weekend kitchen recap

i had a busy weekend in the kitchen, but in a good way. on saturday night, the boyfriend and i hosted a belated chinese new year gathering and we made a variety of szechuan dishes inspired by one of our favorite restaurants (szechuan gourmet on 56th between 8th and broadway in nyc - if you haven't been, you need to go! it is incredible, and their menu includes a section called "gourmet gourmet," so you know it's good.)

on the menu
ginger margaritas
avocado spring rolls
szechuan pork dumplings
twice-cooked pork belly with chili leeks
stir-fried shiitake mushrooms and broccoli

pork belly is harder to find than we had anticipated, but our search led us to the discovery of an amazing butcher in westport that focuses on locally sourced meats! it's called saugatuck craft butchery, and i am thoroughly impressed.

yummm pork belly

the butchers at craft cutting the pork belly to our specifications

ginger margarita fixings

the finished product: delish.

avocado spring roll filling

crispy spring rolls fresh out of the pan

the boyfriend hard at work on his dumplings

all ready to go in the oil!

shiitake and broccoli stir fry

twice-cooked pork belly with chili leeks!

recipe sources

for the margaritas, we made a simple syrup infused with fresh ginger and red pepper flakes, tossed it in the blender, and then strained it. combine with tequila and fresh lime juice for a spicy twist on the classic.

avocado spring rolls are essentially mashed avocado, salt, pepper, and i added chinese mustard for a little kick. spoon some filling in the middle of the (store bought) spring roll wrapper, roll, and fry in peanut oil until golden brown.

the stir fry was simply steaming the broccoli, cooking off excess water, adding the mushrooms, and finished by tossing with cilantro and soy sauce.

twice-cooked pork belly with chili leeks (recipe here - we omitted the bell pepper) 

szechuan pork dumplings (recipe here - you can buy wonton skins at the grocery store)