The beginning of the end and some sardines.

This is the road I take to get to a highway to get to work. It is beautiful. It always makes me happy. Funny part about it is that it always is the picture postcard of whatever season it is. For instance, the picture above is summer. In autumn the leaves are a shock of color. In winter the trees are bare with only snow covering them. Spring is the excitement of seeing leaves return to the trees.

Ok, enough with poetic thoughts. Lets talk about what I have been cooking.



My garden is starting to give up its vegetables. Soon it will be dead. It is the beginning of the end of summer. I hate to see my pool covered up. I will miss the smell of suntan lotion and bbq. See those banana peppers in that bowl? Which one is the banana pepper? You didn't just ask that did you? It is the thing that isn't the tomato or tomatillo green thing.



These peppers were grown for one dish that we make. It is Rick Bayless's Pot Roasted Pork with Yellow Chiles, Plantains and Piloncillo (Asado de Puerco con chile guero, platano y piloncillo).



I have posted this recipe before but will do so again because it is THAT good.



It really is a pretty easy recipe. We made it for friends and since we were kinda drinking really strong Margarita's I didn't get pictures.



Last week also consisted of some Sardines that I picked up at a Portuguese fish store.



Not my favorite the way that I made them.



Oh, and I also tried out the stupid egg trick of separating the yolk from the white with a bottle. It works people. Then again so does your hand. Crack yolk into hand and let goo drip between fingers. I got a kick out of how everyone thought this video was some kind of amazing.



Here is MY version of video of the same thing. Viral video THAT.



So it is the end of summer. My favorite farm stand will close for the winter and all my chickens will go inside or be butchered or whatever it is they do to them. I pretend they are mine in the summer. In the winter I don't wanna think about it.



Soon no more sitting around the table on the patio. Goodbye summer. Never appreciated you as much as I do since leaving California.


Pot Roasted Pork with Yellow Chiles, Plantains and Piloncillo
Asado de Puerco con chile guero, platano y piloncillo

Recipe from Season 5 of Mexico--One Plate at a Time


1 small cone (about 1 ounce) piloncillo
OR 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 pound (about 6 medium) fresh yellow chiles (I prefer hot Hungarian wax or banana peppers here)
A 2-pound boneless pork shoulder roast
1 medium white onion, sliced 1/4-inch thick
One 18-inch section of banana leaf, hard spine cut off, plus an extra piece to line the serving platter
1 large (10-ounce) ripe plantain (it should be noticeably soft and yellow splotched with black), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Salt
1 small red onion, sliced into rings 1/8 inch thick
2 limes, cut into wedges

DIRECTIONS
Fill a microwaveable measuring cup with 3/4 cup water. Add the piloncillo (or brown sugar) and microwave on high for 1 minute. Remove and let stand until piloncillo dissolves, about 5 minutes. (The brown sugar will dissolve more quickly.)

Roast the chiles over an open flame or 4-inches below a preheated broiler until blackened and blistered all over. Place in a bowl and cover with a kitchen towel and let cool until handleable. One by one, clean the chiles: Cut off the stem-end, slit down the side from seed pod to point, and open out flat. Gently scrape out the seeds and discard. Flip the chile over and, scrape off the blistered skin. Cut the cleaned chile flesh into 1/2-inch slices.

In a large (7-quart) Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high. Brown the pork on all sides—it’ll take about 8 minutes—then remove it to a plate. Add the white onion to the pan and cook until richly browned, about 8 minutes. Scrape it into a bowl, set the pan aside.

Heat the oven to 325 degrees. If a strip of the hard central rib is still attached to one side of the banana leaf, cut it off with scissors. Then use the leaf to line the unwashed Dutch oven (it will spill over the sides). Lay in the pork. Strew the onions over the pork, followed by chile strips and plantain. Drizzle everything with the piloncillo water. Fold the ends of the leaf in to cover the whole affair, secure the lid and bake until the pork is fork tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Line a warm serving platter with a fresh banana leaf. With the aid of two spatulas, transfer the pork to the platter. Use a pair of tongs to break it into small chunks.

Remove the banana leaves from the pan, scraping any clinging goodness back into the pan. If there is a lot of fat on top of the juices, spoon it off. Taste the juices and season highly with salt. Spoon everything in the pan over the pork. Garnish with red onion rings and lime wedges, and carry to the table, along with plenty of warm tortillas for making very delicious tacos.

Kimchi and Kvetching?

