tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-379398279980083572024-03-19T07:24:03.244-04:00HungryProfessionally, I cook food, write about food, talk about food, eat food. Personally, I cook food, write about food, talk about food, eat food.Bill Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14993089347385713202noreply@blogger.comBlogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37939827998008357.post-47621504674444942062012-11-09T08:08:00.002-05:002012-11-09T08:09:35.426-05:00<style>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Brussels Sprouts</span></b>
<br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial;">DuBois,
PA Late Nixon Administration</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> The benchmark, established at a Formica and chrome
kitchen table in the real not Instagram early Seventies, is a bland, mushy
bitterness, battered, green and soggy, throat-closing and frightening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Common practice at 523 Burt Street DuBois, PA
and at Grandma’s house the next block over on Reams Street (in retrospect, more
an alley than a street but I think it has been paved since) was to cook a vegetable
into complete defeat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t blame my family;
it was common practice then in many households.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The mandatory splat of four or five sprouts on a Thanksgiving plate
otherwise filled with happy, brown, carbohydrate-centric foods disrupted our
turkey Zen, scratching the Polaroid holiday memory yet to be realized. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No matter how much gravy and bread awesomeness
went into my mouth, I knew that the slow static warfare over the sprouts had
begun.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Of course, I grew up and left DuBois primarily to
escape vegetable persecution.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I avoided
Brussels sprouts for many years.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial;">The
Occidental, Washington DC, 1986 </span></b><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">During the peak of the al dente vegetable, the
Brussels sprout was simply another veg. on the Enterementier station to blanch,
shock, dry, and cut before service.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’d
trim the roots and outer leaves, drop them in boiling slated-‘till-it-tastes-like-blood
water, and gamble on when to pull them out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If not blanched long enough, the warmed but still raw cores would brown
halfway through service, causing our hostilely narcissistic, compulsively abusive
sous chef to throw them across the kitchen and screetchinlgy mock me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If cooked too much, they’d dissolve into mush
when they hit the butter of the finishing skillet before served on a plate of
lamb chops with piped sweet potato puree and rosemary-scented jus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This mushy mess would also end up decorating
the wall over the dish station to cigarette-breath expletive-laden barrage of
same Sous Chef.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">I can’t remember a day I got it correct.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The arrival of asparagus season, while
presenting a separate set of issues, brought happiness to me that had nothing
to do with the arrival of spring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
received a six-month reprieve.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial;">Berkeley,
CA 1994 </span></b><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">As
I am exiting the Graduate program in the Chemistry Department, finishing my
coursework and collect my consolation prize Master’s degree from the top
Chemistry program in the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As an
adjustment to my return to cooking, I picked up a cook’s job at Baywolf
Restaurant in nearby Piedmont.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I liked
the place, Mediterranean-California cuisine focusing on seasonal ingredients,
local products, and tasty but accessible wines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>(Sound familiar Highland Ave?) It was fall, and even though everything gowns
all the time in California, the East Coast rhythms of harvest and planting
still showed through menus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Needless to say, it was Brussels sprouts time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We served them with the duck that came off my
station.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before service, I’d sear them
with a little reserved duck fat, season them with salt, pepper and fresh thyme,
barely cover them with duck stock, and allow them to bake, self-glazing in the
oven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately, while I now
understand the idea, it was impossible to accomplish the goal without reducing
the sprouts to mush.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial;">Pittsburgh,
90’s </span></b><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">After
moving back to Pittsburgh, fusing with big Burrito, ferreting out a lot of
awesome local farmers, and re-discovering my connections with the seasons,
topography, and generally awesome mojo of this region, I undertook the project
of Brussels sprout realization.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It seems
to me, a fan of rapini, mustards, cauliflower, and any other Brassica that
passes my way that I could grow to love the sprout.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here are my findings:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">It likes the fat,
preferably swine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Duck fat and
schmaltz are good, but butter doesn’t have the heartiness for it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Olive oil is good if you want.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But why not lard?</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">They need to be cooked
thoroughly, but not to mush.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To
that end, I quarter or half them as I clean them so that all members
become approximately the same size.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This ensures even cooking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The want to be well seasoned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Brussels hate to be
blanched and shocked and view it as an insult.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you need to pre-cook them for
service, better to pre-roast, or to cook them in batches and finish them
ala minute with some fresh heat and seasoning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">They want a lot of
flavor with them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Salt them
well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They like a little acidity
and the faint slaughterhouse porkiness of cured pig parts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Black pepper, red pepper flakes, any
dry, hot chili goes well.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Don’t tell your kids
that their name is Brussels sprouts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I made this error and, if a time machine is invented in my life, I
will go back and correct that moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“Broccoli Spheres” seems like it could work.</span></li>
</ol>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial;">SPQR,
San Francisco, Summer 2007 </span></b><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Invited to attend a 3-day potato conference at the
Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in Napa Valley, I add a day at the
beginning, rent a convertible Miata, and blast around the city myself checking
out restaurants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course, San
Francisco in the summer is freezing in a convertible, but it was worth it on
the drive up the coast and across to Napa.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I stopped in at SPQR, a tapas-style Italian place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ordered a couple of small plates and a
glass of frizzante.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The mussels and warm
salad were excellent, but the fried Brussels sprouts with lemon and white
anchovies floored me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A whole new wrinkle
in sprout deliciousness!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has inspred
a sixth rule of sprouts:</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<ol start="6" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Fry them raw.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Quarter or slice them and fry them in
nice hot oil until well cooked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When you first want to pull them out, let them fry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are done when there is a lot of
delicious Brownness, some really crispy blackness, and a little residual
greenness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shake off the oil,
season quickly, and eat them before your friends see them.</span></li>
</ol>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">I hope you and yours have an awesome Brussels sprout
season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Following are two simple recipes
if you want to give it a shot.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">½<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>#<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Piece
of uncooked pancetta, diced small</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">1<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>ea.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Medium
onion</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">1<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Tbs.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Duck fat (you probably don’t have rendered
duck fat at home so use your favorite oil)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">3<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>#<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Brussels
sprouts</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">½<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>C.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>White
wine</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Black
pepper</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Salt
to taste (be careful)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Dice ham into 1/8”
dice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Be careful and use a sharp
knife as the ham has a very heavy texture in this state.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dice onion small.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Trim hard root ends
off Brussels sprouts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If they are
not small, halve or quarter.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Place pancetta in a
shallow pot. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Render.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">When rendered, scoop
out pancetta and set aside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Add
onions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Place on medium flame and
bring up to a sizzle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sauté/sweat onions
until lightly browned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Add Brussels sprouts and wine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bring to a boil and reduce to a
simmer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lightly season with pepper.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Cook with occasional
stirring until Brussels sprouts are tender and cider is evaporated (20 minutes
to half an hour).</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Season with salt only
at the end and only if necessary.</span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span>
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<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Crispy Brussels Sprouts, White Anchovies, Lemon
Vinaigrette, Parmigianino Reggiano</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 27.0pt 63.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">2<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>#<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Brussels
sprouts</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 27.0pt 63.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">12 <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>ea<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>White
anchovy filets</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 27.0pt 63.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Oil for frying </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 27.0pt 63.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Salt</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 27.0pt 63.0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Lemon Vinaigrette </span></b><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">(see below)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 27.0pt 63.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Chunk of Parmigianino
Reggiano</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 27.0pt 63.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: 27.0pt list .5in left 63.0pt; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Quarter or eighth sprouts. Discard ugly outer leaves and dark stem
tips.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: 27.0pt list .5in left 63.0pt; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Heat oil in a heavy skillet or home deep fryer to 350</span><span lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: Arial; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">۫</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">º.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fry Brussels sprouts in batches until dark
brown on leaf tips.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: 27.0pt list .5in left 63.0pt; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Lift out with a slotted spoon or round Chinese strainer and place on
paper towels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: 27.0pt list .5in left 63.0pt; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Season with a tiny bit of salt immediately after frying.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: 27.0pt list .5in left 63.0pt; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Arrange on plate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Drizzle with
vinaigrette.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Drape with anchovies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shave parm atop. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 27.0pt 63.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 27.0pt 63.0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Lemon Vinaigrette</span></b></div>
<div class="recipe" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-vertical-align-alt: auto; punctuation-wrap: hanging; tab-stops: 27.0pt .75in 63.0pt; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Zest and juice 3 lemons</span></div>
<div class="recipe" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-vertical-align-alt: auto; punctuation-wrap: hanging; tab-stops: 27.0pt .75in 63.0pt; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">1<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>ea.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Shallot minced</span></div>
<div class="recipe" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-vertical-align-alt: auto; punctuation-wrap: hanging; tab-stops: 27.0pt .75in 63.0pt; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">½ <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>C.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Extra virgin olive
oil</span></div>
<div class="recipe" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-vertical-align-alt: auto; punctuation-wrap: hanging; tab-stops: 27.0pt .75in 63.0pt; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Salt and pepper</span></div>
<div class="recipe" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-vertical-align-alt: auto; punctuation-wrap: hanging; tab-stops: 27.0pt .75in 63.0pt; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;">
<br /></div>
<div class="recipe" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; mso-vertical-align-alt: auto; punctuation-wrap: hanging; tab-stops: 27.0pt list .5in left .75in 63.0pt; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Place lemon zest and juice in a stainless steel
bowl.</span></div>
<div class="recipe" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; mso-vertical-align-alt: auto; punctuation-wrap: hanging; tab-stops: 27.0pt list .5in left .75in 63.0pt; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Whisk in extra virgin olive oil.</span></div>
<div class="recipe" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; mso-vertical-align-alt: auto; punctuation-wrap: hanging; tab-stops: 27.0pt list .5in left .75in 63.0pt; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Season with salt and pepper. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Bill Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14993089347385713202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37939827998008357.post-50844523565962118882012-01-12T16:45:00.000-05:002012-01-12T16:45:18.535-05:00New Year's Eve, Cops in The Kitchen<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <style>
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</style></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;">New Year’ Eve first appears in my memory as the sounds of cops in the kitchen. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;">I wake up on the couch, TV going and the ball already dropped.<span> </span>The kitchen light is on and there are men's voices, barely muted for sleeping children and sleepy wife.<span> </span>I get up and wander out to the clatter of cuffs and creak of thick belts.<span> </span>Four or five policemen are standing there, my father one of them, loading plates with pork and sauerkraut from the oval aluminum crock from the oven.<span> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;">They take great bites, bits of kraut hanging in mustaches trimmed sharply above the lip.<span> </span>Conversation is small, centered on discussion of the events of the night.<span> </span>Smells of cigarettes, black leather, and Old Spice foul the sweet roasting softness. Bright yellow walls, color chosen to compliment Sears oak veneer cabinets and just-lighter-than-Army-green appliances, serves only to increase their presence. The color can barely get around the negative space the consume.<span> </span>They all have guns, billy-clubs and saps, hanging by my face. <span> </span>I wonder at them, whether they get used, and why and how.<span> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;">They eat quickly, in good humor, pile their plates in the sink.<span> </span>They thank my mother, the more familiar of them hug her, and they all head back out on duty.<span> </span>I can’t remember if any of them noticed me.<span> </span>They have been in the house maybe five minutes.<span> </span>In the stillness after they leave Mom shuts off the TV and ushers us to bed.<span> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;">Pork and sauerkraut is my tradition for the first food to be eaten in the new year.<span> </span>It is eaten to bring luck in the coming year.<span> </span>Both my Father’s side (Polish, Stanislaw Okinski became Stanley Fuller on Ellis Island) and Mother’s side (Maiden name Zemak,<span> </span>Pennsylvania Dutch which means German) follow the tradition and until long after I left home did I believe that every person did the same thing.<span> </span>Pork roast, cook long and low, with kraut and sometimes potatoes added later in the process.<span> </span>In some families, sausage would be added, or even take the place of the roast.<span> </span>I had no Italian friends (they lived in different neighborhoods than we), missing the delicious love of the Seven Fishes until I moved to Pittsburgh at age 27.<span> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;">My father was a police officer in DuBois when I was a child.<span> </span>He invited all the local police, City as well as from outlying Sandy Township, and the few Staties with which he was friendly, to stop by our house for pork and kraut.<span> </span>Police cars would fill little dead-end Burt Street, and everyone would hope for a better new year in that tiny kitchen.<span> </span>We kids would have some too, a little bit before bed then full steaming plates for lunch the next day, added insurance I suppose. Seemed to work for me.<span> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;">I still keep the faith.<span> </span>And, like Steeler fandom, I am devoutly indoctrinating my kids. Attached is a good approximation of my recipe (family cooking lost to us already).<span> </span>Start it at 6, you’ll be sure it will be ready by midnight.<span> </span>And if you are working, as I and many of my friends will be, share it with your co-workers.<span> </span>They need the luck too.<span> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span> </span></span></div><div align="left" class="MsoBodyText" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pork and Sauerkraut</span></div><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><div align="left" class="MsoBodyText" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">I make pork and sauerkraut every New Years Eve make sure that there is a batch in the corner of an oven at the restaurant as well as in my house.<span> </span>Everyone needs the good luck it brings to eat pork and sauerkraut for the first meal in the new year.</span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: small;">1<span> </span>ea.<span> </span>5-7# piece bone-in pork butt</span></div><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: small;">½<span> </span><span> </span>C.<span> </span>Brown sugar</span></div><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: small;">½ <span> </span>C.<span> </span>Salt</span></div><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: small;">½<span> </span>C.<span> </span>Black pepper</span></div><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: small;">2-3 <span> </span>Tbs <span> </span>Dried thyme</span></div><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: small;">1<span> </span>ea.<span> </span>12 oz dark beer, Porter or Stout</span></div><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: small;">3-4<span> </span>C.<span> </span>Cider</span></div><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: small;">At least 2 # sauerkraut</span></div><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: small;">2-3 <span> </span># <span> </span>All-pork sausage, hopefully Serbian Kielbassa, cut into 1” chunks.</span></div><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><div align="left" class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span>1.<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;">Mix sugar, salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl.</span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><div align="left" class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span>2.<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;">Place pork butt in a deep baking dish with room around.<span> </span>Rub cure mix into meat on all sides. Place in baking dish with fat side up.<span> </span>Let pork butt cure in refrigerator overnight.</span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><div align="left" class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span>3.<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;">Scrape excess seasoning from pork butt.<span> </span>Remove pork butt from dish.<span> </span>Rinse dish.</span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><div align="left" class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span>4.<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;">Return pork to baking dish fat side up.<span> </span>Season top well with dried thyme.<span> </span></span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><div align="left" class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span>5.<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;">Pour beer and cider around pork.<span> </span>Cover and place in a 325</span><span style="color: black;">°</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"> oven for 4-6 hours. The pork butt is ready when the bone pulls out of the meat easily.</span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><div align="left" class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span>6.<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;">Add kraut and kielbasa.<span> </span>Allow to cook for another 30 minutes.</span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><div align="left" class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span>7.<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;">Eat at 12:01 January 1 for good luck all year.</span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><br />
