Weeknight Porchetta

Hey there. I can't believe I haven't posted since last July! To be honest, I'm still not cooking all that much...and when I do cook, I just make simple favorites. Lots of pasta, potstickers, and roasted chicken around here.

So, what have I been doing with my time? Well, I'm knitting A LOT. Since Christmas I've made 50 pink hats for the Pussyhat Project. I sent a few to Washington DC for the women's march, I sold some (and used the money to buy more yarn), and gave many away to friends. 

I dismantled my guest bedroom (since I haven't had houseguests in like seven years) and turned it into my knitting room. I redecorated with new curtains, artwork & a desk, filled two dressers with yarn, and organized all my needles and notions. I love it in there.

In December, I retired from teaching cooking classes. After 8 years, it was time; I wanted my weekends back. I still think about food all the time, though. I still pin numerous recipes to try and continuously watch cooking shows like Chef's Table and The Mind of a Chef.

I did make a nice dinner not long ago, a bacon-wrapped pork loin roasted with garlic and rosemary...and it was pretty tasty. Why don't I do that more often? ;-)

 Weeknight Porchetta

recipe slightly adapted from Bon Appetit

Scotch Eggs

Despite the name, Scotch eggs originated at a department store in London in the 18th century...or so goes one story. Another story is that the idea of cooked eggs wrapped in meat made its way to England via North Africa by way of France. Others say Scotch eggs are an Indian export from the 1600s. Still, many maintain that this recipe is a variation of the Cornish pasty made by northern Scottish pig & chicken farmers.

The name may come from a man by the surname of Scott, who may have originated the recipe in Yorkshire...or the name could be a corruption of the word "scorch," as the eggs were cooked over an open flame in Elizabethan England. Other explanations, from The London Telegraph, are that "the snack's original name was 'scotched egg,' which [...] simply means 'an egg that has had something done to it.' Tom Parker Bowles has a likeable theory to do with the fact that 19th century recipes often included anchovies in the meat: 'Scotch,' for some reason, was a title applied to a number of dishes which contained these salty fishes."

* * *

Scotch eggs always seemed like a daunting recipe to me...a lot of work for a few bites of food. Really, though, they are quite easy to make. I made these, with the help of my (Scottish) boyfriend's sixteen-year-old daughter, on Sunday...and they were given the thumbs-up by the BF and his brother. I ate leftovers for breakfast on Monday. I wish I had more today. 

Scotch Eggs

Mole Carnitas with Strawberry Salsa

I created this dish for the 1, 2, 3 Cook & Snap Recipe Contest sponsored by The Foodie Blogroll. Each month, participants are asked to create a signature recipe using three ingredients. This month's ingredients were--in the spirit of Valentine's Day--chocolate, strawberry, and cinnamon.

~ Please VOTE for my entry! ~

Immediately, I knew I didn't want to make something sweet. Too obvious, right? But, how could I combine such desserty ingredients into a savory dish?

The answer: Mole and salsa.

A traditional mole sauce contains a long list of ingredients--including several kinds of chile peppers, garlic, seeds, nuts, tomatoes, spices, herbs, chocolate--and takes several days to make. According to Diana Kennedy, the authority on Mexican food:

The word mole comes from the Nahuatl word molli, meaning "concoction." The majority of people respond, when mole is mentioned, with "Oh yes, I know--that chocolate sauce. […]" Well, it isn't a chocolate sauce. One little piece of chocolate (and in Mexico we used to grind cacao beans for the mole) goes into a large casserole full of rich dark-brown and russet chiles. […] As in other Mexican sauces, the seasonings and spices are not used with such a heavy hand that they vie with each for recognition, but rather build up to a harmonious whole.

For my recipe, I include the chocolate in the form of unsweetened cocoa powder AND chocolate stout beer to braise a big hunk of pork (because, what's sexier than deliciously fatty pork? NOT MUCH). There's cinnamon in there, too, which is traditional for a mole sauce. A sweet and spicy strawberry salsa tops it off.

Mole Carnitas with Strawberry Salsa

carnitas adapted from Pinch of Yum

Potlikker Noodles with Ham & Kale

I've been trying several new recipes so far this year. While they have all been tasty, most are either not blog-worthy or I just didn't stop to take pictures before eating.

My favorites have been a roasted carrot & red quinoa salad, lentils with red wine & herbs, smoked salmon & edamame salad, spaghetti with fried eggs & breadcrumbs, and tuna, white bean,  & roasted fennel salad.

Tonight, I made pork stock with a shoulder bone I had leftover from making pulled pork. I used the stock to make another new recipe I've had my eye on for a while: a hearty dish of egg noodles, ham, & kale in a flavorful broth...perfect for yet another snow day here in the midwest.

Cassoulet

According to Wall Street Journal writer Aleksandra Crapanzano:

"When Martha Stewart asked the founder of gourmet meat purveyor D'Artagnan about the hearty French dish of duck confit, garlic sausages and tarbais beans, Ariane Daguin responded in a thick Gascon accent that imparted culinary authority. 'Cassoulet,' she said, "it is not a recipe in France. It is a way to argue between villages.'"

Crapanzano goes on to explain cassoulet's history, a dish that originated with "white beans, garlic, pork shoulder, sausages, [and] stale breadcrumbs." The name cassoulet refers not to the recipe itself but to the dish it's assembled and baked in.

When my friend Steph and I decided to make a traditional cassoulet for Easter, I began my research with the source of all French food: Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Julia's "French Baked Beans" recipe is 6 pages long. In the introduction, she explains:

"As cassoulet is native to a relatively large region of France, each part of which has its own specialties, arguments about what should go into this famous dish seem based on local traditions. Toulousains insist that it must include among its meats preserved goose, confit d'oie, or it is not a real cassoulet. [...] Then there are those who declare the cassoulet was born in Castelnaudary, and originally contained only beans, pork, and sausages. A heretical few suggest the cassoulet was not a French invention at all, but an adaption from the Arab fava bean and mutton stew. And so on, with variations and dogmatisms rampant."

