Pork and Sons Stuffed Cabbage

I decided to cook something different last night. Since we just bought tons of new cookbooks that I don't know where to put, they are overflowing on every counter and table in the house. I grabbed "Pork and Sons" by Stéphane Reynaud to see if maybe he had an idea for dinner. He did! Pork Stuffed Cabbage.



So I put on some music and started peeling a cabbage.

d

Chopped some Cremini mushrooms.



This is where it got a little funny. The recipe called for a generous cup of chopped pork. What kind of chopped pork? It already called for bulk sausage (I used my HOMEMADE from MY PIG Toulouse sausage for that). So, I went into the freezer and took out a bag of something marked 1lb stew meat and cooked it up. I am sure he was calling for leftovers but I didn't have anything cooked and leftover. So lets not make a big deal out of it.



So all the stuff was mixed together and I did what everybody who wants to take a picture does with the pot. I put it on my COUCH where there was a ray of sunshine. Duh.



Then you layer it all to recreate the cabbage that you took apart. WTF?



Cook it and eat. HEY GAWKER how do you like THIS picture? Not in focus you say?? Well, I was COOKING. We can't all cook and be photographers at the same time. Alright, I will now go have a drink and start my Friday night off trying to be nice.

Stuffed Cabbage
Cooking Time 2-1/4 Hr.

1 White Cabbage (I used a green one...I am a rebel)
6 Tbl olive oil
2 Shallots
2 Garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 C Cremini mushrooms
Scant 1 C chopped preserved chestnuts (I didn't have or use these)
Generous 1C chopped cooked pork
9 oz Bulk Sausage, skins removed
1 1/2 Tbl sweet butter
1/4 C White Wine
salt and pepper

Core the cabbage and separate the leaves. Select 12 large leaves, blanch them in salted boiling water for 1 minute, then drain, and refresh in cold water.

Chop the remaining cabbage leaves. Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the shallots, garlic, mushrooms, chestnuts, and chopped cabbage and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 5-10 minutes, until softened. Combine the pork and sausage meat in a bowl and stir in the cabbage mixture. Season with salt and pepper.

Reassemble the cabbage, alternating the stuffing and leaves, and place in a large lidded flameproof casserole or earthenware pot. Add water to the pot to come to a depth of 2 inches, and cover with the lid. Cook in oven for 1 1/2 hours, adding water as necessary during cooking.

Drain the cooking water, then add the butter and pour the wine over the cabbage. Bring to a boil on the stovetop, then lower the heat, cover and simmer, basting frequently, for 30 minutes.

Printable Version

Slow Cooked Pork Stew with Tomatillos, Mushrooms and Potatoes

Guess what kind of meat this is. What is that? You say you bet it is lamb? No, another guess. You say Chicken? Nope. It is pork. I just so happen to have a pig in my freezer. What is that? You thought I was just happy to see you? Ok enough...




Since my Peruvian dinner went over so well with Dr. Food I thought I would surprise him with some Cinco De Mayo fun. I also love any excuse to make Mexican food.



This recipe for Slow Cooked Pork Stew with Tomatillos, Mushrooms and Potatoes looked right up my alley. Not only that but it was made in a Crock Pot. That meant I could look like I worked hard and I could sit around reading all day.



Let me just tell you how much I love Tomatillos. I love them.



I made some guacamole for my honey. I also even made chips from scratch (ok, I didn't make the tortillas myself so I am not perfect).



Happily I had some salsa that I made with the tomatoes we grew last summer. I canned the salsa so that we would have it until this summer.



Dr. Food made the Margaritas. What? Was I drunk when I took that picture? No, it was suppose to be artistic. HEY FOODGAWKER and FOODSPOTTING I KNOW it isn't in focus.




All joking aside, I really liked this stew a lot. I think it could have used a little heat to it but I can add that next time.




Slow Cooked Pork Stew with Tomatillos, Mushrooms and Potatoes


Serves 4

INGREDIENTS
3 poblanos
1 medium white onion, cut into 1/4-inch thick rounds
Salt
1 1/4 pounds small (B size) Yukon Gold potatoes, quartered
3 pounds boneless pork shoulder, trim off excess fat, cut into large chunks (about 2 pounds after trimming)
1/3 cup (loosely packed) epazote leaves
OR 1 cup (loosely packed) cilantro leaves
1 1/4 pounds (8 to 10 medium) tomatillos, husked, rinsed and sliced 1/4-inch thick
1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms

DIRECTIONS
Roast the poblano over an open flame or 4 inches below a broiler, turning regularly until blistered and blackened all over, about 5 minutes for an open flame, about 10 minutes for a broiler. Cover with a kitchen towel. Let them cool until you can handle them. Rub the blackened skin off the chiles and pull out the stem and seed pod. Cut into 1/2-inch pieces.

Spread the onion over the bottom of a slow-cooker. Sprinkle with salt. Add half the pork, potatoes, tomatillos, and poblanos, salting each of the layers. Sprinkle on all the dried porcini mushrooms and half of the epazote (cilantro) leaves. Add the second half of the ingredients, sprinkling salt evenly over each layer. (This is the only salt in the dish, so make sure to add enough.) Cover and slow-cook for 6 hours (the dish can hold on a slow-cooker’s “keep warm” function for several hours.


