Pig's Head

Pig's Head

Yup.  I picked up my pig's head today.  As is obvious, it's cleaned, and quite well cleaned at that.  It certainly does not even compare to Chris Cosentino's beautiful pig's head.  Good job, Chris!  No ears, no tongue, no skin.  But I did get the eyeballs, ugh.  I'm not sure I understand the USDA set up for being able to sell ears and tongues, and the butcher was far too busy today for asking questions.  I know I can get the tongue and ears when it's my pig, but I guess they can't sell them.  C'est la vie...

I also picked up 6 lbs. of ham hocks to be added to the recipe.  Given that I barely had a container large enough for the brine, I think that is more than enough meat for two people and one (I hope) head cheese.  I have a pig's heart that I thought about adding to the mix, but again, all that meat and just two people, I don't think so.  I did find a few stray whiskers and some hair that I had to get rid of, so the head is even cleaner now.  I put it and the hock into the Charcuterie brine, so it's soaking in a bit of heaven.  Of course it was so heavy and so big that I actually had to set it outside where it may possibly do well in the cold spell we're having.  Just in case, I keep adding ice.

I would be more nervous at this point in time in making the head cheese, but I found a marvelous video that provides just the imagery and descriptive words I needed in order to proceed with ease and confidence.  Thank you Carl Tashian, Winnie Yang, Marisa Huff, and Johanna Kolodny.  I think I'm ready for the next step....

Auf Wiedersehen, Hot Dogs!

Long Hot Dogs

I almost forgot to photograph my hot dogs before putting them in the freezer.  That's the kind of month it has been (I totaled my car but luckily wasn't injured).  With all the meat I had, I couldn't imagine using a pastry bag to stuff them, so I took the lazy path and used my Kitchen Aid. It wasn't bad but they did turn out a bit uneven at times.  I made some regular sized hot dogs, but I have fond memories of the 15" chili dogs sold at Cupid's across the street from the San Fernando Valley State College campus (now Cal State Univ., Northridge), so I made some long ones as well.  They weren't thin enough, but that's because I used local hog casings instead of sheep casings.

My biggest problem came with the smoking.  My first edition, fourth printing copy of Charcuterie called for hot smoking, but with my old Brinkman smoker, sans attached thermometer, I think I should have cold smoked them.  I thought I saw a comment somewhere by Bob del Grosso saying that hot dogs should be cold smoked, but I couldn't find it so I dutifully followed the directions as printed.  So, the hot dogs were a bit too smoked, plus I put them on the grill so they had those grill marks, but I must say, the flavor is very good.

Hot Dogs and Kraut

I like my dogs with kraut and Dijon mustard.  When I lived in Stuttgart one year, I ate the local Rote Wurst all the time.  It tasted like a good hot dog should taste.  I wanted to duplicate that recipe, but couldn't find it.  In southern Germany (and maybe all over the country) and in Austria, small "sausage" kiosks are often found in front of department stores and on the streets late at night.  They usually offer two kinds of sausage or "wurst" and they come with a roll (Semmel) and Scharfe (sharp, but think quite hot) or Süsse (sweet) mustard on a rectangular plate.  The sausage are not put in the roll, after all the rolls are round, one just holds it in the hand, dunks the end into the mustard, and alternates bites with the roll.  It is the best!  And I loved when they had Rotwurst in the kiosk. 

Hot Dogs with Baked Beans

My husband likes his hot dogs with baked beans, even canned beans.  It works for him so although we sit at the same table, we part ways with the hot dog accompaniment.

I had great ambitions for this month.  I wanted to make the Weisswurst.  And I really wanted to make Thüringer Bratwurst like I remember it.  Actually, I like the Freybe's Thüringer Bratwurst that I buy up in Canada.  I know that in Thuringia two necessary ingredients are caraway and marjoram, and often garlic as well.  It gives the bratwurst such a pronounced flavor.  I didn't get the task done in this month's challenge but I will in the future.  I also wanted to use my pig's liver in liver sausage this month, but that wasn't made either.  Oh well, something to look forward to!  Along with next month's challenge: headcheese!