</div><span style="font-size: small;"><span><br />
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"> </span>Bill Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14993089347385713202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37939827998008357.post-69263614408767896932011-11-21T23:46:00.000-05:002011-11-21T23:46:35.461-05:00It's another Tequila Sunrise...<style>
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 27.0pt 63.0pt; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“Not Thanksgiving At All” Steak and Jalapeno Quesadilla</span></b></div><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span></b> <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 27.0pt 63.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">The morning after Thanksgiving I have no desire to eat the leftovers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the end of Thanksgiving evening, I have spent a great portion of discussing, planning, shopping for, cooking, and complaining about the dinner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My skin smells like stuffing, turkey repels me, and I drank probably half a bathtub of Beaujolais Nouveau and whatever Alsatian-style whites Jen, my sister-in-law with exactly the same tastes in wine as I have, has brought.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The film coating the kitchen matches the film over my eyes, and as I start the coffee, I think about brunch.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 27.0pt 63.0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 27.0pt 63.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">In addition to shopping for the big day with all its Brussels sprouts, flour, and butter nonsense, I throw a couple of items in the cart so I can start my day after the Day consuming completely differently tasting food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This year, I will be making a little item I developed while opening Mad Mex # 11 in Willow Grove, PA (Philly suburb).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 27.0pt 63.0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 27.0pt 63.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Most non-restaurant people don’t know that it is eminently important to drink until the wee hours after the first real day of business at a new restaurant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It builds camaraderie and relieves stress after that 18-hour day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The best part is arriving back at work the second real day of business after four hours of sleep to attack another 18-hour day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To celebrate surviving this long, stressful, and hung-over day, it is again important to drink tequila until the wee hours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 27.0pt 63.0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 27.0pt 63.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">The Sunday morning after these two long opening days greeted us with the inconsiderate feature of a brilliantly sunny morning and a lot of work to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The opening team needed inspiration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was important that I make a rich, flavorful, greasy breakfast that was achievable with the ingredients on hand yet did not really taste like Mad Mex food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I grabbed a flat of eggs, an onion, some jalapenos, and some flank steak and got to work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The following is a reconstruction of what occurred that morning.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: -1.25in; tab-stops: 27.0pt 63.0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: -1.25in; tab-stops: 27.0pt 63.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">1<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>#<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Flank steak</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: -1.25in; tab-stops: 27.0pt 63.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">1<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Tbs.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Dijon mustard</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: -1.25in; tab-stops: 27.0pt 63.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">1<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Tbs.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Salt</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: -1.25in; tab-stops: 27.0pt 63.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">2<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Tbsp. <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Olive oil</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: -1.25in; tab-stops: 27.0pt 63.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">½<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>ea.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Stick of butter</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: -1.25in; tab-stops: 27.0pt 63.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">1<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>C.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Medium sliced raw onion</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: -1.25in; tab-stops: 27.0pt 63.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">1-4 <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>ea.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Jalapenos, sliced into rings</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: -1.25in; tab-stops: 27.0pt 63.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">1<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Tbsp.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Mexican Oregano, dried</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: -1.25in; tab-stops: 27.0pt 63.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">2<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>tsp.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Cumin, ground</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: -1.25in; tab-stops: 27.0pt 63.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">2<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>tsp. <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Salt</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: -1.25in; tab-stops: 27.0pt 63.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">8 <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>ea.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Eggs</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: -1.25in; tab-stops: 27.0pt 63.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">More butter</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: -1.25in; tab-stops: 27.0pt 63.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">4<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>ea.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>10” flour tortillas</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: -1.25in; tab-stops: 27.0pt 63.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">1<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>C.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Shredded Monterrey Jack Cheese</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: -1.25in; tab-stops: 27.0pt 63.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Salt and pepper</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: -1.25in; tab-stops: 27.0pt 63.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Guacamole</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: -1.25in; tab-stops: 27.0pt 63.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Sour Cream</span></div><div class="recipe" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-vertical-align-alt: auto; punctuation-wrap: hanging; tab-stops: 27.0pt list .5in left .75in 63.0pt; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Prepare </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Guacamole</span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Reserve.</span><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></div><div class="recipe" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-vertical-align-alt: auto; punctuation-wrap: hanging; tab-stops: 27.0pt list .5in left .75in 63.0pt; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Place steak in a bowl.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Add mustard, olive oil, and salt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Allow to marinate.</span><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></div><div class="recipe" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-vertical-align-alt: auto; punctuation-wrap: hanging; tab-stops: 27.0pt list .5in left .75in 63.0pt; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Heat cast iron skillet over high heat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sear steak until crusty on the outside and a gentle medium in the center, about 140</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Lucida Grande";">°.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Set aside and allow to rest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Return skillet to heat.</span></div><div class="recipe" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-vertical-align-alt: auto; punctuation-wrap: hanging; tab-stops: 27.0pt list .5in left .75in 63.0pt; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">While steak is cooking, melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Add onions, peppers, oregano, cumin, and salt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cook with stirring until onions soften but do not become soggy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></div><div class="recipe" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-vertical-align-alt: auto; punctuation-wrap: hanging; tab-stops: 27.0pt list .5in left .75in 63.0pt; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Heat comal (flat cast iron skillet).</span></div><div class="recipe" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-vertical-align-alt: auto; punctuation-wrap: hanging; tab-stops: 27.0pt list .5in left .75in 63.0pt; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Slice beef across the grain.</span></div><div class="recipe" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-vertical-align-alt: auto; punctuation-wrap: hanging; tab-stops: 27.0pt .75in 63.0pt; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;"><br />
</div><div class="recipe" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-vertical-align-alt: auto; punctuation-wrap: hanging; tab-stops: 27.0pt list .5in left .75in 63.0pt; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">In skillet, add a generous knob of butter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Crack 2 eggs into the pan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you desire, poke the yolks so that they cook solid.</span></div><div class="recipe" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-vertical-align-alt: auto; punctuation-wrap: hanging; tab-stops: 27.0pt list .5in left .75in 63.0pt; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">While eggs are cooking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Place a tortilla on the comal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sprinkle with cheese.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Allow to melt.</span></div><div class="recipe" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-vertical-align-alt: auto; punctuation-wrap: hanging; tab-stops: 27.0pt list .5in left .75in 63.0pt; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Place onion and pepper mixture across half the tortilla.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Add some beef.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Add two eggs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="recipe" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-vertical-align-alt: auto; punctuation-wrap: hanging; tab-stops: 27.0pt list .5in left .75in 63.0pt; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">10)</span></span><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Fold and remove from the griddle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cut into thirds and serve with guacamole and sour cream.</span></div><div class="recipe" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-vertical-align-alt: auto; punctuation-wrap: hanging; tab-stops: 27.0pt list .5in left .75in 63.0pt; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">11)</span></span><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Repeat steps 7 – 10 until everyone is fed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hopefully, one of these bums will have made you a Tequila Sunrise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sip it as you cook.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: -1.25in; tab-stops: 27.0pt 63.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Guacamole</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: -1.25in; tab-stops: 27.0pt 63.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">3<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>ea.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Avocados</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: -1.25in; tab-stops: 27.0pt 63.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Juice of 2-3 limes</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: -1.25in; tab-stops: 27.0pt 63.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">1 <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>ea.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Large clove garlic grated on a microplane grater</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: -1.25in; tab-stops: 27.0pt 63.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">¼<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>C.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Chopped Cilantro</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: -1.25in; tab-stops: 27.0pt 63.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">1-2<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>ea.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Diced ripe tomatoes</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: -1.25in; tab-stops: 27.0pt 63.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Salt and Pepper to taste</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="recipe" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; mso-vertical-align-alt: auto; punctuation-wrap: hanging; tab-stops: 27.0pt list .5in left .75in 63.0pt; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Peel, seed, and dice avocados</span></div><div class="recipe" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; mso-vertical-align-alt: auto; punctuation-wrap: hanging; tab-stops: 27.0pt list .5in left .75in 63.0pt; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Add everything else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Adjust seasonings.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: -1.25in; tab-stops: 27.0pt .5in 63.0pt 1.0in;"><br />
</div>Bill Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14993089347385713202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37939827998008357.post-36287273815766596212011-11-16T10:34:00.000-05:002011-11-16T10:34:45.242-05:00You Too Can Write a Book Review!John Allison of the Post Gazette asked me to write a review of Adam Gopnik's newest book, "The Table Comes First: Family, France, and the Meaning of Food" Sweet! Nothing more fun for an amateur writer than to criticize in print a professional writer! When I got the book, the first advance copy I of my life, anxiety set in. "I agreed to read this book, intelligently assess it, and deliver an engaging written review. All in a reasonable amount of time." <br />
<br />
Turns out, getting the book read presented the biggest challenges. Two active young children, a busy and growing restaurant company, a professional spouse, and silly things like friends and sleep all conspired to keep me from finishing the book. After getting through a dozen or so pages over the course of three nights reading in bed, I switched to reading on the couch. I covered more ground but at the cost of having to drag myself up to bed at 4 AM. <br />
<br />
John would send gentle e-mails, checking on my progress. Still not much past halfway through the book, I assured him that the review was progressing well and I just needed to do a little more work. I assume that this little lie to an editor surprises nobody. I look forward to a time in my life where I have an opportunity to deliver immense lies camouflaging catastrophic delays to a really powerful and frightening editor. <br />
<br />
Finally I finished. I mostly dug the book. In reading it I saw the reflection of a lot of my thoughts on current and future food trends. Gopnik's dissertation on the birth of the modern restaurant out of the same social changes that drove the French Revolution engaged me.<br />
<br />
But most of all, I developed an incredible jealousy of his life. How is it possible? Traveling the world, dining at brilliant restaurants, cooking for his family in NYC, chatting with hot French food revolutionaries like <a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/zoereyners">Zoe Reyners</a>, being brilliant and well-educated, and seeming to have a blast at it all. Amazing! By what accident of birth did I miss that all?<br />
<br />
Anyhow, here's the review. I haven't seen a check for it. When I get it, if I get it, I plan to use it all to buy Cognac.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11310/1187465-148.stm">Gopnik Review</a>Bill Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14993089347385713202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37939827998008357.post-38563449951915097702011-10-11T21:17:00.003-04:002011-10-11T21:28:26.246-04:00Discovered While Cleaning the Attic<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQC2EnskQKV1V5m24hpgP7sM8hqcq7gANIIzRxIjo0AY5e1-6hRBxR8kw7UslihHsKUjUvRPEs-CSZ986iweXrbtmDnbNsvKGkt5fHXlkCXvnie3bCQ1haVYw0M3w8GK19TOS_YpKV3qQ/s1600/Carrier+of+the+year2.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 218px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQC2EnskQKV1V5m24hpgP7sM8hqcq7gANIIzRxIjo0AY5e1-6hRBxR8kw7UslihHsKUjUvRPEs-CSZ986iweXrbtmDnbNsvKGkt5fHXlkCXvnie3bCQ1haVYw0M3w8GK19TOS_YpKV3qQ/s400/Carrier+of+the+year2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5662410553173621778" border="0" /></a><br />I delivered papers as a boy, beginning at age 10 with a route of 29 customers and quitting right before I turned 16 with somwhere over 140 - all the customers that got the Courier Express in my small home town of FallsCreek, PA. I amassed this formidable empire by absorbing the other paper routes as kids got sick of them. Sure, I spent hours after school (evening route) trudging through slush while avoiding the group of thugs that resided across town. Of course I smelled like ink every day, and my hands were stained black. But I had cash, free flowing tip money. And when those Christmas cards started showing up, look out!<br /><br />Here I am pictured with my younger brother, whose route I absorbed soon after this picture was taken, paper domination global.<br /><br />If you can read the text, I'd like to inform you that while Chuck still digs motorcycles and I, obviously, continue to be an amateur writer, we have moved past our shared interest in D+D.Bill Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14993089347385713202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37939827998008357.post-22492014673832962392011-09-29T10:26:00.000-04:002011-09-29T10:27:02.015-04:00From last October's newsletter<style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Arial; panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536859905 -1073711037 9 0 511 0;} @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:10.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} --> </style> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial">October 2010</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial">“Never Give an Inch”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial">My favorite novels are ones that tell stories of passionate and alienated anti-heroes trapped on a quest of their own design.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Single-mindedly pursuing a ridiculous goal whose purpose lies in opposition to all their best interests, they neglect everything except that which is eminently material to the cause.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The goal is true, and noble, and there is no question that it must be achieved.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>On the Path, those of lesser vision fall to the side, or are discarded.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Great personal injuries occur, often leading to death at the fulfillment of the quest, or just before.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But most of all, our hero’s wracked torture as he watches everything close stripped from him, trailing away in fish-eyed confusion, broken and torn by his mission, is the meat that keeps me turning the page.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>“Will he come to the conclusion that he is wasting everything?”