Foodie Fight? More Like a Flavor Love Fest!

The thing I love about food blogging is the food blogging community. So many talented and generous people are out there sharing their wisdom and their love of all things food. When I started my blog, it was a chance to keep track of some of the food we were creating and eating, and share some recipes with friends. As time went on, the blog became a way to interact with many others around the world who are equally (and then some!) passionate about food. I have gained an immeasurable amount of inspiration from the impressive work of these bloggers. And because I have chosen to share my work in a public forum, I have felt challenged to up my own game.

It started when I joined the Daring Bakers. Each month hundreds of bloggers around the world were challenged to make the same dish, and share their results with each other. With a deadline looming and knowing that I would have to share my results, the adrenaline began pumping and I was hooked. I was compelled to tackle exacting recipes that had previously scared me off with their complex techniques and pages of details. After several successes on the baking end, I joined the newly-formed Daring Cooks, and I look forward to the challenges ahead in that end of the kitchen.

So when I saw that Nick and Dan had created FoodieFights.com and would be taking their Iron Chef style food blog challenges mainstream, I was very excited. Being a part of the second ever Foodie Fight has been an honor and a challenge both. Seriously, rhubarb and coriander?

The biggest challenge was actually narrowing down the list of options I came up with. After spending an afternoon discussing it with R, I had about a half dozen sweet recipes, and an equal number of savory recipes in mind. After talking it out, we finally settled on the one that sounded the most delicious:

Pulled Pork in a Rhubarb Coriander BBQ Sauce with a Pickled Rhubarb Relish and Freshly Cut Mixed Greens from the Garden on Homemade Coriander Buns.

Now, that's a heck of a name, but really, almost every aspect of the meal had that rhubarb/coriander combination in it because they are quite a team - even the pickled rhubarb is spiced with coriander. Turns out, this unexpected marriage of flavors really works.

Before we get too far into this thing, let me remind you that this is a competition. So after checking out the rest of the post, please check out all the other wonderful entries over at foodiefights.com, and then vote for your favorite, wink wink, your favorite Pulled Pork Sandwich that is.



It made the most sense to prep the pickles and sauce before tackling the pork, and then prepare the coriander buns last so they would be fresh when served.

Chopping Rhubarb and Onions to be Pickled

I knew with the sweet and savory aspect of the BBQ pork I wanted an acidic element to balance the flavor composition. The pickled rhubarb was just the thing.

Pickling spices, clockwise from top center: coriander, peppercorns, dry mustard, clove, cumin

It is spicy from the coriander, peppercorns, and mustard, and sweet and sour from the sugar and vinegar brine.

Pickled Rhubarb Relish in all of its sweet and sour glory

The result is a fabulously complex, crispy relish that complimented the sandwiches' richness perfectly. Even its colder temperature added another element of interest in the otherwise warm sandwich.

Rhubarb chopped and ready for the BBQ sauce

This BBQ sauce is very unique. It hints of a traditional BBQ sauce, but has much more depth. The rhubarb is the key player, adding an unexpected, yet delightfully satisfying note. With rhubarb as the main ingredient, I made a tomato sauce based BBQ with brown sugar, molasses, cider vinegar, spices (featuring coriander, of course), and finished with a touch of spicy mustard and some Sriracha. At the end of the day, this is a BBQ sauce I will be going back to. It was a great companion to the meat, and not cloyingly sweet like so many pulled pork recipes are.

Pork loin with coriander and peppercorn rub

Both the pork itself and the bun highlighted the aromatic essence of the coriander. The meat was rubbed with crushed coriander and black peppercorns before being seared and then slow cooked in the rhubarb BBQ sauce overnight. The buns were spiced with ground coriander seeds and were the perfect base for the sandwich. Aromatic and tasty, even light, they had just the right amount of texture and density to stand up to the saucy sandwiches.

Coriander Sandwich buns during their second rise

The complete sandwiches were complex, rich, tangy, just sweet enough and very satisfying. We served the sandwiches with a very simple salad of fresh mixed greens and herbs (harvested from our garden minutes before dinner ) with a citrus honey vinaigrette, as well as a tangy carrot and shallot salad with a salty, white wine vinegar kick - a more exciting interpretation of the classic coleslaw side dish.

Fresh greens in the garden waiting to be harvested

Prepping the tangy carrot salad

Working on those knife skills

Win or lose, we loved this meal! I hope everything looks and sounds good to you. Good enough for your vote, and good enough for you to head into the kitchen and give the recipes a try.

