Tongue taste is the straightforward chemical phenomenon that takes place whenever molecules make contact with taste buds, something that happens with any food as a matter of course. Tongue taste is the kind of easy, accessible flavor that any food scientist or manufacturer can reliably produce in order to make food appealing. “McDonald’s has tongue taste,” Hyeon Hee explained.
Hand taste, however, involves something greater than mere flavor. It is the infinitely more complex experience of a food that bears the unmistakable signature of the individual who made it—the care and thought and idiosyncrasy that that person has put into the work of preparing it. Hand taste cannot be faked, Hyeon Hee insisted, and hand taste is the reason we go to all this trouble, massaging the individual leaves of each cabbage and then folding them and packing them in the urn just so. What hand taste is, I understood all at once, is the taste of love.
Appendix I:
Four Recipes
Below are four basic recipes, one based on each of the four transformations: a pork shoulder slow cooked over a fire, a sugo (or Bolognese sauce) cooked in a pot, a whole-grain bread, and a sauerkraut. In some cases, the recipe comes from the cook who taught it to me; in others, I have adapted it from what I was taught. A word of caution that is at the same time a word of encouragement: As I learned in the course of my education in the kitchen, “the recipe is never the recipe.” It might look comprehensive and legally binding, but in fact these recipes should be treated as a set of sketches or notes. Each of them has been tested by a professional recipe tester, so faithfulness to details and procedures will be rewarded on your first attempt. But after that you should feel free to adjust and improvise—these are templates that can be varied endlessly with little risk and much potential reward. I cook these dishes, or variations on them, regularly, only seldom looking at the text. That way, they continue to mutate and evolve, as recipes should. Eventually they become your own.
1. Fire
Pork Shoulder Barbecue
Active Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 4–6 hours (once the meat has been seasoned)
FOR THE PORK
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
One 5- to 6-pound pork shoulder, preferably with bone in and skin on (ask for a “Boston butt”)
2 handfuls hickory chips (other types of wood chips can be substituted)
1 disposable aluminum foil shallow pan
1 smoker box (see note)
FOR THE VINEGAR-BBQ SAUCE
2 cups apple cider vinegar
1 cup water
¼ cup packed brown sugar
2¾ teaspoons fine sea salt
4 teaspoons hot pepper flakes
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
PREPARE THE PORK
In a small bowl, mix the salt and sugar until combined. One to three days before you plan to grill, generously sprinkle the salt-sugar rub over the entire pork shoulder, covering every surface. You may not need the full ¼ cup of rub. (A good rule of thumb is 2 teaspoons per pound of meat.) If you’re lucky enough to have a shoulder with skin on it, score the skin in a crosshatch pattern, leaving an inch or so between the lines. Try to work some of the rub into the scorings. Refrigerate the pork shoulder uncovered. Bring to room temperature before you put it on the grill.
Prepare a gas grill for smoking. Soak the wood chips in water for about 30 minutes; set aside. On a section of the grill that won’t receive direct heat, place a disposable pan or tray beneath the cooking grate and directly on the flavorizer bars or lava rocks (whichever your grill has). Fill the pan about halfway with water; this will catch drippings and keep the inside of the grill moist. Set the cooking grate back on the grill. Adjust the burners so the temperature in the grill is somewhere between 200°F and 300°F. Keep the burners under the drip pan off, and those not under it on. Drain the wood chips and place them in a smoker box. A few minutes before putting the meat on the grill, set the smoker box directly over the heat source. (Smoke works best early in the cooking process.) Place the shoulder on the grill above the drip pan, skin or fat side up.
Cover the grill and roast the pork shoulder for 4 to 6 hours. The time it takes will vary depending on your piece of meat, the grill, and the cooking temperature. Lower temperature is better but takes much longer to cook. Whichever temperature you choose, check occasionally to make sure it does not exceed 300°F or fall below 200°F. When the temperature of the interior of the meat is 195°F, it should be done. Don’t be alarmed if the temperature of the pork shoulder rises quickly and then stays at 150°F for a long time (sometimes for several hours). This is called the “stall.” Be patient and wait for it to reach 195°F. Check to see if the meat feels relaxed to the touch or if you can pull it apart with a fork. If it resists, give it another 30 minutes.