Okkkkk. I am entitled to have a case of ennui. It isn't boredom. It is a sense of something in the air that is about to happen. Maybe it isn't ennui. Maybe it is something else. Maybe it is just the end of Summer. Don't get me wrong, I love Fall. It is unbearably beautiful here in Fall. I even love Winter. Snow still excites me. So, what is it? I am not sure. So maybe ennui isn't the right word. Maybe I have a case of "Saudade". Saudade is a Brazilian Portuguese word difficult to translate into English. It is a longing, missing or nostalgia, often bittersweet. Ok you say ennui and I say Saudade...lets call the whole thing off.



My friend Amanda schlepped this cabbage grown in her garden in Pennsylvania to Massachusetts. I had to do something wonderful with this mammoth cabbage. It was beautiful.




So, I honored this giant cabbage by making it into one of my favorite things in the world. Kimchi!



I found the recipe on Amy Kim's Kimchi Mom website. You need to check it out because I loved the story behind it. It is called Summer of ’69 Kimchi.



It came out fantastic.

What else have I been cooking?



Chinese plum sauce out of plums that Heather Atwood gifted me.



Maple Scones that I made for Heather when she came to visit me. I had never made scones before and these were awesome and easy. I got the recipe from Eating Out Loud

That is about it. I think I will go wander. Maybe write poetry. Maybe take a walk on Walden Pond (I live near Walden Pond and in reality it is dirty and kinda gross but there is a really cool bookstore run by the Thoreau Society there. It would make Thoreau puke to see them selling bumper stickers that say "Simplify Simplify Simplify" Oh well. I am not going there for real. For real I am gonna go do laundry and go grocery shopping. So much for having "Saudade" time


Maple Oat Scones
Alan Williams

For the Scones
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup oatmeal, finely ground
1/2 cup oatmeal, coarsely ground
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup chilled butter
1 beaten egg
2 Tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 chopped pecans

Egg Wash
1 beaten egg
1 Tablespoon heavy cream

Maple Glaze
1 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar (icing sugar)
2 Tablespoons heavy cream
1 Tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon maple extract

In a large bowl, combine the scone dry ingredients. Using a pastry blender, cut the butter in until pieces are smaller than the size of peas. Stir in the chopped pecans.

In a small bowl, stir together the cream, egg, and maple syrup. Add this to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. It is important that you do not over mix the mixture. Once the liquid is absorbed and the dough is coming together (only a little dry flour in bottom of bowl), then stop.

Remove dough from bowl and knead until it holds together. Pat the dough in to a 7″ circle that is 1 1/2″ thick and cut into 8 wedges. Use a spatula to carefully place scones onto a greased cookie sheet (I lined mine with parchment). Brush tops and sides with egg wash. Bake at 375F (190C) for 20 minutes.

While the scones bake, mix together the maple glaze ingredients in a small bowl. After baking, allow scones to cool on baking sheet. The scones should be completely cooled before attempting to glaze. Pour 1 tablespoon glaze on top of each scone, using the back of the tablespoon to spread it evenly over the top and down the sides.

Lets go back in time...

I have been sick. I have had the stomach flu. I have not been eating anything worth mentioning. So, here is a glimpse into my old blog "Yarn!" from August 2006 This blog really was for my Yarn store customers. I lived in Alameda, CA. and yes I owned a yarn shop named Yarn! (yes, I really named it that and as the kids walked by on their way home from school they would yell "YARNNNNNNNN". I named it that because my mother said "You can't name it that" when I was joking and told her that was what I was going to call it. Here ya go...


Dr. Food and I decided to spend the weekend cooking. It was like old times. We picked out recipes from a cookbook that we bought in Canada. It is by a couple of people that own an Inn down the road from Sooke Harbor House (where we stayed). The cookbook is called "Flavours" We spent all day saturday making beef stock and forging for the food we needed. We cooked Sunday and had Tim and Annie over to help us eat it.

Appetizer:



This is Mushroom, Ricotta and Sun-dried Tomato Strudel.

First Course:



Annie was in a hurry. This is Crab and Mascarpone Parfait.

Main course:



This is Mushroom Crusted Beef Tenderloin with Gorgonzola Onion Stuffing.

We also made Gratin of Fresh Greens



and then for dessert:



These are Gingersnaps with Mascarpone Filling.

There were about 3 bottles of wine in there as well with a Kir and champagne to start. Oh yeah we also finished off a dessert wine that we brought back from Canada with us.