And a big thank you to FoodieFights.com and all of the competitors in the Foodie Fight #2!



Pickled Rhubarb Relish

3 stalks fresh rhubarb
½ medium onion (any color - I used white)
2 Tbs. kosher salt
1 ½ C. cider vinegar
2/3 C. sugar
1 Tbs. coriander seed
1 ½ tsp. dry mustard
2 tsp. black peppercorns
1 ½ tsp. whole cloves
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. turmeric
1 bay leaf

1. Wash and peel the rhubarb and slice into very thin slices. Using a mandolin is easiest, but since I don’t have one, it’s a good chance to hone those knife skills. Peel and half the onion and slice into equally thin half moons. Combine the rhubarb and onion in a non-reactive bowl and toss with salt. Cover in cold water and a few ice cubes and stir to dissolve salt.

2. After at least 30 minutes, feel and taste a piece of the rhubarb. It should feel slightly softened. Drain the veggies and pat dry.

3. Combine the vinegar, sugar, and all remaining ingredients in a small saucepan and simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Set the brine aside to cool, or put the sauce pan into an ice bath to cool more quickly.

4. Return the rhubarb and onions to the dry bowl and add the cooled brine. Stir to distribute the spices and then transfer to a jar that will hold the veggies and brine. Seal well and refrigerate for at least a day before serving to allow the flavors to marry.


Rhubarb Barbecue Sauce

2 Tbs. olive oil
½ C. diced onion
2 Tbs. crushed coriander seeds
1 ½ tsp. dry mustard
3 C. thinly chopped cleaned and peeled rhubarb.
½ - 2/3 C. brown sugar (use up to 2/3 C. if you like a sweeter sauce)
2 Tbs. water
1 Tbs. spicy/brown/Dijon etc. mustard
3 Tbs. cider vinegar
¾ C. tomato sauce
2 Tbs. molasses
1/3 C. ketchup
1-2 Tbs. Sriracha, depending on taste
Salt and pepper to taste


Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring for 5-6 minutes until translucent and soft. Add the coriander seed and dry mustard and cook for another minute to toast the spices. Add the rhubarb, sugar and water and increase heat to medium high. Bring the sauce to a low boil. The rhubarb will give off a considerable amount of liquid to allow the sauce to properly boil. Cook for about 10 minutes, until the rhubarb has softened and can be mashed with a spoon.

Lower the heat and add the remaining ingredients through the Sriracha. Stir well to combine and cook on low for several minutes. Taste the sauce, and season with salt and pepper appropriately.

Serve the sauce warm over the sandwiches. If the sauce is too thick, you can thin with anything from water to apple juice or even a splash of beer.

Seconds. A little rhubarb BBQ sauce slathered on some pulled pork with a lettuce leaf, and a thin slice of bread.

Pulled Pork

Large pork loin/butt/shoulder etc. any decent cut of meat with some fat in it that you can get a good deal on
Olive oil
A few Tbs. crushed black peppercorns
A few Tbs. crushed coriander seeds
Kosher salt
½ - 1 C. diced onion
1 C. deglazing liquid (I used homemade veggie broth, but you could easily use water, juice, beer, wine etc.)
2 C. rhubarb BBQ sauce

Clean and dry the pork. Heat some olive oil in a large heavy pan over fairly high heat. Rub the meat with the pepper, coriander, and salt on all sides. Sear the meat in the hot pan until all sides are browned. (Contrary to popular belief, we are not “locking in the juices” at this point, we are just adding flavor).

Transfer the meat to the cooking vessel. I used a slow cooker but you could easily use a dutch oven cooked low and slow in the oven.

Add the onion to the pan and saute for several minutes. Add the liquid and deglaze the pan scraping up all the delicious crusty pork fond on the bottom of the pan. Pour the pan liquids and the rhubarb BBQ sauce over the pork and cook until fork shreddable. I did this in the slow cooker overnight - 8 hours on low.


Coriander Sandwich Buns

¾ - 1 C. warm water
2 Tbs. butter, softened
1 large egg
3 ½ C. AP flour
¼ C. sugar
1 ¼ tsp. salt
1 Tbs. ground coriander seeds
1 Tbs. instant yeast

Mix and knead all ingredients to make a soft, smooth dough. You can do this by hand or in a stand mixer.

