Music: Whatever the Skating Queens at GG Park Have Blasting
Beverage: Iced tea (not sweet) or a glass of Domaine de Pajot Quatre Cepages
The weekends are my big cooking days -- I try to ensure that we are loaded up with fare to take us through at least Wednesday. In warm weather, weekend cooking means grilling and smoking.
If I'm grilling, I always have a mess of vegetables to throw on the fire in addition to the meat. (And it would be a poor excuse for a grill without meat, in my view.) Last weekend, the eight ball zucchini from Happy Boy Farms called to me. I sliced them into half-inch rounds and tossed them in olive oil with quartered red spring onions and some early girl tomatoes. I completed my grill-to-be with sea salt and a few grinds of fresh white pepper. I kept meaning to add fresh mint to the finished vegetables but never got around to it. If you try it, let me know how it worked.
I used to grill vegetables in a foil pie pan with holes punched into it, but then I saw a stainless steel grill tray that I had to have. I love it because it doesn't have useless flared edges that take up valuable grill real estate without adding more space for food. In other words, you want a tray with straight sides, or as close thereto as possible. I usually start the vegetables before the meat, because they require less attention and can sometimes take longer to get a good brown on them. Keep the vegetables in the fridge for a summer salad, or for an omelette with goat cheese.
A word about grilling: Try to avoid briquettes. I have read impassioned defenses of briquettes from smokers, but briquettes don't smell good and they don't make your food taste good. Use lump hardwood and a chimney starter. Lately, I have been using Frontier Hardwood Charcoal, which smells wonderful and actually imparts a very nice smoky taste to the food without any additional effort on my part. Don't anybody tell me anything bad about Frontier (like it's made from used tires). Then I'd have to switch, and I don't want to.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
I Don't Want To Tell You The Truth
Today I read an interview with the great Tilda Swinton, in which she said the most remarkable thing:
I don't want to tell you the truth, which is that I'm absolutely making everything up as I go along and I'm not aware of having a career at all, let alone a career path. I'm aware of having a life and I'm very invested in my life.
I'm making all this up, too. I started cooking because I was hungry and poor, and didn't live at home anymore. I keep cooking because I get hooked on dishes, tastes, styles, and techniques. I like preparing dinner for friends, setting a beautiful table -- choosing wine. The cookbooks I like best are written by people I'd like to cook with and drink with. When I'm tense or feeling out of sorts, the simple acts of dicing, sauteing, and whisking are soothing as a tonic.
If you're new to cooking but want to take a deeper dive, pick a dish that you love and make it over and over. I took on roast chicken, and I've prepared it a thousand times. Yet it never fails to comfort me. Spouse and I have noticed that the children also calm down when they smell chicken roasting, onions sauteing in butter, or meat braising gently in tomatoes, herbs, and stock.
Here's my take on roast chicken. Roast chicken is very forgiving and difficult to render inedible, and guaranteed to calm you right down.
Music: Laura Nyro
Drink: Burgans Albarino
Food items:
1 pastured chicken
2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
any fresh herbs you like but esp. thyme or tarragon
salt and pepper
small glass of the Albarino you're sipping
Rinse chicken thoroughly inside and out, reserving any feet or necks for stock. Cut away any clumps of fat in the cavity.
Wipe chicken dry and massage with butter herb/mixture. Lightly dust with s&p.
Lots of people will tell you to stuff the cavity with all manner of things (lemons, herbs, half an onion) but I don't bother. You can if you want, but be careful to empty the cavity of excess fluid while roasting.
Heat a sturdy saute pan over a medium high burner, and place the buttered chicken in the pan when the pan is hot enough to make a big sizzle.
Pop the chicken in a very hot (425 to 450, depending on size of bird) for about 15 minutes. Turn the oven down to 350, and pour a small glass of wine around -- but not over -- the bird.
Continue to roast until done (I jiggle the leg) but you can use a meat thermometer.
You can flip the bird around while it roasts, but it doesn't seem to make a difference to me.
Let chicken rest 15 minutes before carving while you make a quick pan sauce. If there are bits of fat clinging to the pan, scrape them out or place the pan over a high flame to render the rest of the fat. Pour off excess fat and deglaze pan with stock, water, wine, or port. Be sure to scrape up all the brown bits and let the liquid reduce a bit. Off heat, whisk in a tbsp or two of unsalted butter.
Pour sauce over chicken, and serve with roasted potatoes and a green salad -- or anything you like. Be sure to save the carcass (along with your feet and neck) for making stock. If you won't be making the stock the next day, freeze the carcass and use it within a month.
I don't want to tell you the truth, which is that I'm absolutely making everything up as I go along and I'm not aware of having a career at all, let alone a career path. I'm aware of having a life and I'm very invested in my life.
I'm making all this up, too. I started cooking because I was hungry and poor, and didn't live at home anymore. I keep cooking because I get hooked on dishes, tastes, styles, and techniques. I like preparing dinner for friends, setting a beautiful table -- choosing wine. The cookbooks I like best are written by people I'd like to cook with and drink with. When I'm tense or feeling out of sorts, the simple acts of dicing, sauteing, and whisking are soothing as a tonic.