<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>“Will he die in his pursuit?”<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>“Is there any compromise that he can fashion to achieve his truth and stay human?”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial">Unfortunately, in life, things do not get tidily wrapped up in 427 pages.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The hero rarely gets to give everything for the one true holy thing.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>There are PTA meetings to attend, spouses and children, and it’s nice to keep a friend or two in pocket.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>This dilemma, the fractured interface of<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>the ideal of the perfect restaurant with the compromise of reality, is where we, the Chefs, find ourselves.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We believe in our vision; for the dish, for the concept, for the kitchen, for the restaurant.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And the requirements of our trade make sacrifice a fundamental theme.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We truly bleed for the craft, and sacrifice our backs and friends and weekends, and thrive in a milieu where the truest yardsticks are pain.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>How many hours spent over the stove, how wickedly scarring the burns, and how many screaming attacks survived are strung like black and jagged pearls along life’s string. The quest strips us, breaks us, isolates us, and we follow it through the darkness for our light at the end.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial">But the light is never to be found.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Every day begins anew.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>No matter what the achievement of yesterday; covers served, excellent sauce, perfect medium rare, rocking service, today winds a new clock and sets it to tick.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Yesterday’s masterpiece is gone, washed down with wine into the organic soup of life.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Today we begin anew to bang nature’s raw products into form and flavor to please our eyes and tongues. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>When finished, they fly from us, never returning as we turn to the next plate. And so go the days and weeks and seasons and years, continually trying to accomplish the goal of assembling perfection amid the erratic beauty of this earth.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The stone is rolled up, </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial">But we believe that we can.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>That we will.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>That we HAVE to.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And that if you don’t like it, then f__k off and go away and leave us to our mission.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Because if you can’t be there with me, then I’ll do it myself.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And for the hours of sweating, cursing, and screaming, we find the occasional bits of beauty and that keeps us moving forward.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial">That, and off color butternut squash humor.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial">But there is no redemption.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>A good chef believes that he or she is right, completely and without question.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And this right needs not be questioned.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>To competently lead a disparate group of young men and women into the stressful pressures and conditions of service, they must be prepared to execute the commands of the chef.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>To question, to disobey, is to slow down the machine and break the flow.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And without the flow, there is chaos.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And chaos is the enemy of the restaurant.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Only by applying incredible organization and control can the endless details of the evening’s dinner service be executed.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial">Chefs are jerks by definition.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>A chef is an egotistic creative control freak, usually with a neatness fixation.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He has little patience for fools and no time for drama.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Play your part, carry the weight, and step in line.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>This does not make for a great personal life as these traits carry into relationships with friends and family.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Even with other restaurant people, the chef is alone.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Between the competition with other chefs (don’t even try to deny it, every last one of you), the master/student relationship with the cooks, and the flirty yet distrustful connection to the servers, there is a quiet place where the Chef sits alone, even in the center of the room.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial"> </span></p> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">But we have no choice and love it.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We grow, and adjust, and develop some ability to step back from the quest and breathe</span>Bill Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14993089347385713202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37939827998008357.post-72296746170599406852011-09-21T23:15:00.002-04:002011-09-21T23:19:39.746-04:00Stone Soup for Chef in the GardenMaking this on PGH Today Live in the AM (9/22/11) then 10 more times for kids @ Dilworth Traditional Academy for Chef in the Garden Thursday and Friday. I love the story and can't wait to tell it! Sharing, community, working together, and just a little sneakiness.<br /><br /> <style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Arial; panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536859905 -1073711037 9 0 511 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} p.MsoBodyText, li.MsoBodyText, div.MsoBodyText {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-link:"Body Text Char"; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center; line-height:150%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; font-weight:bold;} span.BodyTextChar {mso-style-name:"Body Text Char"; mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-locked:yes; mso-style-link:"Body Text"; mso-ansi-font-size:12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt; font-weight:bold;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:10.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} /* List Definitions */ @list l0 {mso-list-id:1169367028; mso-list-type:hybrid; mso-list-template-ids:36338024 67698703 67698713 67698715 67698703 67698713 67698715 67698703 67698713 67698715;} @list l0:level1 {mso-level-tab-stop:none; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in;} @list l0:level2 {mso-level-number-format:alpha-lower; mso-level-tab-stop:1.0in; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in;} @list l0:level3 {mso-level-number-format:roman-lower; mso-level-tab-stop:1.5in; mso-level-number-position:right; text-indent:-9.0pt;} @list l0:level4 {mso-level-tab-stop:2.0in; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in;} @list l0:level5 {mso-level-number-format:alpha-lower; mso-level-tab-stop:2.5in; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in;} @list l0:level6 {mso-level-number-format:roman-lower; mso-level-tab-stop:3.0in; mso-level-number-position:right; text-indent:-9.0pt;} @list l0:level7 {mso-level-tab-stop:3.5in; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in;} @list l0:level8 {mso-level-number-format:alpha-lower; mso-level-tab-stop:4.0in; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in;} @list l0:level9 {mso-level-number-format:roman-lower; mso-level-tab-stop:4.5in; mso-level-number-position:right; text-indent:-9.0pt;} ol {margin-bottom:0in;} ul {margin-bottom:0in;} --> </style> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="mso-outline-level:1;tab-stops:.5in"><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Stone Soup</span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="text-align:left;tab-stops:.5in 45.0pt" align="left"><span style="font-family:Helvetica;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica;color:#1037A5"> </span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="text-align:left;tab-stops:.5in 45.0pt" align="left"><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";font-weight: normal">1<span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>ea.<span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>Stone, clean and hopefully sterilized</span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="text-align:left;tab-stops:.5in 45.0pt" align="left"><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";font-weight: normal">2<span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>#<span style="mso-tab-count:2"> </span>Potatoes, diced</span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="text-align:left;tab-stops:.5in 45.0pt" align="left"><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";font-weight: normal">1<span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>C.<span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>Lentils</span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="text-align:left;tab-stops:.5in 45.0pt" align="left"><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";font-weight: normal">2<span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>ea.<span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>Bay leaves</span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="text-align:left;tab-stops:.5in 45.0pt" align="left"><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";font-weight: normal">1<span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>C.<span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>Diced onion</span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="text-align:left;tab-stops:.5in 45.0pt" align="left"><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";font-weight: normal">1<span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>C.<span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>Diced carrot</span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="text-align:left;tab-stops:.5in 45.0pt" align="left"><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";font-weight: normal">1<span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>C.<span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>Diced Celery</span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="text-align:left;tab-stops:.5in 45.0pt" align="left"><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";font-weight: normal">3<span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>ea.<span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>Garlic cloves, sliced</span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="text-align:left;tab-stops:.5in 45.0pt" align="left"><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";font-weight: normal">1<span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>ea.<span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>Small bunch greens (mustard, kale, chard, sliced/chopped)</span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="text-align:left;tab-stops:.5in 45.0pt" align="left"><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";font-weight: normal">2<span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>C.<span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>Green beans snipped and cut</span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="text-align:left;tab-stops:.5in 45.0pt" align="left"><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";font-weight: normal">4<span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>C.<span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>Diced tomatoes</span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="text-align:left;tab-stops:.5in 45.0pt" align="left"><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";font-weight: normal">1<span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>C.<span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>fresh cut corn</span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="text-align:left;tab-stops:.5in 45.0pt" align="left"><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";font-weight: normal">Whatever fresh herbs are available</span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="text-align:left;tab-stops:.5in 45.0pt" align="left"><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";font-weight: normal">Olive oil</span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="text-align:left;tab-stops:.5in 45.0pt" align="left"><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";font-weight: normal">Salt and pepper, very important</span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="text-align:left;tab-stops:.5in 45.0pt" align="left"><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";font-weight: normal">Splash of olive oil.</span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="text-align: left;" align="left"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal;">1<span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>ea.<span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>Baguette, cut into chunks</span></p><p class="MsoBodyText" style="text-align:left;tab-stops:.5in 45.0pt" align="left"><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";font-weight: normal"><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;line-height:150%;tab-stops:.5in 1.0in"><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> </span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-left:.5in;text-align:left; text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:.5in" align="left"><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:Arial;font-weight:normal"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">1.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";font-weight:normal">Place stone in pot.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Cover with water and season well with salt and pepper.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Perform this act in full view of poor, hungry villagers.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-left:.5in;text-align:left; text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:.5in" align="left"><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:Arial;font-weight:normal"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">2.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";font-weight:normal">Make a fire.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Begin heating pot on fire.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>When first villager comes to question, describe the soup that you are making and that it would be delicious if only you had a few potatoes.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>When villager brings potatoes, dice them and add them.</span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-left:.5in;text-align:left; text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:.5in" align="left"><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:Arial;font-weight:normal"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">3.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";font-weight:normal">When second villager arrives, describe how you are making Stone Soup and that it will be delicious, and that all you need is a few lentils.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>When villager brings them, add to soup. (Be careful to inspect the lentils for rocks before adding.)</span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-left:.5in;text-align:left; text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:.5in" align="left"><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:Arial;font-weight:normal"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">4.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";font-weight:normal">Continue to suggest ingredients as villagers arrive.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Add in sequence.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Allow pot to simmer all the while.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Chat with villagers. Relax around the fire.</span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-left:.5in;text-align:left; text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:.5in" align="left"><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:Arial;font-weight:normal"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">5.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";font-weight:normal">Stir occasionally.</span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-left:.5in;text-align:left; text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:.5in" align="left"><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:Arial;font-weight:normal"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">6.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";font-weight:normal">When olive oil and fresh herbs have been added, remove from fire. Ask if anyone has a stale chunk of bread.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Cut it up to fit in bowls.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Pour soup over bread.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Serve everyone!</span></p>Bill Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14993089347385713202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37939827998008357.post-38181422268041573222011-09-07T21:26:00.000-04:002011-09-07T21:27:15.120-04:00Grilled Hanger Steak, Fresh Creamed Corn, Warm Green Bean Salad with Pancetta Vinaigrette<style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Arial; panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536859905 -1073711037 9 0 511 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} h1 {mso-style-unhide:no; 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text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:.5in" align="left"><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:Arial;font-weight:normal"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">1.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";font-weight:normal">Make </span><span style="font-family: Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Pancetta Vinaigrette</span><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; font-weight:normal">.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Hold warm.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Reserve extra rendered pancetta</span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-left:.5in;text-align:left; text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:.5in" align="left"><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:Arial;font-weight:normal"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">2.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";font-weight:normal">Make </span><span style="font-family: Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Fresh Creamed Corn</span><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; font-weight:normal">.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Hold warm and covered.</span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-left:.5in;text-align:left; text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:.5in" align="left"><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:Arial;font-weight:normal"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">3.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";font-weight:normal">Preheat grill.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-left:.5in;text-align:left; text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:.5in" align="left"><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:Arial;font-weight:normal"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">4.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";font-weight:normal">Blot steaks dry.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Lightly rub with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Grill to a nice medium rare.</span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-left:.5in;text-align:left; text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:.5in" align="left"><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:Arial;font-weight:normal"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">5.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";font-weight:normal">Allow steaks to rest for 10 minutes.</span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-left:.5in;text-align:left; text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:.5in" align="left"><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:Arial;font-weight:normal"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">6.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";font-weight:normal">Place beans in bowl. Drizzle with warm </span><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Pancetta Vinaigrette</span><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";font-weight:normal">.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Toss in arugula. Adjust salt and pepper.</span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-left:.5in;text-align:left; text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:.5in" align="left"><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:Arial;font-weight:normal"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">7.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";font-weight:normal">Check creamed corn for seasoning and consistency.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Adjust the latter with a little water if necessary.</span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-left:.5in;text-align:left; text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:.5in" align="left"><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:Arial;font-weight:normal"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">8.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";font-weight:normal">Slice steak.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Place a pool of creamed corn in the center of the plate.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Fan steak over corn.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Drape warm bean salad over the top.</span></p> <h1 style="line-height:150%;tab-stops:27.0pt .75in 63.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:Arial"> </span></h1> <h1 style="line-height:150%;tab-stops:27.0pt .75in 63.0pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:Arial">Pancetta Vinaigrette</span></h1> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%;tab-stops:27.0pt .75in 63.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">¼<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>C. <span style="mso-tab-count:2"> </span>Rice vinegar</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%;tab-stops:27.0pt .75in 63.