“Wherever there is chaos, there is opportunity”. The line dripped off his tongue. The easiest thing he’s ever said. Talking to someone on the utter brink of the cliff.
For me, the cliff. For him, just words.
There I was, watching the ever tumultuous scene unravel in front of me; crippling. Devastating. Unable to get a gust of clarity. Wrapped in an all encompassing whirlwind of sound and clamor and uneasiness. Nail bitting angst beating the beast that besieged it. The host who holds no control. Nothing. Loose reigns. The wild takes over and the stallions stagger, toppling and tottering, cantankerous in their braying song, amidst thick, permeating fear.
And there, his discourse dared me to find beauty – in electrifying anguish.
Seeing through eyes blurred in a bath of tears. Blinding. Feeling through pulses pounding visibly through skin. Bounding. Inhaling through sunken, sorrowed, scarred lungs. Breathing in. Inspiring – somehow.
Cried out. Clocked out. Timed out.
A chill tickled my neck and I took a belly breath. Time to rethink this. Time to reign in the herd.
But first…dinner.
Feeds 4; Takes about an hour
Ingredients and Method for Garlic Crunch
- 2 elephant garlic cloves sliced very thinly (using a mandolin can help)
- 3 tbsp Canola oil (for frying) + more
- 2 tbsp pork rinds, pulverized (plain/salt seasoning only)
- Pinch salt
Fry the thinly sliced pieces of garlic in canola oil over medium heat until golden and almost crisp, being sure not to over crowd the pan. (You may need to do a few batches, replenishing the oil). Each batch takes about 1-2 min, so keep a watchful eye. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on paper towel lined plate. Salt.
Repeat with more batches as needed.
Once garlic chips have cooled, they will be crispy and pungent (in the best possible way). Sprinkle in the pork rinds and mince all together. Set aside for all your porky, garlicky crunch needs.
Ingredients and Method for Ramen Soup Base
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 2 cups dried ramen noodles, cooked (usually about 3-4 minutes in salted boiling water), reserve 1 cup of pasta water and set noodles aside covered with a wet cloth
- 1/3 cup white miso paste
- 1 scallion, diced
- 2 tbsp dark sesame oil
- 1/2 tbsp chili oil + more for garnishing if you like it spicy
- 1 tbsp crispy garlic crunch (see above)
- 3 tbsp corn starch
- 1/2 fresh ginger, minced
- 1 tbsp mirin
- Juice of half lime
In a large soup pot or dutch oven, heat sesame oil, chili oil, garlic crunch, ginger and scallions cooking for 1-2 min until very fragrant.
Add corn starch, miso paste, wine and noodle water, stirring for another minute.
Add chicken stock, lime juice, mirin and bring to a simmer.
Turn heat dow to low, keeping warm and go make the crispy pork.
Ingredients and Method for Crispy Pork and Accompaniments
- 1 lb ground pork
- 2 tbsp dark sesame oil
- 2 tsp chili oil
- 2 scallions, diced + more for garnish
- 1 tbsp crispy garlic crunch (see above)
- 3/4 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
- 1 hefty glug of soy sauce
- Juice of half lime
- 10-12 shiitake mushrooms, sliced
- 4 jammy eggs, halved (Put whole eggs in a pot of boiling water for 7 minutes and then plunge into an ice bath, peeling after they cool for 2-3 min. = perfect ramen eggs)
- Sesame seeds for garnish
- 1 tbsp butter (divided for garnish, optional)
- Cilantro leaves for garnish
- Salt to taste, olive oil if needed
Heat a sauté pan to medium heat. Add sesame oil, chili oil, scallions and ginger and cook until fragrant ~ 2 min.
Add pork and allow it so sit and get a nice crust on one side. While this is happening add lime juice, soy sauce, about a tsp of salt, and garlic crunch.
Mash everything together using a wooden spoon (or similar) until all sides of the pork are golden and crunchy ~ 10 min.
Using a slotted spoon, remove the meat and put in a bowl, reserving the grease in the pan.
Add the mushrooms to the grease and add a bit of olive oil if needed. Cook, stirring often until golden brown ~ 5-7 min. Add a sprinkle of salt.
Putting it allllll together:
In wide lipped bowls assemble first equal portions of cooked noodles and top with some crispy pork and mushrooms. Pour the ramen soup around the rim and over the noodles (depending on how brothy you prefer).
Top with eggs, extra crispy garlic crunch, more chili oil, scallions, cilantro, butter and sesame seeds.
Got cozy soups on the brain? Here are some of my fav’s to help warm you up:
- Loaded Potato and Leek Soup
- Blonde Chicken Chili Poblano Blanco with Crispy Hominy
- Classic Beef Stew
- Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Sweet Brie Grilled Cheese
- Roasted Parsnip and Bread Soup with Herb Oil
- Yiayia’s Avgolemono (Greek Lemon and Chicken Soup)
