5.25 – Sunday Trotter (on a Monday)

And so we finally made it to dinner after 4 weeks of prep.

In my estimation I nailed 80%.

The Porchetta was perfection. I may have to buy another shoulder next weekend as there wasn’t nearly enough and it was so perfectly moist and delicious.

The pork buns, while not perfectly uniform, tasted delicious and the pork belly melted in your mouth.

The banana pudding was made even better by the bourbon whipped cream I added on top.

Even the pigs ear fried up nicely to compliment my blue cheese dressing.

Sadly, the headcheese was a fail. Possibly I didn’t boil it down enough, and maybe it was the heat, but what I managed to make was cosume de tete, rather than fromage. I suppose it’s just a sign I need to intern with Boulud after all.

Brad, my pleasure to feed, did not seemed phased by the texture and created his own masterpeice of lardo + headcheese crostini.

All in all I am well-fed and exhausted. I’m unable to report actual results, as aside from some beans and consume, there isn’t a spec left. 9 people, 6 boys, 9 lbs pork, 0 left-overs.

5.17 – Memorial Pig Feast – Prep: Weeks 1 – 4

Preparation for Memorial Day Pig Feast: May 25, 2009

Pig Butchering at The Brooklyn Kitchen, 4/28

After being lucky enough to attend one of this year’s final pig butchering classes taught by Tom Mylan of Marlow and Daughters in Williamsburg, I have decided to embark on my most ambitious feast to date. A meal so ambitious that the prep has required 4 full weeks of planning. Through the inspiration of Tom’s suggested applications for each piece of pig he elegantly butchered to Leonard Skynard (I believe we enjoyed Free Bird twice), and the generosity of my bacon-loving guest photographer, Joe, I managed to secure over 14lbs of local upstate pork and the menu to do it justice.

The menu for Memorial Day will be roughly as follows, with last minute changes according to my whim:

Headcheese
Home-curred Lardo
Porchetta-style Pork shoulder
Salad of creamy blue cheese and pig’s ear cracklin’
Assortment of pickles
Deviled Eggs
Elvis-esque Banana Ice Box Pie (with bacon garnish)

Week 4:
———————–

Monday

Ive made it, it’s the big day. This morning I inhaled a big cup of coffee and some nova from Zabar to give me strength and am now embarking on the final prep.

Step 1: Start dough for pork bus
Step 2: Start Porchetta
Step 3: Make sun tea (who doesn’t like iced tea on a hot day)
Step 4: Deviled Eggs
Step 5: Banana Pudding (mom’s recipe of course)
Step 6: Make green onion wraps (now deemed meat shafts by JL)
Step 7: re-bake beans with BBQ sauce
Step 8: greet guests (whew!)

Pork-Belly Buns (Courtesy Brooklyn Kitchen)
Adapted by Surly from David Chang, Gourmet October 2007

For pork
1/2 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup sugar
4 1/2 cups water, divided
2 1/2 lb skinless boneless pork belly, cut into quarters
1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

For buns
1 cup warm water (105-115°F), divided
1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
3 tablespoons sugar plus a pinch
2 tablespoons nonfat dried milk
3 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
Canola oil for greasing and brushing

Equipment: a deep 12-inch skillet with domed lid or a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok with lid
Accompaniments: hoisin sauce; thinly sliced cucumber; chopped scallions

Brine pork:
Stir together kosher salt, sugar, and 4 cups water until sugar and salt have dissolved. Put pork belly in a large sealable bag, then pour in brine. Carefully press out air and seal bag. Lay in a shallow dish and let brine, chilled, at least 12 hours.

Make dough for buns while pork is brining:
Stir together 1/4 cup warm water with yeast and pinch of sugar. Let stand until foamy, 5 to 10 minutes. (If mixture doesn’t foam, start over with new yeast.) Whisk in dried milk and remaining 3/4 cup warm water.

Stir together flour and remaining 3 tablespoons sugar in a bowl, then stir in yeast mixture (do not add baking powder yet) with a fork until a dough forms. Knead dough with your hands in bowl until all of flour is incorporated. Turn out dough onto a floured surface and knead, dusting surface and hands with just enough flour to keep dough from sticking, until dough is elastic and smooth but still soft, about 5 minutes. Form dough into a ball.

Put dough in an oiled large bowl and turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled, about 2 hours.

Roast pork while dough rises:
Preheat oven to 300°F with rack in middle.

Discard brine and put pork, fat side up, in an 8- to 9-inch square baking pan. Pour in broth and remaining 1/2 cup water. Cover tightly with foil and roast until pork is very tender, about 2 1/2 hours. Remove foil and increase oven temperature to 450°F, then roast until fat is golden, about 20 minutes more. Cool 30 minutes, then chill, uncovered, until cold, about 1 hour.

