Rustic Bread

Rustic Bread is one of the 3 recipes that we MellowBakers are baking this month of April, 2010. The other 2 are Bagels, and Light Rye Bread.

Jeffrey Hamelman's Rustic Bread recipe is a fairly easy bread to make although it takes 2 days. The first day is for the preferment which is making a stiff dough with flour, water, salt, and a small amount of commercial yeast, leaving it on the kitchen counter for 12 to 16 hours. The next day is pretty much the same, mix bread flour, a little whole rye and whole wheat flour with water, salt, yeast, and the preferment. Bulk fermentation is 2½ hours with two folds after every 50 minutes, then the dough is divided and shaped into rounds [I shaped mine into fat batards] and made to rise for 1½ hours then off they go in a 450°F steamy oven . Easy peasy.

The bread is soft, chewy, and flavorful and I like it even more the next day, but not after that. Well, they didn't last beyond 3 days so no problem there. This could be a regular bread in my house. It's good for sandwiches or dipping into soups or stews.

Pork Belly Sisig

I have made pork belly sisig a few times already and it has become one of my favorite Filipino dishes. Its yummyness factor is way at the top, even Anthony Bordain loved it. Crispy pork is maybe the reason I won't consider being a vegan. I love vegetables as a side dish and tofu in all its forms but it's not fun to eat without meat and poultry dishes. The original pork sisig has a whole pork head but where in the world would I find that? Maybe at the farmer's market? Anyway, I made pork belly confit (bagnet or lechon kawali) and boiled some pork ears together with a few pieces of chicken livers. With lots of fresh calamansi juice I was in spicy hog goodness heaven. 

Pork Belly Sisig 

2 pork ears water 

2 pieces chicken liver 

2 teaspoons sea salt 

1 cup pineapple juice 

1 cup water 

¼ teaspoon whole black peppercorns 

1 tablespoon calamansi or lemon juice 

freshly cooked lechon kawali, homemade or store bought 

1 tablespoon white coconut vinegar 

1 sweet onion, chopped 

sea salt and ground pepper, to taste 

bird's eye chili, chopped, to taste

• Wash the ears well and place in a medium saucepan. Add water to cover and let boil. Drain and discard water. Add the chicken liver, salt, juice, water, and peppercorns. Let come to a boil, cover, and simmer over low-medium heat for 45 minutes.
• Remove pork and liver and discard the boiling liquid. Grill the pork ears until brown and crisp.
• Heat a cast iron skillet to sizzling hot.
• Chop the lechon kawali, pork ears, and liver into small cubes and place in a glass bowl. Add the calamansi or lemon juice, chopped onion, vinegar, salt, pepper, and chilis. Mix well. Place the meat mixture into the sizzling skillet. Serve immediately with calamansi and chilies on the side.