WhyMayo?

Home-made gravlax

2010-11-16T12:09:00.000-08:00

OK, so getting back into flogging is a slow process, but I am doing my best to remember to post. Fortunately, or not depending on your situation, lox is also a bit of a slow process. This should give me enough time to think of something else to post about. We'll see.

For the lox:
Find a nice piece of salmon. Preferably sockeye and it is best if the fish has been previously frozen. This is not only a safety issue. I have made lox with fresh salmon and am still here to flog about it. I have no scientific evidence to back it up but I am of the belief that it is more likely the stress and panic of eating raw/cured foods that leads to illness. Anyway...
The real reason for using previously frozen fish is that it means that the fish was flash frozen straight out of the water. As opposed to 'fresh' fish which probably has traveled for days before reaching your market. This is not always the case though so do be sure to source from a good vendor and do not be afraid to ask where they get their product and how it has been handled.
Back to the lox. This process takes about three days start to finish but it is very easy and much cheaper than purchasing prepared lox.
Start with as much salmon as you want to cure. Fillet the fish if not already done and remove all of the bones, including those annoying, little pin bones running through the fillet.

Mix up a cure; equal parts kosher salt and sugar and one third part of freshly ground black pepper. Use one tablespoon of salt for each pound of fish. In other words this will be two and one third tablespoons of the cure mix per pound. Sorry, I tried to think of a more confusing way to word that but that was the best that I could come up with.
Spread the cure over the fish, using a bit more on the thicker parts and a bit less on the thinner parts. Make sure to put some on the skin side as well.
For traditional gravlax place a large bunch of fresh dill on top of the fish, flesh side and then wrap the whole thing in a double layer of plastic wrap. Store in the fridge in another container to catch the juices. Flip the fish every day or so. It is cured when the thickest part of the fish is a bit firm, about three days.

That is it. Very easy and super delicious. Slice it thin and top bagel of your choice. Or serve it on an english muffin with a poached egg and bearnaise sauce. Use your imagination (and your slicing skills!)

Have you made this before? Leave us a comment or send a photo.

Back at last

2010-06-14T18:14:00.001-07:00

They say that bacon is the gateway meat. Well for me it is the doorway back into flogging. Unfortunately, there is a large population of people that do not get to enjoy bacon. I am not talking about those crazy vegans, fuck them. I mean there are good, honest, meat eating citizens that cannot eat bacon due to the dictates of their faith.
Well I have a preparation that will make you forever forget about bacon. I am serious, you just wait.

This technique is old school and unfortunately it is not a challenge that most home cooks take on very often. This is too bad. Confit is a preservation technique which is, for obvious reasons, not really necessary anymore. A confitted piece of meat will last, even unrefrigerated for a month or more in a cool cellar. If you are not familiar I hope this will provide the necessary inspiration. Unfortunately if are not familiar you will probably be unprepared as well. Fear not, I will provide all of the preparatory information at the end of the post.

Confit of Pork Belly
One piece pork belly from a heritage breed, organically raised hog. (Note that these additional qualifiers are NOT optional. If you are going to go through the trouble of this preparation, and it takes about a week, it is not worth it if you are not going to use the best meat that you can find.)

Anyway,
one piece pork belly, about 3 to 3 1/2 pounds
1 oz kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pink salt* (optional)

Spices:
1/2 t coriander
10 bay leaves, crushed
1 t black pepper
pinch cumin
1 T pimenton
2 t thyme (dried, if fresh use 1 1/2T)

Mix the cure ingredients (the salts) and the spices together and rub all over the pork belly, being sure to cover evenly and completely.
Wrap in plastic and place in a non-reactive container. Place in the fridge for 24 to 36 hours, turning once.

After curing, remove the pork from the fridge and rinse and dry thoroughly. Turn the oven to 300.
Place a heavy bottomed pot or a dutch oven on the stove on medium low heat. Add approximately 3-6 lbs of lard** This amount will vary greatly depending on the size of your vessel in relation to the size of the pork.
Once the fat is just melted, submerge the pork in the fat. The pork must be covered by the fat by about an inch or so.
Place the pot in the oven and cook until the pork is very tender, 4 to 5 hours.
Remove the pot from the oven and allow the pork to cool in the fat.

Once cooled, transfer the pork to a smaller, non-reactive container that will just hold it. Cover it with the cooking fat and place a piece of plastic film on top. Weight the pork down with about 5 pounds overnight in the fridge, at least 12 hours.

The next day, after the pork has been pressed, remove the plastic wrap and add a bit more melted fat to completely cover the pork.

This is ready to eat now of course, in the sense that it is cooked. However it will continue to develop over the next few days in the fridge covered in the fat. Consider it completed after three days in the fridge.
This will last, covered in fat in the fridge for three months or more.

To serve:
Turn oven to 350 F.
Remove the pork from the fridge and scrape away the fat. Slice the pieces that you plan to eat, into the desired shape. It is much easier to cut when it is cold.
Heat a heavy pan, cast iron, over medium high heat for several minutes. Add the pork, fat side down and turn down the heat to medium low. Allow to cook for 15 to 20 minutes to develop a crust.
Slide the pan into the oven to heat the belly through for about 10 minutes.

Serve with, well... more fucking pork belly!
I am not joking. This will make you forget about, something. What was it?

*The pink salt in this recipe is completely optional. The pork is cooked and so it is unnecessary, however the pork will not have that lovely cured flavor without it. I suppose you are expecting a note about the health concerns or an explanation about what pink salt is. Well, you are already on the internet. I am not your fucking mother!

**While lard can be had from the store, usually an Asian or Latin market, these fats are often hydrogenated. This somewhat defeats the purpose of using lovely pork fat in the first place. No worries, make your own. Pork fat by the way is definitely GOOD fat. And not just because it is delicious. Pork fat, especially leaf lard is mostly made up of monounsaturated fats. Most of these are short and medium chain fatty acids. This is indeed the best kind of fat. It also contains a lot of nutrients and fat soluble vitamins. So stock up, and no more guilt for that second helping!