If you're new to cooking but want to take a deeper dive, pick a dish that you love and make it over and over. I took on roast chicken, and I've prepared it a thousand times. Yet it never fails to comfort me. Spouse and I have noticed that the children also calm down when they smell chicken roasting, onions sauteing in butter, or meat braising gently in tomatoes, herbs, and stock.
Here's my take on roast chicken. Roast chicken is very forgiving and difficult to render inedible, and guaranteed to calm you right down.
Music: Laura Nyro
Drink: Burgans Albarino
Food items:
1 pastured chicken
2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
any fresh herbs you like but esp. thyme or tarragon
salt and pepper
small glass of the Albarino you're sipping
Rinse chicken thoroughly inside and out, reserving any feet or necks for stock. Cut away any clumps of fat in the cavity.
Wipe chicken dry and massage with butter herb/mixture. Lightly dust with s&p.
Lots of people will tell you to stuff the cavity with all manner of things (lemons, herbs, half an onion) but I don't bother. You can if you want, but be careful to empty the cavity of excess fluid while roasting.
Heat a sturdy saute pan over a medium high burner, and place the buttered chicken in the pan when the pan is hot enough to make a big sizzle.
Pop the chicken in a very hot (425 to 450, depending on size of bird) for about 15 minutes. Turn the oven down to 350, and pour a small glass of wine around -- but not over -- the bird.
Continue to roast until done (I jiggle the leg) but you can use a meat thermometer.
You can flip the bird around while it roasts, but it doesn't seem to make a difference to me.
Let chicken rest 15 minutes before carving while you make a quick pan sauce. If there are bits of fat clinging to the pan, scrape them out or place the pan over a high flame to render the rest of the fat. Pour off excess fat and deglaze pan with stock, water, wine, or port. Be sure to scrape up all the brown bits and let the liquid reduce a bit. Off heat, whisk in a tbsp or two of unsalted butter.
Pour sauce over chicken, and serve with roasted potatoes and a green salad -- or anything you like. Be sure to save the carcass (along with your feet and neck) for making stock. If you won't be making the stock the next day, freeze the carcass and use it within a month.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Thank You, Lee Bailey
Chef Lee Bailey left us earlier in this decade, but I thank him for committing to posterity his recipe for baked pork chops and rice. This dish is in regular rotation at our house, because who can resist juicy pork chops, and rice baked in pork fat and stock? The rice melts in your mouth but also achieves a nice brown crunch on the border.
Please enjoy, preferably with a nice glass of red wine. Groundwork Grenache from Sans Liege is currently the house favorite. This dish is so rich that I like it with just a green salad.
6 boneless, thinly sliced pork chops (I buy three thick ones and halve them across the equator)
1 large yellow onion
1 large sweet pepper
2 cups long-grain white rice (don't use brown -- it won't get the nice crust and will throw off the timing of the dish)
4 cups homemade stock or broth
flour for dredging
salt and pepper
chopped Italian parsley for garnish
fat (I like duck fat but any high heat oil will do in a pinch)
You're going to salt and pepper the chops, dredge in flour, and brown on both sides in a large saute pan.
Before you start prepping and cooking, get your frozen stock out of the freezer and bring to a boil in the microwave or on the stove. It takes me about 20 minutes in a medium microwave to bring 4 cups of stock to a boil.
Trim excess fat off chops and halve if needed. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and dredge lightly in flour.
Brown the chops and set aside. Finely dice the onion and pepper while browning.
Add more fat to the pan if needed, and add the onions and peppers. Salt, pepper lightly, and saute, scraping up as much of the brown bits on the bottom of the pan as you can. You can deglaze the pan with a splash of white wine once the onions and peppers are just about done.
Put the onions and peppers in the bottom of a covered casserole dish. (Confession: I am a Heath Ceramics freak, so I use their large 2.5 quart casserole. A glass casserole dish will work just fine, though, and you'll get more crunchy bits around the rice.)
Pour the uncooked rice into the casserole and mix thoroughly with the onions and peppers. Pour the boiling stock over the rice, add the juice from the resting pork chops, and place the pork chops on top. Cover, and cook for about 45 minutes at 400 degrees.
Garnish with chopped fresh parsley, and serve.
Please enjoy, preferably with a nice glass of red wine. Groundwork Grenache from Sans Liege is currently the house favorite. This dish is so rich that I like it with just a green salad.
6 boneless, thinly sliced pork chops (I buy three thick ones and halve them across the equator)
1 large yellow onion
1 large sweet pepper
2 cups long-grain white rice (don't use brown -- it won't get the nice crust and will throw off the timing of the dish)
4 cups homemade stock or broth
flour for dredging
salt and pepper
chopped Italian parsley for garnish
fat (I like duck fat but any high heat oil will do in a pinch)
You're going to salt and pepper the chops, dredge in flour, and brown on both sides in a large saute pan.