Cut chilled pork across the grain into 1/4-inch slices. Chill slices in pan juices, covered, while making buns.

Make buns:
Punch down dough, then transfer to a lightly floured surface and flatten slightly into a disk. Sprinkle baking powder over center of dough, then gather edges of dough and pinch to seal in baking powder. Knead dough with just enough flour to keep dough from sticking until baking powder is incorporated, about 5 minutes. Return dough to bowl and cover with plastic wrap, then let dough stand 30 minutes.

Cut 16 (3- by 2-inch) pieces of wax paper.

Form dough into a 16-inch-long log. Cut into 16 equal pieces, then lightly dust with flour and loosely cover with plastic wrap. Roll out 1 piece of dough into a 6- by 3-inch oval, lightly dusting surface, your hands, and rolling pin. Pat oval between your palms to remove excess flour, then brush half of oval lightly with oil and fold in half crosswise (do not pinch). Place bun on a piece of wax paper on a large baking sheet and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Make more buns with remaining dough, then let stand, loosely covered, until slightly risen, about 30 minutes.

Set a large steamer rack inside skillet (or wok) and add enough water to reach within 1/2 inch of bottom of rack, then bring to a boil. Carefully place 5 to 7 buns (still on wax paper) in steamer rack (do not let buns touch). Cover tightly and steam over high heat until buns are puffed and cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer buns to a plate with tongs, then discard wax paper and wrap buns in kitchen towels (not terry cloth) to keep warm. Steam remaining buns in 2 batches, adding boiling-hot water to skillet as needed.

Return buns (still wrapped in towels) to steamer rack in skillet and keep warm (off heat), covered.

To Serve:
Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Heat sliced pork (in liquid in baking dish), covered, until hot, 15 to 20 minutes.

Brush bottom half of each bun with hoisin sauce, then sandwich with 2 or 3 pork slices and some cucumber and scallions

Porchetta

20 fresh sage leaves
3 fresh thyme sprigs, leaves only
3 sprigs rosemary, leaves only
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons fennel pollen (available at Whole Foods)
1½ teaspoons medium-coarse sea salt
1½ teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
One 3¾-to-4 pound boneless pork shoulder (skin on, not tied)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup dry white or red wine

1. Heat oven to 250°

2. Finely chop the sage, thyme, rosemary and garlic together (you can do this by pulsing the herbs in a food processor or chopping them by hand). Place the mixture in a small bowl, add the fennel pollen, salt and pepper, and stir together well.

3. With a sharp knife, score the pork skin in a crosshatch diamond pattern, making 1/2-inch-deep cuts about 1 inch apart. With a paring knife, make about 10 incisions (about ½ inch deep) all over the pork and stuff it with about a third of the herb mixture. Tie the pork into a compact roast with kitchen twine, brush the olive oil over the skin and rub all over with the remaining herb mixture.

4. Set pork skin-side up in a roasting pan. Roast for 2 hours.

5. Pour wine over pork and baste with wine and accumulated juices. Continue roasting, basting once every half hour, until skin is well-browned and meat is spoon tender, 2½ to 3 hours more.

6. Remove the pork from the oven; let the meat rest for 15 minutes, then slice and serve.

Sunday

On Saturday I also started brining some pork belly in a 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup kosher salt, 4 cups water brine . I’m giving firetruck (my new cast iron le creuset casserole) his dinner party debut at the pig feast as host to the belly for our pork buns.

This morning I got up and began roasting the (skinless) belly fat -side up in 1/2 cup reserved stock from the headcheese and 1/2 cup water for 2 1/2 hours @ 300 degrees covered, I will follow this with 20 minutes at 450 until the fat browns. Will cool, slice and chill in the fridge overnight in it’s own juices.

That just leaves deviled eggs, pork bun dough and the Porchetta for Monday. Fingers crossed that Whole Foods does have fennel pollen (as the recipe suggests). It’s like the upper west is a waste land. No squid ink, tenderizing salt or fennel pollen???

Saturday

Trotter post brine and braising.

After spending the better part of 8 hours in the kitchen today, I can proudly confirm that the feast is on and delicious at that.

I started about noon today, putting head and trotter into my soup pot with celery, onion, carrot, pepper corns, fresh thyme and parsley, a clove, bay leaf, and a couple allspice. Wilbur spent 4 hours tightly covered at 300 degrees prepping to be pulled.

While waiting on Wilbur to finish up I threw together a batch of Julia Child’s cole slaw (aways better after marinating a day or two) and Joy of Cooking’s Honey-Baked Beans. I also threw together a batch of cous cous salad for a picnic in the park tomorrow.

