top of ramekin and flip, de-molding the rice w/the caramelized veg as a hidden treat inside. Do this on the side of he plate .

Slice the pork, fan out 5-6 slices around the rice, pour the sauce over the edge of the pork, and mostly fill the plate w/ it (thinly).

Dust w/freshly chopped fennel frawn and fennel pollen.

Serve w/the wine of your choice, but I highly commend this New Zealand Sauv. Blanc.

Auntsfield Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2025

750 mL bottle

www.lcbo.com

 

[artyboy123]

No pictures for this one simply because I had company and no time......

But the reviews were sufficiently glowing that I thought it merited discussion.

Roasted Pork Tenderloin, with caramelized onion and fennel, and smoked rice, with a Chipotle-Orange Sauce over the top.

The details:

Iranian Smoked Rice, cooked simply with grated garlic, grated orange zest, salt, freshly ground fennel seed, butter, and homemade chicken stock.

Thinly shaved onion and fennel (anise) using a mandolin, sauteed in a bit of canola, w/just salt and pepper, initially. Then grated garlic, a bit of sugar, dried chipotle powder, and butter, finished w/some homemade chicken stock (like 2 tablespoons, enough to create a veil of steam, but leave the veg a bit crispy from the sautee)

Then a simple dry rub of garlic salt and freshly cracked pepper, w/ground fennel on the whole pork, which was seared off in canola, then put in the oven for about 10m at 350 to a temp of 130F. This will give tender pork with a blush of pink after a 5-10 minute rest. (no need to tent it)

When it comes out, the pre-mixed sauce goes in ...... 1 cup of OJ, 3 tbsp Chipotle puree (chipotle adobo in a can, pureed in a blender with just a bit of oil), 1 tsp cumin, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp soy sauce (trust me), some finely diced fresh jalapeno, 1/2 cup homemade chicken stock, and freshly grated garlic.

This goes in the hot saute pan to deglaze after the pork is removed, scrape the fond off the pan, add any resting jus from the pork, reduce by 1/3 to 1/2, should still be very liquidy, but thickening.

Take off the heat, add six pats butter (1/2 a stick or 1/8 of a pound). Melt that in and whisk. Then add 2tbsp cornstarch slurry (corn starch and cold water well whisked). Whisk in, add back to heat, keep whisking to avoid clumps. When happy w/the thickness, strain into a gravy boat/sauce container through a mesh strainer, push though with spoon or spatula.

Mold the rice in a large ramekin. Spoon out the middle, put the caramelized onion-fennel in the cavity. Press down firmly. Put service plate on top of ramekin and flip, de-molding the rice w/the caramelized veg as a hidden treat inside. Do this on the side of he plate .

Slice the pork, fan out 5-6 slices around the rice, pour the sauce over the edge of the pork, and mostly fill the plate w/ it (thinly).

Dust w/freshly chopped fennel frawn and fennel pollen.

Serve w/the wine of your choice, but I highly commend this New Zealand Sauv. Blanc.

Auntsfield Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2025

750 mL bottle

www.lcbo.com

When is the invite to your house @Northern Light

 

[evandyk]

Thinly shaved onion and fennel (anise) using a mandolin, sauteed in a bit of canola, w/just salt and pepper, initially. Then grated garlic, a bit of sugar, dried chipotle powder, and butter, finished w/some homemade chicken stock (like 2 tablespoons, enough to create a veil of steam, but leave the veg a bit crispy from the sautee)

Then a simple dry rub of garlic salt and freshly cracked pepper, w/ground fennel on the whole pork, which was seared off in canola, then put in the oven for about 10m at 350 to a temp of 130F. This will give tender pork with a blush of pink after a 5-10 minute rest. (no need to tent it)

With pork tenderloin, have you ever experimented with sous vide cooking? I find pork tenderloin so unforgiving if you get the temperature wrong that sous vide is the only way I can nail it consistently.

There's almost no match better than pork and fennel. Some orange zest in that would probably have been good too, goes nicely with both fennel and chipotle.

 

[Northern Light]

With pork tenderloin, have you ever experimented with sous vide cooking?

Nope. My bestie has tried to get me to try it, but I asked if I was every materially over/under on my pork an he said 'no'.

So I don't understand why I would mess w/it. LOL

I find pork tenderloin so unforgiving if you get the temperature wrong that sous vide is the only way I can nail it consistently.

I really haven't had a problem w/it. I'm not being difficult, I promise. Even those of us who love to cook, you and me both, have the odd bad day.

But I seem to have a pretty good knack w/pork tenderloin. Of course, it doesn't hurt that I have an instant read thermometer and I'm not afraid to use it if I'm unsure.

Doesn't happen often, but sometimes you get a weird girth ....and wonder if you're timing is on.

I always aim for taking it out to rest at no less than 130F and no more more than 135F That should lead to blushing pink in the middle and safe temp of 140 after resting.

If its mid-sized tenderloin, and gets the colour I expect, when I expect it, I don't bother taking the temp. But if something is unusual, I do.

There's almost no match better than pork and fennel. Some orange zest in that would probably have been good too, goes nicely with both fennel and chipotle.

I was introduced to orange and fennel as a combo as a child by French grandmother, who sliced it impossibly thin given that she didn't have mandolin.

Thinly shave fennel, and red onion, with freshly squeezed orange juice over the top, and a few orange segments.

I didn't love it as a kid, but never turned it down.....

But I've come to love it as an adult.

Chipotle and orange work great.

I had not previously done Chipotle with Fennel, but I though they would work and was very pleased with the result as was the company.