Form the dough into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and let rise for 1 -1 ½ hours.

Gently deflate and divide into 8 pieces. Shape each piece into a round ball and flatten to 1” think and about 3” round. Place buns on a lightly greased baking sheet (or use silpat or parchment) cover, and let rise for about an hour.

Brush buns with melted butter and sprinkle with poppy and/or sesame seeds.

Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for about 15 minutes until golden.

Cool on a rack.


Enjoy!

Finally - Some Good Old Fashioned Sandwich Bread

I swear I have been planning to make sandwich bread for the family for about 9 months now. I had this dream of delicious and healthy bread, whole grains, and no preservatives. This was going to be the perfect bread for PB and J, swiss cheese sandwiches, and toast with butter and jam. As it turns out - all true.

I finally got around to making sandwich bread, and I took the advice of Susan from A Year in Bread and Farm Girl Fare (whose recipe I used) and baked three loaves at once. After they cooled, I put two into the freezer and we ate one of them throughout the week.

The bread is quite good, definitely better than the store bought alternative. It was a bit weird for me, having only baked crusty "artisan" breads as of late, to make a soft-crumbed and soft-crusted sandwich loaf. It came out just like sandwich bread. I'm not sure why that was so odd to me, but for some reason it was.

The original recipe uses a combo of flours including some white whole wheat. I didn't have enough of that in the house so I subbed some organic dark rye instead and it worked great. The dough handles very well, and really is not a lot of effort for the end result - three large loaves of healthy, delicious sandwich bread for your family.


Honey Wheat Bran Sandwich Bread
Adapted from A Year In Bread

4 cups | 568 g all-purpose flour
2 cups | 290 g bread flour
1 cup | 122 g oat bran
1 cup | 109 g wheat bran
1-1/2 Tablespoons | 17 g instant yeast
2 Tablespoons | 30 ml canola oil or melted butter
1/3 cup |102 g honey
5 cups lukewarm milk (about 85 degrees F)
4 cups | 453 g white whole wheat flour
1 cup | 155 g rye flour2 Tablespoons | 30 ml salt

Mixing and fermentation
In a very large bowl, stir together the all-purpose flour, bread flour, oat bran, wheat bran, and yeast. Pour in the canola oil, the honey, and then the milk. Mix well, then continue to stir vigorously. Stir in the rye flour, and then slowly add 1 cup of the white whole wheat flour at a time, until you've added 3 cups, or until you have a soft, slightly sticky dough. This should take a few minutes.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for about 6 or 7 minutes, adding more flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking to your hands or the work surface. This is too much dough for me to knead in the stand mixer, but it kneads easily by hand.

Place the mixing bowl over the dough, and let it rest for 20 minutes.

Remove the bowl, flatten out the dough with your hands, and sprinkle about half of the salt over it. Begin kneading the salt into the dough. After a few turns, sprinkle on the rest of the salt and continue to knead for 5 to 7 minutes, until the salt is completely incorporated and the dough is soft and smooth.

Place the dough in a large plastic straight sided container with a snap-on lid. With masking tape or a felt tip pen, mark the spot on the container that the dough will reach when it has doubled in volume. Set it somewhere that is preferably between 70F and 78F for about one hour. During the winter, I put it in the oven with the oven light on. Ideally, the dough should also be between 70F and 78F - you can check with an instant read thermometer.


Shaping and final rise (proof)
Turn the risen dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, flattening gently with your hands to break up any large air bubbles. Divide the dough into three equal pieces.

Shape the dough into loaves and dust the tops with flour. Place loaves seam side down in greased loaf pans.

Cover the loaves with a damp tea towel and let them rise for 45 to 60 minutes. The dough should rise well above the rim of the pans, and when you lightly poke it with a floured finger it should spring back just a little.

Bake in a preheated oven (on a stone if you have one) at 375 degrees for 40 minutes or until the loaves are golden brown and the bottoms sound hollow if tapped (you can carefully pop one out of the pan and put it back in if it's not quite done). Remove immediately from pans and let cool on a wire rack. Wait at least 40 minutes before cutting into a loaf, as it continues to bake while cooling. Store at room temperature or freeze in zipper freezer bags. Make sure loaves are completely cooled before sealing in bags.

Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread

Finally made a sandwich loaf out of the whole wheat dough. Made great sandwiches with extra sharp white cheddar (that's not butter) and a nice grainy mustard.