While a traditional cassoulet can be made with a variety of meats--duck, goose, pork, lamb--Julia says that "the important item is flavor, which comes largely from the liquid the beans and meats are cooked in." Her version is made with pork loin, lamb shoulder, unsmoked bacon & homemade sausage cakes.

In my cassoulet research, I also studied recipes from Michael Lewis (whose adaptation of Julia's recipe features duck confit, bacon, lamb bones, garlic-pork sausage & goose fat), Saveur (a tomatoey pork-extravaganza loaded with ham hocks, pork shoulder, pancetta, pork sausage & duck confit), Mark Bittman (which begins with a whole duck and finishes with bacon, lamb shoulder, seared duck breasts & garlicky sausage), Anthony Bourdain & Michael Ruhlman (a 3-day production layered with beans, pork sausage, more beans, pork belly, more beans, duck confit, and beans again with a caramelized onion & garlic puree between each layer), and Nigel Slater (his "unctuous meat and snowy white beans" version contains duck confit, pork shoulder, bacon & pork sausage with a breadcrumb crust that's stirred into the stew after an hour, then topped with more breadcrumbs & a drizzle of duck fat).

Slater writes:

"The perfect cassoulet is one that sends wave after garlicky wave of warmth from the end of your tongue to the tips of your toes. The beans are held in just the right amount of herby, tomatoey goo, the breadcrumb crust is crisp, and the first mouthful piping hot. It should contain haricot or broad beans, some fatty pork, garlicky sausages and a thick breadcrumb crust."

I pieced together aspects of a few different recipes to create my own Frankenoulet, but I used Crapsanzano's recipe from the Wall Street Journal (which she adapted from Thomas Keller's Bouchon Bistro) as my starting point...forgoing her step to reduce the bean cooking liquid, adding caramelised onions to her garlic confit puree, layering the cassoulet in Bourdain/Ruhlman fashion, and baking the assembled dish uncovered for a couple hours before adding the breadcrumb topping.

Steph and I made our cassoulet with (clockwise from bottom right) White Emergo beans (most recipes call for Tarbais beans, but Julia says that Great Northern beans work just as well), duck confit (thanks to Steph, who used a whole duck), fresh baguette breadcrumbs, olive oil used to make the confit (instead of using duck fat throughout the recipe), locally-made Bolognese sausage & pancetta, and caramelized onion & garlic confit puree.

Cassoulet isn't necessarily difficult to make; it just takes 3 days to prepare all the separate parts before baking the finished dish. Julia refers to this as "the order of battle." Day One: Make the duck confit (if you're making it instead of buying it) & soak the beans. Day Two: Cook the beans & make the garlic confit, then refrigerate overnight. Day Three: Finish the rest of the ingredients (make breadcrumbs, caramelize onions, cook pancetta & sausage), assemble the cassoulet & bake.

As Bittman says, "[...] cassoulet isn’t that demanding; it just takes time, and I’m here to say: You can do it."

And you CAN do it. WE did. So go do it already!

CASSOULET

For the beans:

1 1/2 pounds dried white beans
1 bay leaf
1 large garlic clove, peeled
6 peppercorns
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 onion, peeled and halved crosswise
1 carrot, peeled and halved crosswise
1 piece bacon skin or trimmings (about 2 ounces) *
4 quarts freshly-made chicken or duck stock

* I used the skin from the pancetta.

For the cassoulet:
2 tablespoons olive oil or duck fat
1 pound pancetta, diced into lardons
1 pound garlicky sausages
confit from 1 whole duck
1½ cups garlic confit puree (recipe below)

For the garlic confit puree:
2 heads of garlic, cloves separated & peeled
olive oil, as needed
2 onions, halved & sliced
salt & pepper
 
For the crumb topping:
3 tablespoons olive oil or duck fat
1 1/2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
3 tablespoons thyme, finely chopped
salt & pepper


Day One

• Cover the beans with room temperature water and let sit overnight in a nonreactive bowl.

Day Two

• Drain the beans and discard the water. Transfer beans to a large pot. Add bay leaf, garlic clove, peppercorns, thyme, onion, carrot & bacon. Cover with stock. (The beans should be covered throughout the cooking process by about 1 inch of liquid.)

• Bring to a light simmer and cook over low heat, uncovered, until fully tender. This could more than 2 hours, depending on what kind of beans you are using. Start testing after 90 minutes. When they are just tender throughout, turn off the heat and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate beans in their liquid overnight (cover the pot).  

• To make the garlic confit: Cut the root end off of the peeled garlic and place in a small saucepan. Add enough olive oil to cover the cloves by 1 inch. Set the pan over the lowest possible heat and cook gently. You should see very small bubbles in the oil but nothing that breaks the surface. If necessary, set the pan partially off the burner to achieve sufficiently gentle heat. Cook garlic, stirring occasionally, until cloves are completely tender when pierced with a knife, about 1 hour. Remove the pan from the heat and allow cloves to cool in the oil, about 1 hour. Then, pour the garlic and oil in a jar or covered bowl and refrigerate overnight. 

Day Three

• Drain the beans, discarding the vegetables and bacon but reserving the cooking stock. (If you used bacon fat or trimmings--not skin--save it to add to the garlic puree.)