Before you start prepping and cooking, get your frozen stock out of the freezer and bring to a boil in the microwave or on the stove. It takes me about 20 minutes in a medium microwave to bring 4 cups of stock to a boil.
Trim excess fat off chops and halve if needed. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and dredge lightly in flour.
Brown the chops and set aside. Finely dice the onion and pepper while browning.
Add more fat to the pan if needed, and add the onions and peppers. Salt, pepper lightly, and saute, scraping up as much of the brown bits on the bottom of the pan as you can. You can deglaze the pan with a splash of white wine once the onions and peppers are just about done.
Put the onions and peppers in the bottom of a covered casserole dish. (Confession: I am a Heath Ceramics freak, so I use their large 2.5 quart casserole. A glass casserole dish will work just fine, though, and you'll get more crunchy bits around the rice.)
Pour the uncooked rice into the casserole and mix thoroughly with the onions and peppers. Pour the boiling stock over the rice, add the juice from the resting pork chops, and place the pork chops on top. Cover, and cook for about 45 minutes at 400 degrees.
Garnish with chopped fresh parsley, and serve.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
A Tale of Two Pigs
I did promise Pig, and here Pig is. There are two Pig recipes: one for home cured and smoked bacon, and one for ribs.
Bacon:
I agree with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall on this subject. See Meat, by same illustrious personage. The bacon will be more like pancetta than the good old American 12 flat slices. I did not use 'pink salt' (aka sodium nitrite) so you will want to be careful to keep the curing meat at a cold temp (below 40F) and to smoke the cured belly at 200F minimum. Sodium nitrite does inhibit the growth of eColi, so do what I did before feeding to your children -- or anyone else with anything less than a fully-fledged immune system -- eat some yourself right out of the smoker or try the first fry-up. If you don't get sick, probably no one else will either.
Take a nice pork belly (mine was about 3 lbs) from a trusted source. The Prather Ranch boys in SF are excellent for pork. I cut mine in half across the equator so that I was dealing with two 8 or 9-inch long hunks of belly. I put together a cure of 1 pound salt; half cup sugar; and quarter cup Colman's English mustard powder. Leaving skin on, rub the cure into and all over the bellies. Drizzle with maple syrup (you want Grade B) and put in refrigerator to cool. The next day, drain accumulated water; rinse pan out; and reapply cure and maple syrup. Repeat again. On the fourth day, pull the bellies out while you prepare the smoker, rinse thoroughly, and pat dry. I used a Weber kettle grill and hardwood charcoal but you have to stay on hardwood charcoal like the dickens or it will get too hot. About 220F is what you want. Buy a candy thermometer and stick it in one of the vent holes up top. I like a mix of soaked apple and hickory chips for the smoke. Smoke for at least two hours, or longer if you have the patience. I find a little bourbon buys me a good deal of patience. Pull the bellies off; let cool; and take the skin off the top with a sharp knife. Freeze the skin for beans or greens, and cut the smoked bellies into hunks. Use like pancetta in soups, stews, pasta, or a frittata.
Ribs
Some good friends came over today for a ribfest, and here's what they got: two racks of loin ribs, and one rack had a bit of meat on the back (I think it was brisket). I am indebted to the great pitmaster Mike Mills, author of Peace, Love & Barbecue, for many things, including the vital knowledge that you must remove the connective tissue behind the ribs before you smoke. Removal can be easy or hard, depending on the rack. I cut a fine line with a sharp knife (my trusty 12" chef's knife) down the center and then used the knife to prize some of the tissue away. You have to have something to grab onto the tissue -- either a paper towel or a pair of clean pliers -- or it will forever slip away. Pull tissue away like you are peeling off a book cover. Once that tissue is off, remove all clumps of fat from the backside. Sprinkle the racks on both sides with your favorite dry rub, but for heaven's sake don't rub the rub in. Mike will explain it all to you, but rubbing the ribs clogs the pores of the meat. I wouldn't swear to the scientific basis for this assertion, but I have plenty of anecdotal evidence to support its veracity.
My dry rub today consisted of mostly sweet and smoked paprika, kosher salt, white pepper, cayenne pepper, sugar, granulated onion, Rancho Gordo chile powder, Colman's mustard powder, and cumin. I smoked the ribs over indirect heat on the Weber, using again hardwood charcoal and a mix of apple and hickory for smoke. I started the racks face down for an hour, then flipped them over and spritzed with apple juice. I should perhaps mention that I smoke over a pan of water, both to catch drippings and to give some moisture back to the meat. In the meantime, I prepared a bourbon bbq sauce with ketchup, molasses, honey, white vinegar, salt and pepper, and bourbon (Bulleit, if you must know).
A word about sauce. I prefer to keep my meat moist with apple juice during the smoke, and I prefer to put my ribs on the table without sauce. Sauce is passed on the side. You may like to add some sauce in the last 20 minutes or so,and there's surely nothing wrong with that. Never sauce your ribs until the end, though, because the sugar will burn and that's the end of your ribs story.
