Today it was sunny again. Today I felt normal again. And today, Christine’s Mom joined us for the week. So to celebrate a new chapter, and to move away from the heavy party food of the last few days, a super-clean meal tonight. We got some more of the incredible local 10-grain mix (millet, rye, winter wheat, oats, triticale, barley, spelt, corn, flax and vetch) so I made a broth from the smoked chicken carcasses…
Year: 2008
One of the great things about curing an entire side of wild king salmon to make a bunch of teeny appetizers is having a lot left over for Sunday brunch. Here seen on an everything bagel with crème fraiche and wasabi tobiko. I added capers too. The fish has such an intense, wonderful flavor from the unorthodox cure. And since it’s been ages, and I’ve got cured meat on the brain, I decided to pull…
I woke up feeling like garbage; the cold had migrated to me. Fortunately, I had gotten enough done ahead of time so that I was able to go back to sleep for three hours and felt much better. I got the smoker going, and put in four chickens. After an hour, the chickens repaired to a 200˚ oven while 5 slabs of well-rubbed spare ribs took their place on the grill. I kept the fire…
So in the midst of preparing all the things for tomorrow’s party (curing a side of salmon, beet-ricotta gnocchi, sauerkraut, etc. I also made some Stilton gnocchi with a bit of leftover tofu, figuring tonight I would use them with a sauce idea that’s been bugging me for a while. But they failed. Completely. Now normally, that would be OK; since they melted when I tried to sautée them I would have let them melt…
We were supposed to go out for dinner tonight, then come home for her favorite dessert (see Valentine’s day.) But she has a cold, and Milo is getting it, so I scrambled to finish the preparations for Saturday’s big party (and tonight’s intended dessert, which is in the fridge for baking tomorrow) so I could run out and get something. Since she loves her a burger, I got some buffalo burgers at a specialty place…
Today was a whirlwind of appointments, errands, and a meeting, but the sun finally came out after two solid days of much-needed rain. Among my stop was a local market, which has an adequate (if limited) fish counter. I got haddock, because it was fresh, and a little different from our normal choices. I’ve been chafing against our limited seafood choices up here, so yesterday I talked to our friend who teaches fish at the…
In keeping with the recent porkfest here at cookblog HQ- not to mention the too-clever-by-half literary allusions- I thought I’d toss in this little picture of our lardo, all snuggly in cheesecloth and drying in the pantry since yesterday. In a couple of weeks, I’ll be using it in everything, and giving a bunch away as well. Even with the door closed, there is this wonderful animal-herb odor that suffuses the nearby air; I used…
I had to go back to the city again, and in my absence the garden really started to flourish; what were tiny sprouts have become small plants in just a few days, thanks to our incredibly warm and sunny April. Last night was the first rain in nearly three weeks, and in response everything has exploded. I actually find myself nostalgic for a couple of weeks ago, when there was a rich subtlety of growth;…
Jeez. Roughly in order of proportion: Rub: Espresso Garlic Kosher Salt Cumin Cinnamon 5-spice Pepper Curry Chilli Togarashi Sudachi Zest etc. Sauce: Red Wine Tomato Paste Tamarind Paste Molasses Cider & Balsamic Vinegar Soy Sauce Maple Syrup Espresso Yuzu Juice Yuzu Kosho Sriracha or Sambal Oelek Cinnamon Cumin Other Powders, depending and other liquids/pastes from the fridge, depending (most recent batch had Dijon mustard.) Happy now?
There are still some parsnips and burdock left in the garden, and I’m trying to dig them up before they expend all their stored deliciousness sending up too many new leaves. Having protected and watched all these plants all winter, it’s amazing to see them switch from survival mode to explosive spring growth and flowering so quickly. Kind of like a hyper-accelerated parenthood, but where you eat the kids when they reach puberty. Next year…