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

• To make the garlic confit puree: Caramelize the sliced onions (seasoned with salt & pepper) in a few tablespoons of the oil from the garlic confit. Puree the onion & the drained garlic cloves in a food processor or blender until smooth. Add some of the garlic oil if needed to make a smooth paste. (If you used bacon fat or trimmings in the beans, you can add it to the garlic puree as well.)

• Heat olive oil or duck fat in a skillet over medium-high heat and cook the pancetta until lightly browned but not crispy. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon.

• In the same pan, brown the sausages. Remove from pan & set the aside. (If you don't want whole sausages in your cassoulet, let them cool a little bit and slice them into 1-inch pieces.)

• Start layering the ingredients in a large heavy-bottom dutch oven. Star with a layer of beans, then add the sausages, some of the garlic confit puree, another layer of beans, the pancetta & duck confit, more of the garlic puree, then the rest of the beans.  

•  Add the reserved bean cooking stock, enough to just barely cover the beans.

• Bake uncovered for two hours. The cassoulet should be moist but not soupy. Check the beans for doneness; they should be soft and creamy.

• Meanwhile, combine all of the ingredients for the crumb topping. Sprinkle the cassoulet with the crumbs. Bake an additional 15 minutes, or until the topping is evenly browned. (We increased the oven temperature to 400 for this step, then finished with a couple minutes under the broiler for a crunchy topping.)

• Behold your gorgeous creation and rejoice because you are now a culinary badass.

• Serve immediately.

Sweet Onion & Bacon Jam

My last day of school was May 22, so this weekend kicked off my three-month long summer break. Boo. Yah. 

These past three days were a great mix of music, drinks, friends, sunshine, relaxation, & food. So Much Food...fish tacos at Broadway Oyster Bar, shrimp boil at a friend's new apartment, and a BBQ at my boyfriend's house that offered 5 different meats...local burgers/brats/hot dogs, our own smoked sausage, and homemade bacon jam.

Let me tell you about that smoked sausage. Last weekend, I went over to Corey's house for dinner. "Whatcha doing?" I asked when I showed up. "Smoking a fatty," he replied.

Um. What? 

"Come here and look at my sausage," he insisted.

UM. WHAT?

I followed him to the backyard, skeptical of what I would find out there, not expecting to see an entire roll of breakfast sausage (unwrapped, of course) being smoked on the grill.

I was Leery. Concerned. Intrigued.

After a 2-hour slow cook over some applewood chips, Corey's sausage was damn delicious. Hubba.

(Sorry, I simply can't resist a good sausage joke!)

Anyway...try this sausage. Then chill it and slice it like summer sausage. You won't be sorry. TRUST ME. 

And then, make some bacon jam. It will be a hit. I promise. It was definitely a big hit at our BBQ yesterday. 

Serve it with crackers. Smear some on a burger. Try it for breakfast on toast with a fried egg. Keep a jar on the nightstand next to the bed. WHATEVER YOU WANT. I won't judge.

Just MAKE IT already.

Sweet Onion & Bacon Jam

recipe slightly adapted from Tim Grandinetti

via Sauce Magazine

Deviled Ham

For Easter dinner this year, I bought a 15-pound bone-in ham. Ok, for two people, that is WAY TOO MUCH HAM...even in my pork-centric world. To avoid an overdose of standard ham sandwiches, I picked a few recipes to make with the leftovers that week: ham fried rice, ham & bean soup, ham & chive frittatas, & ham pot pie.

But, for the most part, those are the obvious use-up-leftover-meat dishes. In searching for some more exciting ways to use up the rest of the ham, which I cubed/vacuum-sealed/stashed in the freezer, I came across many great sounding recipes (see list of links at the end of this post).

Most recently, I made Deviled Ham. I was leery at first. My parents used to buy that "sandwich spread" shit from the supermarket deli, and I despised it. It looked and smelled like cat food. Plus, "deviled" ham just doesn't sound appetizing to me.

Yet, this recipe sounded so good...smokey ham, creamy mayo, tangy mustard, sweet maple syrup, spicy hot sauce...what's NOT to like.

Pasta with Bacon Vodka Cream Sauce

If you follow me on Twitter, you know that I love all things pork, especially bacon. I've even made bacon vodka a couple times.

Yes, that's right...BACON vodka. I first made it for a bacon class I was teaching; we used it to make Bloody Marys & BLT martinis (with lettuce water, fresh tomato juice, a crouton rim & a sprinkle of bacon salt that tasted JUST LIKE the sandwich...no joke).

To make your own bacon vodka, you just cook up some bacon. Add it to a big jar with an entire bottle of vodka. Let it hang out in your pantry for a few weeks (it will look like a science experiment after a while, but don't be alarmed). Fish out the bacon. Freeze the jar of vodka. Strain. Strain. Strain. Drink. It's tasty shit. For real.

If you don't want to make your own, you can now buy a bacon-flavored vodka called Bakon Vodka. I have to tell ya, though...homemade taste more like real bacon. The flavored stuff smells and tastes like bacony Bac~Os. So, just make your own. Homemade bacon vodka has a smokey, rich taste. REALLY good in mixed drinks AND food.

I made a vodka cream sauce...because pasta, tomatoes, cream, and bacon seemed like a natural combination. Initially, I used a Rachel Ray recipe (gasp!) called You Won’t Be Single For Long Vodka Cream Pasta that I found on Smitten Kitchen. I chose this particular recipe because it calls for an entire cup of vodka, unlike most recipes which only use 1/3 to 1/2 cup, and only 1/2 cup of cream. I wanted to taste the bacon essence, dammit! Still, even with my omitting the addition of 1 cup of stock in favor or more vodka, I simply couldn't distinguish any of the bacony goodness.