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">¼ <span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>C. <span style="mso-tab-count:2"> </span>Red wine vinegar</span></p> <p class="recipe" style="line-height:150%;tab-stops:27.0pt 63.0pt"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Arial">¼ <span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>C. <span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>Balsamic vinegar</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%;tab-stops:27.0pt .75in 63.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">½<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>C. <span style="mso-tab-count:2"> </span>Diced, rendered pancetta</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%;tab-stops:27.0pt .75in 63.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">1 <span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>ea. <span style="mso-tab-count:2"> </span>Shallots minced</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%;tab-stops:27.0pt .75in 63.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">2 <span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>Tbs. <span style="mso-tab-count:2"> </span>Picked fresh thyme</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%;tab-stops:27.0pt .75in 63.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">Zest and juice of 2 lemons</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%;tab-stops:27.0pt .75in 63.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">1 <span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>Tbs. <span style="mso-tab-count:2"> </span>Sugar</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%;tab-stops:27.0pt .75in 63.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">½<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>C. <span style="mso-tab-count:2"> </span>Rendered pancetta fat, warm</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%;tab-stops:27.0pt .75in 63.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">½<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>C. <span style="mso-tab-count:2"> </span>Extra Virgin Olive Oil</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:1.0in;text-indent:-.25in;line-height: 150%;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo3;tab-stops:27.0pt .75in 63.0pt list 1.0in"><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:Arial"><span style="mso-list: Ignore">1)<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><span style="font-family:Arial">Combine all ingredients in blender, except for pancetta fat and olive oil. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:1.0in;text-indent:-.25in;line-height: 150%;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo3;tab-stops:27.0pt .75in 63.0pt list 1.0in"><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:Arial"><span style="mso-list: Ignore">2)<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><span style="font-family:Arial">Start blender and slowly drizzle in oil and fat to emulsify. Season to taste with salt and pepper.</span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="text-align:left;tab-stops:.5in 45.0pt" align="left"><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"> </span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="text-align:left;tab-stops:.5in 45.0pt" align="left"><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Fresh Creamed Corn</span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="text-align:left;tab-stops:.5in 45.0pt" align="left"><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";font-weight: normal">6<span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>ea.<span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>Ears corn</span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="text-align:left;tab-stops:.5in 45.0pt" align="left"><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";font-weight: normal">1<span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>tbs.<span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>Chopped fresh thyme</span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="text-align:left;tab-stops:.5in 45.0pt" align="left"><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";font-weight: normal">salt and pepper</span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="text-align:left;tab-stops:.5in 45.0pt" align="left"><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";font-weight: normal">up to a ½ C. water</span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="text-align:left;tab-stops:.5in 45.0pt" align="left"><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";font-weight: normal">3<span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>Tbs.<span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>Whole butter</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-left:.5in;text-align:left; text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2;tab-stops:.5in" align="left"><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:Arial;font-weight:normal"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">1.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";font-weight:normal">Cut corn off cobs with a knife.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>After cutting off corn, scrape cobs with the edge of the knife</span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-left:.5in;text-align:left; text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2;tab-stops:.5in" align="left"><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:Arial;font-weight:normal"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">2.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";font-weight:normal">Place all corn and liquid into a skillet.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Add thyme.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Bring to a simmer.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-left:.5in;text-align:left; text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2;tab-stops:.5in" align="left"><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:Arial;font-weight:normal"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">3.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";font-weight:normal">Season well with salt and pepper.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Adjust constancy with water if necessary.</span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-left:.25in;text-align:left; tab-stops:.5in" align="left"><span style="font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; font-weight:normal"> </span></p>Bill Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14993089347385713202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37939827998008357.post-56420200273696119492011-05-24T14:12:00.004-04:002011-05-24T14:59:02.240-04:00Pork, the New PinkThe USDA has finally <a href="http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/NR_052411_01/index.asp">realized</a> that whole muscle pork meat is safe at temperatures much lower than those previously reported. From a very well done 160 degrees down to an acceptable 145 with a three minute rest. I can eat this. <br /><br />This new guideline defies the tenets of Central Pennsylvainia pork chop cookery. Pork chops, the thin ones on sale at Riverside Market, are seasoned, floured, and fried, well, on two sides until the juices run clear. Grandma shingles them into her Pyrex dish and covers them with a can of Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup. She pops this in her oven and lets it braise until bubbly. Mmm. I remember this meal being served with unseasoned canned green beans (that actually tasted good with the pork chop/mushroom soup "gravy") and steamed rice. Chew chew.<br /><br />Grilled pork chops, another delicious dish. Unseasoned, unoiled, and sometimes undefrosted, the chops land on the screaming hot grill. They cook until bowing off the grill. By this point the chops are cooked pretty much through. We turn 'em now, allowing the second side to cook. Now exhausted, bowed into bowls from the tension of the silverskin, holding the last drops of desperate final juices, the chops are allowed to cook "the rest of the way". Luckily for all of us, grilled pork chops necessitate runny macaroni (not pasta) salad. Miracle Whip replaces the juices and flavor lost to fear.<br /><br />Trichinosis nearly eradicated, incidence of bacteria inside whole muscle meat gone, the USDA awakens from its torpor to proclaim it safe to properly cook the muscle from the top of the pig. I imagine the joy at this news in Punxatawney.<br /><br />"Mom, you mean we can have pork chops that don't suck the saliva out of our cheeks?" <br /><br />A new day for America.Bill Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14993089347385713202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37939827998008357.post-31377537989444500782011-05-11T11:45:00.000-04:002011-05-11T11:49:20.360-04:00Feeding Hungry People With My FeetTomorrow morning, I'll be on Pittsburgh Today Live. I'll be talking about the upcoming Pittsburgh Marathon and how big Burrito has promoted it among the staff. We are sponsoring 44 employees to enter, from first time half marathon walkers to full marathon runners hoping to qualify for Boston. There are relay teams galore as well as a number of chefs out to run the half. Danielle Cain, Sean Ehland, and myself will all be running the half. We all expect to die.<br /><br />In addition to promoting health and general well-being among our teams, we are raising money for the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. Transforming, as it is, the fat calories on our butts into food calories on the plates of out less fortunate friends and neighbors. We have established a website for giving; <span style="text-decoration: underline;">big Burrito's Donation Site</span><a href="http://www.active.com/donate/bigB/billfuller"></a>. Please take a moment and drop a few bucks on the hungry. I'd like to raise a total of $5,000 company-wide. We have exceeded the half way point but can use all the help we can get.<br /><br />In case you are curious, I'll be cooking a pasta dish in the morning, Fresh Ricotta Cavatelli with Asparagus, Chicken, add A Lot of Fresh Herbs From My Garden. I'll be on the show first thing @ 9 AM, so tune in quickly. <br /><br />Oh, and I'll be on air in the hot, new big Burrito Marathon shirt. And shorts.<br /><br />BTW, here's the recipe:<br /><br /> <style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Arial; panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536859905 -1073711037 9 0 511 0;} @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-520092929 1073786111 9 0 415 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} h2 {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; 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tab-stops:27.0pt .75in 63.0pt;mso-layout-grid-align:auto;punctuation-wrap:hanging; text-autospace:ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;mso-vertical-align-alt:auto"><span style="mso-bidi-line-height:150%;font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-mso-bidi-font-weight:boldfont-family:Arial;font-size:12.0pt;" >1<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span>#<span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span><b>Ricotta Cavatelli </b></span><span style="mso-bidi-line-height:150%; font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;font-size:12.0pt;" >(See below)</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%;tab-stops:27.0pt .75in 63.0pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;" >3-4 <span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>Tbs.<span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>Olive oil</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%;tab-stops:27.0pt .75in 63.0pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;" >4<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span>ea.<span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>Small chicken breasts</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%;tab-stops:27.0pt .75in 63.0pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;" >3-4 <span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>ea.<span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>Small, young carrots, sliced thinly<span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%;tab-stops:27.0pt .75in 63.0pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;" >3-4 <span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>ea.<span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>Cloves garlic shaved thinly</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%;tab-stops:27.0pt .75in 63.0pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;" >2<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span>#<span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>Asparagus, cut into 1” chunks</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%;tab-stops:27.0pt .75in 63.0pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;" >zest of 1 lemon, julienned thinly or zested</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%;tab-stops:27.0pt .75in 63.0pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;" >juice of 2 lemons</span></p> <p class="recipe" style="margin-left:27.0pt;text-indent:-27.0pt;line-height:150%; tab-stops:27.0pt .75in 63.0pt;mso-layout-grid-align:auto;punctuation-wrap:hanging; text-autospace:ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;mso-vertical-align-alt:auto"><span style="mso-bidi-line-height:150%;font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-mso-bidi-font-weight:boldfont-family:Arial;font-size:12.0pt;" >2-3<span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>Tbs.<span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>Fresh oregano, picked</span></p> <p class="recipe" style="margin-left:27.0pt;text-indent:-27.0pt;line-height:150%; tab-stops:27.0pt .75in 63.0pt;mso-layout-grid-align:auto;punctuation-wrap:hanging; text-autospace:ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;mso-vertical-align-alt:auto"><span style="mso-bidi-line-height:150%;font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-mso-bidi-font-weight:boldfont-family:Arial;font-size:12.0pt;" >1-2 <span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>Tbs.<span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>Fresh tarragon, picked</span></p> <p class="recipe" style="margin-left:27.0pt;text-indent:-27.0pt;line-height:150%; tab-stops:27.0pt .75in 63.0pt;mso-layout-grid-align:auto;punctuation-wrap:hanging; text-autospace:ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;mso-vertical-align-alt:auto"><span style="mso-bidi-line-height:150%;font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-mso-bidi-font-weight:boldfont-family:Arial;font-size:12.0pt;" >2<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span>ea.<span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>Sprigs thyme, picked and chopped finely</span></p> <p class="recipe" style="margin-left:27.0pt;text-indent:-27.0pt;line-height:150%; tab-stops:27.0pt .75in 63.0pt;mso-layout-grid-align:auto;punctuation-wrap:hanging; text-autospace:ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;mso-vertical-align-alt:auto"><span style="mso-bidi-line-height:150%;font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-mso-bidi-font-weight:boldfont-family:Arial;font-size:12.0pt;" >A few leaves of lavender, chopped finely</span></p> <p class="recipe" style="margin-left:27.0pt;text-indent:-27.0pt;line-height:150%; tab-stops:27.0pt .75in 63.0pt;mso-layout-grid-align:auto;punctuation-wrap:hanging; text-autospace:ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;mso-vertical-align-alt:auto"><span style="mso-bidi-line-height:150%;font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-mso-bidi-font-weight:boldfont-family:Arial;font-size:12.0pt;" >½<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span>C.<span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>Grated parmesan</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%;tab-stops:27.0pt .75in 63.0pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;" >Soft whole butter</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%;tab-stops:27.0pt .75in 63.0pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;" >Salt and pepper</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%;tab-stops:27.0pt .75in 63.0pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;" >Pine nuts</span></p> <p class="recipe" style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;line-height:150%; mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:27.0pt list .5in left .75in 63.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align:auto;punctuation-wrap:hanging;text-autospace:ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; mso-vertical-align-alt:auto"><span style="mso-bidi-line-height:150%;font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;font-size:12.0pt;" ><span style="mso-list:Ignore">1.</span></span><span style="mso-bidi-line-height:150%;font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;font-size:12.0pt;" >Place a pot of salted water on to boil.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="recipe" style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;line-height:150%; mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:27.0pt list .5in left .75in 63.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align:auto;punctuation-wrap:hanging;text-autospace:ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; mso-vertical-align-alt:auto"><span style="mso-bidi-line-height:150%;font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;font-size:12.0pt;" ><span style="mso-list:Ignore">2.</span></span><span style="mso-bidi-line-height:150%;font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;font-size:12.0pt;" >Heat a wide skillet over medium heat.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Add olive oil.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="recipe" style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;line-height:150%; mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:27.0pt list .5in left .75in 63.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align:auto;punctuation-wrap:hanging;text-autospace:ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; mso-vertical-align-alt:auto"><span style="mso-bidi-line-height:150%;font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;font-size:12.0pt;" ><span style="mso-list:Ignore">3.</span></span><span style="mso-bidi-line-height:150%;font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;font-size:12.0pt;" >Add chicken breasts.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Brown on both sides.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Remove allow to cool slightly and slice.</span></p> <p class="recipe" style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;line-height:150%; mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:27.0pt list .5in left .75in 63.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align:auto;punctuation-wrap:hanging;text-autospace:ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; mso-vertical-align-alt:auto"><span style="mso-bidi-line-height:150%;font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;font-size:12.0pt;" ><span style="mso-list:Ignore">4.</span></span><span style="mso-bidi-line-height:150%;font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;font-size:12.0pt;" >Add carrots and garlic.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Cook for 5 minutes or until barely tender.</span></p> <p class="recipe" style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;line-height:150%; mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:27.0pt list .5in left .75in 63.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align:auto;punctuation-wrap:hanging;text-autospace:ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; mso-vertical-align-alt:auto"><span style="mso-bidi-line-height:150%;font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;font-size:12.0pt;" ><span style="mso-list:Ignore">5.</span></span><span style="mso-bidi-line-height:150%;font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;font-size:12.0pt;" >Add asparagus, and lemon zest.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Reduce heat.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Add lemon juice</span></p> <p class="recipe" style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;line-height:150%; mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:27.0pt list .5in left .75in 63.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align:auto;punctuation-wrap:hanging;text-autospace:ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; mso-vertical-align-alt:auto"><span style="mso-bidi-line-height:150%;font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;font-size:12.0pt;" ><span style="mso-list:Ignore">6.</span></span><span style="mso-bidi-line-height:150%;font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;font-size:12.0pt;" >When at high boil, add cavatelli.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Cook until pasta just floats.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Drain and reserve pasta water.</span></p> <p class="recipe" style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;line-height:150%; mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:27.0pt list .5in left .75in 63.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align:auto;punctuation-wrap:hanging;text-autospace:ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; mso-vertical-align-alt:auto"><span style="mso-bidi-line-height:150%;font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;font-size:12.0pt;" ><span style="mso-list:Ignore">7.</span></span><span style="mso-bidi-line-height:150%;font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;font-size:12.0pt;" >Add pasta, herbs, cheese, and a little pasta water to vegetables making a little sauce.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="recipe" style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;line-height:150%; mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:27.0pt list .5in left .75in 63.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align:auto;punctuation-wrap:hanging;text-autospace:ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; mso-vertical-align-alt:auto"><span style="mso-bidi-line-height:150%;font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;font-size:12.0pt;" ><span style="mso-list:Ignore">8.</span></span><span style="mso-bidi-line-height:150%;font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;font-size:12.0pt;" >Finish with butter.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Place on plates and top with sliced chicken breast.</span></p> <p class="recipe" style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;line-height:150%; mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:27.0pt list .5in left .75in 63.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align:auto;punctuation-wrap:hanging;text-autospace:ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; mso-vertical-align-alt:auto"><span style="mso-bidi-line-height:150%;font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;font-size:12.0pt;" ><span style="mso-list:Ignore">9.</span></span><span style="mso-bidi-line-height:150%;font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;font-size:12.0pt;" >Sprinkle with pine nuts</span></p> <p class="recipe" style="line-height:150%;tab-stops:27.0pt .75in 63.