Rendering your own leaf lard.
1. Find a quality butcher, purchase about 6 lbs of leaf lard.
2. Remove the paper like membrane and discard
3. Cut the fat into very small pieces and place in a large pot
4. place in a 25o F oven, render for 4 to 10 hours, stirring about every 40 - 60 minutes
5. strain the fat and store in the fridge or freezer

Oh by the way, remember those guys with the religious objections to bacon. Apparently it is to pork in general. So sorry, guess this one wont work out for you. Although, really no pork! Maybe you should reconsider your faith. Just a thought. Happy eating!

A growing obsession and dying batteries

2009-02-07T07:32:00.000-08:00

Coming up fairly quickly on a year with no posts. I am sure glad that those Google kids are understanding and have not yet deleted this blog. But I promise to... OK so no promises but I am going to try and put stuff up here. The problem is that I have actually been spending time cooking!
Cooking and not taking enough pictures. Cooking what you may ask. Spanish food mostly. I have become obsessed.
Spain has been on the top of my list for the last few years but recently my little itch has spread into a full blown culinary rash. Sorry, that is rather unappetizing I know. It doesn't help my obsession that the wife just bought me the Spain DVD. Which every one should check out by the way. It stars Mario Batali, Mark Bittman of the NY Times, Gwineth Paltrow and a Spanish actress Claudia Bessols. The whole thing look absolutely amazing because they shot it with these sexy Sony cameras. I wish I could make a couple of commissions on those with links to my Amazon store because they are like $80K each! Of course, I would first have to have an Amazon store. To be honest I am not entirely sure what that means but all of the serious floggers seem to have one.
Anyway, we have just acquired a new camera and a renewed interest in documenting our foodventures. God I hate it when people combine words like that. Nevertheless, look forward to new posts and new pictures in the very near future!

Rubbing it in, just a little

2008-04-16T13:07:00.000-07:00

Oh right, I forgot to mention why the renewed interest in flogging. To be honest I have been meaning to get back to this flog for some time. I no longer have any excuses.

That's right. That's me right there. I love birthdays.
So, as a result, lots of bread baking has been goin' down.
A very basic sandwich bread recipe follows:
2 cups flour (AP is fine, BF is cool too)
into which is mixed about a Tablespoon of salt (maybe a bit less, I never measure such things)
1/2 cup warm water
into which goes about 1 1/2 teaspoons of Yeast
1/2 cup milk, warmed (and yes I mean whole milk, what kind of a site do you think this is?)into which is melted 1 Tablespoon of butter (unsalted always!)

Let yeast bloom in warm water for about 10 minutes,
mix with flour until a shaggy dough forms, wait 5 to 35 minutes (could let it rest like this for hours, but it is unnecessary.)
Mix in the milk let it rest again for 20 - 30 minutes. Then knead until it is done.
No, I am not going to tell you how long to knead it, just do it until it is done.

Let is rise until doubled then split into two loaves. Press down and fold, I usually do all four corners in, then those four corners and pull it tight. I know this is not very discriptive but I am feeling lazy right now. Maybe I will edit it later but at least I am posting something, right? You're just wasting time at work reading food blogs!

Anyway, let these loaves rise again then shape, proof and bake.
400 degrees (on your baking stone of course!) for 12 minutes or so, then turn the oven down to 350 and bake until done, probably around 35 minutes more.

Here is it served with some of the beans left over from a cassoulet made yesterday. Breakfast of champions.

A really weird day in Seattle

2008-04-12T20:05:00.000-07:00

No joke. Today was really weird. Sunny all day and almost 80 degrees. Why is that so weird? Well, it is Seattle and it is April. Two weeks ago it snowed. Today it was beautiful so we decided to go hiking up Tiger mountain. It was fun but we spent the entire time planning for our feast tomorrow.

Needless to say by the time we got done we were starving. As the weather was nice, we decided on burgers, something we haven’t done in a long while. So we stopped and got some beef and charcoal and headed home to fire up the Q.

After a lengthy search through the basement and storage I found the old smokey joe and set about preparations. These are beef burgers, noted only because we quite often do lamb. Seasoned with a bit of worcestershire sauce and soy, garlic, shallots and S&P.

On top; grilled onions, bacon, avocado, gruyere (on mine) and basil. BBQ sauce of course doesn’t really need mentioning.

Paired with an unfiltered amber wheat beer from the Trader Joe’s this was a perfect late lunch on such a beautiful day. Damn, why don’t we do burgers more often?

Oh, right. Seattle.

Damn, three posts in as many days. I had better slow down.

Grand Re-opening

2008-04-12T09:27:00.000-07:00

OK, so there has been a rather obvious lack of activity on this flog for the past several months. I wish I could claim a great abduction story or something reasonable to explain my absence. A daring escape from the clutches of evil fast food purveyors and thugs employed by the mayonnaise industry.
Alas there is no such tale.
No matter. The flog is back.
The format will be tweaked slightly. Over the next several months WhyMayo? will explore and experiment with all of the food items that most home chefs are too intimidated or lazy to attempt. It seems to me more and more that people know about food, they can't stop talking about the latest episode of Top Chef, but still no one cooks at home. (And none of the floggers in Seattle curse. It is fucking creepy.)

I will try whenever reasonable to include some of the science going on in the foods prepared. Mostly because it is of great interest to me. Who doesn't love AB, right? Mostly though it is my belief that once one understands the basics and all of the things that are happening behinds the scenes, food preparation becomes that much easier. Then, experimentation and elaboration becomes much more fun and feasible. Besides, a basic grasp of chemistry seems almost a prerequisite for cooking these days.

One of the first items to be attempted will be bread. Completely complex in its utter simplicity, just four basic ingredients and endless variations. Great bread is one of those things that typically baffles many home chefs. So much so that it seems rarely attempted anymore.

Perhaps it is a matter of convenience and practicality. Bread is available in most places at reasonable quality and price. Home baked bread certainly must come out of some passion. Perhaps though this is more on point with what this flog will be all about. The seemingly endless march toward convenience. Pre-sliced apples, for fuck's sake!