So, I decided to create my own vodka cream sauce recipe to highlight my bacon vodka:

1. Saute a small onion, diced, in about a tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil. When the onion is soft, carefully add 1 cup of bacon vodka. It shouldn't ignite, but it's best to turn off the heat when you add the booze. Simmer this until slightly reduce, 3 minutes or so.

2. Then, add 1 cup diced tomatoes (I blanched & peeled a few Campari tomatoes; you should use the freshest, ripest tomatoes you can find). Season with salt & pepper (and, if you'd like, some fresh thyme or oregano). Cook until the tomatoes start to break down, 5 minutes or so.

3. Stir in 1/4 cup heavy cream and cook just until the cream is warm. Serve over penne noodles.

Thomas Keller's Rubbed & Glazed Pork Spareribs

Today is my blogiversary. Four years ago, I started this food blog with a post about Julie Powell's book Julie & Julia. My first posted recipe was Julia Child's potato & leek soup. Since then I've written about nearly 400 new recipes that I've tried for the first time.

Over the past four years, my life has gone through many changes. There have been many, many happy moments but also lots of heartbreaking drama and a couple really scary events. Through it all, though, I've continued to cook at home, try new recipes & ingredients & techniques, and write about it here. This blog continues to be my therapy, my creative outlet. As a result of blogging, I've met some fabulous people, several of whom have become great friends. I've also had some awesome experiences because of blogging...flying to LA to meet Julie Powell, working at Kitchen Conservatory, being "chef for a day" with Josh Galliano at Monarch, & writing for Sauce Magazine.

It may sound cliche but blogging has changed my life. Not that I've become rich & famous or anything by any means...but this little blog of mine gave my life some kind of purpose at a time when I felt like I didn't have any.

This blog has also given me an excuse to spend four hours on a Sunday afternoon making the most delicious ribs I've ever eaten.

Winter Panzanella

Today is our 6th snow day in 2011. We haven't had a full week of school yet this semester. You'd think that with so many days off, stuck in the house, that I would be super productive. You'd be wrong. I tend to increase my laziness on impromptu vacation days. Instead of catching up on grading, reading more, cleaning, or doing laundry, I tend to zone out in front of the computer or piddle around in the kitchen. 

And, you know what? I don't feel bad about that at all. 

Last weekend, knowing that a snowpocalyse was approaching St. Louis, I planned a few cooking projects for the week...involving comforting winter recipes that are healthier than my usual carb-loaded cold weather fare.

The first of those recipes is a winter panzanella. Panzanella is a summertime salad made with toasted bread cubes, ripe tomatoes, garden-fresh basil, & soft mozzarella cheese. It is our favorite thing to eat in the summer. Of course, the pale, mealy tomatoes you find in the winter will just not do in a salad. So, I found a more seasonally-appropriate version that replaces the tomatoes & basil with radicchio & brussels sprouts. Crispy bacon & crunchy apples are added. It's really delicious, filling & comforting. 

Winter Panzanella

adapted from Bon Appetit

Chili Cookoff: Carolina Pulled Pork Chili

In my former life, some friends of mine had a big chili cookoff at their house every year in which they pitted their friends' culinary skills against one another. So, this year I decided to steal their idea...and see just how talented my foodie friends are.

I invited people to bring their best chili recipe in a crock pot. I set all the pots on the dining room table (connected with extension cords & power strips). Each pot was numbered & given a stack of corresponding numbered tasting cups. After everyone tasted the chilies, they were given 3 beans with which to vote for their favorite dish(es) by putting beans in numbered cups set up along the fireplace mantle.

There was one rule for the night: No white chili. This wasn't a best chicken-and-bean soup cookoff.

The Set-Up

My friends came through and produced some really good food. All 13 of the chilies earned votes. There was many different variations, of course. Some used beef; others used pork. I think Ashby tried to sway my vote by adding bacon to his. One featured corn; another featured hominy. A few were very spicy (Simon!). Overall, they were all good!

Chorizo, Potato & Mushroom Tacos

Cooler temperatures have finally arrived in St. Louis. Up until this week, it's been so warm I am still picking sungolds from our garden and a tiny pink rose is blooming in our backyard. Nevertheless, a chill is in the air and we've had to turn on the heat. And, around here that means 'tis the season for comfort foods...hearty breakfasts, soups, roasts, casseroles, pastas...

And, man, do I need some comfort! We've had some very sad & upsetting things happening in our extended family. I won't go into details here, but it boils down to some all out fucking batshit craziness. Nothing is as it was seven months ago. Our hearts are broken.

But, all the drama just makes me appreciative of the good things in my life. Jerad and I are sticking together through this, stronger than ever. We are making big plans for our new little family. We have fantastic friends who are supporting and encouraging us. Our jobs are both going well. We finally got our 100-year-old wooden house painted and are in the middle of building a new front porch (it was literally falling down). 

Of course, through it all, we continue to eat well. I still believe that you cannot live well if you have not dined well. To promote such wellness, Jerad recently made these tacos for dinner.

Chorizo, Potato, and Mushroom Tacos

from Rick Bayless's Mexican Everyday

serves 4

12 ounces fresh Mexican chorizo, casings removed

1 medium white onion, halved and sliced into rings
6 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced about 1/2 inch thick
12 ounces potato, grated on the large holes of a grater
salt
1/2 cup loosely packed chopped cilantro
12 warm corn tortillas

• Crumble the chorizo into a large nonstick skillet set over medium heat.  Cook, stirring often to break up large clumps, until some of the fat starts to render and the sausage looks half-cooked, about 4 minutes.
• Increase the heat to medium-high, and add the onions and mushrooms.  Cook, stirring constantly, until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes.
• Sprinkle the grated potato over the mixture, and cook until the potatoes are soft, about 3 minutes, stirring often.  Reduce the temperature if the potatoes start to brown before they soften.  Taste and season if necessary - some chorizo is seasoned highly.
• Scrape the mixture into a serving bowl and sprinkle with the chopped cilantro.   Serve with warm tortillas, salsa, & queso fresco.