A quick check of the lardo proved to be deliciously sweet and delicate.

Cole Slaw courtesy Julia Childs
1/2 cup Mayonnaise (sorry Julia I bought mine)
1/3 cup sour cream or creme fresh (I used sour cream)
1/2 tsp caraway seeds
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp cider vinegar
fresh ground pepper
1 tbsp Dijon mustard

Toss with shredded green cabbage, julienne carrot, and sliced green onion.

Honey-baked Beans

1 lb bag pinto beans (dried)

Pick over beans to make sure there are no rocks and cover with boiling water in a bowl (2″ above height of beans). Let stand 1-2 hours until beans are plumped and water is absorbed. Drain and add to pot with 10 cups water. Boil for 45 minutes.

Strain beans, reserving liquid.

Add 1 red onion diced, 1/4 lb bacon (cut into lardon) and 2 cloves garlic minced to beans.

To cooking liquid add, 1 tsp powdered mustard, 2 tsp ground ginger, 1/2 cup honey, 1/4 cup molases, fresh cracked pepper, 2 tsp salt and a splash of hot sauce (my addition). Stir to dissolve honey and pour over beans and onion etc. till covered. Bake 2 1/2 hours at 300 degrees.

The beans are okay, but a little on the bland side for my taste. For the big day I’m planning to mince some green pepper and more onion, and add along with some BBQ sauce and brown sugar to fix it up. Luckily there’s plenty of time left to keep baking the beans

Headcheese molding

After completing my braise, I skinned and pulled all meat off the totter and head and discarded the bones. The teeth still freaked me out too much to keep as a souvenir. I strained the stock and returned to the pot to reduce by half (remember don’t salt till the end to control the final amount).

While reducing I tossed chopped (pulled) meat with a quarter cup finely diced celery, the zest and juice of one lemon and a lot of fresh chopped parsley. In retrospect some fresh cracked pepper would have been nice too. Maybe next time…

Once the stock was fully reduced, I tasted for salt, then combines with meat in the mold. All I have to do now is refrigerate and hope it tastes good on Monday.

I think I’ll go out for dinner tonight as there’s no dishes left in my kitchen or room for leftovers in my fridge.

The headcheese is now molded and chilling in the fridge. Fingers crossed I reduced it enough to gel properly…

Week 3:
———————–

We’re now 7 days out from the Memorial Pig Feast and it’s time to get serious about the headcheese.

Today is the 5-day mark before it’s time to braise and that means brining. At Tom Mylan’s suggestion I am going to attempt to corn Wilbur’s tongue (as in corned beef) and set it in the center of my headcheese like a pork Twinkie.

Tom’s Headcheese brine:
———————–

1 pig head (or half a head in my case)
1 trotter
1 box (2lbs) kosher salt
1 tbsp pepper corns
1 tbsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tbsp allspice
5 cloves
1 lb box brown sugar
2 gallons water
1 tbsp paprika and 3 bay leaves (my addition, sorry Tom)

Heat all contents but the pig parts in a large pot until dissolved. Let stand to cool to room temperature (I went to the movies). In the biggest non-reactive container you have (I use my canner) combine pig, brine and weight down. Leave in fridge covered for 5 days.

After a skim of the internet, Julia Childs and Joy of Cooking I was unable to locate a reputable recipe for corning my own meat. A quick call to Mom saved the day (as usual) she happened to have a recipe from her office-mate/hunter friend Gene sitting on top of her microwave just waiting to share.

Gene Clark’s Corned Venison (or whatever meat you have):
———————–

1 tongue (in my case half a pig’s)
2 quarts distilled water (not tap)
1/2 cup pickling salt (non-iodized)
1/2 cup Mortons tender quick tenderizing salt*
3 tbsp sugar (I used brown)
2 tbsp pickling spice (I used Zabars)
2 bay leaves
8 peppercorns
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1tbsp crushed red pepper flakes (my addition, sorry Gene)

*Apparently tenderizing salt is in a blue bag at your grocery store, but like squid ink, it is unheard of on the upper west side. A quick consult with the butcher at Zabar confirmed they use Kosher salt to corn their beef, so I have substituted (fingers crossed).

Combine all contents but tongue to boil in a large pot, let cool to room temperature.

Combine brine with tongue in a double-lined (one inside the other) ziploc bag and seal. Place in fridge. Turn once each day to ensure even salting , for 5 days total.

Rinse thoroughly before cooking.

Week 2:
———————–

With the help of my house guest, Ferocious, this week’s Sunday evening was spent pickling additions to my current stock (dilly beans (2008), bread and butter pickles (2007)).