For sides, we had baked beans and blue cheese cole slaw. I'll pass on those recipes shortly.
Bacon:
I agree with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall on this subject. See Meat, by same illustrious personage. The bacon will be more like pancetta than the good old American 12 flat slices. I did not use 'pink salt' (aka sodium nitrite) so you will want to be careful to keep the curing meat at a cold temp (below 40F) and to smoke the cured belly at 200F minimum. Sodium nitrite does inhibit the growth of eColi, so do what I did before feeding to your children -- or anyone else with anything less than a fully-fledged immune system -- eat some yourself right out of the smoker or try the first fry-up. If you don't get sick, probably no one else will either.
Take a nice pork belly (mine was about 3 lbs) from a trusted source. The Prather Ranch boys in SF are excellent for pork. I cut mine in half across the equator so that I was dealing with two 8 or 9-inch long hunks of belly. I put together a cure of 1 pound salt; half cup sugar; and quarter cup Colman's English mustard powder. Leaving skin on, rub the cure into and all over the bellies. Drizzle with maple syrup (you want Grade B) and put in refrigerator to cool. The next day, drain accumulated water; rinse pan out; and reapply cure and maple syrup. Repeat again. On the fourth day, pull the bellies out while you prepare the smoker, rinse thoroughly, and pat dry. I used a Weber kettle grill and hardwood charcoal but you have to stay on hardwood charcoal like the dickens or it will get too hot. About 220F is what you want. Buy a candy thermometer and stick it in one of the vent holes up top. I like a mix of soaked apple and hickory chips for the smoke. Smoke for at least two hours, or longer if you have the patience. I find a little bourbon buys me a good deal of patience. Pull the bellies off; let cool; and take the skin off the top with a sharp knife. Freeze the skin for beans or greens, and cut the smoked bellies into hunks. Use like pancetta in soups, stews, pasta, or a frittata.
Ribs
Some good friends came over today for a ribfest, and here's what they got: two racks of loin ribs, and one rack had a bit of meat on the back (I think it was brisket). I am indebted to the great pitmaster Mike Mills, author of Peace, Love & Barbecue, for many things, including the vital knowledge that you must remove the connective tissue behind the ribs before you smoke. Removal can be easy or hard, depending on the rack. I cut a fine line with a sharp knife (my trusty 12" chef's knife) down the center and then used the knife to prize some of the tissue away. You have to have something to grab onto the tissue -- either a paper towel or a pair of clean pliers -- or it will forever slip away. Pull tissue away like you are peeling off a book cover. Once that tissue is off, remove all clumps of fat from the backside. Sprinkle the racks on both sides with your favorite dry rub, but for heaven's sake don't rub the rub in. Mike will explain it all to you, but rubbing the ribs clogs the pores of the meat. I wouldn't swear to the scientific basis for this assertion, but I have plenty of anecdotal evidence to support its veracity.
My dry rub today consisted of mostly sweet and smoked paprika, kosher salt, white pepper, cayenne pepper, sugar, granulated onion, Rancho Gordo chile powder, Colman's mustard powder, and cumin. I smoked the ribs over indirect heat on the Weber, using again hardwood charcoal and a mix of apple and hickory for smoke. I started the racks face down for an hour, then flipped them over and spritzed with apple juice. I should perhaps mention that I smoke over a pan of water, both to catch drippings and to give some moisture back to the meat. In the meantime, I prepared a bourbon bbq sauce with ketchup, molasses, honey, white vinegar, salt and pepper, and bourbon (Bulleit, if you must know).
A word about sauce. I prefer to keep my meat moist with apple juice during the smoke, and I prefer to put my ribs on the table without sauce. Sauce is passed on the side. You may like to add some sauce in the last 20 minutes or so,and there's surely nothing wrong with that. Never sauce your ribs until the end, though, because the sugar will burn and that's the end of your ribs story.
For sides, we had baked beans and blue cheese cole slaw. I'll pass on those recipes shortly.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Local, Sustainable, Organic. Could We Please Just Eat?
I referred in my original post to the word "sustainable" and promised I would come back to it. For those who wish to get to them recipes, skip this post and wait for the next one. I promise it will involve pork.
The concept of sustainability is the subject of much discussion, and by folks far more learned than I. Diane Hatz of Sustainable Table is one of these learned individuals, and I encourage you to wander over to Sustainable Table for her discussion of sustainability. Borrowing poorly from Ms. Hatz, I sum up as follows: Eating sustainably means eating food that is healthy for you and for the environment, and that provides for fair prices for the farmers and humane treatment of animals.
The concept of sustainability is closely connected to the concept of eating locally. It's more sustainable to eat a tomato grown on a local, non-certified-organic farm, by a farmer who doesn't use any type of pesticides, than to purchase a certified organic tomato trucked up from Mexico. Some locavores have pledged to eat food produced only within a 100-mile radius of home. Of course, the locavores I'm referencing live in the Bay Area, a spectacularly rich foodshed. Pledging locavorism in northern Wisconsin, on the other hand, might be a great way to drop a third of your body weight.