What should I really expect though from a culture that has a prescription for everything. Why take the time, put forth effort to create something, why search for something about which you are passionate when there is a pill that can make you feel that way about a sofa cushion. I still make happiness from scratch, the old fashioned way (read, liquor).
OK, this post is becoming rather rant like. I should probably stop before I scare off anyone who might actually read this thing in the future. Google ad-sense, Ka-ching!

Told you so!

2008-04-11T13:07:00.000-07:00

Ha! I knew I could do it. I have broken the silence. I think the problem has been trying to create some sort of great, re-opening post to reintroduce WhyMayo? to the blogosphere. But I have given up on that, mostly because I have discovered something that upsets me greatly. The US has banned imports of curry leaves! Motherfuckers!

I found this out after looking for them yesterday at the local Asian food store first and then at the Indian food store, nothin'!

Only half jokingly I googled the shortage of curry leaves in the Seattle area to discover that the USDA had actually banned imports of curry leaves from Hawaii due to a bacteria that affects citrus crops, as the plant on which curry leaves grow is a relative of these crops.
I have been unable to find any updates as to when the ban may be lifted.
WTF And I just bought a bunch of chana dal.
(Cheaper at the Whole Foods than at the Indian food store, Nice!)

I guess since this is a food blog I should at least include some shots of the food which was supposed to contain these delicious, deep green little leaves.
This is a very simple dish. Just chana dal cooked in chicken stock, although I am sure that water would work just as well. Half a medium, yellow onion and several cloves of garlic sauteed in butter and olive oil with the typical seasonings. Cumin seed, red chili flakes, coriander and turmeric. Finish with some cilantro and some rice. Breakfast of champions.

Sure would be better with some mutha fuckin' CURRY LEAVES!!! though!!

OK, seriously this time

2008-04-07T18:44:00.000-07:00

Wow, almost a year since I posted the coming soon notice. Ha! OK, seriously though, within a week.

Posts to look forward to:
Some great, authentic Chinese food
Bread posts (I just got a Kitchen Aid. What!)
Pizza Root Beer Fridays!
XLBs, you know what I'm talkin' about Dylan!

Many more.

Stay tuned....

I promise

Coming Soon!

2007-07-11T20:05:00.000-07:00

Scary, yes? Don't worry, no Starbucks taking this spot just yet. I know it has been empty for a long while. Just retooling though. We will be back very soon.

A new experiment: XLBs

2007-01-12T11:38:00.000-08:00

Well, just dumplings for now. Apparently, pork skin is needed to create a stock that is gelatinous enough for those delicious, juicy pork dumplings. If you can believe it, we don’t actually stock pork skin all the time. Go figure. So, since I have the urge right now, and lack the skin, I guess I will just have to experiment.
We have a bunch of frozen scrimps. I am sure that they use shrimp in dumplings somewhere, so let’s give it a shot. I know they make shrimp and pork dumlings, and shao mai have shrimps right? Good enough for me.
The plan of attack at the moment: I still have a few dumpling wrappers left over from yesterday (and of course I forgot to take pictures of the process, or the product.) I guess I will need to make some more wrappers anyway, because I have only a few, and it is so easy. The day old wrappers work just fine however. Just dust with flour and store in the fridge. Always let dough come to room temp before working with it again.
The filing: (Remember that this is not the XLB filing. That one will probably be worked on this weekend. Unless, of course we go to Vegas.)
Trying to keep it very simple, this one is just some raw shrimp, diced finely, green onions and ginger. Mixed with a bit of Soy sauce and sugar, that was it. Into the wrappers and over the steam. Nothing to it.

Unfortunately, this one turned out a bit salty and, well just not so great. Of course, I sent a couple of pics of these to the wife and she made me make more when she got home. These turned out much better.

Into the second batch went; carrots, celery, ginger and yellow onions (we had by now run out of green.) all of these shredded. Shrimps of course, finely diced, and soy, sugar, sesame oil and pepper. That is it, all mixed up and into the wrappers.

I have seen the dumplings being made at DTF and there is quite a bit of technical and even artistic skill that seems to go into it. (Of course at DTF it is more technical as that place is more like an assembly line) Anyway, I possess neither of these skills, so I had to cheat a bit. I just laid a wrapper over my hand. Touching pointer to thumb, lay the wrapper over the circle made and place filing into the indentation made. Once the filing is in the center, push it through and just twist the excess wrapper on top together. I tore off and discarded the extra wrapper. That was it. Steam and eat. Enjoy.

Such a tease, I know. Here is a shot of them in the steamer. Looks like Vegas tomorrow, so no XLBs until probably next weekend. Hope this one will keep you going until then. Even though it isn't juicy pork just yet, I bet even these will make you all consider the offer below a bit more seriously.

FBPPL!

2007-01-10T10:06:00.000-08:00

Huh? FBPPL!

What? OK, so here is the situation. The wife and I have become over the past few weeks (mostly her) a little bit obsessed with poker. We watch on the idiot box, play online and even drive out to Vegas at 11:30 on a Friday night just to get our fill. The thing is, we would really like to find some other interested parties to get together on a regular basis and play.

Two major obstacles.

1. We just moved here not too long ago and neither of us are really all that socially outgoing. In other words, we don't know too many people here. Not that we are socially inept or akward (though the Tourret's does make a few uncomfortable) just that we don't really get out much.

2. We live in a tiny little studio. This would make it difficult, even if we did have friends, to have anyone over. So here is what we offer, the reason for the post, and an explanation of the title:

Food Blogger Poker Pot Luck!

We have the chips, cards, everything necessary for the game. Well, except for the people and the space. So this is where all of you come in. We are hoping that at least a few of you food bloggers out there also have an interest in poker (we already know you like food.) So if someone is willing to host, and everyone would bring a dish to share, or some wine or whatever, there you go. Just like a normal pot luck but with a friendly (or not so much) card game.