We made refrigerator-pickled Okra and Crocked Half Sour pickles

Fe suggested spears over whole pickles and I hope she doesn’t steer me wrong.

Crock-Cured Dill Pickles, courtesy Joy of Cooking Canning & Preserves:
———————-

2 – 4 lbs fresh Kirby cucumbers, washed and blossom ends trimmed 1/16″ from the end of the cucumber
4-6 sprigs fresh dill
6-8 large cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
1 tbsp celery seed
1 tbsp mustard seed
1 dried hot chili, crushed in your fingers
8 cups water
1/2 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup white vinegar

Combine salt, water and vinegar and stir to dissolve.

In a 1-gallon crock (any un-chipped ceramic, enameled, glass or food-grade plastic container), scatter half of the dill, mustard seed, celery seed and chili pepper. Layer in cucumber spears allowing for air pockets and top with other half of dill, seeds and pepper. Pour brine over top and allow to completely cover crock contents. Weight cucumbers down under water (I use a pie plate with a jar of water, and cover loosely with plastic wrap to protect from dust.

Let cure on counter 1-3 weeks, stirring every three days. Remove any scum daily if it appears (not to worry there’s been none on mine), and begin tasting after the first week.

After 2-3 weeks pickles can be refrigerated or processed in water bath to store.

Lardo has now been removed from salt and hung to dry from the bottom shelf in my fridge.

Week 1:
———————-

Needing maximum curing time, I began curing my lardo immediately after the butchering class concluded, then discovered that my original dinner party date needed to move out one week to accommodate the guest list, oops…

After quickly checking with Mom to see if her Country Ham-Curring prowess had any thoughts on how to slow down the process, we decided we’d better check with the expert (sorry for all those email’s Tom). My plan is to extend the drying time one week, fingers crossed.

Tom Mylan’s Lardo Recipe:
———————–

Make a cure of 1 cup Kosher salt to 2 tablespoons sugar and add a couple tablespoons each of crushed red pepper flakes, whole black peppercorn and 5 sprigs of fresh thyme. Rub the fat back in the cure and leave in a plastic container uncovered in the fridge for 5 days then reapply the rub and cure for 5 more days. after that remove from the cure and let it air dry for another 5 days on a plate in the fridge.

I used the above recipe, but included fresh thyme in my first weeks cure, followed by fresh rosemary the second week which the internet says is more traditional (I couldn’t find my rosemary the first week. It was hiding in the back of the fridge).

I also got my pig’s head (Wilbur) out of the fridge and prepped for a week or two in the freezer. I am not a squeamish person, but when the Myth Busters team uses pigs as human analogs they are not joking. Wilbur’s teeth and eye-ball are almost identical to mine, and it took a few deep breadths before I was ready to stick him on the cutting board and remove his ear and tongue for separate freezing…

3.08 Sunday Dinner For One

My platonic better half boarded a plane for Korea this morning, leaving me home alone for the week. I thought this would be a nice time to cook for myself for a change. Inspired by the beautiful spring weather we’ve had this weekend I opted for something light and fresh, as well as nice and simple.

Seared Sea Scallops with risotto, truffle oil and shaved Parmesan
——————

Risotto:
1 large shallot, finely minced
1 dried chili pepper, crushed
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup dry vermouth, or drinkable white wine
1/2 cup arborio rice
1-2 cups seafood stock (I picked some up at Fairway)
1/2 tsp old bay seasoning
1 piece of good Parmesan cheese at room temperature

Scallops:
2 tbsp olive oil
3 large sea scallops
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/2 tsp truffle oil

To make the risotto:
If your stock is room temperature you can pour it right from the container as you make this dish. If your stock is fresh, and therefore cold, heat it up on the stove to avoid dropping the temperature of the risotto as it cooks.

Heat olive oil in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Add shallot and saute a few minutes until it becomes translucent. Add dry rice and stir occasionally until you can smell the rice beginning to toast.

Away from the flame, add vermouth to deglaze the pan. Set back on heat, add hot pepper, bay leaf and stir until all the vermouth is absorbed by the rice.

Add stock a third of a cup at a time, again stirring until all liquid is absorbed before adding more. Once about one cup of stock have been added try rice to test consistency. Continue to add stock if needed until rice is cooked through but still has a good bite to it. Remove from heat.

Add old bay and salt/pepper to taste and cover with a lid to keep warm while making scallops.

To make scallops:
Heat olive oil in a small saute pan over medium high heat. Place scallops in pan and cook 2-3 minutes on each side until golden around the edges. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To serve, plate risotto with a few large shavings of the Parmesan cheese (a vegetable peeler works well for this). Set scallops on top of risotto and drizzle with truffle oil to finish.