Organic is good, but the definition is subject to federal regulation and all the gerrymandering that the legislative process implies. For example, food may be lawfully certified as "organic" but may be treated with some pesticides. I could go on, and many have, but I fear it may be discouraging to those who want to do the right thing and eat the right thing without getting bogged down in the details.
Here's my advice. Start small, if you're just starting out. Go to your local farmers' market, and ask questions. Is the farm certified organic? Regardless of whether you receive a yes or no, does the farm use pesticides? If buying meat, ask whether the animals are allowed to follow their natural habits. What do the animals eat? Are they ever given antibiotics? Also, ask for recipes. Most farmers I know love to share their food knowledge and recipes. You may not know what to do with fava greens, and I certainly didn't until the gentleman at Tairwa-Knoll Farms shared his favorite ways to prepare and enjoy.
If you can't make it to a farmers' market, start at your supermarket. If you can't find organic poultry, look for kosher (it's probably cleaner, if nothing else). If you can't afford to purchase organic everything, start with the important organic items like milk and dairy products. Check out this list for the most important items to purchase organic: http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/Dirty-Dozen-Foods.
I'll tell you what we do at our house, and I'll share the recipes and techniques as the season brings them. A few caveats: We live in SF (food paradise) and we are fortunate enough to have a relatively generous food budget. Also, as is probably obvious, we choose to devote a considerable amount of our time as a family to preparing, preserving, and enjoying food. You and your family may choose to spend your time in different ways. Take what's useful from this blog, and don't feel that you have to do everything.
Here's what we do: (1) buy meat (usually whole animals) directly from the ranch or farm that raised them; (2) buy everything locally that we can (bread, pastured eggs, fruits, vegetables, cheeses, olive oil, vinegars, flour, beans, rice); (3) put up jams, pickles, and relishes, including by using up fruits and vegetables a bit past their prime; (4) regularly make our own stock from left-over bones and meat scraps; and (5) toss all stale bread, buns and biscuits into the food processor for bread crumbs. We also grow wonderfully tender lettuces in our garden, as well as leeks, chard, and all manner of herbs. (Spouse is the gardener, not me. I kill air plants.)
Next up, PIG.
The concept of sustainability is the subject of much discussion, and by folks far more learned than I. Diane Hatz of Sustainable Table is one of these learned individuals, and I encourage you to wander over to Sustainable Table for her discussion of sustainability. Borrowing poorly from Ms. Hatz, I sum up as follows: Eating sustainably means eating food that is healthy for you and for the environment, and that provides for fair prices for the farmers and humane treatment of animals.
The concept of sustainability is closely connected to the concept of eating locally. It's more sustainable to eat a tomato grown on a local, non-certified-organic farm, by a farmer who doesn't use any type of pesticides, than to purchase a certified organic tomato trucked up from Mexico. Some locavores have pledged to eat food produced only within a 100-mile radius of home. Of course, the locavores I'm referencing live in the Bay Area, a spectacularly rich foodshed. Pledging locavorism in northern Wisconsin, on the other hand, might be a great way to drop a third of your body weight.
Organic is good, but the definition is subject to federal regulation and all the gerrymandering that the legislative process implies. For example, food may be lawfully certified as "organic" but may be treated with some pesticides. I could go on, and many have, but I fear it may be discouraging to those who want to do the right thing and eat the right thing without getting bogged down in the details.
Here's my advice. Start small, if you're just starting out. Go to your local farmers' market, and ask questions. Is the farm certified organic? Regardless of whether you receive a yes or no, does the farm use pesticides? If buying meat, ask whether the animals are allowed to follow their natural habits. What do the animals eat? Are they ever given antibiotics? Also, ask for recipes. Most farmers I know love to share their food knowledge and recipes. You may not know what to do with fava greens, and I certainly didn't until the gentleman at Tairwa-Knoll Farms shared his favorite ways to prepare and enjoy.
If you can't make it to a farmers' market, start at your supermarket. If you can't find organic poultry, look for kosher (it's probably cleaner, if nothing else). If you can't afford to purchase organic everything, start with the important organic items like milk and dairy products. Check out this list for the most important items to purchase organic: http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/Dirty-Dozen-Foods.
I'll tell you what we do at our house, and I'll share the recipes and techniques as the season brings them. A few caveats: We live in SF (food paradise) and we are fortunate enough to have a relatively generous food budget. Also, as is probably obvious, we choose to devote a considerable amount of our time as a family to preparing, preserving, and enjoying food. You and your family may choose to spend your time in different ways. Take what's useful from this blog, and don't feel that you have to do everything.
Here's what we do: (1) buy meat (usually whole animals) directly from the ranch or farm that raised them; (2) buy everything locally that we can (bread, pastured eggs, fruits, vegetables, cheeses, olive oil, vinegars, flour, beans, rice); (3) put up jams, pickles, and relishes, including by using up fruits and vegetables a bit past their prime; (4) regularly make our own stock from left-over bones and meat scraps; and (5) toss all stale bread, buns and biscuits into the food processor for bread crumbs. We also grow wonderfully tender lettuces in our garden, as well as leeks, chard, and all manner of herbs. (Spouse is the gardener, not me. I kill air plants.)
