Archives for the 'beef, fish, poultry, pork' Category
The beef
It’s rainy and cold around here right now. T.S. Eliot said that April is the cruelest month and he certainly hit the nail on the head. Funny how weather like this in Paris didn’t even phase me but here it sure does get me down. That and the fact that my fearless minivan, hauler of trees, compost, groceries, and kids, has broken down and been at the shop since last Thursday. I’m torn between wanting to stop sinking money into repairs and get something new, fuel efficient, and small and wanting it to pull through so I can do some bondo work on its rust spots this summer…perhaps even give it a snazzy, arty, creative paint job. We’ll see how this saga ends up soon enough. Until then I’ve been driving Dave’s car and logging a lot of drive time as I drop Dave and the boys off and then pick them up again later in the day.
Braised short ribs are perfect for when your life becomes unreasonably hectic and stressful. Begin the day before you want to eat them. In a deep, large dutch oven brown each piece. Add 1/2 bottle of red wine, 1 onion peeled and quartered, 5 garlic cloves, bashed but not peeled, and a can of whole roma tomatoes. If the liquid amount is low feel free to add water. Also add salt and pepper and a bay leaf or two. Cover the pot and stick it in the refrigerator. On the day you want to eat them you should preheat the oven to 325F about 3 hours before you want to serve them. While the oven is preheating put the pot on a burner and heat up the contents then pop the ribs into the oven. 3 hours later they’ll come out of the oven looking like little succulent pot roast. There is nothing that well-marbled, braised, grass-fed, locally-raised beef won’t cure…well maybe there is… but it sure does fix me up after a bad day.
Enjoy those ribs with some nice smashed potatoes, a nice pool of reduced braising juices lapping at their base, and a delicious pile of haricot verte to contrast. Don’t forget the wine.
Beef was raised by and purchased from Eric and Carrie Johnson at Jordandal Farm.
Porky deliciousness
I wish I knew what to call this pork creation. I suppose if I’d rolled them into balls they could be meatballs but actually I was trying to recreate a dish Dave ordered in Paris…it had a big long French name written in cursive on a chalkboard and when the waiter kindly translated it for us he called it “pork salad”. But oh, it was so much more than that! I actually had plate envy as I had foolishly ordered the endive salad…and after tasting the pork I wanted to marry it. It was that good. In order to quell my unbridled lust for this porky dish I decided to try to recreate it. Not so easy to do since Dave would only share one bite and then refused to tolerate my queries about the presence of chervil, shallot, and such as he smugly devoured every last remaining morsel. There you have it…my one regret regarding Paris is that we didn’t order another plate of that heavenly pork.
My version is good, in fact it’s fabulous but it’s not the pork salad from L’ AOC. It didn’t have that incredibly rich unctuousness nor the crusty, caramely exterior. I suspect that lard was used…perhaps even wrapping the pork in leaf lard before cooking and the seasoning was probably much simpler than what I attempted. But there were no complaints at the dinner table last night and I’m looking forward to the leftovers for my lunch.
I served the pork (which I will hereinafter refer to as porklettes until I have a better name) with a potato, celeraic puree, sauteed mushrooms, and baby bok choy that I chased around an incredibly hot pan for a few minutes. It was the perfect combination. I’ll keep trying to improve the porklettes…they have a lot of potential for flavors and I can imagine how excellent they would be with ripe heirloom tomatoes…mmmmm.
Porklettes
inspired by the “pork salad” served at L’ AOC, Paris
printer-friendly recipe
16 ounces pork shoulder
4 ounces side pork
1 shallot, peeled
2 inches ginger, peeled
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tablespoon Penzeys fines herbes
1 egg
1 tablespoon bread crumbs
3 tablespoons white wine
salt
pepper
Using the food processor, pulse the pork shoulder and the side pork until it is coarsely ground. Transfer the meat to a mixing bowl. Put the shallot, ginger, and garlic in the food processor and pulse until it is chopped fine. Transfer it to the mixing bowl. Rehydrate the fines herbes using a tablespoon of water, add that and the remaining ingredients to the bowl and using your hands mix lightly until combined. Store overnight in the refrigerator.
Prior to cooking allow the pork mixture to come to room temperature. Form it into whatever shape size suits you. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet and add the pork just before the butter smokes and cook over medium heat until browned, flip and brown the other side.
Chimichurri chicken, rice, and artichokes
This is geek fast food ala Trader Joe’s. But unlike drive-thru fast food, nothing here will make you queasy, it’s all good for you, it costs less than drive-thru fast food, and you can enjoy a bottle of two buck chuck while you prepare it. Ooops….before I forget, it’s delicious. Also, save all the trim from the artichokes and make a vegetable stock with it…perfect for a spring risotto.
What you need:
1 box of baby artichokes
2 chicken boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 bag of chimichurri rice
salt, paprika, cumin
splash of white wine
Olive oilPrep the artichokes according to these instructions.
Blanch them in boiling water for about three minutes, then drain.Slice the chicken into bite-size strips. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and saute the chicken in olive oil. Season with salt, pepper, paprika, and a bit of cumin. Once the chicken is browned add the artichokes, and the bag of rice. Toss in about a 1/4 cup of wine or water, stir, cover, and cook for about 8 minuted or until fully heated through. Serve.
Thanks for all the birthday wishes…I appreciate each and every one of them. I’d write more now but I want to go play Super Smash Bros. Brawl on the Wii. It’s a kick-ass game!!!!
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