I also roasted some asparagus and tossed with olive oil, sea salt and fresh lemon to balance the richness of the risotto.

Results:
——————

Sadly one problem with dining alone is the lack of judges. You’ll just have to take my word for this one.

02.08 – Stuffed Pork Loin

I was cornered at the annual Superbowl Party and reminded about my promise to update the blog more often this year. Not wanting to disappoint I decided it was time to throw the first dinner party of 2009. Its been a particularly cold and snowy winter so far in New York City so I thought comfort food was absolutely in order.

Stuffed Pork Loin
——————

1 4lb Boneless Pork Loin
1 1/2 cups croutons
1/2 cup chestnuts, finely chopped
1 shallot, minced
1 small celery stalk, minced
1 -2 cups beef stock
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, plus more to coat top of loin
Salt and Pepper to taste
Garlic Powder

In a medium mixing bowl combine all ingredients except pork and garlic powder and let stand a few minutes until croutons have absorbed stock.

Meanwhile, butterfly pork loin and season inside with salt and pepper. Place stuffing down the center of the loin, then wrap up sides to reform the loin’s original shape. Secure with kitchen twine.

Place seam-side down on a baking sheet and season top liberally with salt, pepper, garlic powder and a little balsamic vinegar.

Roast 1 1/2 – 2 hours at 350, let stand 15 minutes before carving

Gravy
——————

2 cups beef stock
4 heaping tbsp all-purpose flour
1/4 cup dry white wine or vermouth
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp celery seed

In a medium sauce pan bring stock to a simmer

While stock is heating, add all other ingredients to a jar with tight-fitting lid and shake until well combined.

When stock begins to simmer, slowly whisk milk mixture into stock and continue whisking until gravy has thickened and begun to boil. Remove from heat.

Spicy Mashed Sweet Potatoes
——————

6-8 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed in 1/4″ pieces
1 tbsp olive oil
3 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 tbsp heavy cream
2 tbsp butter
Cayenne pepper to taste

Toss potatoes with olive oil and 1 tsp salt and spread out evenly on a cookie sheet. Roast at 350 degrees 30-45 minutes until tender.

In a large bowl mash potatoes with butter, cream, remaining salt and pepper. Add 1/2 tsp cayenne or more as desired.

Dessert: Chocolate Mousse Pie with Pretzel Crust
——————

1 regular bag of thin pretzels, with salt
1/2 stick of butter, melted
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup chocolate chips
4 tbsp heavy cream, plus 1 cup whipper
Strawberries and raspberries to top pie

Run pretzels through a food processor until fine crumbs are formed. Combine  2 cups pretzel crumbs with brown sugar and melted butter and press into the bottom of a 9″ pie plate to form a crust. Bake 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees until crust is set. Set aside and let cool.

Heat 4 tbsp cream in double boiler and pour over chocolate chips. Stir until chocolate is melted and smooth, setting over a double boiler as needed. Let chocolate cool to room temperature and  gently fold in whipped cream. Spread evenly in pie crust and put in freezer 1-2 hours to set.

1 hour before serving move pie to the fridge. Cover with berries and more whipped cream to taste.

Results
——————

We had 5 boys with healthy appetites in attendence, and they managed to finish off the full 4lbs of pork.

1.08 Eggplant Tagine

Last week’s organic shipment left me with a stock pile of eggplants.

Bored of the usual eggplant-over-pasta I make every time, I decided it would be fun to put my new culinary school training to work and try braising the eggplant. Apparently I’m the only one who thought of this, as there are no recipes out there. Rather than make something bland with chicken stock, I hypothesized that I could replace the lamb in tagine with eggplant and make a healthy vegetarian version.

(sorry for the crap image, damn you camera phone!)

Eggplant Tagine over Cous Cous
—————–
1 large eggplant, diced into 1/2″ cubes (bite sized)
6 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tsp fresh mint, finely chopped
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp paprika
2 pinches cayenne
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 tbsp kosher salt
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2″ cubes
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and diced into 1/2″ cubes
1 cup cooked chick peas
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 cup vegetable stock

2 cups couscous, cooked per directions on package, in well salted water
1 small package of plain yogurt (I prefer Fage) to garnish

1 9X11 baking dish and foil to tightly cover.

Preheat over to 325 degrees

Combine eggplant and all ingredients through salt and pepper in the baking dish and mix thoroughly to coat.
Cover tightly with foil and bake 30 minutes.

While eggplant is baking prep all other ingredients.

After 30 minutes of baking have passed. Remove dish from oven and carefully remove foil. Add in all remaining ingredients through vegetable stock (not the cous cous). Replace foil and bake 45 minutes to an hour.

Make cous cous and set aside.
(Mid-week Bonus!)

