October 28 Meal: Cheap and Yummy

There have been a few Asian-inspired recipes in October, none of which have disappointed.  This main course: Soy-Braised Pork Country Ribs with Carrots and Turnips was a great cheap option and had lots of flavor.  I wasn't such a fan of the dessert: Maple-Pecan Sundaes with Candied Bacon.  Bacon isn't my favorite dessert ingredient.

Soy-Braised Pork Country Ribs with Carrots and Turnips

Pleasantly, the boneless pork shoulder was on sale at Fresh Market.  Only $4 for 1.5 lbs.!  First, cut the meat into strips.  Then, mix soy sauce, dry Sherry, chicken broth, brown sugar, and hot chili paste in a bowl.  I've learned that I will love anything with hot chili paste.  Next, cook the meat until brown in peanut oil, remove the meat and add onion, then green onion, garlic, and ginger.  Add the chili paste mixture, star anise, and orange peel and bring to simmer.  Add the pork and cook for 30 minutes.  Finally, add carrots and turnips and cook until tender.  I served it with basmati rice.  This recipe was pretty easy and has a lot of great flavor!

Yumminess: 10 out of 10

Cost: Approx. $9.50 for 4 servings

Time: Bon Appetit said 1 hour for prep and 2 hours total. It took me about 30 minutes of prep and 1:15 total.
Was it worth it?: Yes, I loved the flavor!

 

Maple-Pecan Sundaes with Candied Bacon

 

Part of my problem with this recipe is that I have yet to master the making of anything close to caramel.  I'm just not patient enough, I guess.  The first step of this recipe was to candy the bacon.  Somewhere along the line I'm convinced Bon Appetit got the timing wrong on this one.  I used my toaster oven, so I decreased the time, but the bacon burned to a crisp in about half the time recommended.  The raw bacon is coated with maple sugar and baked, then more maple sugar is added and it's baked more.  I at least salvaged enough small pieces to get the taste in the sauce, but as you can see from the picture, it wasn't pretty.

 

The sauce is made by first boiling maple syrup with cinnamon sticks.  Then, mix in candied ginger and lemon juice.  Finally, add in pecans and the candied bacon.  Pour the mixture of vanilla ice cream.  My mixture wasn't the right consistency, more gloppy than liquid.  Not only did I dislike the bacon, but the ginger just gave it a strange flavor.  However, Shaun liked this combination, so I guess it depends on your tastes.

 

Yumminess: 4 out of 10 (me), 6 out of 10 (Shaun)

Cost: Approx. $6 for 2 servings

Time: Bon Appetit said 30 minutes for prep and 50 minutes total. It took me about 20 minutes of prep and 30 minutes total.
Was it worth it?: No, I won't be repeating this one.