Slow roasted pork leg, fresh, lovely tomato salsa with probably a clove too much garlic with some thick cream and Chicharrones. That’s all I have to say on this. Excuse me while I take a little culinary “me time.”
Month: December 2012
Oooo Chicharrones
The lovely things that go along with cooking a big arse pig leg is hot, fat Chicharrones. Crackling to some. “Crunchies” to our kids. I suppose technically, Chicharrones are deep fried pig skin ( like making confit but with pork skin ) but if you could appreciate the thick layer of Gascon pig fat this skin is roasted on, it becomes semantic. Please note, when you pull a strip of Chicharrones out if the hot oven, it will be hot.
Playing Around with Soba
Trying my best to avoid TheMan’s Wheat, I got ahold of some Soba noodles for the kids. Soba is buckwheat. Buckwheat is neither Buck nor wheat. I suspect I’ll learn more about its properties very soon. In the meantime, the noodles were a total hit ( I had to tell Lucy to drop her fork so I could grab a shot ). Served with a dash of olive oil ( I’m trying duck fat next time or tallow ) and a few spritzies if soy sauce.
We followed with a quick, quick chocolate custard that will soon find itself as a fudgey-pop. But look at those yolks! Tell me which two are farm eggs. If you could only hear the thud they make as the yolk drops from your fingers.
Fish Stew Tonight and Dancing With My Dad
Oh you know, some onions, a blob of garlic, dash of hot stuff. Add some toms get all brothy. Then add some fish. Fish stew. Yum
Meanwhile and much more importantly, your daughter would like to step on your toes and do a little jig to whatever is playing ( Britney. That’s how we roll ). Just like I did not so long ago with my Dad. A little dance on the toes with my Dad makes my world go ’round.
This is the look of absolute, unrefined joy when you are a wee one looking at your mum or dad as they twirl you around feet on feet.
Coconut Milk in a Soup and Our Next Porking
A lovely soup for a cold night. It’s an African, coconut soup made with a Malawi curry blend. Easy, easy to make and totally belly warming. I’m always looking for soup with fat in it. The more saturated fat I eat, the better I feel. Unlike the connotative feeling of the word “saturated,” if you eat saturated fats, you will not suddenly become saturated in fat yourself.
– two cans coconut milk
– 1 cup chook stock ( or cube )
– Malawi curry spices ( corriander, cumin, pepper, cayenne, dry mustard, cumin, turmeric, cloves, cinnamon : all blendy blendy in a cheap coffee grinder )
– let that bubble and toil for twenty minutes or when you’re ready. And taste it damn it, then add salt
Standby for tomorrow, for we shall roast a giant pork leg that requires a man hand to help butterfly and guide to a perfect Sunday lunch. We may need to invite the neighbors.
Journey of The Cheap Tomato
For those of you following along at home, I did another dish with my cheap tomato starter. As a Mexican salsa, she did below average. As an American tomato sauce, not bad. As an Italian Bolognese, lovely. And today she ends her journey as a cheap tomato in an Indian curry of some description. I had to do it. I couldn’t let her down. The taste? Like a small war between India and Italy. I think it needs some time to settle, but the taste is first of India and then of Italy, but then quickly resolving in India again. There’s definitely a battle going on. It is edible and a fine farewell to my cheap tomatoes.
I served with the M.J. cauliflower recipe. It’s SOOO good, I suppose I should put a link in here.
Hamburger’s Helper
Drooling with anticipation of our next lot of ground beef ( coming soon! Inquire within! ), I stretched my cheap, tomato salsa turn tomato sauce to a lovely Bolognese meal. Some was served with a little macaroni bombarded by small chunks of mozzarella. I still have some beefy sauce left and it’s very tempting to turn it into an Indian dish. Not unlike seeing how far you can go when the fuel light bings on, I’m curious to see how many countries I can touch with one, basic starter.
Breakfast: Fried Eggs in Duck Fat with Some Potted Meat Product
Eggs fried in duck fat start your morning with a crispy edge. I’ve been doing sunny-side up lately and oh the faces I’ve made.
Served with a bit of potted meat product. Okay it’s pork pâté. Yep, organic, local whatever buzzword you need, it’s terrific and I have a lot of it. Much better than Spam. I’ll have to do a Spambled Eggs version. I loves me some faux faux.
Because, Ese, I like To Fry My Stuff In Lard
There may come a point in your home where you should become cold. It will be gradual, but ultimately healthy for you. At this point, pizza dough will not respond to your usual antics. Which brings you to Plan B. I know! Roti! But without the baking powder and instead resuscitating some powdered yeast that froze to death. That’s it and fry it in lard because Mexicans are on the right track with the lard thing. A multi-fusion-culinary explosion of yum. Then dip it! Yes, dip it in your mexican’t salsa with cheap tomatoes that you quickly breathed a new life as Italian cuisine.
Oh yum, lardy, yeasty bread dipped in tomato sauce starring tomato purée, seasonings and cheap tomatoes. Mmmmm. I should write this up. So good. But no, I’m late to the game. I hit the case where Pizza Hut markets too much dough matched with too much sauce. These “bread sticks” are lovely, but nothing new. All I can offer is a quick out when good yeast goes bad.
When Life Gives You a Bowl of Salsa Made With Cheap Tomatoes
… Make some tomato sauce.
I’m doing a lot of fresh salsa at the moment and look, I know, I was wrong to buy those cheap tomatoes, but they were gorgeous and cheap ( just like my men ). Should you take a moment out of your busty life to make fresh salsa ( onions, garlic, hot pepper, lemon juice, cilantro, tomatoes, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper ), please don’t use cheap tomatoes. It no worky. K. ’nuff said on that. This tomato sauce, however, is tasting great due to fancy shinanigans with tom purée and Italian spices. I suppose only time will tell.
Girl On Grill Action 