To serve, spoon tagine over a bed of cous cous and add a tbsp of yogurt to garnish. You could add a bit more fresh mint if you like.

Results
——————
Not only did my eggplant tagine work, it worked so well I ran out and had to make a new batch just to make it through the week.

1.04 (09) – Sheppard’s Pie

Happy New Year!

(Caviar and tuna tartar)

As my first and most important resolution for 2009 (even before “lose weight” and “learn advertising”) I VOW to post more frequently.

For my first Sunday Dinner of the new year, Danielle and I chose to have a quiet evening with just JL. We went with traditional comfort food to start our first full week back to work right.

Sheppard’s Pie
————————–

1 tbsp olive oil
1 lb lean ground beef
1 lb ground lamb
1 large onion, 3/4s coarsely chopped & 1/4 finely diced (about 4 tbsp)
1 celery stock, finely diced (about 2 tbsp)
6 carrots, 1 finely diced and 5 sliced into thin rounds (about 2 tbsp finely diced)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp granulated garlic
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
1 package frozen peas

–Mashed Potatoes–
4 baking potatoes, scrubbed and cubed with skins
1 medium parsnip, peeled and finely diced
1 small turnip, peeled and finely diced
1/4 cup butter milk
2 tbsp batter, plus 1 tbsp to top pie
1 tbsp paprika

– Gravy –
2 tbsp butter
6 tbsp flour
1/2 to 1 cup milk
2 cups beef stock
splash of white wine
salt and pepper to taste

–Make Gravy–
Add stock, 1/2 cup milk, wine and salt and pepper to a small jar and shake to combine.

Melt 2 tbsp butter in a medium sauce pan. Add flour and whisk to combine over medium heat. Stir for 2-4 minutes until flour is cooked and begins to smell nutty.

Slowly whisk in liquid and continue to whisk until liquid begins to simmer. Add more salt and pepper to taste.

Gravy should be fairly thick in consistency. If too thin, add another tbsp flour and some milk to the jar, shake to combine, and whisk into gravy. If gravy is too thick, whisk additional milk or wine into gravy as needed.

Turn off heat and let stand.

–Make potatoes–
In a large pot combine potatoes, parsnip and turnip.

Cover with well-salted cold water and boil 20 minutes, uncovered until tender. Add 2 tbsp butter, butter milk, salt and pepper to taste and coarsely mash. Some lumps are okay.

If available, fresh chives would be fantastic in this

Or to make richer, mash 8 oz of softened cream cheese into potatoes as well.

Set aside.

–Make Pie–
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a dutch oven combine minced onion celery and carrots with olive oil over medium heat. Saute 3-5 minutes until onion is translucent.

Add meat and all spices (including vinegar) and saute 5 minutes until brown.

Remove from heat and drain off excess liquid. Use a spoon to distribute meat evenly across the bottom of the pot.

Layer sliced carrots, coarsely chopped onion and peas across the top of ground meat in layers.

Pour prepared gravy over peas until just covering.

Spoon mashed potatoes evenly across the top of the pie and use a fork to create small peaks.

Sprinkle potatoes with paprika and dot with small pieces of the remaining tbsp of butter.

Bake 30-45 minutes and serve in dish.

Results
————————–

Starting the New Year off right, JL nearly achieved the impossible, polishing off a solid 4 helpings.

10.5 Autum Mac and Cheese

Fall is now in full swing. To celebrate I took a trip out to Long Island this past weekend to pick apples. It looks like this will be my only chance to cook Halloween-inspired food this year, so I’ve planned a traditional mac n cheese along with some creepy appetizers to accompany the obligatory apple pie.
Truffled Mushroom Caps
—————
20 small cremini mushrooms, cleaned and stems removed
8 oz softened cream cheese (room temperature)
2 tbsp yellow onion, finely minced
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 cups unseasoned bread crumbs (I made sour dough crumbs from toasted day-old bread)
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 tsp granulated garlic
1/2 tsp olive oil

truffle oil to garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In small bowl combine cream cheese, cayenne, onion, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Using a pastry bag or a ziplock with a corner snipped, pipe cream cheese into prepared mushroom caps just slightly higher than the top of the mushroom.

In a second bowl, combine bread crumbs, garlic, olive oil and a little extra salt and pepper to taste.

Drop stuffed mushrooms cream cheese-side down in bread crumbs one at a time. Using a spoon, scoop under the mushroom and press down on the spoon as you flip over for maximum crumbs.

Set mushrooms on a baking sheet and bake 10-15 minutes until breadcrumbs just start to brown.

Let cool 5 minutes and arrange on serving plate.

Drizzle each cap with a drop or two of truffle oil just before serving.