-----------------

So peoples, that is it. You can see my blogging back then was no better than it is now.
That is why I get paid the big bucks. What is that? What is my agents number? Get it from Sven my assistant.

Pig Roast and Oysters and a Lamb recipe

We gathered our courage and planned another pig roast for August. You see, I had to prove to myself that I didn't attract hurricanes. Last year when we tried to do this a big one hit and our guest list of 50 was dwindled down to 10 of our hardiest friends.



So the Friday before this soiree, Dr. Food and I made our way to Adams farm to pick up our pig. Last year it was over 100lbs. This year it was under 100lbs. Made it much easier to pick up.

Look away now if you don't want to see the preparation. It is a dead pig people. In the meantime let me show you the cutest kid in the whole world. What? NO, it isn't because I am his Granny that I say this.



See? Cutest ever. Ok, I am giving you another chance to look away.



SHUT UP! I don't look like Aladdin. (NOT ONE WORD OUT OF YOU ABL! YOU know who I am talking to. Don't act like you don't read your mama's blog)

This is my Kate Hil look. She is my meat hero. (Waving to Kate).




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The pig was ready to be prepared.



"Dexter" aka Dr. Food had his area all ready for the injection. I had made the marinade the day before. I also had made an adobo rub.



It really did come out great.



We were also going to have an Oyster tasting because many of us are members of the Oyster Century Club Our fearless Oyster leader, Jacqueline Church shipped 8 dozen assorted oysters to my house the day before. Matt brought 3 more dozen.



I mean we slurped through LOTS of oysters. David brought a Bonny doone Verjus de Cigare. Jacqueline brought an amazing Cucumber, shallot, rice wine, yuzu kosho mignonette.



Everyone was really into it. Even little William. I love that kid.



There were lots of kids here. I really flunked at getting pictures. Here are Jude and William (Cutie Patooties) saddling up Dakota to take her for a ride (NOT REALLY).



Here is David carving up El Piggy. Note the jaunty way he sports that glove.



Last but not least are these awesome pig cookies that Rebecca made. I love love love them.

Ok, you want a great recipe?



Jacqueline brought me some Chinese 5 Spice powder that smelled so good I had to make something with it.



Dr. Food had strongly suggested that we start using up some of the meat in our freezer. Ok, I can do that. We have lamb, goat, some of a cow. I chose lamb chops.



I found a recipe for Chinese Char Siu Grilled Lamb Chops and went with it.



I know I know... I took a bite of corn before I took the picture. I was hungry.

Chinese Char Siu Grilled Lamb Chops
Adapted from Bon Appétit | May 2007


3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine (Chinese rice wine) or dry Sherry
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
18 rib lamb chops (about 3 pounds), well trimmed

2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon water

Whisk first 6 ingredients in small bowl. Transfer to large resealable plastic bag. Add lamb; seal bag and turn to coat. Marinate in refrigerator at least 4 hours or overnight.

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Drain lamb, leaving some marinade clinging. Grill lamb until slightly charred and cooked to desired doneness, about 21/2 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer to platter.

Um... Another "Best Chicken Ever" and a Thai Coleslaw

I know I know. Everyone calls everything "the best..." I have done it myself. This chicken was really good though. I swear it is worth making and I will make it again. One of the best parts is that it only marinates for 2 hours.



I love the fact that it has toasted coconut in it. Not that fake stuff with all the sugar. The real stuff.



Just listen to me for once and make this. Go ahead...

On another note, I decided to join in on the Kitchen Play bandwagon and enter the Cutco Cutlery Progessive Party. I chose Thai-Style Cabbage Salad from Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious. It WAS shockingly delicious.



I didn't change anything BUT next time I will use lime juice instead of lemon juice to see how it taste. I loved this recipe more than words can say.



LOVED the fact that I got to use up some mint. Have I ever told you about my mint "garden"? Hmmmm.



Loved this one big time.