I know this is not quite a food related post. I better add some porn pics just to be safe. Cheers!

Experiment: Pork Butt: Round one

2006-12-29T09:35:00.000-08:00

It is quite clear that forgetting to salt has had an impact. The meat is just a bit bland without it. The apple juice has also made it rather sweet, as expected. This will need to be fixed though as it makes the meat one dimensional and the sauce is already a bit sweet as well. It is really hard not to mess with the second batch as I have many new ideas to adjust the recipe but damn it! This is an experiment to determine the necessity of the marinating time, so I must resist.
However, for the next time, it definitely needs more heat. I think that the jalapenos that went into the marinade, but not into the braise, will need to be added there. First though, I will go over exactly how the braise was prepared.

About half an hour before the meat is ready, pull it out of the fridge to bring to room temp. Then start preparing the mirepoix for the braise. Chop one large yellow onion, two celery stalks, two carrots, two green onions and three slices of bacon. Brown the meat in a thick bottomed pan on high heat with a good amount of OO. This is a critical step. As I often am, you may be tempted to move the pieces around. Resist this urge. Make sure to develop a good caramelization of each side before turning. It is much better to have an over done piece than one which is not properly seared. Also, do not crowd the meat in the pan. This was not really an issue in this case because of the small amount of pork worked with. However, for the next time the meat will need to be tripled at least. If there is not enough room in the bottom of the pan, do this step in batches.

Once all of the meat is browned, remove it from the pan and add the onions. Add a bit more oil if necessary. Then drop in the bacon and the garlic cloves from the marinade. Then add the celery, carrots and scallions. Let all of this cook down a while, 20 minutes or so. After these have cooked through, move everything to the sides of the pan, open a can of tomatoes and, after crushing the tomatoes up with your hands, add them directly to the bottom of the pot and cover. This part of the process is more important than it may seem. By putting the tomatoes directly onto the bottom, and leaving them there for a while, they will also caramelize and create a very nice flavor that would otherwise not occur.

After the tomatoes have had a chance, stir it all up and throw the meat back in on top and just cover with everything. Also, add about a third of the marinade to this mix. Retain the rest. Let the braise go for two hours, stirring about every half hour. Once it has cooked, remove the meat and blend everything else with a hand mixer. In this case, the amount of meat was really inadequate for the amount of sauce that was produced. Therefore, the meat needed to be kept separate, pulled apart and the sauce added. The next time of course, more meat will be used and hopefully be able to be kept in the sauce.

Approximately 30 minutes before the braise is done, take the reserved marinade and place in a pan over high heat. Bring this mix to a boil to reduce, adding a few pats of butter. Stir frequently and reduce to very nearly nothing. From about two cups to less than half a cup. This should take about half an hour. Once this sauce is reduced and the braising liquids mixed, add the sauce to the rest and stir together. I had to salt this sauce at this stage but if done at the appropriate time, before the meat sits in it, that should be unecessary.

It turned out quite good. Not quite what I was expecting and not quite pulled pork. Not quite bbq style anyway. Still it was a good start and I have many ideas on how to improve for next time. Just hope I can resist the urge to fuck with the next batch. Should be posting the results of the comparison soon.

Experiment II: Pork Butt: plan of attack

2006-12-19T16:31:00.000-08:00

I guess I should start with the corrections. Due to time constraints, that is the focus of the experiment after all, the marinating time for the first has been shortened to three hours from four. Also, because Whole Foods is a lame, stinky, whore of a food store, the meat has been changed to pork butt from shoulder. Pork butt is the more typical cut for preparing pulled pork though I prefer shoulder in most cases. It is just as tasty and less expensive. I hate whole foods in general and especially the one by our house (SM & Fairfax). It has a very poor meat selection. What store doesn’t have pork shoulder? Come on! Besides that, I asked for one pound and he sliced one that was 1.3lbs. Now I know that cutting meat is not an exact science, but if you were the employee, would you not at least ask the customer if this cut was still OK?! No such courtesy. This is truly one of the worst meat departments that I have ever frequented. We went once and they didn’t even have ground beef. No lie, how could I make up something like that? Also, their fish monger doesn’t care for monk fish. Thus they don’t stock it. Christ!
So, the WooF’s shortcomings aside, here is how I have prepared the marinade. It was really just a random assemblage of what I thought would make for a somewhat bbq experience. This is not intended to be exactly like a bbq pulled pork sandwich. Much to the disappointment of the wife. It does smell quite nice however and this is what went in.
Starting with the liquid. Two parts to one of apple juice and beef broth. Then, a healthy handful of roughly chopped garlic (probably 1/4 c.) Half a shot of Bourbon (the house B here is MM.) One Cinnamon stick, 1/2 a teaspoon of cumin, ground and, sadly, not roasted (stupid, stupid) One teaspoon of honey, half a jalapeno (though I can’t be sure that this is an accurate measure as we grow our own and they don’t get quite as large as the store bought variety. A heaping tblsp should do.) On the top go the herbs. What effect these will have, I have no idea. A small bunch each of parsley and cilantro with one sprig of tarragon. Mostly because we have such an abundance of fresh and wonderful herbs at the moment, after a weekend trip to the Farmer’s Market. Just seemed a shame not to include some. The tarragon was a gamble, admittedly, but time will tell. Kind of minty but with a bit of spice as well. Smells good anyway, though tarragon is not one of the more aromatic herbs.
So this is where they sit at the moment. Happily soaking up this slightly alcoholic elixir. Hopefully absorbing some of the herb’s wonderful qualities and, damn it! I forgot to salt. Oh well. Next time.
Don’t forget to stir two or three times a day for the longer batch.
Stay tuned for part three, the braise

Experiment: Pork Shoulder: the test

2006-12-19T09:44:00.000-08:00

So it is just after nine in the morning. I have finished off my first pot of coffee and had a bit of breakfast. Clearly, it is time for some pork shoulder.