The meat should by now be a deep brown color. If the outside of the shoulder doesn’t have some dark, crispy areas (i.e., bark or, if you started with skin, crackling), crank up the temperature to 500°F for a few minutes. (Keep a close eye on it so it doesn’t burn.) Remove the meat from the grill and let it rest for at least 20 to 30 minutes.
MAKE THE VINEGAR-BBQ SAUCE
Combine the vinegar, water, sugar, salt, hot pepper flakes, and black pepper in a medium-size bowl and stir until the sugar and salt have dissolved; set aside.
Either pull the pork shoulder apart with a fork or roughly chop with a cleaver, incorporating crispy bits of crackling (if you have it) or bark. Mix in a generous splash of the vinegar BBQ sauce; adjust the seasoning, making sure there’s enough acid (vinegar) and salt. Put the remainder of the sauce in a pitcher on the table. Serve with soft rolls. Coleslaw and beans and rice make good accompaniments.
NOTE: If you don’t have a smoker box, you can make one by piercing holes all over a shallow and narrow foil-covered aluminum pan.
VARIATION: With a few small changes, the same pork shoulder can be prepared in an Asian manner. This variation is loosely adapted from a David Chang recipe; the dashi recipe is adapted from Sylvan Brackett’s. Cook the shoulder as above but omit the vinegar BBQ sauce. Instead, serve it with this dashi-based ginger-and-scallion dipping sauce. Make the sauce several hours before using so that the flavors have time to meld.
ASIAN DIPPING SAUCE
FOR THE DASHI
½ ounce (three 7-inch pieces) kombu seaweed, available at Japanese markets
6 cups cool water
1 ounce shaved katsuobushi (bonito flakes), available at Japanese markets
1 dried shiitake mushroom, optional
FOR THE SAUCE
2 cups cooled dashi, from recipe below
¼ cup thinly sliced scallions
¼ cup roughly chopped cilantro
¼ cup rice vinegar (cider vinegar or ume plum vinegar can be used instead)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons minced ginger (from a 2-inch piece)
2 tablespoons mirin
½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Pinch hot pepper flakes or togarashi, optional
MAKE THE DASHI
In a medium saucepan, soak the kombu in the water for 1 to 2 hours.
Set the saucepan of kombu on the stove and turn the heat up to high. When the water begins to throw bubbles but before it reaches a rolling boil, remove the kombu with tongs and discard. Stir the katsuobushi into the broth, and return to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and let sit for 10 minutes.
Strain through a cheesecloth-lined strainer set over a large bowl, then press as much liquid out of the katsuobushi as you can. Reserve t
he liquid. Discard the katsuobushi. You can add a dried shiitake mushroom to the liquid as it cools. Dashi keeps in the refrigerator for 1 week, or until it starts to cloud.
MAKE THE SAUCE
Combine the dashi, scallions, cilantro, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, mirin, sesame oil, and hot pepper flakes in a medium bowl. Season to taste with more vinegar, soy, and red pepper flakes. Give the sauce a few hours to meld before serving.
Serve the pork shoulder shredded or chopped, along with rice and leaves of bibb (or other) lettuce. Let guests use the lettuce leaves to make rolls filled with pork and rice and dipped in the sauce.
2. Water
Meat Sugo and Pasta
Here is Samin Nosrat’s recipe for sugo, the classic Italian meat sauce that, depending on the region, is also known as Bolognese or ragù. This might not at first seem like a braise—there’s no featured chunk of animal protein—but the principles are the same: a dice of onions, carrots, and celery; browned meat; a long, slow simmer in liquid. Making this recipe takes a few hours, so I usually prepare a big batch and freeze some of it in containers. Samin’s recipe calls for pork and beef, but it can be made with any kind of meat, including chicken, duck, rabbit, or game.