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align:auto;punctuation-wrap:hanging;text-autospace:ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; mso-vertical-align-alt:auto"><b><span style="mso-bidi- line-height:150%;font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;font-size:12.0pt;" >Ricotta Cavatelli</span></b><span style="mso-bidi-line-height:150%; font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;font-size:12.0pt;" ></span></p> <p class="recipe" style="margin-left:27.0pt;text-indent:-27.0pt;line-height:150%; tab-stops:27.0pt .75in 63.0pt;mso-layout-grid-align:auto;punctuation-wrap:hanging; text-autospace:ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;mso-vertical-align-alt:auto"><span style="mso-bidi-line-height:150%;font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;font-size:12.0pt;" >1<span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>#<span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>Lamagna ricotta</span></p> <p class="recipe" style="margin-left:27.0pt;text-indent:-27.0pt;line-height:150%; tab-stops:27.0pt .75in 63.0pt;mso-layout-grid-align:auto;punctuation-wrap:hanging; text-autospace:ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;mso-vertical-align-alt:auto"><span style="mso-bidi-line-height:150%;font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;font-size:12.0pt;" >3<span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>ea.<span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>eggs</span></p> <p class="recipe" style="margin-left:27.0pt;text-indent:-27.0pt;line-height:150%; tab-stops:27.0pt .75in 63.0pt;mso-layout-grid-align:auto;punctuation-wrap:hanging; text-autospace:ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;mso-vertical-align-alt:auto"><span style="mso-bidi-line-height:150%;font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;font-size:12.0pt;" >4<span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>C.<span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>All purpose flour</span></p> <p class="recipe" style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;line-height:150%; mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2;tab-stops:27.0pt list .5in left .75in 63.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align:auto;punctuation-wrap:hanging;text-autospace:ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; mso-vertical-align-alt:auto"><span style="mso-bidi-line-height:150%;font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;font-size:12.0pt;" ><span style="mso-list:Ignore">1.</span></span><span style="mso-bidi-line-height:150%;font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;font-size:12.0pt;" >Combine ricotta and eggs in mixer fitted with dough hook.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Mix well</span></p> <p class="recipe" style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;line-height:150%; mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2;tab-stops:27.0pt list .5in left .75in 63.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align:auto;punctuation-wrap:hanging;text-autospace:ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; mso-vertical-align-alt:auto"><span style="mso-bidi-line-height:150%;font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;font-size:12.0pt;" ><span style="mso-list:Ignore">2.</span></span><span style="mso-bidi-line-height:150%;font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;font-size:12.0pt;" >Add flour.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Mix for approximately five minutes.</span></p> <p class="recipe" style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;line-height:150%; mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2;tab-stops:27.0pt list .5in left .75in 63.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align:auto;punctuation-wrap:hanging;text-autospace:ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; mso-vertical-align-alt:auto"><span style="mso-bidi-line-height:150%;font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;font-size:12.0pt;" ><span style="mso-list:Ignore">3.</span></span><span style="mso-bidi-line-height:150%;font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;font-size:12.0pt;" >Touch.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>If dough is sticky, add a little more flour.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Mix.</span></p> <p class="recipe" style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;line-height:150%; mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2;tab-stops:27.0pt list .5in left .75in 63.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align:auto;punctuation-wrap:hanging;text-autospace:ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; mso-vertical-align-alt:auto"><span style="mso-bidi-line-height:150%;font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;font-size:12.0pt;" ><span style="mso-list:Ignore">4.</span></span><span style="mso-bidi-line-height:150%;font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;font-size:12.0pt;" >Turn out onto counter.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Wrap in plastic and allow to rest at least half an hour.</span></p> <p class="recipe" style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;line-height:150%; mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2;tab-stops:27.0pt list .5in left .75in 63.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align:auto;punctuation-wrap:hanging;text-autospace:ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; mso-vertical-align-alt:auto"><span style="mso-bidi-line-height:150%;font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;font-size:12.0pt;" ><span style="mso-list:Ignore">5.</span></span><span style="mso-bidi-line-height:150%;font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;font-size:12.0pt;" >Roll dough out to ½” thickness.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Cut into ¾” strips.</span></p> <p class="recipe" style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;line-height:150%; mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2;tab-stops:27.0pt list .5in left .75in 63.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align:auto;punctuation-wrap:hanging;text-autospace:ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; mso-vertical-align-alt:auto"><span style="mso-bidi-line-height:150%;font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;font-size:12.0pt;" ><span style="mso-list:Ignore">6.</span></span><span style="mso-bidi-line-height:150%;font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;font-size:12.0pt;" >Roll through cavatelli maker onto lightly floured tray.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="recipe" style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;line-height:150%; mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2;tab-stops:27.0pt list .5in left .75in 63.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align:auto;punctuation-wrap:hanging;text-autospace:ideograph-numeric ideograph-other; mso-vertical-align-alt:auto"><span style="mso-bidi-line-height:150%;font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;font-size:12.0pt;" ><span style="mso-list:Ignore">7.</span></span><span style="mso-bidi-line-height:150%;font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;font-size:12.0pt;" >The pasta freezes excellently at this point.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Make a lot and have it around.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p>Bill Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14993089347385713202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37939827998008357.post-78089586184744019482011-04-22T21:22:00.002-04:002011-04-22T21:24:55.529-04:00Foie Gras LetterMs. P..., Ms. O..., Ms. B..., and Mr. S...<br /><br />Thanks for your notes. I understand your feelings and, upon review of the information supplied you, I fully understand your dismay. The images and claims of anti-foie gras literature make strong statements that are impossible to disregard. I know, they caught my attention too. If you'd allow, I'd like a moment to reply and share with you the knowledge I have acquired personally.<br /><br />I have always deeply appreciated and fully respected the choices that people make when they eat. Every day, I and the almost 1000 people that work with me at big Burrito Restaurant Group feed thousands of people. We feed celiacs, diabetics, gluttons, anorexics, vegetarians, raw foodists, Atkins dieters, low carb dieters, high carb dieters, fat-free dieters, Kosher Jews, Christians eating only fish on Fridays, carnivores trying to observe meatless Mondays, local foodies, gourmands, people completely oblivious to any food politics and issues, and, of course, vegans. We take great pride on being able to provide food that is appealing, safe, delicious, satisfying, and healthy to everyone that comes through our door, no matter how they eat or what the eat or don't. And we take great care with the food we make watching for freshness, flavor, quality, and safety. And because there are only two interactions actions in life more intimate than placing food from one's hands into another's body, what we do, we do seriously and with respect.<br /><br />Part of this duty we feel involves ensuring that the food we provide is safe and wholesome and is respectful to ourselves, the diner and the earth. We believe that there is honor in the efforts of the farmer to grow the tomatoes, the forager to find the ramps, the baker to make the bread, and the rancher who raises and kills animals. We also believe in cooking, we need to honor the ingredients, to respect the life that is passing so that we all may sustain ourselves. To waste food is to desecrate the sacrifice of the steer or wild ramp that died to feed us. Finally, we believe that to be able to serve the foods we do, we must have understanding of how these foods are produced, and what processes they endure to arrive at our back door. From understanding the three year lead time and annual spring harvest of the asparagus to knowing and seeing with our eyes the nature of the feedlot and slaughterhouse, we continually push to educate ourselves on all manner of food production.<br /><br />Of course, there is more at stake in understanding the lifecycle of swordfish than in knowing the recent history of a head of cauliflower. In my lifetime as a cook and a chef, I have watched these powerful fish shrink from multi-hundred pound beasts to pups less then 90 pounds that were captured long before they matured to breeding age. This is why you'll almost never see us sell swordfish unless it is from a hand-harpooned animal well in excess of breeding size. I have visited slaughterhouses and chicken farms to witness first hand how the animals are raised, killed, and processed. The chicken we use, whether the chicken fajita at Mad Mex or the Heritage Farms chicken entree at Eleven, is from healthy birds that have lived with access to clean air and water, been allowed to socialize and move about, and are killed in a rapid, humane fashion. Furthermore, this meat needs to be processed cleanly, safely, and in a natural, healthy way.<br /><br />So, it is in this vein that we looked into the industry of the production of foie gras. As we have looked into our hearts and at our food chain, we long ago decided that this process, one fraught with extravagant claims from both antagonists and supporters, one that engenders so much emotional response, necessitated our investigation. When we set out to understand this process more, we were absolutely surprised with what we observed. Honestly, we expected to be upset, to find that there was truth behind the grainy black and white pictures and frightening statistics spread by VFA and similar organizations. Would this have proven to be true, we would have ceased to serve the dish and to never serve it again. What we found at Hudson Valley Foie Gras was a model of animal care with a real dedication to the animals' welfare. <br /><br />The birds are treated with better care than any animal production I have ever witnessed, including the pastured chickens raised for us by Heritage Farms. During the first part of their lives, four weeks or so, the ducks at Hudson Valley are free to wander about poultry houses, interacting and having access to unlimited food and water. The houses are well-ventilated and comfortable, although kept dim to ensure a calm environment. At that point, they are separated into large pens in groups of ten where they spend the last three weeks of their lives. From this point on, they only ever interact with one human person. This person provides all feeding and care for the next three weeks until the end of their lives. The attendant feeds them, brings water to them, monitors their health and well-being. The attendants are paid well and are generally congenial. The only stress evidenced is when, as the feedings are done and the handler moves the animals from one side of the pen to the other, the last duck expresses distress at being separated from his/her penmates. When they are killed and processed, it it with as much dignity as any process in any slaughterhouse we've seen.<br /><br />Funny, but in all the years I have thought about foie gras, whether it was right or wrong, whether I was supporting an elitist, brutal food product or sharing a delicious morsel produced with care and dedication, I never until recently thought about how the economics of the process drive the care of the animals. In chicken farming, each 4# bird brings the farmer approximately $2, or about $0.50 a pound. The price per pound to a hog farmer or beef farmer is about the same. But in foie gras production, each 6# duck can bring the farmer up to $60, or around $10 per pound, most of that from the sale of the livers. If the livers are not top quality, which happens when the birds are ill or stressed, the farmer loses a lot of money. Liver quality is inverse geometricly related to animl stress. So it is within their best economic interests to treat the birds well as much as it is for Kobe beef producers to keep Waygu cattle happy. These farmers have learned, as many moder, holistic animal producers are learning, that to respect the health and happiness of the animal not only leads to a more humane existence for the animal but is economicly<br /><br />So, is the purpose of this letter to convince you to love foie gras? No. Is it to convince you that eating meat is good and that you should renounce your values? No. It is simply to share with you the fact that our actions go not unconsidered, and that we do not serve things once living with callous disregard for their lives. <br /><br />Thank you for your time.<br /><br />Bill Fuller<br />big Burrito Restaurant Group<br />bill@bigburrito.com<br />@chefbillfuller<br />www.bigburrito.comBill Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14993089347385713202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37939827998008357.post-24627617200566324802011-04-22T21:22:00.001-04:002011-04-22T21:24:24.823-04:00Foie Gras LetterThis is a letter I wrote in response to a couple of letters in protest of us serving foie gras at Eleven:<br /><br />Ms. P..., Ms. O..., Ms. B..., and Mr. S...<br /><br />Thanks for your notes. I understand your feelings and, upon review of the information supplied you, I fully understand your dismay. The images and claims of anti-foie gras literature make strong statements that are impossible to disregard. I know, they caught my attention too. If you'd allow, I'd like a moment to reply and share with you the knowledge I have acquired personally.<br /><br />I have always deeply appreciated and fully respected the choices that people make when they eat. Every day, I and the almost 1000 people that work with me at big Burrito Restaurant Group feed thousands of people. We feed celiacs, diabetics, gluttons, anorexics, vegetarians, raw foodists, Atkins dieters, low carb dieters, high carb dieters, fat-free dieters, Kosher Jews, Christians eating only fish on Fridays, carnivores trying to observe meatless Mondays, local foodies, gourmands, people completely oblivious to any food politics and issues, and, of course, vegans. We take great pride on being able to provide food that is appealing, safe, delicious, satisfying, and healthy to everyone that comes through our door, no matter how they eat or what the eat or don't. And we take great care with the food we make watching for freshness, flavor, quality, and safety. And because there are only two interactions actions in life more intimate than placing food from one's hands into another's body, what we do, we do seriously and with respect.<br /><br />Part of this duty we feel involves ensuring that the food we provide is safe and wholesome and is respectful to ourselves, the diner and the earth. We believe that there is honor in the efforts of the farmer to grow the tomatoes, the forager to find the ramps, the baker to make the bread, and the rancher who raises and kills animals. We also believe in cooking, we need to honor the ingredients, to respect the life that is passing so that we all may sustain ourselves. To waste food is to desecrate the sacrifice of the steer or wild ramp that died to feed us. Finally, we believe that to be able to serve the foods we do, we must have understanding of how these foods are produced, and what processes they endure to arrive at our back door. From understanding the three year lead time and annual spring harvest of the asparagus to knowing and seeing with our eyes the nature of the feedlot and slaughterhouse, we continually push to educate ourselves on all manner of food production.<br /><br />Of course, there is more at stake in understanding the lifecycle of swordfish than in knowing the recent history of a head of cauliflower. In my lifetime as a cook and a chef, I have watched these powerful fish shrink from multi-hundred pound beasts to pups less then 90 pounds that were captured long before they matured to breeding age. This is why you'll almost never see us sell swordfish unless it is from a hand-harpooned animal well in excess of breeding size. I have visited slaughterhouses and chicken farms to witness first hand how the animals are raised, killed, and processed. The chicken we use, whether the chicken fajita at Mad Mex or the Heritage Farms chicken entree at Eleven, is from healthy birds that have lived with access to clean air and water, been allowed to socialize and move about, and are killed in a rapid, humane fashion. Furthermore, this meat needs to be processed cleanly, safely, and in a natural, healthy way.<br /><br />So, it is in this vein that we looked into the industry of the production of foie gras. As we have looked into our hearts and at our food chain, we long ago decided that this process, one fraught with extravagant claims from both antagonists and supporters, one that engenders so much emotional response, necessitated our investigation. When we set out to understand this process more, we were absolutely surprised with what we observed. Honestly, we expected to be upset, to find that there was truth behind the grainy black and white pictures and frightening statistics spread by VFA and similar organizations. Would this have proven to be true, we would have ceased to serve the dish and to never serve it again. What we found at Hudson Valley Foie Gras was a model of animal care with a real dedication to the animals' welfare. <br /><br />The birds are treated with better care than any animal production I have ever witnessed, including the pastured chickens raised for us by Heritage Farms. During the first part of their lives, four weeks or so, the ducks at Hudson Valley are free to wander about poultry houses, interacting and having access to unlimited food and water. The houses are well-ventilated and comfortable, although kept dim to ensure a calm environment. At that point, they are separated into large pens in groups of ten where they spend the last three weeks of their lives. From this point on, they only ever interact with one human person. This person provides all feeding and care for the next three weeks until the end of their lives. The attendant feeds them, brings water to them, monitors their health and well-being. The attendants are paid well and are generally congenial. The only stress evidenced is when, as the feedings are done and the handler moves the animals from one side of the pen to the other, the last duck expresses distress at being separated from his/her penmates. When they are killed and processed, it it with as much dignity as any process in any slaughterhouse we've seen.<br /><br />Funny, but in all the years I have thought about foie gras, whether it was right or wrong, whether I was supporting an elitist, brutal food product or sharing a delicious morsel produced with care and dedication, I never until recently thought about how the economics of the process drive the care of the animals. In chicken farming, each 4# bird brings the farmer approximately $2, or about $0.50 a pound. The price per pound to a hog farmer or beef farmer is about the same. But in foie gras production, each 6# duck can bring the farmer up to $60, or around $10 per pound, most of that from the sale of the livers. If the livers are not top quality, which happens when the birds are ill or stressed, the farmer loses a lot of money. Liver quality is inverse geometricly related to animl stress. So it is within their best economic interests to treat the birds well as much as it is for Kobe beef producers to keep Waygu cattle happy. These farmers have learned, as many moder, holistic animal producers are learning, that to respect the health and happiness of the animal not only leads to a more humane existence for the animal but is economicly<br /><br />So, is the purpose of this letter to convince you to love foie gras? No. Is it to convince you that eating meat is good and that you should renounce your values? No. It is simply to share with you the fact that our actions go not unconsidered, and that we do not serve things once living with callous disregard for their lives. <br /><br />Thank you for your time.<br /><br />Bill Fuller<br />big Burrito Restaurant Group<br />bill@bigburrito.com<br />@chefbillfuller<br />www.bigburrito.comBill Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14993089347385713202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37939827998008357.post-48635623659870358732009-04-24T13:37:00.004-04:002009-04-24T15:43:49.747-04:00RakuHad omakase at Raku in Las Vegas last night. Fantastic meal. While dishes came one after another, sometimes they came in clusters. Sometimes one dish was left to stand alone. This was one of the best meals I have had in a long time. It was fascinating to have this sort of rustic omakase at a tiny Japanese Charcoal Grill in a strip mall in Vegas and compare it in my mind to the refined omakase of Morimoto in his $10 million restaurant in Philadelphia. Earthy, smart, rich, balanced, interesting, humble, proud, and honest. <br /><br />The run down:<br /><br />Tofu Salad - home-made tofu, very delicate, with slices of plum tomato. topped with tiny dried fish. We were instructed to dress it ourselves with a green tea powder and house-made soy sauce. The texture of the tofu was delicate. Flavors subtle.<br /><br />Asparagus Crispy Tempura - Asparagus spears dipped in Tempura batter then into crushed rice crackers and deep fried. Served at the same time as:<br /><br />Potato With Corn - Wheels of corn on the cob but with the cob cut out and replaced by mashed potatoes. This was then lightly browned on both sides.