Pork Rillettes

I went camping last weekend. For two nights. Outside. In the rain. With bugs and critters. And rain. With lightning. And thunder. Lots of lightning. And lots of thunder.

I only agreed to go because Jerad makes camping easy. In my previous life, I attempted camping only once: After several hours of fighting over how to put up the tent & how to get a fire started with wet wood, we called it quits, packed our shit up, & headed home. Jerad, on the other hand, will have the tent set up, a fire burning, and a glass of wine in my hand within the first 30 minutes. On Friday, he went out to the camp site and set everything up before I even got there. I'm a lucky, lucky gal.

We took Arlo (our 8-month old beagle) with us & he seemed to be having a great time playing with Ashby's dog Daisy. He absolutely tuckered himself out, though, and slept all day on Sunday. I don't think he liked all the lightning & thunder Saturday night either.

Arlo Shmarlo (aka Shmarshmo or Shmarshmallow or--sometimes--Damn-dog-who-needs-to-quit-chewing-up-my-stuff!)

Smoky Pork Tinga Tacos

My birthday is coming up...October 2. I'm not afraid to say that I LOVE my birthday, and I'm not ashamed to admit that I usually--happily--make my own birthday plans...way in advance, mind you...where we're going out for dinner, what I'll do with my friends, etc. Hell, I even make my own birthday cake!

This year, I asked Jerad & his mom to buy me the new Vitamix, which should be delivered any day now (more about that later). I'm planning dinner with the Food Blog Mafia at Araka sometime that week. But, since my birthday is on a Saturday this year, I really want to do something fun that day. As of now, the plan is to do a taco crawl on Cherokee Street, go to the City Museum (I've never been), have cocktails at Taste, then dinner somewhere still to be decided.

All that talk about tacos & my friend's constant praise of tacos as "happy-making" made us browse Rick Bayless's book for an easy, authentic taco recipe for yesterday's dinner. This one was indeed easy, despite the long cooking time, and it tasted pretty damned amazing...smoky, spicy, rich, deep. We're having leftovers for dinner again tonight.

Porchetta di Testa

Warning: This post involves some gratuitous cursing.

Intro: WE MADE MOTHERFUCKING CHARCUTERIE! You have no idea how happy this makes me. I am so smitten with salume & people who have the know-how to make it (see Cute Meat Guys). So, when Jerad decided to make porchetta from a pig’s head, I knew I married the right guy.

Background: A couple Sundays ago, Jerad & I taught a sushi class for couples at Kitchen Conservatory. There was a whole hog class going on in the other kitchen, and since they didn’t use the head Anne asked if we wanted to take it home. Jerad said yes without hesitation. I figured we’d just use the cheeks (the best part on nearly any animal) & ears (blanched, cut, & fried = yum).

Preparation: We hadn’t done anything with that head for a few days, and I told Jerad on Wednesday that he had to make something with it THAT DAY or it was going out with the trash the next morning. I was, quite frankly, a little tired of seeing that thing staring at me every time I opened the refrigerator.

I worked that day and received a text message from Jerad that afternoon with only a photo….this photo:

Peanut Butter & Bacon Truffles

My friend Susie recently twittered, "Bittersweet and bacon truffle--not good. Sorry @barbaricgulp but apparently bacon & chocolate do not go together." Now, I feel it's my duty to show Susie the error of her ways...and prove her wrong, of course.

My love of all things porcine is no secret to my closest friends and casual acquaintances. Kelli bought me a bacon scarf for my birthday last fall. Stephanie (the "other" Steph) will often forward me links to things like bacon air-freshener, bacon bandaids, & bacon jelly beans. She even sent me a Patron Saint of Bacon figurine.

Our Porkapalooza Wedding Reception

Whew! The wedding is over, and the reception was a huge hit. Our plan was to have a backyard pig roast at Jerad's parents' house the day before Easter. We set up a big tent on Friday, but the weather wasn't looking good for our party.  It rained the day before and was very windy the morning of the reception, but it all turned out in the end.  The clouds cleared and the wind finally died down.  We ended up with a beautifully sunny day that helped to make the party just what I'd dreamed about.

You see, I had actually dreamed about our wedding reception a few years ago...before we dated even. Jerad and I were just friends at the time; in fact, I was married to someone else.  But, we worked together every weekend, so we spend a lot of time together. One night, I dreamed that we got married and had a reception under a white tent in his parents' backyard. The decorations were green & yellow.

I had forgotten about that dream until after we'd planned our pig roast.  Jerad then reminded me of the dream, which I told him about right after I'd had it. I'm sure he thought I was crazy at the time. Nevertheless, I find it a bit strange that I ended up planning that very reception. It must be fate. 

Momofuku Pork Belly Buns

A couple weeks ago, my friend Stephanie (aka Iron Stef) helped me make David Chang's roasted pork belly & Chinese steamed buns. The recipe comes from his new cookbook Momofuku, named after his acclaimed New York noodle bar (which was named after the guy who invented instant ramen).

Chang's book received attention when it was released in October not only because of the recipes and gorgeous color photos but also because of his narrative voice. In the introduction to each section, Chang "relays with candor the tale of his unwitting rise to superstardom, which, though wracked with mishaps, happened at light speed." And he curses. A lot.