Active Time: about 3 hours
Total Time: between 5 and 7 hours
FOR THE SPICE SACHET
3 whole cloves
One 1-inch piece cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon juniper berries
½ teaspoon whole allspice
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
FOR THE SUGO
2 cups pure olive oil (not extra-virgin)
3 pounds boneless pork shoulder (ask butcher to coarsely grind the meat through a ⅜-inch die, if possible)
3 pounds beef, veal, or a combination, coarsely ground (any braising cut, such as chuck or round, is fine)
1 (750 ml) bottle dry red wine
4 medium red onions (about 2 pounds), peeled
3 medium carrots (about 12 ounces), peeled
3 medium ribs celery (about 8 ounces), rinsed
1 cup tomato paste
Parmesan rinds, optional
4 bay leaves
One 3-inch strip orange peel
One 3-inch strip lemon peel
3 to 4 cups beef, veal, or chicken stock, preferably homemade
Salt to taste
3 to 4 cups whole milk
FOR SERVING
Cooked pasta
Butter
Parmesan
MAKE THE SACHET
Combine the cloves, cinnamon, peppercorns, juniper berries, allspice, and nutmeg in a cheesecloth and tie with string; set aside.
MAKE THE SUGO
Set a large, wide rondeau or sauté pan over high heat and add enough olive oil to just coat. (In general the bigger the pan, the better.) Cook the pork in batches, adding a third to a half at a time, so that there is space in the pan. (If it’s too crowded it will steam instead of sear.) Cook, stirring and breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until it sizzles and turns golden brown. (Do not season the meat—salt draws out water and prevents browning.) Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pork to a large bowl, leaving the rendered fat in the pan.
Add more oil to coat the pan, as needed, and continue cooking the remaining pork and beef in the same way. (If browned bits start to burn on the bottom of the pan, deglaze it between batches with a little red wine, scraping with a wooden spoon as the wine simmers to pull up the tasty bits. Transfer the deglazing liquids to the bowl of meats, wipe the pan dry, add more oil, and continue browning the meats.)
While the meats are browning, make a soffritto. Use a knife or a food processor to mince the onions, carrots, and celery separately until all are very fine. You don’t want to be able to identify any of the ingredients in the soffritto once the dish is cooked. (If you choose to use a food processor, pulse the machine frequently, stopping often to scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure the vegetables are evenly cut. The celery and onion will release a lot of water, so make sure to drain or pat them dry before cooking.)
When the last of the beef has finished cooking, add enough oil to the pan to rise about ¼ inch deep. (There should be what you might consider a scary amount of olive oil in the pot, about 1½ cups, as soffritto means “subfried.”) Add the minced soffritto vegetables and reduce the flame to medium. Cook, stirring often to prevent burning, until the vegetables are brown and tender throughout, about 50 minutes. The vegetables will steam at first and then sizzle. If they start to burn, add some salt or a ladleful of water or stock, and turn down the heat.
Once you are satisfied with the soffritto (don’t rush it!), add the bottle of wine to deglaze the pan. As the wine simmers, use the wooden spoon to scrape up the delicious brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Once the wine has reduced a bit and its alcohol has burned off, add the browned meats, along with the sachet, tomato paste, Parmesan rinds (if using), bay leaves, orange and lemon peels, and about 3 cups of the stock. Season with salt. Bring to a boil, and then add enough milk to just cover the meat, about 3 cups. Let simmer. Once the milk breaks down and the color starts to look appetizing, after 30 to 40 minutes, start tasting the mixture and adjusting salt, acid, sweetness, richness, and body. If the mixture needs more acid, add wine. If it seems bland, add tomato paste to bring it to life and make it a bit more acidic and sweet. If it needs to be richer or the meat seems dry, add a splash of milk. If it needs more body, add stock.