MALAYSIAN SPATCHCOCKED SPICY GRILLED CHICKEN
Primal Grill

1 chicken (3-1/2 to 4 pounds)

For the marinade:

1/4 cup grated coconut (fresh or dried)
6 cloves garlic, peeled and rough chopped
2 shallots, peeled and rough chopped
2 stalks lemongrass, trimmed and rough chopped
2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and rough chopped
2 hot red chilies, like jalapenos or horn peppers, seeded and rough chopped (for spicier chicken, leave the seeds in), or 2 tablespoons Malaysian chili paste
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons diced red or yellow bell pepper (optional)
2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds (optional)
fresh calmonsis or lime wedges for squeezing


Directions:
Kelantan is Malaysias northeastern-most provincea lush hinterland famed for its rice paddies, fishing villages, and above it its Thai-influenced cuisine. (Thailand lies just to the north.) Not surprisingly, the local grilling reflects a marked Thai influence in the form of marinades enriched with coconut and chilies. (Of course, youll also taste lemongrass, shallots, and fresh turmericingredients popular throughout the entire Malaysian peninsula.) Theres one technique here you may not previously have seendry-frying the grated coconut to give it a toasted flavor. Ive made the process optional, but the chicken will definitely be richer because of it. Heres how a Kelantan chef working in Kuala Lumpur named Fandi prepares it, and if youve ever found grilled chicken to be bland or mono-dimensional, this one will light up your mouth like an Independence Day sky.


1. Spatchcock the chicken, following the instructions on page 000. Make 2 deep slashes to the bone in each leg and thigh. Fold the wingtips back behind the wings. Place the bird in a non-reactive baking dish just large enough to hold it.

2. Make the marinade. Place the dried shredded coconut in a dry cast iron or stainless steel skillet (not nonstick) and cook it over medium heat until browned and fragrant, stirring with a wooden spoon to prevent scorching. Transfer the coconut to a bowl to cool.

3. Place the garlic, shallots, lemongrass, ginger, chilies, coriander, cumin, turmeric, and salt in a heavy mortar and pound to a paste with a pestle. Pound in the toasted coconut and about 3/4 cup cool waterenough to obtain a thick but pourable paste. Alternatively, puree the marinade ingredients in a food processor. Again, add water as needed to obtain a thick but pourable paste. Spoon this mixture over the chicken, forcing it into the slits in the legs, turning the bird to coat well on both sides. Marinate the chicken for 1 to 2 hours in the refrigerator.

4. Set up your grill for direct grilling and preheat to medium. Brush and oil the grill grate.

5. Drain the chicken and arrange it on the grill grate bone side down. Grill until golden brown and cooked though, 15 to 20 minutes per side, turning half way through. Move the chicken as needed to dodge any flare-ups. To check for doneness: use an instant read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh but not touching the bone: the temperature should be about 170 degrees. Alternatively, make a cut in the chicken meat where the thigh connects to the body: there should be no traces of red at the bone.

6. To serve, transfer the chicken, skin side up, to a platter. Sprinkle the top with sesame seeds and diced bell pepper (if using). Serve with calamansis or lime wedges for squeezing and Malaysian Peanut Sauce if desired.

Note: you can also indirect grill the chickena processes which, although, not traditionally Malaysia, has the advantage of eliminating all risk of flare-ups. Set up your grill for indirect grilling and preheat to medium. Place the chicken skin side up in the center of the grate over the drip pan. Indirect grill the chicken until browned and cooked through, 40 to 60 minutes




Thai-Style Cabbage Salad
by Dorothy of Shockingly Delicious

4 tablespoons lemon juice (I used Meyer lemon juice because I had it)
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon peanut oil
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons Thai fish sauce (see note below)
1 green cabbage, finely shredded
5-6 leaves kale (I used Redbor magenta kale, but use your favorite variety)
1 small red onion, sliced extremely thinly (see note below)
3 peeled and grated carrots
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Honey-roasted peanuts

1.In a large mixing bowl, stir together the lemon juice, oil, sugar and fish sauce until the sugar is dissolved. Add the cabbage, kale, onion, carrot, mint and cilantro and toss well. The dressing will coat the ingredients very lightly; there will not be a pool of dressing in the bottom of the bowl. Throw in a handful or two of peanuts, toss again, and serve.
2.Serves 8-10.

Cow Nose Ray and another Chicken

Photo: Grant Palmer Photography, Flickr

So yeah... Um... Dr Food and I went and did our weekly grocery shopping at Wegmans. On our list of what to buy was fish. Simple enough you say? I suppose, but when we got to the seafood counter the selection and prices were really out there. Wait! what is the cheap "fish" over there? It is only 7.00/lb. "Chesapeake Ray" aka "Cow Nose Ray" Ew, if I knew it was called "Cow Nose" not sure I would have bought it. The woman at the counter waxed poetic about how it taste like "Meat". Uh yeah. Ok. How do I make this? She assured me that I made it just like steak but to be sure not to cook at high heat and not to overcook. Ok, we were game.