Actually I have been thinking about this for a while now. A few weeks ago I pinched another recipe from Mario for a braised pork shoulder. It was very good. Tender and delicious. It made us high, truly. Not sure if it was because the meat had soaked in an entire bottle of wine for three days or because we hadn't eaten much that day. Anyway, it was good. It got me thinking though. About what else? Pulled Pork Sandwiches!

I love pulled pork sandwiches. I have never attempted them and I don't much like to follow recipes. I know I just told you that I pinched one from Mario. Really though, that is always more like a starting point. Some inspiration. I never actually follow to the letter. (Except with the fish, just because it is so simple and wonderful, there is really nowhere to change anything.) OK, so this inspires me this morning to go out and acquire some pork shoulder.

If this one was so good, you ask, why mess with it? Well, because that is just who I am damn it. Plus, the prep time is really quite prohibitive. In fact, this is what this experiement is all about. Here is the setup. I will take two similar cuts of meat, marinate in the same liquid, cook in the same manner. The only difference will be in the time that they soak. I will let one chill in the marinade for two days and one for just four hours. Then cook and see what happens. If nothing else I will have quite a lot of pork to eat this week.

This is going to be a four parter at least so stay tuned.

Weekly Recipe: Pizza

2006-12-18T19:31:00.000-08:00

It is that time again. This one looks, and tastes beautiful, but it is amazingly simple. As always, exact measurements are not to be expected. More important, in my opinion, is to know the ratios. This way you can make any amount required and not have to deal with a great deal of leftovers. Of course, left over pizza dough rarely lasts long in this household. The basic dough is really very easy.

Start with about a cup of warm water (80-100 degrees F) Into this will go one packet of dry yeast. Add a bit of sugars. Any will do though I usually use either brown or honey. Just a bit for the yeast to feed on. It likes sugars and warm water. Let that mix sit while you measure out four cups of flour and a pinch of salt. After the yeast has had about five minutes, mix in about another 3/4 cup water and two tablespoons OO. I never actually measure the oil, just add a decent amount. Mix the wet into the dry. I usually use a wisk but if you are one of those assholes with a kitchen aid then use that, by all means.

For you jerks with kitchen aids, this is even easier. It only takes about five minutes to make perfect dough. For the rest of us, it will take a bit of kneeding after the wets are mixed in. Kneed with a good amount of flour until the dough is just tacky. Form into a ball and oil. Let is sit for 90-120 minutes in a warm place until doubled in size. A trick that I use is to, after removing the dough from the mixing bowl, before kneeding, fill the bowl with hot water to soak. You'll need to do this to clean it anyway. Once the dough has come together on the board, rinse the bowl to remove those bits of flour and dry. This will create a warm place to leave the dough to rise and you don't have to dirty another bowl.

At this point, it is really a matter of taste. This one shown is one of our favorites, bbq chicken. Unfortunately, since it is winter in LA, stores no longer carry coals so the chicken had to be baked. Still turns out quite nice. A mix of bbq and tomato sauce forms the base and on top goes red onion, the chicken, mozzarella, cilantro, green onions, bacon, garlic, etc. etc. Really though, this is the place to be creative. Just put on whatever you like. Or use it as an excuse to clean out the fridge. Herbs and cheese, salami and artichoke hearts, or just fresh tomato, basil and mozzarella. Go nuts.

Things to look forward to.

2006-12-13T20:16:00.001-08:00

In addition to the New Year, global warming and eventual death, here are a few other things to look forward to. Basically this post is a cheat. You see, I am completely bored, nothing to do but still cannot find the energy to put together a well reasoned and thoughtful post on anything at all. So I thought I would give a glimpse of a few ideas I have for future posts.

Another weekly recipe: Lamb Burgers
The wife says I shouldn't give this one up, but what the hell. You guys have been faithful supporters. (all two of you)

Rant: On charcoal and why it cannot be found at Trader Joe's during the winter. (It is LA! For fuck's sake. It may be December but it is still 65 degrees!)

Adventures in wine country:
Follow us on our search for a very specifc bottle of wine that is no longer in supply.

OK, I know this is the lazy way out. Now at least I have committed myself to making these posts, right. I have all of you to hold me to task.

Some clever tag line here

Nearly on topic

2006-12-12T09:23:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I was again confronted with the reality that this woman is completely and thoroughly perfect. How did I come to this conclusion you might ask. Well, this is not a new realization, hardly. I was just presented with further proof as we sat at BLD for breakfast, again. After taking a sizeable bite from her fried egg sandwich, she exclaimed "Fuck, I love this bacon!" How could this be anything but love?

I got nothin'

2006-12-07T10:36:00.000-08:00

Rather I really have too much. There is still so much to recount about our recent Seattle trip over the Thanksgiving holiday. Unfortunately, it has already been quite a while and my memory is not what it used to be. (To be completely honest, it was never all that great.) In an attempt to start to clear out the flog inbox, I will relive our Sushiman experience.
We were very fortuate that all of the places that we wanted to visit happened to have accomodating schedules that week. Salumi was open on Wednesday and Sushiman was open the day after Thanksgiving so we had a chance to visit twice. Something about living in LA really increases the desire for great sushi. For some reason, there just seems to be no great places here. Many come close. Nobu has decent fish and a great atmosphere but it doesn't have everything and is just not special. Sushi Karen in Culver City has really great yellowtail but is not an overall wonderful experience. We still visit whenever we are in the area though. Anyway, back to the topic at hand.
As it was lunch, we decided to each try one of the lunch specials. She got the sashimi plate and I the sushi plate. Much to our dissapointment, Bobby was not present that day. The fish, as it always is, was great. Even the day after Thanksgiving so you know it wasn't delivered that day, it was still quite good. They use only wild, Alaskan salmon so this is obviously our favorite here. A few months ago, when we were in Seattle, we actually again made two stops at Sushiman in a single day. There for a little appetizer before heading to my dad's house for dinner. Then for a delicious dessert of salmon and toro sashimi. We actually closed the place down that night. Bobby was behind the bar and he is a very friendly, very chatty person. So we talked about sushi and many other things until about half an hour past closing. This is truly just a wonderful place. Anyone with an opportunity should go. Sorry that I cannot recall more details but it has been so long. Serious sushi craving now though.

