Rumor has it that a little shop in Boston called Mei Mei’s serves this delicious breakfast sandwich made of two poached/fried eggs on a scallion pancake with pesto sauce and cheese. It’s called the “Double Awesome.”
Weddings and Lions
My best friend got married! I’ve known him since, what, kindergarten? Maybe little girls fantasize about their friends’ weddings, but certainly not us. While we were sitting in math class or doing school projects or playing Super Smash Bros or rehearsing music duets together or just growing up side by side, I truly never about what this day would look like.
But here we are, 26 years later. He’s standing in City Hall with his wife, and I’m there alongside their families bearing witness with my camera to their ceremony.
Continue reading Weddings and Lions
London Wedding
During the weekend of July 4th, my friends Rachel and Winston were married in London! This is a little ironic given that both the bride and groom are American as were almost all of their guests, but all the same.
In what I assume is the most classy British way possible, they were married in the church where the groom was baptized and had the reception in an old temple.
Carnitas
After making cha siu and a Taiwanese-style pork roast, I was looking for other regional preparations of pork butt/shoulder (apparently butts and shoulders are interchangeable in pigs). I thought carnitas would be overly ambitious, but of course Kenji pulls through with a non-slow cooker non-pork lard soaked recipe.
Carnitas
- Cut 3 lbs boneless pork butt with rind removed into 2-inch cubes. Season with 1 tbsp salt. Arrange in 9×13 baking dish with no spaces.
- Quarter 1 medium orange. Squeeze over juices. Add orange pieces, 2 quarters of a medium onion, 4 cloves garlic halved, 2 bay leaves, 1 cinnamon stick broken up. Pour over 1/4 cup oil.
- Bake tightly covered with foil at 275 F for 3.5 hours, until fork-tender.
- Remove other solids. Strain out liquids, which should result in 1/2 cup liquid and 1/2 cup fat. Shred pork with forks. Season with more salt. Optionally add some fat back to pork.
- Roast under broiler for 6 minutes to develop crispy edges. Rearrange and roast again for 6 minutes.
- Serve with salsa, 1 onion finely diced, 1/2 cup cilantro chopped, limes, crumbled cheese, on corn tortillas.
Breakfast Frittata
You can make a frittata with a huge variety of ingredients. I happened to have fairly standard ingredients on hand from making a boatload of French omelettes last week, so I went with that. Recipe and tips from epicurious and bonappetit.
Other ingredients to consider: potatoes, sausages, ham, roasted red bell peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, crumbled bacon, and herbs like parsley, dill, basil.
Breakfast Frittata
- In an 10-inch cast-iron skillet, saute 1 onion diced in oil for a few minutes.
- Add 8 oz crimini mushrooms sliced. Saute, trying to evaporate all liquid.
- Whisk 10-12 eggs, 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup shredded cheese (fontina, gruyere, cheddar, pecorino romano), 1 tsp kosher salt, generous pepper.
- Spread handful (~1 oz) quickly blanched then wrung dry baby spinach.
- Pour in egg mixture. Use chopsticks to lift up filling a little. Cook without stirring 5 minutes, until edges start to set. Sprinkle top with 1/4 cup cheese.
- Bake at 350 F for 22-27 minutes, until golden brown and set. Don’t overbake.
Finding the SFH Pianos
For three weeks, Sing For Hope has scattered 60 pianos painted by local artists all around the five boroughs of New York City. After today, they will be transported to their final homes: NYC public schools.
I don’t know why I decided to challenge myself to visit as many of them as possible — especially during a pretty busy stretch in med school — but that’s what I did! Continue reading Finding the SFH Pianos
Gyudon
This Japanese beef bowl is street fast food (from a place called Yoshinoya?). I use Chinese hot pot meat. I may retake this photo once I get the proper toppings. Recipe from justonecookbook.
Gyudon (Japanese beef rice bowl)
- In small pan, boil 1/2 cup dashi (1/4 tsp hondashi in boiling water), 1 tbsp mirin, (1 tsp sake), 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1/2 tbsp sugar.
- Add 1/2 small onion thinly sliced in single layer. Simmer covered on medium for 5 minutes.
- Add 1/2 lb beef ribeye thinly sliced. Cook uncovered until no longer pink and sauce mostly reduced.
- Serve on bowl of rice topped with scallion sliced and pickled red ginger, togarashi (seven spice). Optionally top with 1 onsen tamago.
Recipe from justonecookbook
Onsen Tamago (hot spring egg)
- In small pot, boil 4.25 cups (1000 ml) water. Take off heat, add ~3/4 cup (200 ml) cold tap water. (65-68 C)
- Place in 4 large eggs from refrigerator. Cover and leave for 17 minutes. Take out eggs and set aside for 5 minutes. Garnish with scallions.
- Or serve in 1/4 cup dashi, 1/2 tbsp mirin, 1.5 tbsp soy sauce, 3g katsuobushi
Caramelized Onions
Simple to make, but a pain. Really, for one hour. Caramelize while cooking other things.
Caramelized Onions
- In nonstick skillet, heat 2-5 onions over very low heat with ~1/2 tbsp butter per onion, stirring occasionally to prevent burning, for 1 hour, until dark brown and reduced.