On Oct. 27, the day Momofuku was published, Ian Froeb made some interesting observations in his Twitter updates (Ian is the food critic for The Riverfront Times & editor of their "Gut Check" blog):

# of paragraphs in Momofuku cookbook before first f-bomb? 7.5

# of paragraphs in Momofuku cookbook before questionable use of phrase "golden shower"? 3.5

in other words, having read only the intro, ready to declare Momofuku cookbook of the year. certainly the most entertaining.

The book does make for a good read. In fact, I read it cover-to-cover like a novel. Even the recipes themselves are entertaining reading. For example, in his steamed buns recipe he writes: "Cover the armada of little dough balls with a draping of plastic wrap and allow them to rest and rise for 30 minutes." Good stuff.

Warning: This cookbook is written for serious cooks. Chang even admits that some recipes aren't meant for home cooks. Other recipes, like his infamous pork belly buns, are fairly easy; they just require many time-consuming steps. But in the case of the pork belly buns, the time is totally worth it.

Pork Belly

One 3-pound slab skinless pork belly
1⁄4 cup kosher salt
1 ⁄4 cup sugar

• Nestle the belly into a roasting pan or other oven-safe vessel that holds it snugly. Mix together the salt and sugar in a small bowl and rub the mix all over the meat; discard any excess salt-and-sugar mixture. Cover the container with plastic wrap and put it into the fridge for at least 6 hours, but no longer than 24.
• Heat the oven to 450ºF.
• Discard any liquid that accumulated in the container. Put the belly in the oven, fat side up, and cook for 1 hour, basting it with the rendered fat at the halfway point, until it’s an appetizing golden brown.
• Turn the oven temperature down to 250ºF and cook for another 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, until the belly is tender—it shouldn’t be falling apart, but it should have a down pillow–like yield to a firm finger poke. Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the belly to a plate. Decant the fat and the meat juices from the pan and reserve (see the headnote). Allow the belly to cool slightly.
• When it’s cool enough to handle, wrap the belly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and put it in the fridge until it’s thoroughly chilled and firm. (You can skip this step if you’re pressed for time, but the only way to get neat, nice-looking slices is to chill the belly thoroughly before slicing it.)
• Cut the pork belly into 1⁄2-inch-thick slices that are about 2 inches long. Warm them for serving in a pan over medium heat, just for a minute or two, until they are jiggly soft and heated through. Use at once.

Steamed Buns

Makes about 50 buns

Okay, fifty buns is a lot of buns. But the buns keep in the freezer for months and
months without losing any quality, and if you cut the recipe down any more than this,
there’s barely enough stuff in the bowl of the mixer for the dough hook to pick up. So
clear out a couple of hours and some space in the freezer and get to work.

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
11⁄2 cups water, at room temperature
41⁄4 cups bread flour
6 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons nonfat dry milk powder
1 tablespoon kosher salt
Rounded 1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 ⁄3 cup rendered pork fat or vegetable shortening, at room temperature

• Combine the yeast and water in the bowl of a stand mixer outfitted with the dough hook. Add the flour, sugar, milk powder, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and fat and mix on the lowest speed possible, just above a stir, for 8 to 10 minutes. The dough should gather together into a neat, not-too-tacky ball on the hook. When it does, lightly oil a medium mixing bowl, put the dough in it, and cover the bowl with a dry kitchen towel. Put it in a turned-off oven with a pilot light or other warmish place and let rise until the dough doubles in bulk, about 1 hour 15 minutes.
• Punch the dough down and turn it out onto a clean work surface. Using a bench scraper or a knife, divide the dough in half, then divide each half into 5 equal pieces. Gently roll the pieces into logs, then cut each log into 5 pieces, making 50 pieces total. They should be about the size of a Ping-Pong ball and weigh about 25 grams, or a smidge under an ounce. Roll each piece into a ball. Cover the armada of little dough balls with a draping of plastic wrap and allow them to rest and rise for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cut out fifty 4-inch squares of parchment paper. Coat a chopstick with whatever fat you’re working with.
• Flatten one ball with the palm of your hand, then use a rolling pin to roll it out into a 4-inch-long oval. Lay the greased chopstick across the middle of the oval and fold the oval over onto itself to form the bun shape. Withdraw the chopstick, leaving the bun folded, and put the bun on a square of parchment paper. Stick it back under the plastic wrap (or a dry kitchen towel) and form the rest of the buns. Let the buns rest for 30 to 45 minutes: they will rise a little.
• Set up a steamer on the stove. Working in batches so you don’t crowd the steamer, steam the buns on the parchment squares for 10 minutes. Remove the parchment. You can use the buns immediately (reheat them for a minute or so in the steamer if necessary) or allow to cool completely, then seal in plastic freezer bags and freeze for up to a few months. Reheat frozen buns in a stovetop steamer for 2 to 3 minutes, until puffy, soft, and warmed all the way through.

Quick Salt Pickles

Makes about 2 cups
(halve or double the recipe as needed)

2 meaty Kirby cucumbers, cut into 1⁄8-inch-thick disks.
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt

• Combine the cucumbers with the sugar and salt in a small mixing bowl and toss to coat with the sugar and salt. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes.
• Taste: if the pickles are too sweet or too salty, put them into a colander, rinse off the seasoning, and dry in a kitchen towel. Taste again and add more sugar or salt as needed.
• Serve after 5 to 10 minutes, or refrigerate for up to 4 hours.

TO ASSEMBLE THE BUNS: Slather each bun with hoisin sauce. Then place a slice of pork belly, a couple pickles, & a sprinkling of sliced scallions inside the buns. Eat & be amazed that you made such a tasty dish. The next morning, take some buns from the freezer, steam them for just a couple minutes to reheat, then stuff each with scallion scrambled eggs & leftover pork belly that you've reheated in a skillet. Dress with hoisin sauce (or hot sauce if you're feeling frisky) for a breakfast of champions.

