Living High Off The Hog - New Cookbook from Chef Michael Olson
We are so excited about Chef Michael Olson’s new cookbook - Living High on the Hog which he describes as a carnivore's love letter to one of the most versatile, affordable and tasty types of meat: pork.
After 30 years as a professional chef, Michael Olson knows how to get the most out of his food. These days, he's also a teacher and dinner-maker-in-chief, so he understands what home cooks are looking for when it's time to eat.
In Living High Off the Hog, Michael shares his wealth of knowledge and over 100 of his favorite pork recipes. First, he gives you a rundown on everything you need to know about pork--how to buy, store, butcher and prep various cuts, along with special sections on deli meats, charcuterie and BBQ. From there, he shares his must-have pantry items and most-used cooking techniques to set you up for success as you work through four extensive recipe chapters: The Deli Counter, Ground and Diced, Chops and Steaks and Roasts and Big Cuts. With recipes like Bacon Okonomiyaki, Caramelized Chili Pork with Peanuts & Lime, Schnitzel and Crispy Pork Belly, you'll find a huge variety of tastes and textures to explore. For special occasions, you can dig deep into the low-and-slow world of BBQ and experiment with one of his recipes for ribs, learn a new skill with a porchetta roast, or go hog wild and try your hand at roasting a whole pig.
With Michael's expert guidance, sense of humor and warm encouragement, you'll find recipes and learn techniques to cook familiar classics, as well as expand beyond your regular repertoire with exciting new ideas for all cuts of pork.
Whether he's cooking a laid-back meal with his wife, fellow chef Anna Olson, or entertaining a large group, Michael's main goal is to create simple yet delicious dishes from scratch, and enjoy them with those he loves. For Michael, that's what "living high off the hog" is--the good life of combining good food and great company around your table.
Thanks to Chef Michael for letting us share a few recipes from book. We hope you are inspired to pick up this yummy and informative cookbook!
PS/ Did we mention Michael was born and raised in Saskatchewan!
Oven Braised Pulled Pork
Ah, low-and-slow pulled pork. Picture a hot, lazy afternoon spent lounging in a rocking chair, nursing a cold beer with the dog sleeping at your feet, taking all day to smoke a pork shoulder until it falls apart into its sticky sweet and sour BBQ glaze. Except it’s winter in Canada, and it is freezing out there! This is how I get that same tender BBQ pork sandwich glory when we are cooking indoors.
Excerpted from Living High Off the Hog: Over 100 Recipes and Techniques to Cook Pork Perfectly by Michael Olson. Copyright © 2019 Michael Olson. Photography by Janis Nicolay. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.
Yield: 12 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
INGREDIENTS
Pulled Pork
1/3 cup (80 mL) packed light brown sugar
2 Tbsp (30 mL) yellow mustard
2 Tbsp (30 mL) chili powder
1 Tbsp (15 mL) fine salt
1 Tbsp (15 mL) ground black pepper
1 Tbsp (15 mL) garlic powder
5 lb (2.2 kg) boneless pork shoulder
12 oz (375 mL) dark beer
1 cup (250 mL) white vinegar
1/2 cup (125 mL) fancy molasses
1/2 cup (125 mL) prepared BBQ sauce
12 sandwich buns
Coleslaw
1/2 head fresh green cabbage
1 carrot, peeled
1/2 cup (125 mL) mayonnaise
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tsp (10 mL) celery salt
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C).
Combine the brown sugar, mustard, chili powder, salt, pepper and garlic powder, and rub it all over the pork (using your hands is best for this). Stir together the beer, vinegar, molasses and BBQ sauce in a Dutch oven or roasting pan, and place the seasoned pork inside. Cover and roast in the oven, basting occasionally with the juices from the pan, until the meat pulls away easily when you twist it with a fork, 3 to 4 hours (1,2).
Transfer the pot from the oven to a cooling rack and rest for
15 minutes (remove any butcher’s string or skin). Use two forks to pull the meat apart into large shreds (3). You can cover and return the pot to the oven to reheat if necessary.For the coleslaw, grate the cabbage and carrot on the coarse side of a box grater and dress with the mayonnaise, lemon juice and celery salt. Chill until ready to serve.
To serve, spoon some of the juices onto each side of a split sandwich bun, fill it with the pulled pork and top with coleslaw. Serve with plenty of napkins and cold beer.