Next up, PIG.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Peanut Slaw
I love summertime: picnics, park outings, trips to the beach. This slaw is nice because it's refreshing and crunchy but doesn't have any mayo or cheese that would require cooling logistics. Just bring lots of forks, and spoons for the little people. We have an old set of flatware from when someone's parents got married -- perfect for picnics.
1 large red cabbage, shredded
half cup or so peanut butter
honey
lime juice
unseasoned rice vinegar
soy sauce
mint
cayenne powder
unsalted dry roasted peanuts
kosher salt
I shred the cabbage by hand with a 12" chef's knife. You could shred it in a food processor, but why be bothered with the extra clean-up? Just make sure you core it. Toss the cabbage in a large bowl and sprinkle with a tbsp or two of kosher salt to draw the water out. Let sit while you make the dressing.
Add some honey (maybe a tbsp or two to start) to the peanut butter until creamy and fairly loose. Add juice from half a lime and a a tbsp or two of rice vinegar. Taste. If you like what you're tasting, add a splash of soy sauce (go easy on this -- too much can ruin it). If you don't like what you're tasting, fuss with the basic peanut butter/honey/vinegar/lime mix. Once you've got the sauce down, add a little cayenne pepper (or a lot, if you like spicy) to give it some heat and depth.
Chop a handful of fresh mint. Drain water from cabbage, and toss with peanut sauce and mint. Fresh ginger might be nice as well. Add the peanuts, toss again, and refrigerate in bowl for at least 30 minutes to get a nice chill on it. If you come up with something fantastic, let me know!
1 large red cabbage, shredded
half cup or so peanut butter
honey
lime juice
unseasoned rice vinegar
soy sauce
mint
cayenne powder
unsalted dry roasted peanuts
kosher salt
I shred the cabbage by hand with a 12" chef's knife. You could shred it in a food processor, but why be bothered with the extra clean-up? Just make sure you core it. Toss the cabbage in a large bowl and sprinkle with a tbsp or two of kosher salt to draw the water out. Let sit while you make the dressing.
Add some honey (maybe a tbsp or two to start) to the peanut butter until creamy and fairly loose. Add juice from half a lime and a a tbsp or two of rice vinegar. Taste. If you like what you're tasting, add a splash of soy sauce (go easy on this -- too much can ruin it). If you don't like what you're tasting, fuss with the basic peanut butter/honey/vinegar/lime mix. Once you've got the sauce down, add a little cayenne pepper (or a lot, if you like spicy) to give it some heat and depth.
Chop a handful of fresh mint. Drain water from cabbage, and toss with peanut sauce and mint. Fresh ginger might be nice as well. Add the peanuts, toss again, and refrigerate in bowl for at least 30 minutes to get a nice chill on it. If you come up with something fantastic, let me know!
Morning
Mornings are fairly quiet in our house until the toddler wakes up. Toddler then wakes up older brother and sister by jumping up and down in his crib and pelting them with pacifiers. Because today is Monday, the breakfast menu likely will be granola with sliced fruit for the children, and for the grown-ups scrambled eggs with tomatoes, onions, goat cheese, and whatever greens I have hanging around. Oh, and Four Barrel ristretto shots for Spouse and me.
Menu: Granola
Music: Misc. traffic noises
Drinking: Coffee
This is my friend Ann's mother's recipe. I trust Ann because, well, she is trustworthy and she has three boys under seven. Ann knows non-fussy recipes. So, next time you are shopping at your friendly local food collective (bonus points to the collective that closes for Pride Day and Cesar Chavez Day), buy any type of grains, seeds, and/or nuts that you like. My children are pickers (what's this, mama? (tiny speck of partially masticated something held up for inspection)), so I keep it simple.
1-2 lb. rolled oats (not the quick-cooking kind)
1 cup golden flax seed
half cup raw pumpkin seeds
raisins (to be added later)
1 cup or so dark brown sugar
half cup maple syrup (you want grade B)
half cup canola oil
pinch salt
Throw your oats and seeds into a large bowl. Add the brown sugar and mix, adding a little kosher salt. Pour the maple syrup and canola oil into a glass measuring cup and blitz for 30 seconds or so -- depending on what level of hellfire your microwave can bring. You really just want to gently warm the two so that you can mix them together. Pour over mixture and stir gently. Spread out on a pan, and place in a 300 degree oven, stirring occasionally. Bake until crunchy and the house smells so good you just can't stand it. Add raisins or other dried fruit after you've taken it out of the oven. At our last dinner party, nobody remembered dessert, so we dragged out the granola bin and munched while sipping Blue Bottle Firelit liqueur. Hypothetically, many bottles of wine had been consumed by this point. That is a recipe for another day, however.