Savory Elephant Ears
—————
1 sheet store-bought puff pastry dough
1/4 cup basil pesto
Shredded Parmesan cheese to garnish

Heat over to 350 degrees.

Unfold and slightly roll out one sheet of puff pastry dough, retaining sqaure shape.
Cover surface with a single layer of basil pesto and sprinkle with parmesan.

Fold left and right sides of dough half-way into the center of the pastry, fold half way in again to meet in the center of the dough. Fold left and right sides of dough in to each other to create a fairly cylindrical shape. Ends should look like a rolled up heart. Wrap in plastic wrap and freeze 15 minutes to firm up dough.

Remove plastic and slice cylinder into 1/4″ rounds. Arrange on cookie sheets allowing a few inches room between each (they will puff as they cook).

Bake 10-12 minutes paying close attention to make sure bottoms do not begin to burn. Pastry will still be fairly light on the top.

Let cool 5 minutes then serve.

Macaroni and Cheese with Prosciutto and Sun-dried tomatoes
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1 lb elbow pasta, boiled to al dente
8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup unseasoned breadcrumbs (I made sourdough crumbs from day-old bread)
2 tbsp butter
4 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 shallot, finely minced
1-2 cups 1% milk
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp whorchestershire sauce
1 tbsp dry sherry (NOT cooking Sherry!!)
salt and pepper to taste

1/4 lb prosciutto, diced
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes (not in oil), diced

Boil water in a large stock pot and cook macaroni as indicated on the package, about 6 minutes until just al dente.

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 9×11″ casserole dish.

Assemble all ingredients before you start cooking, as the sauce tends to burn if you don’t watch it.

In a medium sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and whisk 2 or 3 minutes until flour begins to brown just slightly and smell nutty. Add in minced onion. Whisk in 1 cup milk. Continue whisking until mixture is smooth and no lumps are present, about 5 minutes until sauce thickens.

Add cayenne, mustard, whorchestshire, sherry, salt and pepper and continue stirring another minute or two. If sauce is too think add more milk. Should have the consistency of a gravy.

Retain 1/3 cup shredded cheese to sprinkle across the top of the casserole.

Reduce heat to low and add shredded cheddar in batches until just combined, then remove from heat.

Toss drained macaroni with cheese sauce and pour half of mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Layer in prosciutto and sun-dried tomatoes, then top with second half of mac and cheese mixture.

Top casserole with a light layer of breadcrumbs, and sprinkle with remaining cheese. You can also dot with a tiny bit of butter for browning if you like.

Cover casserole with foil and bake 30 minutes (1 hour if you refrigerate first), removing foil for last 10 minutes to brown the top.

Dessert
—————

Apple Pie made from my farm-fresh Long Island apples.

Results
—————
Jake, our special guest for the evening, managed to put away a solid 3 helpings along with appetizers and a slice of apple pie.

JL continues to be off his game, however he gets an honorable mention for eating 5 helpings of the pumpkin pasta I made later this week. It figures he picks the undocumented night to match is best performance.

9.28 (Leftover) Lamb Ragu

A “Nor’Eeaster” is predicted for this weekend.

Realizing that a trek to the upper west side on a cold Sunday in the rain would be a hard sell, Danielle and I opted for a quiet Sunday night at home + movie, rather than the usual large dinner party this weekend.

As a quick and easy meal for the two of us, I decided to turn last week’s 7-hour braised lamb into a ragu.

7-Hour (Leftover) Lamb Ragu
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Leftover 7-Hour Braised lamb (see previous post)
2 cups basic tomato sauce (1 jar from the store works)
1/4 cup chopped and pitted kalamata olives
2 tbsp diced fresh mint
1 lb pasta
Parmesan cheese

In a large stock pot combine vegetables from braised lamb (carrots and turnips) with tomato sauce and bring to a simmer. Cut up leftover lamb into small pieces and add to sauce. Stir in olives and mint and simmer a few minutes. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Serve over pasta with Parmesan and a little extra mint if desired.

Results
—————

Results were not tallied this week as JL was not in attendance.

I was surprised at how nicely the small chunks of lamb melted into the sauce creating a consistent and delicious ragu. I can’t wait to make this again, and to try it with other kinds of braised meats as well.

9.21 7-Hour Leg of Lamb with Heirloom Tomato Tart

Hooray for Fall! It’s finally here.

We had our first cool whether this past weekend in New York and I decided I couldn’t wait any longer to begin cooking for my favorite season. To start things off right I decided to visit the Union Square Farmers market early Saturday in search of heirloom cherry tomatoes to make the tomato tart tatin featured in this week’s New York Times.