It's not a quiche!

2006-11-29T17:14:00.000-08:00

Time for another installment of our weekly recipe feature. I even surprise myself. (I know it is only two weeks in a row now but you have to take pride in the little things too.)

This is another, rather simple one. My perception of simple is a bit off however. I tend to stay away from any prepackaged or half 'home-made' crap and prepare everything from scratch. But there is nothing about this which is complicated or requires any special equipment. (you will notice that it has been cooked in a small sauce pan. This is by no means a requirement but as I don't bake much I simply do not have a pie pan. Yes it is on the list.)

This is a great breakfast idea however as it can be prepared ahead of time and travels well, for those who like to eat on the road. Start with a simple dough, just a single egg and about 3/4 to 1 cup of flour. Using the well method, combine the two. As they come together, add more flour until ingredients are loosely combined. It took me at least another 1/2 c of flour for the rolling process. Not rocket science though. If it is sticking, add more flour. Roll the dough to appropriate thickness, 1/4 inch? I don't know. Just until it looks right.

The filling consists of mostly Ricotta. In fact, this whole thing was just an excuse to use up some left over Ricotta from a failed lamb experiment last week, combined with some inspiration from Mario. Chop a couple of garlic cloves, a bit of white onion (red would certainly work as well) some parsley and whatever else makes you happy. I put some chili flakes and fresh thyme in there as well, mostly because it was there. Then I added some salami and bacon. I didn't cook the bacon first, and it was uncurred. I am still alive so it seems that cooking beforehand is unecessary. Salt and pepper to taste. Not too much salt as there is plenty in the meats. Oh yeah, add some parm reg as well. Mix these together. Then one egg and a handful of flour to bind. Once mixed, pour into the pastry shell which should by now be in a pie pan (or sauce pan if you like.) Top with a bit of Mozzarella and bake for 25-30 minutes at 400.

Garnish with a bit of freshly chopped parsley and serve warm or cold, as you like.

Quiche [keesh]
–noun
a pielike dish consisting of an unsweetened pastry shell filled with a custard and usually containing cheese and other ingredients, as vegetables, seafood, or ham: spinach quiche.
(thanks dictionary.com)

See, no custard, no veggies, not a quiche! Does sound good with some spinach though.

Cheers

Wednesday; early lunch

2006-11-29T09:22:00.000-08:00

What trip to Seattle would be complete without a visit to the promised land? Salumi. For the unitiated, this is an easy place to miss. Just a small store front on a curious, out of the way street in Pioneer Square. Near the new stadiums, most probably just pass it by on their way to the freeway or just never venture down here at all. What a shame. This is, as nearly all food people know (in and out of Seattle) the pinnacle of domestic cured meats. Though Armandino's creations can be found elsewhere, places like Jar in LA serve Salumi on Mondays, being at the restaurant for lunch is an unrivaled experience. It is just a tiny place. Long an narrow, with a single counter and the product prominently on display as you enter. Behind the Counter are prepared the most delicious sandwiches, possibly anywhere.
We arrive a little late, as we got started later than we would have liked and made the obligatory visit to Top Pot for breakfast. Worried that there would not be enough time for proper digestion, I tried to hold back at breakfast but to no avail. The fritter is just too good. No worries however, as there is never a problem with appetite when at Salumi. My wife was able to snap a shot of her's being prepared. She got the Porchetta and I the Cottechino. (I can't remember if they have two ts or one and word doesn't recognize either word so, close enough. Besides, who would quibble over spelling when a beautiful piece of pork is placed in front of them?)

These sandwiches never dissapoint and today was no exception. I have to say that whatever type of plant matter they put on the Cotechino (there, now I've covered all the bases) was unnecessary though it did add quite a nice bitterness to compliment the somewhat sweet sausage. The spread that they use is quite simply amazing. I have heard them say that it is just olive oil, bread crumbs and garlic (one of them also has parsley) though I have tried and never been able to recreate anything near to it. Believe me I have tried. Served with fresh Mozzarella, it is wonderful.

While it is sometimes difficult to think past the sandwiches, the place itself is quite charming. Relatively unadorned, pictures of Armandino and Cullatello hang on the walls while the sound track to the Godfather plays softly. Wine by the glass is available on an honor system. A large bottle is placed in the center of a long table and patrons pay on their way out for each glass. The whole experience is rather communal. The place is large enough to accomodate only about 15 people. Most at the long, center table where space is too valuable to afford a 'comfort seat' between strangers.

None of this matters however when holding a Salumi sandwich in hand. All else fades away as diners indulge in cured meat perfection. In, of all places, downtown Seattle. Go figure.

Wednesday; breakfast

2006-11-29T07:58:00.000-08:00

I know this could be a little confusing as it is now Wednesday. However, the topic (as will the content) refers to last Wednesday, November 21st. The day before Thanksgiving. As usual when in Seattle, we had a plan to wake up early and get to Top Pot around 8. Of course we didn't actually get out of bed until after nine and by the time we actually walked over there (about 14 blocks or 1.0 miles) it was ten or so. We arrived so late that they were already out of raised glazed doughnuts. She got the cake instead and I, as usual got the apple fritter. I am not sure why, but it bothers me when she eats off of my plate. Even though it is expected by now and really, I never finnish the fritter. Still, it is mildly irksome. No matter. The coffee was adequate this time. It has been good at times here but that is not why people come anyhow. It is for these delicious doughnuts.

Even the pidgeons come to have breakfast here. We saw, probably the fattest one I have ever seen. Of course I have never seen a midwest pidgeon. If they follow the trend set by the human inhabitants of the midwest, they are no doubt huge. This one though, was not a big bird, it was just fat. No qualms about a carb filled morning meal however. After breakfast, another brisk walk to the hotel to collect batteries for the camera. (Fuck this thing goes through batteries!) Then it is off to see Armandino!!

