Dining in the Next Normal: Elevating Familiar Dishes with US Lamb and US Kurobuta Pork Belly from Alternatives Food Corporation

Alternatives Food Corporation or simply AFC is your source of premium US meats including world-class beef, pork, lamb, chicken and seafood conveniently delivered to your doorstep. The new normal and changing consumer habits continue to define a challenging year due to the global pandemic as dining at home became the rule rather than exception. Home kitchens were fired up once more, and cherished family recipes graced our tables as families dined together. The quarantine experience may have changed the way we go about our daily routine, but it also brought us closer together with the kitchen re-emerging as the center of memorable family activities. Your home kitchen adventures are kicked up a notch with the impressive selection of US meats and seafood from Alternatives Food Corporation, transforming well-loved recipes with an indulgent spin. Ready to cook? Read on... 

Since 1998, Alternatives Food Corporation offered the very best prime meats and seafood from the US to both institutional accounts and home kitchens. A top-tier broad line food supply integrator for over 22 years, AFC brings the world to your doorstep with its extensive offerings including US Wagyu Beef, US Angus Beef, US Kurobuta Pork, US Lamb as well as other international selections including Canadian Beef and Iberico Pork (for more on Alternatives Food Corporation, see my previous posts, Dining in the Next Normal: A Savory Feast at Home with Premium Sterling Silver Brand US Bone-In Beef Short Ribs from Alternatives Food Corporation on their specialty US Beef Short Ribs and Dining in the Next Normal: Alternatives Food Corporation (AFC) Brings Premium US Meats to Your Table on their thick and smoky Applewood Smoked Bacon by Niman Ranch, fork-tender and juicy US Excel Brand Prime Grade Ribeye and the delicate notes of tender Swift Boston Butt Pork Steak).

During the long months of quarantine, we sampled AFC's US Excel Brand Prime Grade Ribeye, Premium Sterling Silver Brand US Bone-In Beef Short Ribs, Applewood Smoked Bacon by Niman Ranch and Swift Boston Butt Pork Steak prepared with simple and easy recipes (just salt and pepper before and during grilling) for a sumptuous meal at home (check out my posts here and here). This time, we take on the tender US Lamb...

...and the slab of US Kurobuta Pork Belly from AFC. Both the US Lamb and US Kurobuta Pork Belly are ideal for a variety of dishes but I decided to keep it simple based on my limited cooking skills.

Drawing inspiration from my mom's trusty old cookbook, Let's Cook with Nora from 1969 by the late Nora Daza...

...and the simple, easy-to-follow recipes from Chef Myke"Tatung"Sarthou's recently launched Simpol The Cookbook (more on the book launch on my post, Keeping it Simple: Chef Myke "Tatung" Sarthou Launches Simpol The Cookbook at Pandan Asian Cafe) as well as familiar everyday dishes, I fired up the kitchen for my own take on US Lamb and US Kurobuta Pork Belly.

For the longest time, cooking for me meant opening a few cans and heating it up on a pan. Or making scrambled eggs when you wanted to do a perfect sunny side-up. Cooking was never really one of my core competencies, but the quarantine experience changed all that. Being in the kitchen completed the loop for a better appreciation of a dish no matter how basic the dish may be. Recreating familiar dishes in the kitchen using premium meats made the experience even more special and meaningful.

A simple and uncomplicated yet hearty dish of pork marinated in soy sauce and onions then sautéed in garlic and simmered on low heat until tender, the old-fashioned Lutung Toyo becomes an elegant meal with the US Kurobuta Pork Belly. Rendered in its own fat for a savory richness, the dish is best paired with steamed white rice. And don't forget to drizzle some of that soy-infused sauce on the rice. 

Using whatever is available from the pantry, the dish is easy to prepare. Each bite of the fork-tender pork leaves a silky smooth layer of flavor on the palate, perfectly tempered by the mild salty notes of the soy-based sauce followed by hints of onions and nutty garlic for a perfectly balanced dish. The premium US Kurobuta Pork delivers fresh, clean and delicate flavors to elevate an everyday dish to a whole new level of sumptuousness. 

And it's easy to prepare too. Simply marinate the US Kurobuta Pork Belly overnight then throw it all on a pan with garlic and onions and just let it simmer until tender. No fuss, simple and easy, the US Kurobuta Pork Belly makes all the difference in this comforting meal. The dish also improves with time with bolder and deeper flavors when stored in the ref for a few days. 

The isolation and long days of quarantine calls for a traditional stew prepared with a modern spin. An old-school caldereta is up next, this time using premium US Lamb from AFC. The traditional meat stew traces its roots to a shared history with Spain with its name derived from the Spanish word "caldera" or cauldron for its one-pot preparation. 

The hearty stew is usually prepared with beef, pork or goat meat with vegetables in a thick tomato-based sauce but using premium US Lamb gives this much-loved dish a richer finish with its bold savory notes. The addition of carrots, olives and smoky peppers gives it a mildly sweet finish contrasting with the soothing heat from a vibrant chili sauce for multiple layers of richness. The usual kitchen tricks of adding fresh cream, a dab of liver spread and a liberal drizzle of hot sauce completes the dish.

But it's the tender and juicy fall-off-the-bone lamb that gives this dish an indulgent character, weaving a layer of intense and robust flavors to transform a comfortingly familiar dish. The deep, clean and fresh notes of the US Lamb simply elevates this much loved dish without the usual gamey hints for a deep and well-rounded finish. And AFC makes it easy for you, a quick and easy call or message is all you need and your batch of premium US meats will be conveniently delivered to your doorstep. 

The quarantine experience will continue to change the way we do things, and that means spending more time in the home kitchen. Let AFC take you on a memorable culinary journey with their savory offerings this year and beyond...