Note: I'm fairly imprecise about measurements because I tend to cook by eye or by hand. Most of the time, this works just fine for me, and I can live with any small imperfections. My mother, however, is a measurement person, and my imprecision drives her crazy. Feel free to play around the margins, and adjust any seasonings to taste.
Menu: Granola
Music: Misc. traffic noises
Drinking: Coffee
This is my friend Ann's mother's recipe. I trust Ann because, well, she is trustworthy and she has three boys under seven. Ann knows non-fussy recipes. So, next time you are shopping at your friendly local food collective (bonus points to the collective that closes for Pride Day and Cesar Chavez Day), buy any type of grains, seeds, and/or nuts that you like. My children are pickers (what's this, mama? (tiny speck of partially masticated something held up for inspection)), so I keep it simple.
1-2 lb. rolled oats (not the quick-cooking kind)
1 cup golden flax seed
half cup raw pumpkin seeds
raisins (to be added later)
1 cup or so dark brown sugar
half cup maple syrup (you want grade B)
half cup canola oil
pinch salt
Throw your oats and seeds into a large bowl. Add the brown sugar and mix, adding a little kosher salt. Pour the maple syrup and canola oil into a glass measuring cup and blitz for 30 seconds or so -- depending on what level of hellfire your microwave can bring. You really just want to gently warm the two so that you can mix them together. Pour over mixture and stir gently. Spread out on a pan, and place in a 300 degree oven, stirring occasionally. Bake until crunchy and the house smells so good you just can't stand it. Add raisins or other dried fruit after you've taken it out of the oven. At our last dinner party, nobody remembered dessert, so we dragged out the granola bin and munched while sipping Blue Bottle Firelit liqueur. Hypothetically, many bottles of wine had been consumed by this point. That is a recipe for another day, however.
Note: I'm fairly imprecise about measurements because I tend to cook by eye or by hand. Most of the time, this works just fine for me, and I can live with any small imperfections. My mother, however, is a measurement person, and my imprecision drives her crazy. Feel free to play around the margins, and adjust any seasonings to taste.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Let's Go
Hi, y'all.
I grew up in Tennessee, the child of Midwesterners. I've lived in San Francisco for 25 years and, after many sidetracks and distractions (door-to-door canvasser, anyone? how about making seitan in the lower Haight when everyone's tattoos were, um, homemade?), wound up a lawyer, wife, and mother of three. I've slayed every oven I've ever owned, including the fancy Miele double ovens Spouse and I had before the children were eating solid food. Why? How? I love the fat. Roast a whole duck with turnips and potatoes? Certainly. Slow roast a pork shoulder with OJ and bay for carnitas ... turn up the fire for turkey and chicken rubbed with butter and herbs, and by all means slow roast a pork belly with apple cider syrup glaze. Oh yes. So, don't be afraid to open all the windows, crank up the hood, and clean your oven, grill, and smoker early and often. Let's start with tomorrow's menu:
MONDAY SCHOOL POTLUCK
Menu: smoked turkey and wild rice casserole
Music: it's Sunday, so the soundtrack to Children of Men (Tavener, not the pop thing)
Cooking sustainably (we'll get to that word soon) involves daily commitment. Even if you don't feel like knocking out a dish on a particular day, chances are you'll have prep and catch-up work to do. In this vein, I started the turkey breasts on Saturday (Marin Sun Farms has some nice ones). My prep for turkey is pretty simple. Wash, trim of excess fat, and pat dry. Dust with salt and white pepper. Put turkey on a jelly roll pan lined with wax paper, and lightly cover with wax paper, so the meat can air dry in the fridge before heat. Bring turkey to room temp while the coals get hot and smoke over indirect heat in a Weber grill. Sometimes I get lazy and half grill, half smoke. I use hardwood charcoal, and for turkey smoke I like soaked apple chips with a little hickory mixed in. There are lots of authorities on smoking, but I like Ronni Lundy for the basics. Ms. Lundy covers the subject of simple smoking in a Weber very well in Shuck Beans, Stack Cakes, and Honest Fried Chicken. Anyway, smoke the breasts (or leg & thigh, as you like), cool, shred, and refrigerate. On Sunday morning, I threw the week's left over hot dog and hamburger buns, and one end hunk of Acme pain de mie, in the food processor for bread crumbs. If you don't have a food processor, tear them into small chunks. Regardless of how you get there, spread the bread crumbs or chunks on a jelly roll pan and brown at 200 degrees. Let cool. You can mix with dried herbs if you want, but I didn't for this recipe. Pulverize the crumbs.
