House Husbandry

Got a huge chunk of pork belly at Costco a couple of weeks ago.  It was too fatty to use in a sugo and I'd never cooked with it before.  I didn't know what to do. It came as a big flat hunk of meat.  I'd chopped a strip of it off into fish-like chunks (or that's what I thought, maybe 2" x 2") and had frozen it.  Pulled it out of the freezer and let it defrost and set about making a marinade. I used about 1/4 cup or so soy sauce 1/4 cup or so mirin 1/4 cup or so of oyster sauce (finished the bottle) 1/4 cup or so of an Indonesian catsup that's been around for a while.  Label wore off.  We bought it when we were there a few years ago. lots of chopped garlic olive oil more garlic powder some powdered ginger, too I whisked all of the ingredients into a bowl and then poured it over the pork chunks that were still in a gallon-sized zip loc.  Initially it seemed too salty, but in the end it worked out, taste-wise.  Seal the bag, don't push the

So this works ... I read about it twice last week and I just had to try it.  Take something like garlic, I used three cloves, and slice it up really thin.  Toss a pinch of kosher salt into the bottom of a measuring cup and then toss those slices in on top.  Add another pinch for good measure.  Mash it up a bit and let it sit for 10 or 15 minutes.  Add water to the 1/4 cup line.  Continue to let sit for at least 15 minutes and up to an hour or more. The result is a pungent, fragrant addition to your cooking with some superior garlic flavor.  I also tried this with basil and got similar, magnificent results.  Get creative!