Paleo Yam & Pork Belly Hash

This recipe originally comes from  Longman & Eagle in Chicago, and if you're in the mood for a rich breakfast,  this is your jam.  I found the pork belly at my local Sprouts, you can usually find it at specialty grocery stores or butcher shops.  If you haven't had it before, I have to warn you it is fatty, but that's kind of the beauty of it.  This makes enough for 4 to share - or if you're feeling overindulgent, you could probably handle 2 servings.  Think of this as the fancy breakfast sausage + syrup....

12 oz pork belly

2 large thyme springs

3 garlic cloves, smashed

3 cups chicken stock

olive oil

pepper

coconut oil

1 large yam, peeled and cut into cubes

2 large shallots, chopped

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

2-3 tbs grade B maple syrup

3-5 green onions, chopped

Braise the pork belly:

Preheat oven to 275.  In a large dutch oven, heat a couple tbs of olive oil and sear each side of the belly.  Add stock, thyme and garlic, bring to a boil.  Place in the oven for 3 hours.  Remove pork belly and let it cool. Place the pork belly between two glass dishes (I used baking dishes) and weight the top one with canned goods.  Put in the fridge overnight.  Now, I don't have much experience with pork belly, but braising is apparently the way to go.  If you have an opinion, please comment.

To make the hash:

Remove pork belly and cut into cubes (about the same size as your yams).  In a large pan - I used a big cast iron skillet - heat a couple tbs of coconut oil and brown the pork belly (about 3-6 mins).  Remove from pan and add the yams.  Cook those bad boys, then remove them too.  Add some more coconut oil and throw the shallots in there for a few minutes until the become fragrant. Return the pork and yams back to the pan with all of their juices and some cracked black pepper and let the whole thing cook for a bit.  Add the maple syrup, balsamic vinegar and green onions  - toss to coat and let cook for another 1-2 minutes.

Paleo Cauliflower Salad

This crunchy, briny little side dish is great on it's own, or along side something heavy.  I got the inspiration from Savuer (yet again, I know... they're having a good month!), and when I make it again I'll dice everything up much finer.  This is so much more flavorful and layered when you can get a little of everything in each bite.   

1 large head cauliflower, sliced

1/2 c kalamata olives, chopped (or you could use tapenade)

2 roasted red peppers, chopped (you can buy them or roast your own)

5 green onions, sliced

1/4 c good Olive oil

Juice and zest of 1/2 lemon

3 tbs champagne vinegar

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp parsley

salt & pepper

Put everything in a bowl and let it sit for at least 20 minutes  - but it's even better if you let it sit overnight. Easy. 

Paleo Tunisian Beef & Meatball Stew

This recipe for T'fina Pkaila came from Saveur, and it's perfect for a rainy day.  With beef ribs and meatballs, you get a double dose of bovine, and the color from the carrots and spinach make it a gorgeous dish to serve.

Meatballs:

olive oil

1 small onion, diced

2 lbs ground veal (or ground beef)

1 tbs cumin

1 tbs pepper

2 tbs fresh cilantro, chopped

2 tbs fresh parsley, chopped

1 tsp salt

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp cinnamon

1 egg, beaten

Heat oil in a large pot (I used a dutch oven), and cook onions until trabsulcent.  Transfer to a bowl and mix all remaining ingredients together (using your hands works best), then form the mixture into balls.  Add a little more oil to the pan, and brown all sides of the meatballs - this will probably take a few batches.  Put meatballs on a plate and set aside.

Stew:

Olive oil

2 lbs beef short ribs* 

4 gloves garlic, mined

1 large onion, chopped

3 large carrots, peeled and cubed

5 cups beef stock

10+ oz spinach leaves, roughly chopped

salt & pepper

Season beef with salt and pepper, browning the sides.  Remove from pan and add onions and garlic and cook about 5 minutes.  Return beef to pot, add stock and carrots and simmer on low (covered) for about an hour.  Add meatballs and cook about 10 more minutes, add spinach about 5 minutes before serving so it stays green and doesn't get too soggy.

*When I was at the market there were 2 beautiful beef shanks/osso bucco on sale so I bought them instead of splurging on the short ribs. 

Paleo Fish with Spinach & Bacon Vinaigrette

This is fish in another dimension. Dawning of the age of Aquarius stuff.

2 cod/halibut/swordfish filets

3 strips bacon

1 shallot, diced

2 tbs white wine vinegar

1 tbs dry mustard

1 tsp thyme, chopped

2 dates, pitted and diced

3+ cups spinach, roughly chopped

Dice bacon and cook in a large pan with a little olive oil until crispy.  Remove and place in a bowl.  Add shallots and saute until tender.  Add vinegar, mustard and thyme and stir.  Scrape everything from the pan into the bowl with the bacon and throw the dates in there.  Put the spinach in the pan and just as it begins to wilt, toss with the remaining ingredients.

Add a little oil to the pan and cook fish until opaque.  Top with dressed up spinach. 

Paleo Veal Chop with Whiskey Sauce

Veal has a lot of flavor, and this simple sauce lets you showcase that flavor without covering it up.  This is  also a pretty quick, 1 pan type of preparation that you can throw together on a random Wednesday night and wow your husband/wife in a how-does-(s)he-do-it moment.  (so awkward trying to keep things gender neutral).

1 large veal chop

salt & pepper

olive oil

1 tbs butter

5 large green onions, chopped

1/4 cup whiskey

3/4 cup chicken or beef stock

1/4 cup coconut milk

Salt and pepper both sides of your veal chop.  Heat a could tbs of olive oil in a skillet and sear both sides of the chop - about 3 minutes each.  Remove from pan.  Add the butter and green onions, saute for a minute or two until softened.  Add whiskey (slowly) and chicken stock, scraping up all the bits from the bottom of the pan.  Bring to a boil, simmer and reduce by half.  Add coconut milk and return chop to pan.  Cook for an additional 3-5 minutes until veal is done to your liking.  I used 1 big veal chop, but this makes enough sauce to easily accommodate 2.