Printable Version

Fiddlehead and Shrimp and Pasta Experiment

It all started when I went to the farm that I belong to (CSA but with coupons to the farm store instead of a box of random stuff) and I saw fresh and local fiddleheads. The only time I have tasted fiddleheads was in Hawaii many moons ago. I mean many many many moons ago.



These little guys intrigued me. I also read that they are a New England spring delicacy. Hell, that in itself made me feel obligated. I mean how often does New England delicacies come around? Don't say Lobster or I will punch you through the screen.

omuy! (it is yummo backwards) I couldn't resists sneaking a little anchovy in there. Oh oh...I just thought of something. Anchovy and garlic on corn on the cob. I just thought of that. I am going to try it. I love anchovy.



Ok, I had to put some kind of protein in there because if I didn't Dr. Food gets really grumpy and turns into a big baby. So, I used shrimp.



Put it all on top of some pasta and called it dinner. Ok, should I tell you now or after I give you the recipe? Now? Uhh...



Hey! This is how I dressed MY kids when they were little. Hi baby Annie with the big nose. Mommy loves you!



I owned a Yarn store in Northern California and this was the logo!



This is my old dog Lily. I miss her. She died on the way out to New England from California. She was my best friend and 9 years old. Ok ok, didn't mean to make you sad.



Here is a current picture of my baby Parker.



Here is another one. I knit him his monster pants.

Ok, you want to know why I am stalling?

I hated the dinner and will not subject you with the recipe. Go eat a Pizza with anchovies.

You Say its your birthday...Happy birthday chicken

It was my birthday and lots of celebrating going on!


Yup, that is me in my birthday hat. It is a Lemur. It was a gift from my girl Running on Butter She knows about my Lemur addiction and about Larry.



So the wildly talented Keep Your Lid On is the crafty babe that made this hat. She is incredibly talented and she is also the one that will get me locked up ( and Butter too) because I am never going to take this hat off.

Dr. Food got me an outrageous camera but he gave that to me early. So he had a couple more surprises the day of my birthday.



Piggy towels!

also



A textbook from the CIA. Lots of Charcuterie in this one.



We were suppose to go out to dinner but I didn't want to. I wanted to stay home and cook dinner. I picked a recipe from Paula Wolferts book (waving at Paula my imaginary friend) The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen: Recipes for the Passionate Cook. It was Slow-Roasted Chicken with Sausage and Porcini Dressing.



This recipe was worth the work.



We had a few snacks while cooking. We got a late start because we were puttering around and going to farms and slaughter houses and stuff. No kidding. For a birthday treat we went to an Airfield for breakfast, a fancy schmancy farm that was too expensive and a slaughterhouse called (get this) Blood Farm. The family name is Blood. So other women want Botanical Gardens on their birthday. *I* want a good old fashion slaughterhouse.



Oh, and my birthday requires oysters. I love oysters more than anything. Well, not ANYTHING, but I love oysters more than most anything.



In the middle of it all my two pretend babies from next door came over in their birthday hats to give their Auntie Janis a beautiful plant and lots of hugs. I had to steal the hugs but that was ok.



This was the upside down chicken that went into the oven. Finally, all quieted down and dinner was done.



Fun day. Oh but at around 10:00 the plumbing all backed up and cabbage was coming out of the toilet. I am such a party girl. I pretended it was confetti.

Slow-Roasted Chicken with Sausage and Porcini Dressing
Paula Wolfert

1 whole organic, free-range chicken (about 4 pounds)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3/4 ounce dried porcini (1 cup)
Pinch of sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons rendered duck fat
1 small leek (white part only), finely chopped
1 small carrot, finely chopped
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
4 ounces fresh pork sausage, casing removed, and chopped
1/4 cup chopped dry sausage, such as Boar's Head Abruzzi-style pork sausage; or substitute 1/4 cup finely chopped prosciutto
9 large garlic cloves - 8 chopped, 1 minced
1 cup chicken broth
2 cups diced stale white peasant bread, crust removed
1/3 cup milk
Freshly grated nutmeg
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley


1. Rinse the chicken thoroughly inside and out and pat dry. (Remove the neck and giblets and reserve for stock.) Starting at the neck, loosen the skin and with kitchen scissors, cut off about 1 1/2 inches of the backbone. Generously sprinkle the cavity with salt and pepper, cover with paper towels, and refrigerate.

2. Soak the dried porcini with a pinch of sugar in 2 cups warm water to soften, 2 to 3 hours. Drain the mushrooms, straining the liquid through a coffee filter or paper toweling. Rinse the mushrooms briefly and finely chop. Set aside the mushrooms and soaking liquid separately.

3. In a medium skillet, heat 2 teaspoons of the duck fat over medium-low heat. Add the leek, carrot, and onion; cover and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the porcini mushrooms, fresh and dry sausage, and chopped garlic. Raise the heat to medium and cook, stirring, until caramelized here and there, about 5 minutes. Add the reserved mushroom liquid; raise the heat to high and cook, stirring often, until the liquid is syrupy and glazed, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth and simmer until it is absorbed, about 5 minutes longer. Remove from the heat and let cool.