<br /><br />Fried Homemade Tofu in Hot Broth - What appeared to be and inverted dome of egg omelet was actually a raft of mashed, fried tofu in a smokey, rich broth. If I were told that there were ham hocks in the broth, I would have easily believed it. Except that no ham hock I ever cooked with gave that delicate of a smoke flavor. After pressing, I was told that the smoke came from the bonito flakes. I can feel the texture of the tofu as I portioned the raft with the ceramic soup spoon and the light crust split to give up the creamy center. Great textures. This was the first of three brothy courses.<br /><br />Yari Ika ( Sweet Squid) - rolled large squid bodies, julienned, served with soy, wasabi, radish, finely grated fresh ginger. Favorite combo was the sweet squid with a bit of the ginger, a tiny bit of soy, and a slice of radish.<br /><br />Kama Meshi (Salmon Rice) - Sushi rice brought to the table in a large bowl topped with ikura, crumbled cooked salmon, flecks of browned salmon shin, super-fine julienne of ginger and shiso. The server mixed it for us and spooned it into small bowls. <br /><br />Negima-nabe (Bluefin Tuna with Tokyo Onion) - Cubes of bluefin tuna lightly poached in a dashi broth with half inch pieces of scallions. It was brought to the table in an earthenware pot over hot coals. The server quickly removed it from the fire after serving us because (she told us) it had cooked enough. The tuna was just cooked, not raw but barely cooked. I was lucky to get a stray cube of tuna that sat in the communal pot after each of us had been served. It was solid, normal poached tuna, a mute corpse of the angle of a few minutes before. Great to see the exactly perfect specimen and the barely-overdone-but-ruined model. <br /><br />Poached egg with Sea Urchin and Salmon Roe - This was a cold dish. A barely poached chicken egg in a bit of liquid topped with ikura and uni. A study in cold richness, this was an opportunity to compare/contrast the three eggs.<br /><br />Kobe Beef with Wasabi - Marinated cubes of Kobe beef filet skewered and grilled rare. A thin stream of fresh wasabi was drizzled on each skewer. The smoke of the grill (I was told the type of wood that was used there and promptly forgot) was light but present. The meat was super-tender and, of course, it's richness was well-balanced by the wasabi. This was served at the same time as:<br /><br />Korobuta Pork Cheek - Small nuggets of pork, skewered and grilled and brushed with some marinade, were deliciously chewy. I wondered as they were served, what the texture would be. Would it be tender from long braising? Would it be chewy? It was the latter, but in a pleasant way. We chefs have grown accustomed to the long braise on our pig pieces these days and this intentional chewiness was a welcome reminder that we were eating meat, in fact, and maybe owed this pig a little effort, a little work, to appreciate his sacrifice. <br /><br />Seaweed and Sea Urchin Soup - Another light but delicious broth, with tender cooked wakame and topped with pieces of uni. Reminded me of Japanese collard greens - soft cooked greens, richness of the roe standing in for the fatback, and the lightly salted broth like the collard pot juices.<br /><br />Grilled Squid - A single large squid was grilled whole and chopped into large pieces. We were given a half a key lime, freshly grated ginger, and a little soy to garnish it. The squid was tender, but with a touch of intelligent chewiness like the pork cheek. This dish was the only dish that had any obvious use of acid and a flavor element. <br /><br />Green Tea<br /><br />The tiny bathroom with the ceiling of flowers and the recorded sounds of birds singing was one of many indications of the complete attention to comfort. Every dish was beautiful with excellent textures, the service staff was gracious, happy, and helpful. <br /><br />Great meal.Bill Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14993089347385713202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37939827998008357.post-81062507248203368482009-03-25T13:26:00.002-04:002009-03-25T13:28:48.747-04:00Eating Appalachia, Part 2<div class="container"> <div class="header"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">The following is the second part of the four part series on Appalachian traditional food.</span> Brings to mind hunting, gutting, abd eating squirrel and rabbit as a kid. <br /></div><!-- end header --> <div class="post singlePost"> <h3>Eating Appalachia: The Pursuit of Fried Squirrel</h3> <p class="byline">March 20, 2009, 12:00 pm</p> <p><img src="http://www.eatmedaily.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/squirrel.jpg" alt="" title="squirrel" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-12772" width="540" height="405" /></p> <p><em>In this second installment of a four-part series exploring Appalachian cuisine (read part one <a href="http://www.eatmedaily.com/2009/03/eating-appalachia-in-search-of-real-american-cuisine-in-hidden-hollers/">here</a>), Eat Me Daily’s <b>Kathleen Willcox</b> explores the rapidly evolving culinary scene across Appalachia. With recipes! Today, we're looking for places to get some real, authentic Appalachian grub.</em></p> <p>What does a girl need to do to get some fried squirrel and boiled groundhog up in here? For all the talk of Appalachia's family farms, robust produce, and idiosyncratic recipes, the true test is tracking the real stuff down. Traditional dining is getting harder and harder to come by as fast food chains, ho-hum burger joints and fancified but ultimately uninspired and insipid takes on cuisine you can just as easily find in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan or Greenwich, Connecticut.</p> <p>I figured if anyone had fried squirrel, it would be the ground zero for authentic (if old-school) Appalachian culture: Clinton, Tennessee's <a href="http://www.museumofappalachia.org/">Museum of Appalachia</a>. The throngs of tourists might think they're coming for enchanting exhibits of traditional quilts, toys, musical instruments, baskets and furniture, or for glimpses of whimsical beauty amid hardscrabble lives. But what they wind up staying for is the food, so irresistable that it's a favorite among locals as well, who come daily sniffing their way down memory lane for fried green tomatoes, fried apple pies, and meat and two — a meat of the day with the choice of two sides. </p> <p><span id="more-12449"></span></p> <p><img src="http://www.eatmedaily.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/farmersmarket.jpg" alt="" title="farmersmarket" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-12628" width="540" height="429" /></p> <p class="caption">Photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jsrice00/2930871611/">jsrice00</a></p> <h4>From Farmers to Miners</h4> <p>The kitchen at the Museum of Appalachia is run by Faye Smiddy, who is almost 85 and has no plans to retire anytime soon, thanks very much. Smiddy vividly recalls both a carefree life on her family farm and a very different one in a coal-mining camp: “I lived on my family’s farm until I got married,” she told me. “My mother starting teaching me how to cook as soon as I could sit up. We grew all our own vegetables and meat too – beef, pork and chicken. The only time we all left the farm was for coal-mining camp in 1931; we lived there for 10 years or so because dad could make more in the coal mines. But life in the camps wasn’t as good – especially the food.”</p> <p>That's more than just one woman's opinion. The coal-mining industry dropped on the region with all of the grace of an atom bomb. When coal mines came to Appalachia, they knew they’d hit more than mere anthracite – they’d hit pay dirt. Well into the 20th century, coal industry bigwigs found makeshift roads, zero electricity and a population of willing workers who up until that point had spent their whole lives farming, trapping, hunting and cutting timber. </p> <p>While some fled the reach of the mining corporations, many were attracted by the steady work and decent pay. While they brought with them better roads and electricity, the mines also did fine work breaking down the region's reliance on family farms. Smiddy and her eight siblings were hardly the only ones directly affected by the coal-mining industry’s steely-eyed determination to force-feed modern times (and modern food) down locals’ throats. </p> <p><img src="http://www.eatmedaily.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/soupbeans.jpg" alt="" title="soupbeans" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-12620" width="540" height="359" /></p> <p class="caption">Photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southernfoodwaysalliance/3304735453/">Southern Foodways Alliance</a></p> <h4>You <em>Can</em> Take it With You</h4> <p>The radical lifestyle change brought by the mining industry nearly demolished the old ways of life, and in response, people like Smiddy have made careers out of undoing what the mines have done, devoting themselves to the preservation of traditional Appalachian dishes, sharing them with younger generations, and laughing in the face of the Applebee's reign of terror. </p> <p>While Smiddy doesn’t live on a farm anymore, she loves serving traditional Appalachian food to people who’ve never experienced it – especially in the spring and summer, when she can gather fresh ingredients from the museum’s garden. </p> <p>“Kids in Appalachia don’t eat the way they used to, but no matter what they’re used to, our chicken n’ dumplings are always popular,” Smiddy said. “The tourists love it too. Everyone loves chicken n’ dumplings! Oh, and the desserts – the Appalachian Cream Pie and the Fried Apple Pies are always the first to go.” Sadly for my search, there's no fried squirrel on the menu. But if you call ahead, Smiddy will happily set aside an entire pie or cake so you can take it home with you.</p> <p><img src="http://www.eatmedaily.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/museumofappa.jpg" alt="" title="museumofappa" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-12631" width="540" height="360" /> </p> <p class="caption">Photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/91829349@N00/375014532/">rjones0856</a></p> <h4>A Return to the Roots</h4> <p>In pursuit of that crispy fried-up rodent, I chatted with the communications and marketing coordinator at the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project, Rose McLarney. The ASAP, based in North Carolina, helps family farmers find markets in restaurants, hospitals, and cafeterias. While McLarney couldn’t help me with my squirrel hunt, she did give me hope about the future.</p> <p>“We’re seeing a huge resurgence of interest in traditional Appalachian foods,” McLarney said. “Younger farmers are getting interested in growing both heritage vegetables and tending to heritage varieties of meat. They’re committed to sustainable growth practices and grass-fed meat – they’ve found that both the vegetables and the meat tastes fresher and better when it’s cultivated naturally and residents and restaurants are responding."</p> <p>One of ASAP's goals is cultivating interest in Appalachia's agricultural heritage, and it's working. McLarney continued: "People are recommitting to preserving their cultural roots. They’re committed to going out to local farmer’s markets every week to connect with the people who grew their food instead of just buying something in a grocery store. The influx of convenience foods definitely changed many people’s diets and their approach to food for a long time, but I really see people taking a step back and reassessing.” </p> <p>David Darugh, the webmaster for the Georgia Mountains Foodways Alliance and the owner and operator (along with his wife Gayle) of the <a href="http://www.beechwoodinn.ws/home.html">Beechwood Inn</a> in Clayton, Georgia, agrees: “We’ve been shocked by the response to the Foodways Alliance,” Darugh said. “At our first meeting two years ago, we were expecting five people. Eighty showed up; and now we have dozens of small farmers, wineries, orchards, basically any form of farm-to-table producers, involved. Every generation for the last 100 years or so got farther away from living off the land and traditional cuisines, but now people are starting to realize just how much they stand to lose for the sake of convenience and they’re banding together before the traditions are gone forever.” </p> <p><img src="http://www.eatmedaily.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/barbque.jpg" alt="" title="barbque" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-12623" width="540" height="406" /></p> <p class="caption">Photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jacobkrejci/3121173525/">Jacob...K</a></p> <h4>Taking Fried Squirrel into Your Own Hands</h4> <p>So is fried squirrel gone forever? Sure, it's a little bit of an Appalachian cliche, but all cliches start somewhere. Other than borrowing pa's gun and taking matters into your own hands, there's got to be a way. </p> <p>If you happened to be around when the Travel Channel’s <em>Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern</em> zipped into Showshoe, West Virginia, you might have had the chance. Brian Bell, head chef at Snowshoe's Embers Restaurant, lured Zimmern and his crew to tape him at work with squirrel – even though he’d never before cooked the critter. The result: squirrel au vin, chicken-fried squirrel, and skewered squirrel leg. Ball and his crew didn’t stop there — they really get to the good stuff, cracking open the skulls, old-school style, and eating the brains. “I guess the flavor reminded me of foie gras,” Ball <a href="http://www.dailymail.com/foodandliving/200810270259">told</a> the Charleston <em>Daily Mail</em>. “It had a really smooth, velvety texture. It was a little like the texture of hard-boiled egg yolk, but smoother.”</p> <p>But since the Andrew Zimmern roadshow has packed up and left town, and Ball hasn't put squirrel on his permanent menu, there's an easier option: <a href="http://www.pccocwv.com/festival.htm">TheWest Virginia Road Kill Cook-Off</a>, an annual autumn harvest festival where the discerning glutton can sample possum, groundhog, polecat, squirrel gravy, bear, and other culinary delights. This year it's September 26th, and the squirrel will be a-flowing.</p> <h4>Recipe: Faye Smiddy's Fried Apple Pie</h4> <p>If you don’t can’t up and high-tail it to Appalachia, but you all this talk of fried deliciousness has you hankering for some home-cooking here’s a recipe courtesy of Faye Smiddy at the Museum of Appalachia, that should hit the spot: </p> <p>Ingredients:<br />6 Cups of Granny Smith Apples (cored, peeled and chopped)<br />1 tsp. Salt<br />3 tsps Allspice<br />3 1⁄2 cups sugar<br />3⁄4 cup water<br />4 cups all-purpose flour<br />2 tsps baking powder<br />1 tsp salt<br />1⁄2 cup milk<br />1 1⁄2 cup shortening</p> <p>1. Mix apples and next 4 ingredients and cook on medium heat until thick. Set aside.<br />2. Cut shortening into dry ingredients until crumbly. Add milk.<br />3. Roll out dough on floured surface and cut into 6 inch round shapes.<br />4. Put about 2 tablespoons of apple mixture in the middle of the dough, fold over once into a half round shape. Crimp the edges with a fork to seal.<br />5. Fry in hot oil (not too much!) until golden brown.</p> <p>Makes approximately 16-18 individual-serving apple pies.</p> <p class="contrib">— Kathleen Willcox</p> <div class="earlier"> <p><strong>Earlier on <em>Eat me daily</em>:</strong></p> <ul><li><a href="http://www.eatmedaily.com/2009/03/eating-appalachia-in-search-of-real-american-cuisine-in-hidden-hollers/">Eating Appalachia: In Search of Real American Cuisine in Hidden Hollers</a></li></ul> </div> <p class="tags">Tags: <a href="http://www.eatmedaily.com/tag/america/" rel="tag">America</a>, <a href="http://www.eatmedaily.com/tag/appalachia/" rel="tag">Appalachia</a>, <a href="http://www.eatmedaily.com/tag/features/" rel="tag">Features</a>, <a href="http://www.eatmedaily.com/tag/locavorism/" rel="tag">locavorism</a>, <a href="http://www.eatmedaily.com/tag/recipes/" rel="tag">Recipes</a>, <a href="http://www.eatmedaily.com/tag/regional-cuisine/" rel="tag">regional cuisine</a>, <a href="http://www.eatmedaily.com/tag/squirrel/" rel="tag">squirrel</a></p> </div><!-- end post --> <div id="googleAd"> <script type="text/javascript"><!-- google_ad_client = "pub-9987875087750868"; /* 468x60, created 1/1/09 */ google_ad_slot = "8544424806"; google_ad_width = 468; google_ad_height = 60; //--> </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script><script src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/expansion_embed.js"></script><script src="http://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/pagead/test_domain.js"></script><script>window.google_render_ad();</script><ins style="border: medium none ; margin: 0pt; padding: 0pt; display: inline-table; height: 60px; position: relative; visibility: visible; width: 468px;"><ins style="border: medium none ; margin: 0pt; padding: 0pt; display: block; height: 60px; position: relative; visibility: visible; width: 468px;"><iframe allowtransparency="true" hspace="0" id="google_ads_frame1" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" name="google_ads_frame" src="http://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/pagead/ads?client=ca-pub-9987875087750868&dt=1238001645380&lmt=1238001645&output=html&slotname=8544424806&correlator=1238001645380&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.eatmedaily.com%2F2009%2F03%2Feating-appalachia-the-pursuit-of-fried-squirrel%2F%23more-12449&ref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Freader%2Fview%2F&frm=0&ga_vid=879190898.1237224091&ga_sid=1238001584&ga_hid=1434425873&ga_fc=true&flash=10.0.12&u_h=800&u_w=1280&u_ah=800&u_aw=1215&u_cd=32&u_tz=-240&u_his=2&u_java=true&u_nplug=25&u_nmime=103&dtd=55&w=468&h=60&xpc=OyRDEpJznc&p=http%3A//www.eatmedaily.com" style="left: 0pt; position: absolute; top: 0pt;" vspace="0" scrolling="no" width="468" frameborder="0" height="60"></iframe></ins></ins> </div> <!-- You can start editing here. --> <!-- <br /> --></div> <!-- Dynamic Page Served (once) in 0.233 seconds --> <!-- Cached page generated by WP-Super-Cache on 2009-03-25 13:19:43 -->Bill Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14993089347385713202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37939827998008357.post-85118429844738215082009-03-16T13:27:00.003-04:002009-03-16T13:33:02.380-04:00<div class="container">Here is an article that hits pretty close to home. From <a href="http://www.eatmedaily.com/2009/03/eating-appalachia-in-search-of-real-american-cuisine-in-hidden-hollers/">Eat Me Daily</a>, one of the many food blogs worth following.<br /><div class="post singlePost"><h3>Eating Appalachia: In Search of Real American Cuisine in Hidden Hollers</h3> <p class="byline">March 12, 2009, 2:00 pm</p> <p><img src="http://www.eatmedaily.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/appalachia1rz.jpg" alt="" title="appalachia1rz" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-12133" width="540" height="359" /></p> <p class="caption">Photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/radiorover/276915454/">Radio Rover</a></p> <p><em>What qualifies as truly American cuisine? In this first installment of a four-part series, Eat Me Daily’s <b>Kathleen Willcox</b> explores the question through the prism of Appalachia and its intrinsically delightful, regional cooking style. With recipes!</em></p> <p>From the American Revolution onward, food wonks have been doing battle over the definition (and very existence) of authentically American cookery. James Beard himself wasn’t even positive if there was such a thing as American cuisine, saying that “I think we have good food and we don’t need to label it. We have one important thing that grew up in this country and that is the definition of regional cooking … we have a breadth of view and understanding.” </p> <p>Beard was onto something. Among other things, the sheer size, immigration and settling patterns of the United States has snookered any attempt to document, define and dispatch, a la Careme and Escoffier in France, a systematic distillation of our sprawling, disparate nation’s various food traditions into one neat package. Instead, we’re left with a wealth of delightful regional cuisines to celebrate and fight over, all of which are developed and perpetuated by the tried-and-true methods of word of mouth and recipe swaps. The food of Appalachia is perhaps the truest example of this hyperlocal, community-driven cuisine.</p> <p><span id="more-12128"></span></p> <p><img src="http://www.eatmedaily.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/appalachia2rz.jpg" alt="" title="appalachia2rz" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-12136" width="540" height="405" /> </p> <p class="caption">Photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/christian_wilcox/34369446/in/set-761607/">cw</a></p> <h4>The origins of the original</h4> <p>"Regional cuisines develop in unpredictable ways and spread like wildfire,” <a com=""> Mark Sohn</a> told me. Sohn, a writer and expert on mountain food, has lived in Appalachia for three decades and the scribe of the soon-to-be released Bourbon: A Kentucky Tradition (American Foodways Press, March 2009) “It’s very possible for one dish to develop in a tiny geographical area and just fan out into the region at large; or just remain unique to the tiny town it was developed in. Take France: each tiny region has a cheese or a wine, often created by one family of cheese or winemakers that’s particular to that area.”</p> <p>Despite its unique position as one of the oldest, most constant forms of American cookery, classic Appalachian cuisine is the red-headed stepchild of regional cuisines. Sohn enumerated Appalachia’s culinary idiosyncracies: “It has ingredients like ramp and sassafras; recipes like dried apple stack-cakes, cream-pull candy and sweet potato biscuits, and unique pairings like potatoes and gravy and all kinds of things with bologna, from gravy to a salad we have called funeral home salad.” And the roots run deep — “it really goes back as far as 15,000 or so years ago when you had Cherokee people settle in the region. Then of course, Italians, Germans, English, Scots, Irish, Spanish and even more recently, Hispanic immigrants came and they all influenced the food traditions, initially incorporating their European roots with foods that the native populations ate. White settlers were helped immeasurably by the native population and their mark remains on the food today.” </p> <p>The holy trinity of Appalachian ingredients is corn, beans and squash – something that has remained unchanged for hundreds, if not thousands of years — when white settlers arrived, they found those crops and others already being grown by Native Americans. Because the region is geographically isolated, settlers and successive generations ate what they could grow. As a result, traditional Appalachian food is flavored with locally grown ramps, hot chilies, ginger, honey, sweet sorghum syrup. It's all brought home with a generous dose of lard and meat drippings — meat, primarily roasted or smoked pork and chicken, was generally used as a flavoring ingredient, not the main attraction. </p> <p><img src="http://www.eatmedaily.