Green Curry Meatballs with Coconut
The flavors of Southeast Asia have become part of the North American palate, and people love Thai curry, whether fiery hot green, aromatic red or mild but still exotic yellow. Decades ago, I started going to Asian grocery stores, asking for advice and buying the different spices and mixes, including a plastic tub of green curry paste that I now always have on hand. A few years ago, Anna and I were cooking at a hotel in Bangkok, and I had the opportunity to hang out with the room service chef as an observer. I got excited when an order came in for green curry and thought it would be my chance to see the real deal made from scratch, but she pulled out the same white tub of curry paste that I use back home!
Excerpted from Living High Off the Hog: Over 100 Recipes and Techniques to Cook Pork Perfectly by Michael Olson. Copyright © 2019 Michael Olson. Photography by Janis Nicolay. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.
Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
INGREDIENTS
1 lb (450 g) ground pork
1/2 cup (125 mL) dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup (125 mL) unsweetened shredded coconut
1 large egg
1 tsp (5 mL) fish sauce or salt
1 Tbsp (15 mL) vegetable oil
2 Tbsp (30 mL) green curry paste (available at Asian grocery stores)
1 can (14 oz/400 mL) coconut milk (any fat percentage)
1/4 lb (115 g) fresh green beans, cut in bite-sized pieces (about 1 cup/250 mL)
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 small carrot, peeled and diced
Cooked jasmine rice, for serving
1/4 cup (60 mL) loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 lime, cut in 4 wedges
INSTRUCTIONS
Mix the pork, bread crumbs, coconut, egg and fish sauce in a large bowl.
Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat. Stir in the curry paste for 2 to 3 minutes to draw out the flavors. Stir in the coconut milk, bring up to a simmer and then add the green beans, bell pepper and carrot.
Using a small ice-cream scoop or a spoon, portion and shape the pork mixture into meatballs and carefully drop them into the simmering liquid. Simmer in the sauce, uncovered (or the sauce with split), for 25 minutes. To test for doneness, break open a meatball— there should not be any visible pink, it should be firm to the touch on the outside and the internal temperature should be 165°F (74°C).
Serve the meatballs with steamed jasmine rice and sprinkled with fresh cilantro and lime juice.
Bacon Onion Tart
Cut into bites for a perfect appetizer or served as a slice for a starter course, this tart pleases everyone and might become a family favorite. Just a few ingredients baked on crisp pastry will have your guests wondering if there aren’t a bunch of secret ingredients at work here. The balsamic glazed onions have a rich, meaty aroma and the bacon, well, I mean, it’s bacon!
Excerpted from Living High Off the Hog: Over 100 Recipes and Techniques to Cook Pork Perfectly by Michael Olson. Copyright © 2019 Michael Olson. Photography by Janis Nicolay. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.
Yield: 6 servings (Makes one 10 inch (25 cm) tart)
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 65 minutes, plus resting
INGREDIENTS
1 Tbsp (15 mL) butter or reserved drippings from the cooked bacon
2 yellow onions, sliced
Splash balsamic vinegar
1 tsp (5 mL) chopped fresh thyme leaves
Salt and pepper
1 sheet (8 oz/225 g) frozen butter puff pastry, thawed in the fridge
6 slices bacon, cooked, drained and crumbled
12 cherry tomatoes, halved
INSTRUCTIONS
Melt the butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat, then stir in the onions. Sauté the onions until they turn a golden brown and their volume reduces by half, about 35 minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar and stir the onions with a wooden spoon to pull up the caramelized bits from the pan. Stir in the thyme, season to taste and then remove the pan from the heat and let cool at room temperature. This can be made up to a day ahead and chilled until ready to assemble.
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Lay the sheet of puff pastry on the baking sheet and dock it with a fork across the surface (this prevents it from rising too much). Spread the cooled onions in an even layer over the pastry, right to the edges, and sprinkle the crumbled bacon overtop. Arrange the cherry tomato halves overtop in 4 rows of 6. Bake the tart until it is puffed and golden brown at the edges, about 30 minutes.
To serve, transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack for 5 minutes, then cut the pastry into 24 pieces so that a cherry tomato half is on each piece. Pick up with your fingers to eat warm or at room temperature.