Thanks to Steph for taking the photos!

Spaghetti Carbonara

It rained all day Thursday. I mean, it POURED. Rain. All day.

There was so much water that the street in between the two buildings of the school where I teach flooded, and we had to keep our first hour classes until the water went down. Thus, cutting into my prep period. ALL WORK AND NO PREP MAKES KELLY A DULL GIRL.

Still, it continued to storm ALL DAY. Do you know what that kind of weather does to a productive school environment? DESTROYS IT.

So, the day was a wash (pun intended). And after an otherwise drama-filled week at work, I was ready to RELAX that night.

And then, I came to discover that the roof was leaking, causing the plaster in the extra bedroom to flake & fall off. And the basement was leaking water, completely soaking the dirty clothes pile in the laundry room down there.

Rain + flooding + much-needed relaxation = CARBONARA (which my friend Ashby says is Italian for "Fuck it, let's eat.")

I've attempted carbonara before, but I wasn't very happy about the results.  It was more of a make-shift dish, instead of an authentic carbonara. For that recipe, I added the cooked pasta & beaten eggs to the pan with the bacon (off the heat, of course).  This did not result in the creamy sauce I think of when I think of carbonara.  

After reading many recipes, I've come to the conclusion that THERE IS NO CREAM IN CARBONARA.  There's just eggs, Parmesan cheese, bacon, noodles, salt, pepper, & parsley....and you have to add the pasta & bacon to the eggs in a bowl so that you don't actually scramble the eggs. You have to heat them gently with the heat from the pasta to create that creamy, delicate sauce.

Spaghetti Carbonara

Serves 2

1/2 pound spaghetti noodles, boiled as directed

2 eggs, at room temperature

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

4 slices thick-cut bacon, sliced into thin strips

1/4 cup parsley, chopped

Kosher salt

Coarsely-ground black pepper

• While the pasta water is coming to a boil, cook the bacon until just crisp. You don't want it too overdone. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Set aside.
• Break the eggs into a serving bowl. Whisk in the cheese. Set aside.
• When the pasta is cooked, add 1/8 cup of the pasta water to the eggs & whisk. Then, add the drained pasta. Toss to combine.
• Cover the bowl & let sit for about 5 minutes. Stir the noodles again. The sauce should have thickened & coated the pasta. You don't want clumps of scrambled eggs.
• Add the bacon & parsley. Season to taste with salt & pepper.

My favorite beverage with carbonara? CHAMPAGNE! The slightly sweet bubbles help cut the richness of the bacon & eggs sauce.

Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24: A Moveable Feast

Foodbuzz sponsors a monthly event that features 24 bloggers from 24 cities around the world who prepare unique meals during the same 24 hours. Earlier this month, I submitted a proposal for a meal inspired by Ernest Hemingway's memoir of 1920's Paris, A Moveable Feast...and my proposal was chosen!

"If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast."

-Ernest Hemingway, to a friend, 1950

A Moveable Feast is Hemingway's story of living as an expatriate writer--part of what fellow writer Gertrude Stein termed "Une Generation Perdue," The Lost Generation.

"That's what you are. That's what you all are," Miss Stein said. "All of you young people who served in the war. You are a lost generation."

"Really," I said.

"You are," she insisted. "You have no respect for anything. You drink yourselves to death. . . ."

Though not a cookbook or food memoir, Hemingway's narrative includes many descriptions of the things he drank and ate in friends' homes and in various French cafes.


Though I originally planned to have dinner outside to emulate a Paris cafe, the heat index in St. Louis was over 100 that day, so I moved the meal inside. I tried to create a cafe feel with red plates, mismatched wine glasses, & an Eiffel Tower lamp on the buffet!

I invited fellow food & literature enthusiasts (from left): Jerad, Andy, Ellie, Bill, me, Stephanie, & Maggie (who took this pic).

M E N U

(recipes follow)

Aperitif:
Eau-de-vie
(strawberry-infused vodka)

My wife and I had called on Miss Stein, and she and the friend who lived with her had been very cordial and friendly and we had loved the big studio with the great paintings. It was like one of the best rooms in the finest museum except there was a big fireplace and it was warm and comfortable and they gave you good things to eat and tea and natural distilled liqueurs made from purple plums, yellow plums or wild raspberries. These were fragrant, colorless alcohols served from cut-glass carafes in small glasses and whether they were quetsche, mirabelle or framboise they all tasted like the fruts they came from, converted into a controlled fire on your tongue that warmed and loosened it.

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Hor d'oeuvre:
Les Huîtres Crues avec Mignonette
(raw oysters with Mignonette sauce)

-->I closed up the story in the notebook and put it in my inside pocket and I asked the waiter for a dozen portugaises and a half-carafe of the dry white wine they had there. After writing a story I was always empty and both sad and happy, as though I had made love, and I was sure this was a very good story although I would not know truly how good until I read it over the next day.

As I ate the oysters with their strong taste of the sea and their faint metallic taste that the cold white wine washed away, leaving only the sea taste and the succulent texture, and as I drank their cold liquid from each shell and washed it down with the crisp taste of the wine, I lost the empty feeling and began to be happy and to make plans.

Maggie reading the oysters passage.


Maggie eating her first raw oyster!
(Bill is in the background, twittering about how we made him drink Barefoot Bubbly.)