Looks like we made it

2006-11-22T09:32:00.000-08:00

It is true, we have arrived safely into Seattle just last evening. Fortunately we had the foresight to pick up some sushi to take with us on the flight. Kind of surprised that no one threw fit about the soy sauce. We did have to drink the miso down in the cab though. Anyway, no matter, we are here.
As soon as we arrived at the hotel, dropped our stuff off in the room, which was surprisingly large and nicely put together, we were off to dinner. I say surprising not because the room was just nice. We nearly always stay at the Alexis when we are in town because all of the rooms are very well done. The nice thing is they are also nearly all different and we got an exceptionally nice one this time.

Our first stop in Seattle, Frontier Room in Belltown. Fairly quite, it being a Tuesday evening, we found a booth in the back, bar area. It is a very interesting space. One of these long narrow restaurants, it opens up into a bar in the back with cow skin booths along one wall and a long, communal table running down the middle of the room. Against the far wall is stacked a large pile of fire wood.

The two of us being new to flogging, we made a rather rookie mistake and ordered the same thing. Can you blame us though really. This place has one of the best pulled pork sandwiches in Seattle. Granted this is not a heated competition. The pork was just a bit dry but this is no doubt incentive to add great amounts of their terrific BBQ sauce. It is spicy and just a bit sweet and goes so very well with the sandwiches. Truly the sandwich is just a BBQ delivery device in this instance, as most things are in my opinion. French fries, Salmon burgers, breakfast cereal, all of them just an excuse to eat BBQ sauce. The sandwich itself is quite good though. We decided to switch the standard, cornbread side for greens and beans. The greens were a bit salty, even for collard greens but the beans were very good. Also qutie sweet and smoky. OK, I can't seem to add any more pictures so I will continue later. Besides, the left over pizza from Via Tribunali last night is calling me.

Weekly recipe

2006-11-17T09:52:00.000-08:00

This title may turn out to be rather misleading. I have been going back and forth with the idea of posting recipes regularly. You see, I am somewhat secretive with my cooking. I won't even give them up to my wife. This secracy is further enforced by the fact that I never really use recipes and can't actually recall what goes into the fare I produce until I am actually in the act. As a result, I don't really have exact measurements and often forget to include items when I try to remember and write them down.
However, this is one that I pinched from a cooking show anyhow, so I figured, what's the harm. Fortunately, my wife was able to get a picture before it was devoured hastily. (A rare occurance in our household.) So here it is. It is amizingly simple and very delicious. I hope you enjoy.

To start, get a large pot going on meduim heat as you chop one, large yellow onion. One of those grapefruit sized ones. Rough chop and, by this time the pan should be hot, add a healthy amount of olive oil (for this site and for all of my cooking, I use extra virgin olive oil. That is a lot to type over and over again though so I will just type olive oil, or sometimes even just OO and you should assume extra virgin.) Enough to cover the entire bottom of the pot. Throw in the onions and chop a good amount of garlic. This can be adjusted to your own taste for garlic. We both love garlic and consume quite a bit of it. I usually add three to five large cloves. Throw in the garlic and wash six to eight roma tomatoes. (If you can't find fresh romas, where do you live?? You should move.) Slice tomatoes in half and add to the pot. You need to move all the other stuff, onions and garlic, to the sides of the pot and place the tomatoes, cut side down, directly on the bottom of the pan. Damn! You see, I've done it already. When adding the onions and garlic, be sure to add some salt. Probably about a teaspoon or so. This will cause all of those lovely juices to exude and comingle. Fresh ground pepper also goes into just about everything I make, even the breakfast cereal. Getting back to it. Once the tomatoes are in there, wash some parsley and remove the stems, probably about a good handful will do it. Add the parsley whole to the top of what should now be a wonderfully sweet smelling pot. Add one whole cinnamon stick as well and let all of this just hang out together. At this time, you can prepare the fish. The recipe from the show suggests Monk fish, and typically I would dutifully oblige. However, the WF by our house does not stock it as the fishmonger has some aversion to it. We have been using Black Cod and it works fine. It is a little flakier than Monk but that is ok. Really any good whitefish will work. Anyway, approximately .75 lbs per person seems to work out well. Of course, we both have a fairly healthy apetite so you might be able to get away with .5 lbs per person. Begin heating a large sauce pan. Trim the fish if necessary and slice into medallions. The size is not really important. Just something that will allow for ease in cooking. Add a bit of OO to the pan. (I told you I would do it. Don't act so surprised.) Season the fish (more shorthand. That means salt and pepper.) and add to the pan. Cook until done on one side, approximately four to six minutes. Flip and go back to the pot, which should by now have filled your kitchen with the wonderful smell of cinnamon. Stir this mess thoroughly and try to break up as much of the tomato skins as possible and otherwise incorporate all of the ingredients. Once done, add this mix to the pan with the now finished fish. Done! If you like, and we usually do, prepare some pasta in the mean time and serve the fish over it, as represented in the picture. I have no suggestions on which pasta you should use. This is not, as you have probably guessed, a step by step, explain every detail type of recipe, nor will any future recipes be as much. I tend not to cook that way. Just do what makes you happy. It would probably work well with any pasta, though I would cation agains any long noddles. This is just my personal taste however. Cooking should be about fun and experimentation and doing what make sense to your own taste. Hope you enjoy. That is all for now.

Mozza Mozza Mozza

2006-11-15T09:09:00.000-08:00

Once again I have started a post with little thought toward its direction or composition. Well some thought obviously went into it, as evidenced by the title, but that is all. Further complicating the matter is that I have not as of yet this morning had a drop of coffee. I ran out yesterday and, knowing that Peet's restocks its beans on Wednesdays, have decided to abstain for the day in order to get fresh beans this evening. I know, it's sick.
Well, to the subject at hand, my wife, being the good little flogger that she is, came straight home and wrote all about opening night at Mozza. I on the other hand, could barely manage a few late-night, and probably incoherent emails before passing out. So I come to you today, a day late, with tales of Pizza.