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/appalachia3rz.jpg" alt="" title="appalachia3rz" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-12138" width="540" height="405" /> </p> <p class="caption">Photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonjon/49517576/">jon1204pdt</a></p> <h4>The accidentally hip cuisine</h4> <p>Often, Appalachia’s trademark dishes look like they belong on chicly worn New Brooklyn Cuisine <a href="http://nymag.com/guides/brooklyn/style/16788/">restaurant menus</a>. It wouldn't be out of place to see ironically mulleted hipsters ordering preparations like like chow chow, a pickled vegetable relish comprised of local vegetables including cabbage, lima beans, apples, green tomatoes, green beans, onions, corn and cucumbers; or dishing up ten bucks for a serving of soup beans, a pinto bean dish flavored with pork, lard and salt. </p> <p>Contemporary food hipsterdom seems to have intersected almost uncannily with the foundations of Appalachian cuisine. A natural adoption of local, sustainable, and organic principles means that Appalachia really should be ground zero for city-slickers planning their next culinary odyssey. </p> <p>But interestingly, the region and its entire glorious repertoire of (unintentionally virtuous) delights is generally overlooked and ignored. And it’s not just food-trend obsessed blowhards who fail to recognize the potential of Appalachian cooking; the region and its cuisine are dismissed offhand by vitually everyone who isn’t from the region. It’s hard not to think that this neglect comes from a place ofsnobbery, ignorance and an irrational fear of hillbillies — a group Sohn calls “the last acceptable stereotype.”</p> <p><img src="http://www.eatmedaily.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/appalachia4rz.jpg" alt="" title="appalachia4rz" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-12140" width="540" height="405" /> </p> <p class="caption">Photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/christian_wilcox/34370711/in/photostream/">cw</a></p> <h4>Who's afraid of hillbillies?</h4> <p>The thing is, Appalachia isn’t all hillbillies. “What people have to understand is that most of the people out here are just regular middle-class folks,” Sohn said. “Sure there are problems, but problems exist everywhere. Very few people have gardens these days, never mind farms with pigs and chickens running around. Maybe 1 in 10,000 people out here has a pig it’s raising as a hobby – but most people just don’t want to see that.” Sohn mentions a <a href="http://www.eatmedaily.com/2009/03/eating-appalachia-in-search-of-real-american-cuisine-in-hidden-hollers/%E2%80%9D" com="" 2020="" id="6845770&page=1”">recent episode</a> of the show <em>20/20</em> that purported to show the “real” Appalachia. “A lot of people I’ve talked to out here think the region was not represented accurately at all.”</p> <p>Though some residents in the area believed the show (featuring families marked by incest, drug addiction, alcoholism, ne’er do wells and, yes, Mountain Dew-induced tooth decay) was not entirely without journalistic merit, its oversimplification of Appalachian culture left most residents of the region appalled. The mayor of Hazard, Kentucky, rather succinctly referred to it as a “load of crap.” </p> <h4>Too late for the real thing?</h4> <p>Many in-the-know food hounds may have been discouraged from sniffing around the fragrant hills and valleys of Georgia, Kentucky and Tennessee by a fear of a <em>Deliverance</em>-style ass-whooping, but those who aren’t may be too late. The purity of the region’s agriculture and cuisine has been slowly fading as the coal mine industry, McDonald’s, and microwave meals moved in and replaced independent farms, homemade chicken and dumplings, and front-yard gardens. Like the rest of the country, most Appalachians opt to pick up a Quarter Pounder with cheese or a box of Bisquick instead of going to all that trouble to whip up a pork salad or new potatoes and gravy. </p> <p>There is hope though – as Appalachia finally starts to move onto the national culinary stage, an unofficial movement is afoot among local restaurateurs, cultural talking heads, and general fans. They're starting to preserve the recipes, cooking style, and commitment to traditional, locally grown food, working to keep Appalachia's culinary bounty from disappearing along with the region’s ad-hoc gardens and hand-raised chickens and pigs.</p> <p>In spite of the region's slow decline (and due in some part to the folks committed to its preservation), there are still enclaves of authentic Appalachia that flourish. In future installments on Appalachian grub, we’re going to explore the best places to (still!) find authentic chow chow and soup beans, the best under-the-radar mountain food fests, and the current — and future — state of Appalachian cuisine. To tide you over, here’s a tried-and-true mountain recipe, courtesy of Sohn, that’s sure to make you want to holler for the hollers. </p> <p class="contrib">–Kathleen Willcox</p> <h4>Recipe: Dried Apple Stack Cakes</h4> <p>This authentic Appalachian recipe is courtesy of Mark Sohn</p> <p>Note: The apple filling should be prepared ahead of time and allowed to cool.</p> <p>For dried apple filling:<br />18oz soft-dried apples<br />4 3/4 cups water or apple cider<br />1 cup sugar<br />1 tsp. ginger<br />1 tsp. ground nutmeg</p> <p>For stack cake:<br />5 cups plus 1/4 cup flour, divided<br />1/2 cup sugar<br />2 tsp. baking powder<br />2 tsp. ground ginger<br />1 tsp. cinnamon<br />1 tsp. salt<br />1 cup melted shortening<br />1 cup pure sweet sorghum (you can substitute molasses or dark corn syrup)<br />2 eggs<br />2 tsp. vanilla</p> <p>For the glaze:<br />1 1/4 cups sugar<br />1/3 cup water<br />1/4 cup shortening or butter<br />1 tsp. ginger<br />1 tsp. vanilla</p> <p>For the filling:<br />1. Bring apples, water and sugar to a boil and let simmer for 30 minutes, stirring to combine.<br />2. Stir in ginger and nutmeg. Using a mixer, food processor or potato masher, break up apples and blend until they have an applesauce-like consistency. Let cool before proceeding with the cake and glaze.</p> <p>For the cake:<br />1. Heat oven to 350 degrees and grease several 9-inch non-stick cake pans. (You can reuse pans if necessary).<br />2. Mix the 5 cups flour and other dry ingredients in large bowl, reserving the 1/4 cup flour.<br />3. Make a well in center of flour mixture and pour in shortening, sorghum and vanilla. Crack the eggs, and drop them in. Whisk until well-mixed. Using your hands, slowly incorporate flour as you would with bread. When the dough is dry enough to handle easily, stop adding flour. (If the dough is too dry, moisten it with a little water).<br />4. Roll the dough into a log and cut into 6 equal-sized pieces . Form the pieces into balls and evenly roll in the extra 1/4 cup flour.<br />5. Roll out each ball, making rounds that are 8-9 inches in diameter. Place each layer (by rolling or folding) in a greased 9-inch pan. Unroll dough and pat evenly across bottom. Bake 12 minutes or until brown on edges and light brown across the top. Repeat for each layer.<br />6. Remove layers from oven and cool on racks. When all layers are cool, spread filling and stack layers.</p> <p>To assemble:<br />1. Place first layer on cake plate and spread 3/4 cup filling over each layer. Repeat with each layer, leaving the top layer uncovered.<br />2. Let the cake stand six to 12 hours at room temperature (this allows moisture from the filling to seep into the layers). Refrigerate 12-36 hours before serving.<br />3. Brush the top of the cake with egg white before it’s refrigerated or just prior to serving. Dust with powdered sugar. Serve as is, or with glaze.</p> <p>For the glaze:<br />1. Combine sugar and water in small saucepan over high heat. Bring to boil, simmer for eight minutes or until it reaches the soft ball stage (around 234 to 236 degrees).<br />2. Remove from heat, slice and stir in butter or shortening, then ginger and vanilla. Pour glaze over cake, starting at the edges, dripping it down the sides. Spread remainder on top of cake with a knife.</p> <p class="tags">Tags: <a href="http://www.eatmedaily.com/tag/america/" rel="tag">America</a>, <a href="http://www.eatmedaily.com/tag/appalachia/" rel="tag">Appalachia</a>, <a href="http://www.eatmedaily.com/tag/features/" rel="tag">Features</a>, <a href="http://www.eatmedaily.com/tag/locavorism/" rel="tag">locavorism</a>, <a href="http://www.eatmedaily.com/tag/recipes/" rel="tag">Recipes</a>, <a href="http://www.eatmedaily.com/tag/regional-cuisine/" rel="tag">regional cuisine</a></p> </div><!-- end post --> <div id="googleAd"> <script type="text/javascript"><!-- google_ad_client = "pub-9987875087750868"; /* 468x60, created 1/1/09 */ google_ad_slot = "8544424806"; google_ad_width = 468; google_ad_height = 60; //--> </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script><script src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/expansion_embed.js"></script><script src="http://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/pagead/test_domain.js"></script><script>window.google_render_ad();</script><ins style="border: medium none ; margin: 0pt; padding: 0pt; display: inline-table; height: 60px; position: relative; visibility: visible; width: 468px;"><ins style="border: medium none ; margin: 0pt; padding: 0pt; display: block; height: 60px; position: relative; visibility: visible; width: 468px;"><iframe allowtransparency="true" hspace="0" id="google_ads_frame1" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" name="google_ads_frame" src="http://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/pagead/ads?client=ca-pub-9987875087750868&dt=1237224369552&lmt=1237221853&output=html&slotname=8544424806&correlator=1237224369552&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.eatmedaily.com%2F2009%2F03%2Feating-appalachia-in-search-of-real-american-cuisine-in-hidden-hollers%2F&ref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Freader%2Fview%2F&frm=0&ga_vid=879190898.1237224091&ga_sid=1237224091&ga_hid=486765233&ga_fc=true&flash=10.0.12&u_h=800&u_w=1280&u_ah=800&u_aw=1215&u_cd=32&u_tz=-240&u_his=2&u_java=true&u_nplug=25&u_nmime=103&dtd=79&w=468&h=60&xpc=OQyfYvfCtH&p=http%3A//www.eatmedaily.com" style="left: 0pt; position: absolute; top: 0pt;" vspace="0" scrolling="no" width="468" frameborder="0" height="60"></iframe></ins></ins> </div> <!-- You can start editing here. --> <!-- <br /> --> <div class="footer"> <div> <ul><li><a href="http://www.eatmedaily.com/">Home</a></li><li><a href="http://www.eatmedaily.com/about/">About</a></li><li><a href="http://www.eatmedaily.com/contact/">Contact</a></li><li><a href="http://www.eatmedaily.com/archives/">Archives</a></li></ul> </div> <div class="last"> <form method="get" id="sform" action="http://www.eatmedaily.com/"> <p><input id="q" value="" name="s" size="15" style="width: 80px; background-color: rgb(241, 241, 241);" type="text"> <input value="Search" style="font-size: 10px; vertical-align: top;" type="submit"></p> </form> <p class="copy">©2008-2009</p> </div> </div><!-- end footer --> <br /> <!-- <div class="copyright"> </div> --> </div> <!-- end container --> <script type="text/javascript"> var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://ssl." : "http://www."); document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + gaJsHost + "google-analytics.com/ga.js' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E")); </script><script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/ga.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker("UA-1164714-2"); pageTracker._trackPageview(); </script> <script src="http://stats.wordpress.com/e-200912.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> st_go({blog:'5325915',v:'ext',post:'12128'}); var load_cmc = function(){linktracker_init(5325915,12128,2);}; if ( typeof addLoadEvent != 'undefined' ) addLoadEvent(load_cmc); else load_cmc(); </script><img id="wpstats" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/g.gif?host=www.eatmedaily.com&rand=0.8582122570181774&blog=5325915&v=ext&post=12128&ref=http%3A//www.google.com/reader/view/" alt="" /> <!-- Dynamic Page Served (once) in 0.339 seconds --> <!-- Cached page generated by WP-Super-Cache on 2009-03-16 12:44:13 --> <!-- Compression = gzip -->Bill Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14993089347385713202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37939827998008357.post-42719716403964123842008-10-14T13:30:00.002-04:002008-10-14T13:33:38.215-04:00Pittsburgh, SolidWe have water, resources, affordable living spaces, friendly people, and, somehow, our economy is a great example of sustainability. See the story:<br /><a href="http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1848760-1,00.html?iid=perma_share"><br />Time Magazine Story About Pittsburgh Economy</a>Bill Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14993089347385713202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37939827998008357.post-49305918636734751482008-10-03T10:30:00.002-04:002008-10-03T10:35:11.711-04:00Articles in Restaurants and InstitutionsNice mention in this <a href="http://www.rimag.com/article/CA6590493.html">gazpacho article</a>.<br />And taquitos <a href="http://www.rimag.com/article/CA6521654.html">here</a>.Bill Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14993089347385713202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37939827998008357.post-37280239924767529962008-09-30T22:41:00.006-04:002008-09-30T23:28:57.484-04:00Rachel Ray and SoundgardenAt the gym tonight, trying to treadmill away a few bottles of wine, I clicked on the TV to the food network. I normally don't do this, and normally can't stand the treadmill for more than five minutes, but I was armed with a new set of headphones and wanted to try out the individual treadmill TV with said headphones. I usually try to run to CNN with no sound - no 'phones = no sound - and the 4 minute news cycle is perfect for my limited appreciation of the charms of the treadmill.<br /><br />But tonight, I switched on the Food <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Network</span> and there was Rachel Ray (hereafter referred to as RR). RR was making chili mac. She didn't call it that, just kept referring to the combination of pasta in meat sauce with chili. But it was true chili mac, and a nice one. I watched, <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">listening</span> through the new headphones, for a good fifteen minutes. At the commercial <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">break</span>, I popped the plug out and back into my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">ipod</span>. I picked <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Soundgarden's</span> "<a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Soundgarden/Badmotorfinger"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Badmotorfinger</span></a>". Easily one of the best three albums of all time. I kept running, picking up the paste with 'Rusty Cage".<br /><br />Then RR came back on. Silent, of course, but digging the food and the camera, moving lushly around the kitchen, smashing a garlic clove with that huge smile, and leaning over to show that huge rack, and I got it. Again. I love RR. And I love <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Soundgarden</span>. And the modern heavy metal grunge of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Badmotorfinger</span> fits perfectly with RR' curves and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">obvious</span> love of food.<br /><br />Confused? I was too. Now, four hours and two glasses of wine later, I am working to tease the connection out of my mind. Why? I love <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Soundgarden</span>. Great sound, great album (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">BMF</span>) that changed my perception of music forever. Blasting and morose and brutal and beautiful. Described by one reviewer as a "funeral dirge for the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">millennia</span>" or <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">somesuch</span>. Peak of their creativity and of grunge heavy metal.<br /><br />I also love RR. She is fun and loves food and loves life and laughs loud and a lot. I'd like to spend a long weekend with her in a t-top <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Camaro</span> touring northern Arizona with a bottle of vodka in a bag of ice on the floor. Rob a convenience store with squirt guns and hole up in a Holiday Inn. Laugh all day long and grab burgers from the diner and sleep 'till noon. Not creepy or sexy, just blasting through the sun and having a ball and throwing litter out of the car as we finish burger and beer.<br /><br />How do they go together? I feel it, but <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">struggle</span> to say it. The small town <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">teenboy</span>, cruising McDonald's Friday night cranking Rush and digging the girls with the tight Chic jeans, too young yet to run to fat but definitely headed there, he digs them both. The chef that just wants his music and his food to be bold and powerful, simple and strong on the surface with a complex detail accenting the basic, he digs them both. The man that longs for the simple, solid sounds and tastes, but unable to let go into solid stolidity, he digs them.<br /><br />Rachel Ray and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Soundgarden</span>.<br /><br />For President.<br /><br />http://www.last.fm/music/Soundgarden/BadmotorfingerBill Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14993089347385713202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37939827998008357.post-62366761196848168002008-09-11T11:32:00.005-04:002008-09-11T12:03:19.852-04:00Grandma PieMy grandmother, Ruth Marie Ball Fuller, died recently. She was old, 85, and had lived a long, hard-working life. In the end, she just decided to go to sleep. It had been some time since I'd seen her. In fact, it had been a long time since I was around the family and the hometown at all. I was one of those, "When I graduate I am outta here!" small town kids that really never looked back. In the intervening years, my memories of my relatives faded to gray as I lived outside the verbal history loop that families use to remind themselves of who they are. <br /><br />Grandma shot crisply back into focus when, at the viewing and at the funeral, the preacher, my dad and uncle and aunt, family friends, cousins, and neighbors laughed and joked about Grandma Fuller's famous sweet tooth. Seems she loved cookies, pie, and fudge. Of course. Who doesn't. And in the aggressively independent DIY life of the Fullers, she made them all herself. Of all of her baking, her pies were the best. Every dinner, it seemed, had a pie or two at the end. Thanksgiving had a table full. Of course, if you didn't eat, there was no pie. And we all ate to eat pie. Even green beans.<br /><br />My favorite story, one that I hadn't heard in probably thirty years, was of the two pie day. Seems, that after making the pie for dinner one autumn morning, Grandma decided to cut just a sliver to taste it. I guess it was good, because she cut another little sliver. I know it was good, because she ate the whole thing buy lunchtime. Now, the only way we know this story was from testimony of her neighbor. Seems Grandma didn't have enough sugar to make the second and quietly slipped next door to borrow some, hoping to have a second pie ready for dinner before hungry husband and kids returned home. She pulled it off and had the second pie on the table, only to years later be outed by her neighbor. Grandma, I'd have eaten the whole pie too, and tried to sneak a new one out of the oven before I was found out.<br /><br />I remember the plastic pie rolling sheet that she worked on - opaque plastic imprinted with red circles to measure crust and conversion charts. Worn and floured, every single pie shell was rolled out onto it. And every shell was laid into clear glass pie pans, filled with hand-peeled and cut local (from the yard or down the street) apples, topped with crust, and baked in her old oven. We were admonished to not mess with it until it was cool as we burned our finger to dip in the crust drizzle at the edge. <br /><br />I ate a lot of those pies. And until her death, never realized how much they were missed. Thank you Grandma Fuller. <br /><br />(And yes, she was my elementary school Lunch Lady.)<br /><br />Her obituary below.<br /><br /><div class="storyphoto"><div class="alignright"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="93"><tbody><tr><td colspan="3" align="center" valign="top"><img src="http://images.zwire.com/local/Z/Zwire2758/zwire/images/2008/08/story/ObitFuller_story.jpg" alt="FULLER" border="0" height="126" hspace="0" vspace="2" width="83" /></td></tr><tr><td><img src="http://images.zwire.com/images/spacer.gif" height="1" width="5" /></td><td><img src="http://images.zwire.com/images/spacer.gif" height="1" width="5" /></td></tr><tr><td><img src="http://images.zwire.com/images/spacer.gif" height="1" width="5" /></td><td><img src="http://images.zwire.com/images/spacer.gif" border="0" height="1" width="83" /></td><td><img src="http://images.zwire.com/images/spacer.gif" height="1" width="5" /></td></tr><tr><td width="5"><img src="http://images.zwire.com/images/spacer.gif" width="5" /></td><td align="left" valign="top" width="83"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica;font-size:-2;color:#000000;"> FULLER </span></td><td width="5"><img src="http://images.zwire.com/images/spacer.gif" width="5" /></td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><div class="story"> Ruth Marie Ball Fuller, DuBois, 85, died Saturday at the DuBois Nursing Home. <br />Born Dec. 17, 1922, she was the daughter of the late Daniel and Ada M. Potts Ball. She was married to William L. "Let" Fuller. He preceded her in death Feb. 25, 1995.<br />She worked at Olive Avenue and Highland Street grade school cafeterias for 21 years before retiring in 1985.<br />She was a member of the Mt. Zion United Methodist Church. She was a life member of the Sandy Hose Company Ladies Auxiliary and the Daughters of the American Revolution, where she had served as a registrar and as a past regent.<br />She is survived by two sons, William L. Fuller Jr. of New Bethlehem and Ronald J. Fuller of Lemoyne; one daughter, Mrs. James (Susan) McLaughlin of Knoxdale; 12 grandchildren; 20 great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.<br />She was the last surviving member of her immediate family and was preceded in death by two brothers, Daniel and Arthur Ball; one sister, Dorothy Gearheart; and one grandson, Ronald J. Fuller Jr.<br /><br />FULLER: Ruth Marie Ball, DuBois, died Aug. 16, 2008. Friends will be received from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. today at the Mohney-Yargar Funeral Chapel Inc. in DuBois. Daughters of the American Revolution will hold a service at 2:15 p.m. today at the funeral home. A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the funeral home with the Rev. Ron Lindahl officiating. Burial will be in Morningside Cemetery, DuBois. Memorial donations may be made to Agape Community Services, 320 W. Long Ave., DuBois PA 15801 or to a charity of the donor's choice. On-line tributes may be made at www.mem.com. <p><br /><table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td><script language="JavaScript1.1" src="http://bannerads.zwire.com/bannerads/bannerad.asp?ADLOCATION=4000&PAG=461&BRD=2758&LOCALPCT=100&AREA=408&VERT=17959&NAREA=&AT=JS&barnd=2064"> </script> <script language="JavaScript"> <!-- if (parseFloat(navigator.appVersion) == 0) { document.write('<iframe width="" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" hspace="0" vspace="0" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" border="0" bordercolor="#000000" src="http://bannerads.zwire.com/bannerads/bannerad.asp?ADLOCATION=4000&PAG=461&BRD=2758&LOCALPCT=100&AREA=408&VERT=17959&NAREA=&AT=IF&barnd=5903"></iframe>'); } //--></script><noscript></noscript><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p></div>Bill Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14993089347385713202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37939827998008357.post-47649047217527523692008-09-05T09:32:00.005-04:002008-10-06T21:35:05.385-04:00The Omnivore's Hundred<div class="title"> <h2 style="font-style: italic;" id="post-399"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Not my idea originally, but fun. My comments are in italics.