I forgot to take a picture of it before I dredged it in dried mushroom powder. I know this stuff is being marketed as saving the shellfish etc. I am all for it. Hell, I am a card holding member of the the Oyster Centry Club but I have to pass on this one.



Ooops. I got the artichoke in the foreground by accident. Could be that I was trying not to barf. I couldn't get Mr. Palmer's picture of the cute little ray out of my head. Look how cute the little guy is. I want one.



Now THIS was amazing and I loved it. I will make it again for sure. It is so simple yet so so tasty. It is a seafood stew that we made this weekend. I found the recipe online at Cook, Shoot, Eat…a food photographers journey



This would not be my blog if I didn't give you ANOTHER chicken recipe that I found. This one comes from Fine Cooking and it was really good. Not the best chicken ever but really good.



Really simple to make and doesn't take that long to brine.



Thank god for chicken. I don't care if it taste like "steak". I don't even like steak.

Oh, and in case you were wondering. I named the little Cow Nose guy "Moo".

Beer-Brined Butterflied Chicken
by Elizabeth Karmel - Fine Cooking

1 3-1/2- to 4-lb. chicken
3/4 cup plus 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
3/4 cup plus 1/2 tsp. packed dark brown sugar
1 Tbs. plus 1/4 tsp. freshly ground coarse black pepper
6 bay leaves, crumbled
2 12-oz. cans or bottles cold lager beer
1 tsp. smoked sweet Spanish paprika (pimentón)
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. celery salt
1/4 tsp. chili powder
Large pinch dried oregano, crushed
Pinch cayenne
2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil


Place the chicken, breast side down, on a flat surface. Using poultry shears, cut along each side of the backbone and remove it. Flip the chicken over and press firmly on the center of the breast to break the breastbone. You can see a video of this technique, called butterflying, here.

In a large bowl, combine the 3/4 cup kosher salt, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1 tablespoon pepper, and bay leaves. Add 4 cups very hot water and stir to dissolve the salt and sugar. Add the beer and stir well to remove the carbonation. Add about 4 cups ice cubes to cool the brine rapidly. When the ice has melted and the brine is cool, put the chicken in the brine, adding more cold water if needed to cover. Refrigerate, covered, for 2 to 4 hours.

In a small bowl, mix the 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, 1/2 tsp. brown sugar, and 1/4 tsp. pepper with the paprika, cumin, celery salt, chili powder, oregano, and cayenne.

Remove the chicken from the brine and let it air dry for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, build a charcoal fire or heat a gas grill with all burners on high. For a charcoal grill, when the charcoal is covered with a white-gray ash, divide it into two piles and set a drip pan between the coals. For a gas grill, turn the burners that will be directly underneath the chicken off and the other burners to medium. (If your grill has only two burners, turn one off and set the other one at medium. You may need to rotate the chicken periodically so that both sides brown.)

When ready to cook, if the chicken is still very wet, blot it dry with paper towels. Brush or rub both sides of the chicken with the oil and sprinkle with the spice mixture. Tuck the wingtips under the breast. Set the chicken, skin side up, in the center of the grill (or not directly over the heat). Cover and cook until the juices run clear and a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh registers 175º­ to 180ºF, 40 to 50 minutes. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before cutting it into quarters and serving.


Seafood Stew
Bill Brady - Cook, Shoot, Eat…a food photographers journey



This recipe serves: 4

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 large yukon gold potatoes cut into 2 inch cubes
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon minced, fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried
3 bay leaves
1/2 cup white wine
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
2 cups fish stock or clam juice
1 dozen littleneck or cherrystone clams
12 medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 pound mussels, scrubbed
3/4 lb sea scallops
3 Tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped

1. Heat the olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, potatoes (par boiled or microwaved) and garlic, salt and pepper to taste and cook until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes.

2. Add the thyme, bay leaves and wine and bring to a boil. Cook until the wine is almost gone.

3. Add the tomatoes and fish stock (or clam juice ) and cook for 5 minutes more.

4. Rinse the clams and add them to the pot, covered cook for 5 minutes.

5. Add mussels. Cover again and cook for 1 minute. Stir in shrimp and scallops. Cook until just translucent, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat, add cilantro

6. Season with salt and pepper if needed and serve hot.