First of course, the restaurant itself was nicely done. With warm orange walls and a long bar that wound its way along one entire half of the small space. Behind which, Nancy Silverton worked all night, shoving pizzas into the oven. There were no signs of Batali, though that is appropriate. This project is supposed to be more Silverton than Batali. Bastianich was also there, working the room.

For an opening night, everything seemed well planned and thoroughly rehersed. Our service was excellent and the food arrived in short order. However, the table next to us, who had arrived earlier and order just before we sat down, still had not received anything when our second course came out. To start with, we ordered the Affetati misti, an assortment of cured meats from Armandino's shop in Seattle. (Check back next week for pictures from the source) The Lardo was absolutely delicious, as was the Finnochiona. They were out of the Proscuitto di Parma, due to an earlier ham heist by a Vespa riding gourmand. As a substitute, they offered another salumi which was good, but as a substitute for proscuitto, no.

The salad was next. This was an amazing salad. My wife will complain that I stress too often and too enthusiastically that I am a carnivorous creature. It is true, I eat salads occassionally. And who doesn't like at least some vegitables (I like most.) But none of this matters with this salad. This salad was more meat and cheese than green stuff. But the salad is not what either of us has come for. We came for Pizza. And some of Armandino's finest. And well because it was opening night and there is no Tuesday night Football.

The pizza was very good. So good in fact that I even ate some of the Wife's longneck clam pizza (I don't typically eat bivalves or fungus for that matter.) I had that Salami with mozzarella and red chilis. It was excellent. We also shared a Margherita. The table next to us, when they finally got their food, had the Burrata. The pizza was beautiful. In fact I welled up a little. I think I may have had a chili in my eye, but it was hard to tell. All and all a wonderful LA food experience. We stayed nearly three hours and never felt rushed to leave. I very highly recommend a trip to Mozza. I know that we are already planning a return visit. A little wiser after our first though, I think we will try to stagger our order a bit. The pizza tends to get cold by the time you make it around to the third.

I realize this should be where I wrap it up. Or maybe I should have done that a long while ago, but I am not a writer. So here is the close.

By the way, this is her plate, not mine

Oh the shame.

Up and running

2006-11-14T18:48:00.000-08:00

Success! The camera for my wife's blog has arrived. I had to wait out in front of my building because we don't have a house phone (really, who has those anymore?) and the buzzer doesn't ring the cell phone. So I sat out, drinking coffee, reading the Journal and having a cig. No matter, it has arrived and she is up and running. Check out her blog when you get a chance. We are very excited currently as we have a table at Mozza in just a couple of hours. Primarily though, I thought to describe our upcoming, annual pilgrimage to Seattle for Thanksgiving. As usual, we will arrive a couple of days early and stay an extra day or two to fit in all of our requisite stops at some of Seattle's finest eateries. I will skip the standard steakhouse, The Met is probably the best in Seattle (Tuesday) and focus on things unique to the city. On Wednesday morning, we will head to Salumi. This is Mario's father's place. Such a shame to describe the owner in relation to his son. Unfortunately there are simply too few people out there who would instantly understand if you told them you were going to see Armandino. I am conflicted however. I typically get the lamb proscuitto, if they have it, but have been reading about the culatello and am drawn by the curiosity of trying something new. Especially something new that can rarely be found outside of Northern Italy, to which I have yet to travel. I think Elliot's is on the list as a result of their excellent happy hour ($3 martini's) and my wife's penchant for oysters (I am not a fan.) The Frontier Room, in the now trendy Belltown area has great pulled pork sandwiches. This will probably be our late night stop either Tuesday or Wednesday. Of course we will need to find time for Via Tribunali, maybe the best pizza in Seattle (though natives would disagree.) Then, a trip across the water to the best sushi place in Seattle, without a doubt, and maybe anywhere in the US. Sushiman is in an unlikely place. A non-descript strip mall in Issaquah, but it has the best salmon of anywhere I have ever been. They use only wild, Alaskan salmon and the owner, Bobby, is a former sumo-wrestler and often behind the bar. Of course the obligatory visits to the parents. Fortunately for me, my parents are split up so I get two Thanksgiving dinners. Both are from the midwest so no skimping on the fat or gravy. (Also fortunately for me, my parents don't have any idea what a blog is, let alone read any, so I am safe.) Always the dutiful son, I will be spending all of Thanksgiving day at my father's house. Otherwise a very enjoyable experience, I love my father very much, but this week his three sisters will be in town. (They still live in the midwest, so you can imagine.) *disclaimer* I love the midwest (sarcasm) and any comments on this site to the contrary may not necessarily be shared by the author or publishers of this blog (may not be but are.) Before I offend further, I think I will call that a post, besides Jeopardy is on.

New post

2006-11-13T18:00:00.000-08:00

I really cannot think of much to write although, after reading several other blogs (using the very nice 'next blog' button) I have determined that having something to say is in no way a prerequisite for blogging. The camera which was supposed to arrive today, for my wife's blog (foodpornla.blogspot.com) will not arrive until tomorrow. This is cutting it rather close as we have reservations for Mozza tomorrow night. This is Batali's new restaurant in LA, his first here actually. Tomorrow is the opening and I wanted to get her a camera before then. Hoping it arrives tomorrow. I realize that, rather than typing in the address within the post, I could probably put a hyperlink to it. This would allow any to just click and be directed there, unfortunately, I have no idea how to do this. Maybe I should take the time now to figure it out. (Can you tell I had no plan for this post before I started, or even now, several sentences later?) Hey, look at that I figured it out. You would think that since I figured it out I would go back and delete my ignorance, so as to hide my lack of technical ability. However, I have no shame and am really just to lazy. OK, this is quite enough

Hello and welcome

2006-11-09T18:49:00.000-08:00

I am not sure that I will take the time to keep this up. To be honest, I have just set up an account so that my wife can start a food blog. A little surprise for her, something she has always wanted. I have to keep it a secret until the digital camera arrives, probably on Monday. We'll see if I can actually find something interesting to write about. I am not sure why, but am rather intrigued by writing a message to no one.