4. Toss the bread with the milk and let soften. Combine the bread paste with the mushroom-sausage mixture and blend well. Add nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. Pack the stuffing into a 10-inch baking dish greased with duck fat. Cover with foil and refrigerate. (The dressing can be prepared up to 1 day in advance.)

5. About 3 hours before serving, remove the chicken and the dressing from the refrigerator and let stand for 45 minutes. Set an oven rack on the lowest rung and preheat the oven to 375°F.

6. Stir 1 cup water into the dressing. Rub the chicken with duck fat and season generously with salt and pepper. Carefully position the chicken on a vertical roaster with the legs facing up and set in the baking dish above the dressing. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven heat to 200°F. and roast for about 1 hour longer, until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 150° to 155°F.

7. Raise the oven temperature to 400°F and continue roasting until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 160°F, about 15 minutes longer.

8. Remove the chicken and dressing from the oven. Use oven mitts to carefully lift the chicken off the vertical roaster; cover with foil, and let rest for 20 minutes. Press down on the dressing to express excess fat and discard. Spread the dressing onto a heatproof serving dish and cover with foil.

9. Carve the chicken into 6 or 8 serving pieces. Arrange the chicken pieces over the dressing and return to the oven to reheat, uncovered, to finish cooking, crisping and browning the birds, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and the minced garlic and serve at once.

Printable Version

Awesome chicken and a weekend of cooking

This weekend was something else. What else I don't know, but I can tell you that it kicked me in the behind. It left me drained. It left me dreaming of pork and meat and lets just say I only want to eat salad today.



Dishes. I feel like a flunky in a Michelin rated restaurant. I can't tell you how many dishes I washed. Ok, enough with the wah wah wah. I will get on with it.

Friday...



Ah, chicken. I decided that I would give "Spatchcocking" another try since I mutilated the bird last time. Spatchcocking is another word for butterflying. See? you learned something...or not.



I got the Keel bone out on the breast side so it really was nice and flat when it came time to cook. I had bought 2 sour oranges at the farmers market and I wanted to make Cuban Style Chicken. I miss a restaurant that I used to go to in Culver City called Versailles. They made the most amazing cuban chicken. I came up with a marinade that didn't hit the mark for Versailles but was very good.



I made a mojito sauce to marinade the chicken in. No not the drink. There is a marinade with the same name. Recipe will be given if you can get through my blatherings.



Dr. Food BBQed it. He is the grill guy. Actually, he is way more than that. He is my partner in crime with all of this. He doesn't blog so I just pretend that I do all this cooking alone, but I don't. Dr. Food is a Chemist. He is focused. He keeps me grounded when I start getting out of control throwing ingredients in a bowl. He knows all about scales, and measurements, and did I say he is the most patient person I ever met? Well he is. So lets all give a round of applause to Dr. Food (who by the way really IS a doctor of chemistry). I love you Dr. Food. Ok enough with the mush and on to the Rib Roast.



My friend Cathy (waving to Cathy) got her hands on this beautiful Boneless Rib Roast. She didn't know what to do with it so I grabbed it out of her hands and ran to my house with it (good thing I only live next door because I am out of shape from eating too much pork and I don't run that fast. Not only that but her legs are about 3 times longer than mine and she could whoop my ass in a running contest). Anyhow, I got the rib roast and made it for a dinner for all of us (yes, Cathy and her family were there. I did share afterall).



Ewwww. This recipe sounded good but was disgusting. That is what *I* get for getting a recipe out of a magazine that comes free in the mail that says "NO ADS".



Check out the dayglo green under those breadcrumbs and parmesan. Ewwwww. Grosssss. No recipe to follow.



I also made these potato stacks. They stuck to the tin. The tasted ok but uh....I dunno.





The meat? The meat came out perfectly. We went with "low and slow" method and a blast of heat at the end to sear the outside. I sort of didn't do this part because I might have been talking and drinking a bit too much and this is where Dr. Food always comes in and saves my ass.



Sunday. We decided that Sunday would be GRINDAPALOOZA for the 5th Charcutepalooza challenge. Not only were we doing that but I was missing my friends Matt and Margie and my BFF Sam, so we invited them over for a dinner of pastrami sandwiches (of COURSE it was the homemade pastrami!). So we were working away furiously so we would be done by the time they showed up.



Again with the Matt hands.

Here is Margie (love you M!)



She is married to those hands....I mean Matt.



Here is Matt. Those are his hands. (Oh Matt you always crack me up, love you too!)

No Sam. Same doesn't pose for pictures unless you pay him. I was all out of 5's. (Love you toothless Sammy!)

Ok. Carry on.

Really Good Chicken!

1 large roasting chicken

1 cups sour orange juice (or 1/2 orange and 1/2 lemon juice)
10 cloves garlic (minced)
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 cup minced onion
2 teaspoons oregano
1/4C Canola oil

Mix all marinade ingredients (I flattened the chicken but you don't have to do this) and marinate for a few hours. Grill or roast chicken as you normally would, basting every so often.