Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Lots more Pork and some Lamb for good luck

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Yes, that is a Peep in my glass of wine. We spent the day processing meat that we needed to preserve. We were clear headed and on a mission. That is until our friend Denis stopped by and brought a bottle of wine with him. While rendering fat (I really think I have to make soap out of it) we may have drank a couple of bottles. I got bored and dropped a peep in my glass of wine to see if it would soak up the wine like a sponge. It didn't. I think it might have been the sugar that acted like a barrier.

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We had wine with some pretty good "snacks" I might add. Denis was a good sport and tasted the headcheese. I think he liked it but really was taken with the Filet Sec.

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So, this leads me to a rant. Me rant you say? Here it goes... Lately on Twitter I have been seeing snarky comments about people who cook from RECIPES and blog about it. IMAGINE that? Not inventing things like Quail Eggs with Peanut Butter and Nutella. Or not inventing a NEW Whoopie Pie. I say that all of this snarf is just a bit more self promotion which also has me baffled. I hear about people being "Nervous" that they haven't posted on their blog. Is everyone getting paid except me and I just don't get it? For 99% of us isn't this just for FUN? I have to say that I cook from recipes that I tweek to my liking. The fact of the matter is that most things are not new and if they haven't been out there it is probably for a good reason. When did food become a popularity contest. If it has I vote for Eggs. Eggs are good with everything and easy to make.

Ok enough.

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We hung up my prized Guanciale after a week of it in salt. I didn't invent this recipe by the way. I think a caveman did. (Hey Dr. Food you got your big ole finger in my shot).

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Another picture of the Filet Sec because it was so pretty (it is all gone now).

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Then there was the lard. Good old lard that took 2 days to deal with.

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This was after we just made it. It is white as new snow. (See, I have lived in MA long enough to know that not all snow is white. Once it gets old it is dirty and ugly).

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Smoking happened this weekend. That is a whole other post though. MMMM...Tasso!

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Back to our regularly made dinner. This is from a RECIPE that I have posted before. It is Mark Bittman's (yes, he invented lamb and chickpeas I am sure) Crisp and Spicy Roasted Chickpeas with Lamb

10 comments :

  1. I couldn't have ranted better myself. Thanks for the awesome post!

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  2. Ohh , delicious , Nice combination Pork and Lamb.

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  3. You mean you aren't making $3,500.00 a month off your blog...like the rest of us? What ARE you doing wrong????

    heh...

    I actually think very little of us actually make "new" recipes...or at least I'm not seeing them. I'm like you - I tweak, compress, compile until I get something I think will make a decent dish.
    Maybe I missed it...what is the filet sec?

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  4. You are just awesome. That. is. All.

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  5. You are just awesome. That. is. All.

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  6. I couldn't have ranted better myself. Thanks for the awesome post!

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  7. Good god! What you do with all that lard?

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  8. Fun post Janis. I love cooking from recipes and tweaking. And with baking, one wrong move with the baking soda or powder then, well you know. I loved reading the word "snarf"...hahahaha. And the meat is very "cavemanesk" - I like it.

    There is so much mystery about you with all of your meat - it makes me so curious about what it's like in the Janis world... and what about that lard?

    You are the best.

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  9. Love the peep in the wine glass. I never knew what to do with those until now!

    I have seen some of the same things about recipes, blogs etc on Twitter. I am right with the fact that food blogging is rife with posturing and popularity competition and I don't really care except when someone with a tude crosses my path. One concern I have though is how formula driven food blogging can be with legions of people participating in the same events, making the same recipes and filling up a lot of space with it all. It is still a creative and personal pursuit, but I know that being part of something that will be trending and bring eyeballs isn't lost on many of the people who get in on it. Not sure there is an answer for it and in the end we each should just do what brings us joy.

    Jason

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