Simmer over the lowest possible heat, skimming off the fat from time to time, and stirring often, until both the pork and beef are tender and the flavors have melded, anywhere from 2 to 4 hours total. Add more of the remaining milk, stock, or water to ensure that the meat always stays just barely immersed. (But don’t drown the meat in liquid.) Continue to taste as you go but stop adding ingredients at least 30 minutes before the sugo is done so they have time to cook into the sauce.
When you are satisfied that the sugo is done, use a spoon or ladle to skim off the fat that has risen to the surface and remove the spice sachet, Parmesan rinds, bay leaves, and orange and lemon peels. Taste and adjust the salt again.
TO SERVE
Serve with pasta cooked al dente and tossed with a few tablespoons of butter. Top with lots of grated Parmesan cheese. This recipe makes a lot, but for this much work, you deserve leftovers!
3. Air
Whole-Wheat Country Loaf
This recipe is adapted from Chad Robertson’s country loaf, in Tartine Bread. Simply replacing white flour with whole grain in his recipe will create a decent loaf of bread, but it won’t be as airy or flavorful as it will be if you follow this revised version of the recipe. This recipe calls for 75 percent of the flour to be whole grain; you can adjust the percentage of whole-grain flour higher or lower as you prefer. In keeping with the custom for bread recipes, quantities here are given by weight rather than volume; you will need a digital scale, calibrated in grams, to follow this recipe. Note: Be sure to build your starter at least a week before you plan to bake. Make two loaves.
Active Time: about 70 minutes
Total Time: between 5 and 10 days
FOR THE STARTER
50 grams stone-ground whole-grain flour, plus more as needed to feed the starter (at least 150 grams more)
50 grams unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more as needed to feed the starter (at least 150 grams more)
100 grams warm tap water, plus more as needed to feed the starter
FOR THE LEAVEN
100 grams stone-ground whole-grain flour
100 grams unbleached all-pur
pose flour
200 grams warm tap water
30–35 grams starter (recipe from above)
FOR THE BREAD
600 grams stone-ground whole-grain flour
250 grams unbleached all-purpose flour (higher protein bread flour is okay), plus extra for dusting work surface
150 grams rye or pumpernickel flour
900 grams warm (roughly 80°F) tap water
3½ grams or 1⅛ teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast (or half of a ¼-ounce packet) mixed with 50 grams warm tap water, optional
25 grams kosher or fine sea salt
Rice flour, for dusting proofing bowl, optional
MAKE THE STARTER
In a small glass or plastic container (a clear container allows you to watch microbial activity), mix 50 grams each of the whole-grain and all-purpose flours until combined. Add the water and stir until the consistency of a smooth batter. Leave the mixture open to the air, stirring vigorously for about 30 seconds at least once a day or whenever you think of it. If the mixture dries out, add a bit of warm water to bring it back to the consistency of a batter. The wild yeast and bacteria in the air, on the flour, and on your hands will eventually start to eat the sugars in the flour and ferment.
As soon as you observe signs of microbial activity (e.g., lumps on the top, bubbles within the batter, or the smell of beer or yeast or ripe fruit)—which can take as long as a week—feed the starter daily: Discard approximately 80 percent of it and replace with fresh flour and water in equal amounts (about 50 grams of whole-wheat flour, 50 grams of all-purpose flour, and 100 grams warm water). Stir until smooth. Once it has become active again (i.e., bubbling), keep the starter covered at a warm room temperature. If you won’t be baking for a while, you can refrigerate or freeze your starter. To do so, feed it, let it sit for a couple of hours at room temperature, then add enough additional flour (the 50/50 mixture) to dry it out in a ball; freeze or refrigerate. A few days before you want to use it again, wake up the starter by bringing it to room temperature; feed it with the same amount of water and flour as above twice daily, discarding 80 percent of it each time, until it’s lively again.