<br /></span></span></h2><h2 style="font-style: italic;" id="post-399"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Here is the original link:</span></span></h2>http://www.seriouseats.com/2008/08/the-omnivores-hundred-akuban.html<br /><br /><h2 id="post-399"><a href="http://www.verygoodtaste.co.uk/uncategorised/the-omnivores-hundred/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link: The Omnivore’s Hundred">The Omnivore’s Hundred</a></h2> </div> <p>Here’s a chance for a little interactivity for all the bloggers out there. Below is a list of 100 things that I think every good omnivore should have tried at least once in their life. The list includes fine food, strange food, everyday food and even some pretty bad food - but a good omnivore should really try it all. Don’t worry if you haven’t, mind you; neither have I, though I’ll be sure to work on it. Don’t worry if you don’t recognise everything in the hundred, either; <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page">Wikipedia</a> has the answers.</p> <p>Here’s what I want you to do:</p> <p>1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.<br />2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.<br />3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.<br />4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at <a href="http://www.verygoodtaste.co.uk/">www.verygoodtaste.co.uk</a> linking to your results.</p> <p><strong>The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: bold;">1. Venison</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>2. Nettle tea<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 3. </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huevos_rancheros">Huevos rancheros</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 4. </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steak_tartare">Steak tartare</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>5. Crocodile<span style="font-weight: bold;"> (Aligator, yes)</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>6. Black pudding<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 7. Cheese fondue</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 8. Carp</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 9. </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borscht">Borscht</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 10. </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baba_ghanoush">Baba ghanoush</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 11. </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calamari">Calamari</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 12. </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pho">Pho</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 13. </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peanut_butter_and_jelly_sandwich">PB&J sandwich</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 14. </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloo_gobi">Aloo gobi</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 15. Hot dog from a street cart</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 16. </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89poisses_de_Bourgogne_%28cheese%29">Epoisses</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 17. Black truffle</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 19. Steamed pork buns</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 20. Pistachio ice cream</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 21. </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heirloom_tomato">Heirloom tomatoes</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 22. Fresh wild berries</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 23. </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foie_gras">Foie gras</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 24. </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rice_and_beans">Rice and beans</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 25. </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brawn/">Brawn</a><span style="font-weight: bold;">, or head cheese</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 27. </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dulce_de_leche">Dulce de leche</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 28. Oysters</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 29. </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baklava">Baklava</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 30. </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagna_cauda">Bagna cauda</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 31. Wasabi peas</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 33. Salted </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lassi">lassi</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 34. </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sauerkraut">Sauerkraut</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 35. Root beer float</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 36. Cognac with a fat cigar</span><br />37. Clotted <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cream_tea">cream tea</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 39. </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gumbo">Gumbo</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 40. Oxtail</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 41. Curried goat</span><br />42. Whole insects<br />43. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phaal">Phaal</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 44. Goat’s milk</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more</span><br />46. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fugu">Fugu</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 47. </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_tikka_masala">Chicken tikka masala</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 48. Eel</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 50. Sea urchin</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 51. </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prickly_pear">Prickly pear</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 52. </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umeboshi">Umeboshi</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 53. </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abalone">Abalone</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 54. </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paneer">Paneer</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 56. </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaetzle">Spaetzle</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 57. Dirty gin </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martini_%28cocktail%29">martini</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 58. Beer above 8% ABV</span><br />59. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poutine">Poutine</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 60. </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carob">Carob</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> chips</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 61. </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%27mores">S’mores</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 62. </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweetbreads">Sweetbreads</a><br />63. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geophagy">Kaolin</a><br />64. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Currywurst">Currywurst</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 65. </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durian">Durian</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 66. Frogs’ legs</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake</span><br />68. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haggis">Haggis</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 69. Fried </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantain">plantain</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 70. </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chitterlings">Chitterlings</a><span style="font-weight: bold;">, or andouillette</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 71. </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gazpacho">Gazpacho</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 72. Caviar and </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blinis">blini</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 73. Louche </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absinthe">absinthe</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">74. </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gjetost">Gjetost</a><span style="font-weight: bold;">, or brunost</span><br />75. Roadkill<br />76. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baijiu">Baijiu</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 77. Hostess Fruit Pie</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 78. Snail</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 79. </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lapsang_souchong">Lapsang souchong</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 80. </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellini_%28cocktail%29">Bellini</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 81. </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_yum">Tom yum</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 82. </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eggs_Benedict">Eggs Benedict</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 83. </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pocky">Pocky</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">84. Tasting menu at a three-</span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelin_Guide">Michelin</a><span style="font-weight: bold;">-star restaurant.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 85. </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobe_beef">Kobe beef</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 86. Hare</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 87. </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goulash">Goulash</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 88. </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edible_flowers">Flowers</a><br />89. Horse<br />90. Criollo chocolate<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 91. Spam</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 92. </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soft_shell_crab">Soft shell crab</a><br />93. Rose <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harissa">harissa</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 94. Catfish</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 95. </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mole_%28sauce%29">Mole</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> poblano</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 96. Bagel and </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lox">lox</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 97. </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobster_Thermidor">Lobster Thermidor</a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 98. </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polenta">Polenta</a><br />99. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamaican_Blue_Mountain_Coffee">Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee</a><br />100. Snake</p><p style="font-style: italic;">Of all of them, I am a little embarrassed to have missed horse, insects, Blue Mountain Coffee, Roadkill and Haggis. I will definitely look for Phaal on any and every Indian menu I see (but I believe that it is probably only really good in India, maybe London).<br /></p><span style="font-style: italic;">And I have to try poutine.</span><br /><p><span style="font-style: italic;">Looks like I have some eating to do!</span></p>Bill Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14993089347385713202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37939827998008357.post-70185980097730607592008-07-07T21:15:00.002-04:002008-07-07T21:59:37.427-04:00MargarineGrowing up, we had no butter in our house. It was too expensive. Period. We always bought only what was cheaper. This included but was not limited to whipped margarine, mealy hot dogs with secret bone chips, discount grocery store brand pop, off-brand spam, white bread, and endless bologna. Butter cost twice margarine and that was that. I didn't have it until I left home at seventeen. <br /><br />I, of course, never thought much of it. I knew that Country Crock was better than the supermarket brand. But I knew too that, while it was better, I never really liked it. We put it on white toast though, in great melting heaps, and passed the toast to our mother to cover with a thick layer of sugar and cinnamon (which we always kept handy) then drizzle the mess with coffee. The best result of this was a thick layer of coffee-moistened sugar - not dissolved but melted into a thick, sweet sludge with oily yellow margarine streaks. At times, however, there would be a gap in the sugar or the coffee would pool and punch through the sugar to soak the toast to mush. Or my mom would try to save money by buying a cheaper brand of margarine resulting in a slimy mouth-feel.<br /><br />I found butter at the Occidental. There was never margarine in that restaurant, and butter everywhere. It went into everything. Everywhere. I learned to cook with butter there; in sauces, to finish a vegetable, to brown with oil <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">sauteeing</span> fish, everywhere. At the Occidental, we used only Beaver Meadow brand butter, manufactured in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">DuBois</span>, PA. My hometown. How did it end up here? We stockpiled the labels as we unwrapped the blocks, using the red, white, and blue wax paper to cover foods as we cooked and held them. When the mashed potatoes were finished and placed in sixth pans, we'd cover them with butter paper. A piece of sauteed fish, waiting on a resting rack to be picked up, was protected with a butter paper. Poaching sweetbreads, you get the idea. <br /><br />But, "if there was so much butter, why did we eat only margarine in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">DuBois</span>?" I didn't much like it at first. Soft, it wasn't firm enough and spread mushy. Cold it wouldn't spread. Pain in the ass. Needs management. Not engineered to be spreadable at all temperatures. Why? But we kept pans of butter out at kitchen temperature. It softened, sometimes warming too much and melting. But we worked long days, with little time to eat. One quick nibble was always available - bread. A piece of bread coming off the table, grabbed from the server as they returned from the dining room, swiped through the butter and sprinkled with kosher salt, keeps the line cook motor humming. <br /><br />So, I digress. Margarine. I never touch the stuff. Butter, butter. When it was reported a few years ago that, no duh, butter was healthier than margarine, I was overjoyed. Margarine sucks.Bill Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14993089347385713202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37939827998008357.post-52587994960957613362008-05-29T13:57:00.005-04:002008-05-29T14:21:58.146-04:00Local Chicken Stock in a BoxWhen asked what to use instead of home made stock, I usually suggest <a href="http://www.kitchenbasics.net/">Kitchen Basics</a> brand chicken stock. Clean, simple flavor without a lot of sodium, MSG, and other junk, I use it at home if I am a little light on homemade. I found out today that they are based in <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF-8&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&q=Brecksville,+OH,+USA&um=1&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&resnum=1&ct=title">Brecksville, Ohio</a>, a little south of Cleveland. Who knew?<br /><br /><img alt="The image “http://www.kitchenbasics.net/images/new8chicken.jpg” cannot be displayed, because it contains errors." src="http://www.kitchenbasics.net/images/new8chicken.jpg" /><img src="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/BFULLE%7E2.000/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-4.jpg" alt="" /><img src="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/BFULLE%7E2.000/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-3.jpg" alt="" /><img src="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/BFULLE%7E2.000/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-2.jpg" alt="" />Bill Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14993089347385713202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37939827998008357.post-10398395636694083532008-05-28T09:24:00.011-04:002008-05-28T10:21:18.703-04:00Pig Roasting<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiirP0gks8dlDpaGbb-r1EWT2biG72qm4rg0KnCsjb5qu4l8_Gg_QnNmGG07-xTAIQDDnSJ6oXOAsm5d7-PKFijPMsemVJVphFtjQDZbLqWR4olCCTeo8GSKYsrl9sZyTrWAVezqL1D5uc/s1600-h/DSCN2449.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiirP0gks8dlDpaGbb-r1EWT2biG72qm4rg0KnCsjb5qu4l8_Gg_QnNmGG07-xTAIQDDnSJ6oXOAsm5d7-PKFijPMsemVJVphFtjQDZbLqWR4olCCTeo8GSKYsrl9sZyTrWAVezqL1D5uc/s200/DSCN2449.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205432929809324370" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I roasted a pig this weekend. Slow cooking and all day discussion of the pig, what it will taste like, is it going too slow, and man does it smell good. Thursday night we prepared our sacrifice. We splayed it flat, inserted serrano chilies and cracked garlic cloves into slits in the exposed inside flesh, rubbed the whole thing with chopped garlic and black pepper, and covered it with sliced limes, thyme, and oregano. We placed the head in the belly and tied the whole pig back 'round to marinate. Sunday morning (7AM), we built the pit, wired the pig on the rack, started a fire with good charcoal and <a href="http://www.mcconnellsfarm.com/">McConnell's Farms</a> apple wood, and prepared to start the pig. We were on schedule, the pig looked great, and the machine of this long day had been properly set in motion. In a burst, I decided to put a little more charcoal on before we started the cooking. Get it going good. My opinion was met with disapproval.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhARUoDZ8IXzoP7buInsHwqkd2q8c0_V79rQHWZyDObgirHOHqQW9M467E6UKQf4SdNP1PG6Is0bhNgCthsGnnJ0gNeheNEb702zc4jnyPS78z-5rtiYOY0aLk-swxJjBZ8BnrRYjfpVac/s1600-h/DSCN2442.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhARUoDZ8IXzoP7buInsHwqkd2q8c0_V79rQHWZyDObgirHOHqQW9M467E6UKQf4SdNP1PG6Is0bhNgCthsGnnJ0gNeheNEb702zc4jnyPS78z-5rtiYOY0aLk-swxJjBZ8BnrRYjfpVac/s200/DSCN2442.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205429523900258562" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I didn't listen.<br /><br />We placed the pig over the pit, covered her up, and started the rest of the day. I returned about 20 minutes later to find the bottom of the pit on fire and the back of the pig blackened. Emergency operations ensued - putting out the fire, opening the sides of the pit to allow the heat to escape, putting out the charcoal. Once the disaster was stalled, we turned the pig to look. Crispy black and smoking. Three previously excited chef faces looked and me, crestfallen. Really crestfallen, never a more appropriate time to use the word. The day had stalled, collapsed, disintegrated, and died in the pit. I didn't look at them, I felt them trying not to look at me, trying not to look at each other.<br /><br />Only one solution, move forward. We surrounded the pig and removed the burnt skin with fingers and tiny tongs. For a final rinse, we stood the pig rack up and washed her down. The pig was returned to the pit skin side down, a light, smokey apple wood fire re-kindled, and we proceeded gently.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl6l4w7yrhtxTDOsQmwz0OpLtf6i1sIqEOQx44Y9AlFtZSdC57fbvkxL6fAt_hsE6WN6HSRAn1dZCBNaE0-L2iZR4B1uPIit5V7k2hRGxZYNqPXm03woTer3Prtu_2UUk04wpIHazNb28/s1600-h/DSCN2477.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl6l4w7yrhtxTDOsQmwz0OpLtf6i1sIqEOQx44Y9AlFtZSdC57fbvkxL6fAt_hsE6WN6HSRAn1dZCBNaE0-L2iZR4B1uPIit5V7k2hRGxZYNqPXm03woTer3Prtu_2UUk04wpIHazNb28/s200/DSCN2477.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205432276974295362" border="0" /></a>It turned out mostly fine. The meat was tender and delicious, especially in the belly, of course. There was a nice smoke flavor with no trace of acrid burnt skin aftertaste. but the golden, smoked, browned, crackling, fat-seeping skin was not there, giving us a sad, ugly pig to serve.<br /><br />Every day we seem to re-learn what we have known for our whole lives. Take the slow things slow, start solid, and follow along. Fast processes go fast and slow go slow and respect must be paid to each type in turn. Start the pig slow, catch up as the day goes if you need to, be flexible with the finish time.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvVmTRowCDoOXJ9_YPagBRJLs-0U03W1-v4WES_NR5Q_nRuFevK64NlL-yXIYlYLUkBQK7i47bEiKxCMUfSP5LhnKNZA_69UcmqlDYPFxLjFOkN7SqL7MbRB0MVvHoqx1iwn9GVL7bI50/s1600-h/Kayapig2008.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvVmTRowCDoOXJ9_YPagBRJLs-0U03W1-v4WES_NR5Q_nRuFevK64NlL-yXIYlYLUkBQK7i47bEiKxCMUfSP5LhnKNZA_69UcmqlDYPFxLjFOkN7SqL7MbRB0MVvHoqx1iwn9GVL7bI50/s400/Kayapig2008.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205430657771624738" border="0" /></a>Bill Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14993089347385713202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37939827998008357.post-78584739097969248752008-04-03T11:28:00.002-04:002008-04-04T09:15:36.735-04:00Read This!Nice article on cured meats and Parma by Virginia Phillips in Pittsburgh Quarterly.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.pittsburghquarterly.com/pages/fall2006/fall2006_84foodfare.htm">http://www.pittsburghquarterly.com/pages/fall2006/fall2006_84foodfare.htm</a>Bill Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14993089347385713202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37939827998008357.post-58131826683430181662008-03-31T22:53:00.000-04:002008-03-31T22:53:47.918-04:00Two Signs of Spring<div style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd8pbxp0V8ro3Yy5SoAlDsVGrLKfKQibqa7vIvdCTH6ztPhJ1V_bVnJizHOAQjUvb04BZnbQgY5bzPfLzTjKEFlRHfoYlNmtn3N74w4nTshM9c-7meo3VWn1u_AhJBfL0KaTdVUUm_KjE/s1600-h/DSCN2104.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd8pbxp0V8ro3Yy5SoAlDsVGrLKfKQibqa7vIvdCTH6ztPhJ1V_bVnJizHOAQjUvb04BZnbQgY5bzPfLzTjKEFlRHfoYlNmtn3N74w4nTshM9c-7meo3VWn1u_AhJBfL0KaTdVUUm_KjE/s320/DSCN2104.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div>A pretty little girl in an Easter dress and freshly popped crocuses.<div style='clear:both; text-align:CENTER'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>Bill Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14993089347385713202noreply@blogger.com0