Pineapple whiskey BBQ baby back ribs

Finally recovered from the cookoffs over the Christmas festive season. Now it is on to Brofeifei first recipe of 2014! Wifey was craving for BBQ baby back ribs and in Singapore, there is no lack of good ribs place but sadly none quite cut it these days. I searched the internet for a traditional southern BBQ baby back ribs recipe and made some of my own adaptions to make this better. Wifey and I just polished a whole rack of this and she commented that this is Brofeifei best dish yet! So give this recipe a shot! A bit complicated but more than worth it for family and friends!

1. Massage pork rub all over a rack of baby back ribs. Refrigerate overnight.
2. To make sauce, sautee half a white onion & 6 cloves of garlic in pot of hot vegetable oil
3. Add 1 cup of ketchup
4. Add 1 small can of tomato puree
5. Add 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar
6. Add 1/2 cup of HP sauce
7. Add 1/4 cup of worcester sauce
8. Add 3 tablespoons of brown sugar
9. Add 3 tablespoons of tabasco sauce
10. Add 3/4 cup of whiskey to give the smokey flavour
11. Add black pepper & stir well
12. Remove baby back ribs from fridge & place in roasting pan
13. Pour sauce over ribs & cover with aluminium foil
14. Sprinkle handful of pineapple chunks & pitted cherries
15. Shove it into 175C oven for 2 hours
16. After 2 hours, remove foil and switch oven to "Grill" mode at medium power
17. Grill for another 50mins, basting the ribs every 10mins.

Adjust the sauce to your liking so taste the sauce as you are making it. There is no right or wrong in cooking, only what you like or don't like! Serve with a hot potato mash and fresh herbs compliments the rack of wholesome smokey goodness perfectly!

Prep time: 15mins     Cook time: 3hrs    Level: Tok Kong!

Abundance in his grace

With the Christmas festivities coming to an end, I finally had the time clean up my cooking tools and leave my helper to wash up the oven. It has been a wonderful and blessed Christmas with family and friends. It was a time to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus, a time for fellowship with family and loved ones and of course singing traditional Christmas carols and exchanging gifts with one another. For me, nothing is more fulfilling than having family and friends sit around a table and enjoy the sumptuous food that has been prepared, having a good laugh at the year's events over a glass of wine or two. 

Instead of trying completely new recipes during this Christmas season, I focused on refining them so as not to make guinea pigs out of my guests! Wifey and I did try a couple of new recipes which I will share in subsequent entries but for now, let's just enjoy this season's Christmas food entries! We start off with Wifey's latest creations!

1. Smoked salmon, caviar with cream cheese & dill on toast

2. Mozzarella balls with cherry tomatoes in balsamic reduction

3. Christmas spread with friends - Brofeifei did the vongole, XO Wings and ribeye in béarnaise sauce . Yummy salad and sausages were brought in by our beloved friends!

4. Slow roasted pork crackling - this was so popular that I had to grab for my share of crackling! Recipe for this can be found in my earlier entry.

5. Christmas roasted chicken - Recipe for this succulent chicken can also be found in my earlier entry.

6. Penne arrabiata with homemade tomatoes basil sauce

7. Portobello mushrooms with chopped tomatoes & cheese

8. Orange & fennel salad with roasted walnuts - wifey's creation!

"And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others" - 2 Corinthians 9:8

It has been a great year of cooking for loved ones and there will be more exciting recipes to try next year. Until then, have a truly Happy New Year from Brofeifei!

Slow roasted pork belly with crackling

This recipe is not for the faint heartened! It takes overnight preparation and 3 hours of tender roasting care to make the perfect crackling; not to mention the calories that you will be putting on. But hey, life is too short to waste it on bad tasting calories so make sure it is really good before biting into it. This slow roasted pork belly is perfect for Sunday family roast or cut and served in individual portions for a fine dining experience at home. Cooked this for the Chiu family dinner on Sunday and it seemed to have pleased everyone in the family especially my father-in-law who gave a reassuring nod of approval after he has tasted it...I think!

At a decent restaurant, a small portion of this delicious and sinful piece of pork belly will set you back $25-$38. I bought 1 kg of pork belly from a good butcher for only $20. Now on with the recipe!

Preparation
1. Score the skin of the pork belly into cubes (1kg serves 6 persons)
2. Season whole pork belly thoroughly with salt & pepper.
3. Make sure you massage salt & pepper into the cracks that you have scored on the pork belly skin
4. Use hairdryer (yes, a hairdryer!) to blow dry the skin for 15-20mins
5. Set aside on a plate, uncovered & leave it in the fridge for min 6 hours or better still, overnight

Roasting
6. Slice 3 bulbs of garlic into halves & place them in a roasting tray
7. Lay handful of thyme on halved garlic bulbs & drizzle with olive oil
8. Remove pork belly from fridge, rub olive oil all over & place it on top of garlic bulbs & herbs
9. Heat oven to 250C & shove pork belly in for 30-40mins
10. Remove pork belly & pour 2 glasses of white wine into tray. Be careful not to splatter onto skin
11. Turn oven down to 170C & roast for another 2 hours
12. Turn the oven back up to 250C to perfect the crackling for 15mins
13. Remove pork belly &  set aside

Sauce
14. Remove any charred bits & deglaze the roasting pan with sherry vinegar
15. Add a cup of chicken stock & bring it to a boil
16. Add teaspoon of creme fraiche to thicken the sauce

The key to perfectly crisp pork crackling is to keep the pork belly skin as dry as possible and hence the need for the hairdryer and overnight refrigeration treatment. This is not a dish that you would eat often but if you do try it, make sure the calories are worth it! Serving it on a bed or caramelised onions and carrots will help to mitigate the guilt a bit. Enjoy and cook with lots of love! Have a super blessed long weekend!

Prep time: 30mins     Cook time: 3hrs     Level: Tok Kong!

Scallops in parma ham with rosemary

First one up is fast and easy to make. A fav that I have cooked for my family and many of my friends. All those who have eaten better say yums! :) A signature dish if I could say that...

1. Wrap half a slice of parma ham around scallop
2. Stick stalk of rosemary herb into scallop
3. Season with pepper, no SALT!
4. Drizzle with good quality olive oil
5. Pre-heat oven to 200C and bake for 15-20mins
6. Splash of balsamic vinegar on hot pan, add sugar & reduce for sauce
7. Serve with flash boiled asparagus

Prep time: 15min     Cook time:15min     Level: Confirm can!