Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (66 page)

1. P
   reheat the oven to
   350
   °F with the rack in the middle position.
   
2. H
   eat the ghee over medium heat in a large cast-iron skillet. Add the chopped onion and mushrooms, and sauté until all the liquid evaporates and the onions are softened.
   
3. T
   oss the celery, parsley, and coconut cream into a blender or an immersion blender cup, and blend the ingredients until smooth.
   
4. I
   n a large bowl, combine the ground pork, chopped spinach, coconut flour, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and garlic. Add the eggs to the rest of the ingredients. Pour the blended green mixture into the bowl, and use your hands to gently combine all of the ingredients.
   
5. T
   ransfer the mixture to an ungreased
   9
   -inch-by-
   5
   -inch loaf pan, and use your hands to form a smooth, flat top.
   
6. L
   ayer the bacon slices on top, making sure to overlap them a bit. Don’t worry if the bacon slices dangle off the ends of the loaf pan—they’ll shrink as they cook. (The thicker the bacon, the less the shrinkage.)
   
7. Y
   ou can cover and refrigerate the uncooked loaf for up to a day in advance of baking, but if you’re cooking it immediately, put the loaf pan on a foil-lined baking sheet before sticking it in the oven.
   
8. B
   ake for
   70
   minutes, rotating the loaf pan at the halfway point. Then, stick it under the broiler for
   3
   minutes to crisp up the bacon.
   
9. R
   est the loaf for
   20
   minutes, and then slice it up. If you’re feeling particularly saucy, spoon some warmed marinara sauce on top before serving.
   

Whenever I spy a slab of crisp roast pork belly hanging in the window of a Chinese barbecue joint, I start salivating. With a crackling-crisp golden-orange exterior and a lusciously succulent and juicy interior, Chinese
siu yoke
is every bit as smashing as it looks. Best of all, with just a bit of time and effort, you won’t even need to brave the Chinatown crowds to enjoy this utterly authentic version at home.

1. U
   sing a sharp, multi-pronged blade tenderizer or thumbtack (or, frankly, anything sharp, pointy, and clean), prick the pork skin all over. Make sure to pierce the skin, but don’t poke into the meat.
   
2. W
   ith a sharp knife, score the skin with parallel lines running along the width of the pork, about
   1
   to
   2
   inches apart. Again, cut through the skin, but not into the meat.
   
3. P
   lace the pork skin-side up on a tilted wire rack in the sink. Dissolve the baking soda in the boiling water, and pour the scalding-hot alkaline solution over the skin of the belly. Pat the skin very dry with a clean cloth or paper towels.
   
4. I
   n a bowl, combine the marinade ingredients and stir thoroughly to form a uniform mixture.
   
5. P
   lace the pork belly skin-side down on a flat surface. Rub the marinade onto the surface of the exposed meat (but don’t spread it on the skin side).
   
6. F
   lip the belly over and place it skin-side up in a baking dish. Refrigerate it overnight, uncovered.
   
7. O
   ne hour before you plan to cook the pork belly, remove it from the refrigerator so it can come up to room temperature. In the meantime, preheat the oven to
   375
   °F with the rack placed in the middle position. Fill a foil-lined roasting tray with at least a half-inch of boiling water.
   
8. P
   at the pork belly skin dry (yes, again), and sprinkle ½ teaspoon kosher salt over the skin. Place the pork skin-side up on a wire rack, and set the rack atop the prepared roasting tray.
   
9. R
   oast in the oven for
   60
   to
   80
   minutes or until the internal temperature of the pork belly reaches
   160
   °F. (Use an instant-read thermometer to be sure.)
   
10. I
    ncrease the heat to broil, and cook the pork belly until the skin is crispy and a char develops,
    5
    to
    10
    minutes. Rest the pork for
    15
    minutes, and then use a serrated knife to scrape off the salt and any charred bits. Cut into
    1
    ½-inch pieces before serving.
    

Hong Kong: Home of the world's best siu yoke!

I’m glad I’m no longer addicted to pastries, but to be honest, I still feel an occasional twinge of nostalgia for scones—tender and crusty, with just a touch of fruity sweetness. My husband’s to blame for this grain-free recipe; after trying one of his scones, I had to banish the rest from the house, fearing I’d eat the entire batch in one sitting. (Of course, since then, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about them. Argh.)