After some quick deliberation, I decided the best meat to accompany this would be a braised leg of lamb, my first as I usually don’t spring for such expensive cuts of meat.

I began braising the lamb on Saturday afternoon, completing the last 2 hours of cooking on Sunday evening. The result was meat easily cut with a serving spoon and a nicely balanced sweet-savory tart to accompany.

7-Hour Braised Leg of Lamb with Root Vegetables
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2-3 lb Leg of Lamb, butt end, bone in
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large yellow onion, peeled and diced medium
2 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup white wine or dry vermouth
2 fresh bay leaves
5-6 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 lb carrots, peeled and quartered
2 lbs turnips, peeled and diced (1/2″)
3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 10oz can whole tomatoes with canning liquid

Dutch Oven
Parchment paper

Heat oven to 275 degrees

Trim excess fat from leg of lamb and generously salt and pepper.
Brown in dutch oven about 10 minutes, remove from pan.

Drain excess fat from pan and add a little olive oil if necessary. Return pan to medium heat and saute onions 3-4 minutes until just translucent.

Add wine and chicken stock to de-glaze pan. Stir in bay leaves and whole garlic cloves.
When stock begins to simmer place leg of lamb back in pan and surround with turnips and carrot. Pour tomatoes over the top and place thyme and rosemary sprigs on top of veggies.

Cover with parchment paper and a tight-fitting lid (or tinfoil) and place in over for 7 hours

Tomato Tart Tatin
- Reprinted from NY Times Sept 12, 2008 article by Melissa Clark
—————

1 package puff pastry
1 tbsp olive oil
2 red onions, halved and thinly sliced
1/4 cup plus a pinch of sugar
1 tsp sherry vinegar
1/4 cup chopped pitted Kalamata olives
1 1/2 pints (about 1 pound) heirloom cherry or grape tomatoes
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
Salt and Pepper to taste

Results
—————

JL was not in top form this evening. Having eaten as he put it, “nothing but beer” all day he was only able to achieve 2 helpings.

Danielle, however, polished off an impressive 3 helpings of tomato tart.

8.10 End of Summer Clam Bake

Our trip to Peru, and labor day, are quickly approaching, and that means the beginning of fall weather and comfort foods in my book. Knowing that tonight’s dinner party may be my last chance to cook something summery, I’ve decided on throwing an Urban Clam Bake. The menu includes all my favorite summer dishes, and with the temperature up over 90 degrees, icebox pie for dessert should really hit the spot.

The meal

Mom’s Corn Relish

Deviled Eggs
—————

12 eggs, hard boiled
4 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tbsp yellow mustard
1 tsp celery seed
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
Optional: Red lumpfish caviar for garnish (or hey, go for the real stuff if you have the cash)

Hard boil eggs, peel and slice in half top to bottom.
Remove yolks and mash in a mixing bowl with all ingredients except caviar.

Fill a pastry bag, or medium ziploc with yolk mixture and pipe back into divot in egg whites (where yolk was originally)

Garnish with caviar or a sprinkle of paprika if desired.

Country Terrine
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courtesy Brad

Sadly I do not have the recipe for this, but I believe the terrine contained both pork and beef, a healthy helping of cognac, and was wrapped generously in bacon. Brad served the terrine with Dijon mustard and toast.

Clam bake
—————

8-10 lbs clams and small cockles
1 large onion
2 lbs small new potatoes
4 ears corn
1 chorizo, diced
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp old bay seasoning
2 bottles beer

Drawn butter (1 stick, 8 tbsp)
Sourdough rolls for dipping

Scrub shellfish well and soak in a large bowl of cold water and 4 tbsp corn meal for at least one hour to dispel sand. Rinse shellfish repeatedly until water does not appear sandy. Place shellfish in new cold water, in the fridge until ready to cook.

Slice onion and line the bottom of a large stock pot or clam boiler. Arrange cleaned new potatoes on top of onion and pour in enough water to cover. Boil 10 minutes.

Drain off half the water from the pot. Add corn, husked and cut into pieces, and chorizo sliced into large chucks. Pour in beer, add bay leaves and old bay seasoning, cover pot and let cook 5 minutes until water begins to boil.

As pot comes back to a boil. Melt butter in a small sauce pan over low heat. Once melted, let stand 5 minutes and skim out milk solids.

Arrange shellfish on top of veggies in stock pot so they sit just above the liquid, cover and steam 10-15 minutes until shells open up.

Shellfish should be served with bowls of broth from the pot and drawn butter for dipping. Corn should be served with more old bay seasoning, if desired.

Desert
—————
peanut butter ice box pie

Results
—————

Kim gets honorable mention this week for her impressive corn consumption. The corn really was amazing.

The boys managed to finish every last cockle.