Premier Cours:
Cervelas Remoulade, Pommes a l'huile
(sausages with mustard sauce, marinated potato salad)

It was a quick talk to Lipp’s and every place I passed that my stomach noticed as quickly as my eyes or my nose made the walk an added pleasure. There were few people in the brasserie and when I sat down on the bench against the wall with the mirror in back and a table in front and the waiter asked if I wanted a beer I asked for a distingué, the big glass mug that held a liter, and for potato salad. The beer was very cold and wonderful to drink. The pommes a l’huile were firm and marinated and the olive oil delicious. I ground black pepper over the potatoes and moistened the bread in the olive oil. After the first heavy draft of beer I drank and ate very slowly. When the pommes a l’huile were gone I ordered another serving and a cervelas. This was a sausage like a heavy, wide frankfurter split in two and covered with a special mustard sauce. I mopped up all the oil and all of the sauce with bread and drank the beer slowly until it began to lose its coldness and then I finished it and ordered a demi and watched it drawn. It seemed colder than the distingué and I drank half of it.

Stephanie & Ellie reading the sausages & potatoes passage (my typos & all).

Deuxième Cours:
Truffé de Poulet Rôti, Radis et de Salade d'endives
(truffled roast chicken, radish & endive salad)

[Disclaimer: The chicken, our third course, was served at nearly 10:00 pm. By that time I had consumed much vodka, champagne & wine and therefore forgot to photographically document the dishes. My apologies.]

-->We were halted by rain about an hour north of Lyon. In that day we were halted by rain possibly ten times. They were passing showers and some of them were longer than others. If we had waterproof coats it would have been pleasant enough to drive in that spring rain. As it was we sought the shelter of trees or halted at cafés alongside the road. We had a marvelous lunch from the hotel at Lyon, an excellent truffled roast chicken, delicious bread and white Macon wine and Scott was very happy when we drank the white Maconnais at each of our stops.

* * *

“We’ll come home and eat here and we’ll have a lovely meal and drink Beaune from the co-operative you can see right out of the window there with the price of the Beaune on the window. And afterwards we’ll read and then go to bed and make love.”

“And we’ll never love anyone else but each other.”

“No. Never.”

“What a lovely afternoon and evening. Now we’d better have lunch.”

“I’m very hungry,” I said. “I worked at the café on a café crème.”

“How did it go, Tatie?”

“I think all right. I hope so. What do we have for lunch?”

“Little radishes, and a good foie de veau with mashed potatoes and an endive salad. Apple tart.”

Dessert:
Tarte aux Pommes, Café au Lait
(apple tart, coffee with milk)

-->It was a pleasant café, warm and clean and friendly, and I hung up my old waterproof on the coat rack to dry and put my worn and weathered felt hat on the rack above the bench and ordered a café au lait. The waiter brought it and I took out a notebook from the pocket of the coat and a pencil and started to write.

My favorite pic of the night!

R E C I P E S

Strawberry-Infused Vodka:

An eau-de-vie, which Gertrude Stein served to Hemingway on numerous occasions, is actually a clear, colorless fruit brandy. However, I decided to make my own fruited liquor by infusing vodka with fresh strawberries.

This is so delicious yet so easy! Simply cut up a large container of strawberries (de-stemmed) into quarters. Pile into a pitcher and top with an entire bottle of vodka. Let sit at room temperature for a few hours (or in the fridge overnight), then strain back into the vodka bottle (or another decorative vessel). The result is sweet enough to sip straight from danty stemmed glasses.

NOTE: Do NOT store the finished vodka in the freezer. It will freeze solid (I learned that lesson this morning)!

Mignonette Sauce:

This is my favorite accompaniment to serve with raw or lightly steamed oysters.

Mix 1/2 cup champagne vinegar with 2 tablespoons finely shopped shallots, 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper, & the zest of one lemon. Spoon over raw oysters before eating.

Sausages with Mustard Sauce & Marinated Potato Salad:

I sauteed Italian sausages in a bit of olive oil until they were brown and cooked through. I turned off the heat and let them sit in the pan while I made the mustard sauce & potatoes. When I was ready to serve, I quartered the sausages.

For the mustard sauce: mix 1 cup of mayonnaise with 1 tablespoon (or more to taste) Dijon mustard, 1 minced garlic clove, juice of half a lemon, a pinch of salt & freshly ground black pepper. Serve on the side.

For the potato salad: boil whole red new potatoes until just tender on the inside. You wante them to be retain a little firmness. Drain. While still warm, but cool enough to handle, thinly slice the potatoes and transfer to a bowl. Add a finely chopped shallot (or green onions) & a handful of chopped parsley. Sprinkle with salt & pepper, then drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil & red wine vinegar. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Truffled Roast Chicken with Radish & Endive Salad:

For the chicken: Wash & dry a roasting chicken. Rub olive oil all over the skin & sprinkle liberally with truffle salt. Roast at 425 degrees for about an hour (for a 4.5 pound bird), or until the skin is browned & crispy and the juices run clear (meat should register 160 at the thickest part of the leg). Remove from oven and let rest while you prepare the salad. Serve with a small carafe of black truffle oil that your guests can drizzle over their chicken.

For the salad: Slice endive heads & radishes thinly. Season with salt & pepper and dress with a simple vinaigrette. I used the leftover Mignonette sauce whisked with some olive oil.

Apple Tart:
(recipe from The Pioneer Woman)

This was my favorite dish of the night, partly because it was so easy to make & partly because if was pretty tasty!

Thaw a puff pastry sheet, unfold it, cut it in half, then roll each half to form two larger rectangles.

Cut 2-3 apples in quarters & cut the core out. Thinly slice the apples & transfer to a bowl. Add 1/4 teaspoon of salt & 1 cup of brown sugar. Mix well to coat. Layer the apples, in one over-lapping line down the center of each pastry. Bake at 415 degrees for 18-20 minutes, or until the pastry is puffed & browned. Remove from oven & transfer the tarts to a cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature, sprinkle with powdered sugar just before cutting.

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