Crispy Pork Belly + Creamy Black Quinoa and Sweet Potato Salad

We're baaaaack!

We had a great month travelling around Boston, then California. We saw some great friends and family - and of course, we ate some great food. Hang tight, I'm working on a review of our favorites for all of you.

In the meantime, we want to share this pork and quinoa recipe with you. Quinoa is a very versatile grain-like ingredient, used often in salads or paired with a protein/veggie combo. You can even make quinoa smoothies! It's seen a surge in popularity in recent years, and the price has tripled due to high demand in the Western world. In fact, the UN recently named 2013 as the International Year of Quinoa. Our quinoa obsession is due in part to the food's numerous health benefits - it's full of lysine, calcium, phosphorous, and iron. As its popularity increases, however, concerns have sparked about the impact of increased demand on the availability of the crop to citizens of countries which grow it - Bolivia, Argentina, Peru, Ecuador, and others.

There are multiple varieties of quinoa, each with its own color and flavor. For this recipe, I used black quinoa simply because I had it on hand. The quinoa and sweet potato salad in this recipe is vegetarian friendly,  but we have some crispy pork belly to top the whole thing if you're so inclined.

Black Quinoa and Sweet Potato Salad
Serves 3-4

• 2 cups water
• 2 cups light cream
• 1 cup black quinoa
• 1 Carrot
• 1 sweet potato
• 1/8 cup maple syrup
• 3 tbsp vegetable (or peanut or canola) oil
• Shaved romano or parmesan cheese (optional, but seriously who doesn't want cheese?)
• Salt + pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cut carrots and sweet potatoes into 1 inch pieces. Add maple syrup and toss until the vegetables are coated. Spread out on a parchment-lined baking sheet (or use a baker's mat. The idea here is not to let the maple syrup ruin your baking sheet).
Add salt and pepper
Bake about 30 minutes until tender. Stab 'em with a fork to see if they're soft enough. Set aside.

While your vegetables are roasting, bring water to a boil and add quinoa. Remember cooking quinoa is like cooking rice, not pasta - if you add too much water you're going to have a soupy mess. Reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and leave covered for at least 5 minutes.

In a large skillet, heat 2-3 tbsp of oil on medium-high heat. When the oil begins to smoke, add the cooked carrots and sweet potatoes. Spread them out but don't stir or toss them until you see a little char on the bottom. Add light cream and bring to a simmer. Add quinoa and stir it up, then remove from the heat.


Crispy Pork Belly

• 2-3 tbsp vegetable (or peanut or canola) oil
• As many 1/4 inch thick or thinner strips of uncured pork belly as your heart desires 
• Salt + pepper

Note: If your pork belly is thicker than 1/4 inch, we highly recommend slicing it about as thick as  a nice thick-cut bacon strip. Thicker cuts of pork belly will need to be braised in the oven before frying to make the fat tender. By slicing it thinly you're effectively creating uncured bacon, which will fry up nicely. 

Season the pork bellies with salt and pepper. You can keep them in the fridge until you're ready to use them.

In a medium skillet heat oil on medium-high head until smoking. Place the in the pan (be careful of oil splashes!) and cook about 2 minutes per side.

If you've worked with pork belly before, you can "cook by color" here - keep them in the pan until you get the color you want on each side. Personally, I like my pork medium-rare to medium. The days of overcooked pork for fear of trichinosis are behind us, people!



The Angry Chef is a tiny family operation and many of our original recipes are hot off the press. Have you made this or anything else featured on the blog? Let us know here - we want your feedback!