The next day (Sunday for me), boil 6 cups of homemade poultry stock (microwave is great for this), and cook 4 cups of wild rice mix (organic -- Lundberg is good). Spread the warm rice out in a giant casserole pan (I think mine is 6 quarts, but I will check and update.) Grate Parmesan to taste, and mix. Run a knife over 4-5 cups of smoked turkey (you'll probably have leftover turkey, which won't last long in my experience) so it's well chopped. Add to rice. Saute 4 leeks, one large onion, and two stalks of celery (all finely chopped) in about 3 tablespoons unsalted butter. Add a couple of tablespoons good sherry or madeira to finish. Mix with rice and turkey. Make veloute (3 tbsp butter/3 tbsp flour/add 6 cups stock slowly and bring to boil/Julia Child can give you the basic recipe) and off heat add a glug of sherry or madeira and the juice from half a lemon. Check seasoning.). Pour veloute sauce over the whole thing and mix. Sprinkle bread crumbs (mix with Parmesan while you're waiting for the veloute to come to a boil) and spread evenly over the top. Let cool and cover with aluminum foil. Refrigerate.
On Potluck day (Monday for me), bring pan out of fridge about 30-40 minutes before oven time. Preheat oven to 425. Pop in oven and bake until bubbly and top is brown. Cover with foil and wrap in newspaper. Casserole should make it to the preschool table piping hot. Too bad there's no wine at our school.
Let me know if you have questions -- there are lots of great resources for basics, which I will flag for you if you need refreshing or educating.
I grew up in Tennessee, the child of Midwesterners. I've lived in San Francisco for 25 years and, after many sidetracks and distractions (door-to-door canvasser, anyone? how about making seitan in the lower Haight when everyone's tattoos were, um, homemade?), wound up a lawyer, wife, and mother of three. I've slayed every oven I've ever owned, including the fancy Miele double ovens Spouse and I had before the children were eating solid food. Why? How? I love the fat. Roast a whole duck with turnips and potatoes? Certainly. Slow roast a pork shoulder with OJ and bay for carnitas ... turn up the fire for turkey and chicken rubbed with butter and herbs, and by all means slow roast a pork belly with apple cider syrup glaze. Oh yes. So, don't be afraid to open all the windows, crank up the hood, and clean your oven, grill, and smoker early and often. Let's start with tomorrow's menu:
MONDAY SCHOOL POTLUCK
Menu: smoked turkey and wild rice casserole
Music: it's Sunday, so the soundtrack to Children of Men (Tavener, not the pop thing)
Cooking sustainably (we'll get to that word soon) involves daily commitment. Even if you don't feel like knocking out a dish on a particular day, chances are you'll have prep and catch-up work to do. In this vein, I started the turkey breasts on Saturday (Marin Sun Farms has some nice ones). My prep for turkey is pretty simple. Wash, trim of excess fat, and pat dry. Dust with salt and white pepper. Put turkey on a jelly roll pan lined with wax paper, and lightly cover with wax paper, so the meat can air dry in the fridge before heat. Bring turkey to room temp while the coals get hot and smoke over indirect heat in a Weber grill. Sometimes I get lazy and half grill, half smoke. I use hardwood charcoal, and for turkey smoke I like soaked apple chips with a little hickory mixed in. There are lots of authorities on smoking, but I like Ronni Lundy for the basics. Ms. Lundy covers the subject of simple smoking in a Weber very well in Shuck Beans, Stack Cakes, and Honest Fried Chicken. Anyway, smoke the breasts (or leg & thigh, as you like), cool, shred, and refrigerate. On Sunday morning, I threw the week's left over hot dog and hamburger buns, and one end hunk of Acme pain de mie, in the food processor for bread crumbs. If you don't have a food processor, tear them into small chunks. Regardless of how you get there, spread the bread crumbs or chunks on a jelly roll pan and brown at 200 degrees. Let cool. You can mix with dried herbs if you want, but I didn't for this recipe. Pulverize the crumbs.
The next day (Sunday for me), boil 6 cups of homemade poultry stock (microwave is great for this), and cook 4 cups of wild rice mix (organic -- Lundberg is good). Spread the warm rice out in a giant casserole pan (I think mine is 6 quarts, but I will check and update.) Grate Parmesan to taste, and mix. Run a knife over 4-5 cups of smoked turkey (you'll probably have leftover turkey, which won't last long in my experience) so it's well chopped. Add to rice. Saute 4 leeks, one large onion, and two stalks of celery (all finely chopped) in about 3 tablespoons unsalted butter. Add a couple of tablespoons good sherry or madeira to finish. Mix with rice and turkey. Make veloute (3 tbsp butter/3 tbsp flour/add 6 cups stock slowly and bring to boil/Julia Child can give you the basic recipe) and off heat add a glug of sherry or madeira and the juice from half a lemon. Check seasoning.). Pour veloute sauce over the whole thing and mix. Sprinkle bread crumbs (mix with Parmesan while you're waiting for the veloute to come to a boil) and spread evenly over the top. Let cool and cover with aluminum foil. Refrigerate.
On Potluck day (Monday for me), bring pan out of fridge about 30-40 minutes before oven time. Preheat oven to 425. Pop in oven and bake until bubbly and top is brown. Cover with foil and wrap in newspaper. Casserole should make it to the preschool table piping hot. Too bad there's no wine at our school.
Let me know if you have questions -- there are lots of great resources for basics, which I will flag for you if you need refreshing or educating.
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