Hot Dog Preparation

De-boning beef short ribs

I bought my short ribs from my favorite, local USDA butcher.  They use their own farm-raised cattle so no hormones or antibiotics.  Indeed, their place is very pastoral in the summer with the cattle grazing and lazing through the summer days in the meadow in front of their business.  I'm very proud that I saved myself $3/pound by buying the bone-in short ribs instead of the de-boned ribs.  Also, I needed the butchery practice.  I love practicing butchery which I have learned only from books and youtube.com.  It does intrigue me and although I'm not professional, I think I do an okay job.  I'd love to be an apprentice to a professional but between teaching and everything else, I don't think that will be happening any time soon....  Unfortunately, my knife sharpening skills are really atrocious, so much so that I need to use a knife sharpener.   But I do know what sharp is and I cannot work without sharp.  Maybe if I butchered more often....  Anyway, it was really easy taking the bone out.

So, I put the meat through the small grind and added my water and salts just like Ruhlman and Polcyn told me to do.  Now it's in the refrigerator, busy "...develop[ing] the myosin protein that helps give the hot dog a good bind and a good bite."  Go myosin, go!  Tomorrow or Saturday, I'll add the rest of the ingredients and make hot dogs!  It should be interesting....

I hadn't intended to make Ruhlman and Polcyn's hot dogs, but given the scant directions for making a good Swäbische Rote Wurst, I decided to learn from the Charcutepalooza heroes before embarking on more ambitious endeavors.  I cannot wait!

Tiramisu

Tiramisu

I know, I know, my photo abilities are limited, as is my camera, but that is a 10" x 15" tiramisu.  And yes it sits on the ugly, vinyl tablecloth that is used for all messy activities.  But it's good and the size is perfect for the occasion.  Like the shape?  My friend, Fred, who is also the local Democratic Committee vice-chair, owner of fifty head of Scottish Highland Cattle, and mechanic par excellence, made me a stainless steel 10" x 15" mold for this cake because I had to make five of them for a wedding. 

I've made many, many different recipes for tiramisu but this one is the best.  Simple pure flavors.  From Nick Malgieri to Franco Galli, I have tried many recipes and in the end, I think I've put together ideas that really don't make my tiramisu unique, but it sure tastes good!  I used to make it all the time at Papa Byrd's Bistro and everyone loved it.  That's why I was asked to do it as (multiple) wedding cakes.

I use Malgieri's Pan di Spagna made, of course, with farm fresh eggs.  I brush the cake with a coffee/brandy sugar syrup, then top it with Green and Black's Organic Cocoa Powder.  Then I layer it with a mixed filling of zabaglione (classic, with eggs, Marsala, and sugar), whipped cream, and marscapone cheese, followed by more cake with coffee syrup/powdered cocoa, and more filling, until I have three filling layers.  I finish with a somewhat heavy topping of the cocoa powder.  It's simple and easy and I think that is what makes it taste so good.

If there are any secrets, well, it must be the quality of the ingredients.  I didn't make up the recipe, I just learned from the best!

Charcutepalooza Throughout The Year

Moroccan smoked pork loin with beluga lentil vinaigrette

We were not able to eat all the smoked pork loin at once so I cut the rest into two-person portions so that just the two of us could have a quick and easy dinner some summer night.  Although summer has barely arrived here in the northwest, I did need that quick and easy dinner so I took some of the Moroccan smoked pork loin out of the freezer, defrosted it, and later gently warmed it in the oven, covered with foil and a few drops of water to kind of steam warm it.  I served it with beluga lentils with a bit of mirepoix in a Pomegranate Balsamic Vinaigrette.  It was delicious!  The sweet tanginess of the vinaigrette married well with the smokey spiciness of the meat.  Yummy!  Charcutepalooza all year long!  And to think that I made it myself...well...with the inspiration of many other Charcutepalooza fans.

Japanese Peanut Butter

Yes, that's my empty jar of Japanese Peanut Butter.  Well, I haven't cleaned it out completely, but I will. Isn't it sad?  I can't find it anywhere.  Not even in Seattle!  Not even at Uwajimaya.  So I'm posting this in the hopes that someone can tell me where to find more.  Below is the front of the jar:

Followed by a list of ingredients (I think):

Where oh where do I find this delicious peanut butter????

Bangers And Mash

Bangers and Mash



Well, it wasn't just any sausage, it was my garlic sausage.   And, of course, I also changed the mashed potatoes by adding a bit of parsnips.  For sweetness.  And, I'm addicted to mashed potatoes and parsnips.  Finding a British beer in Bonners Ferry, Idaho, was nothing short of a miracle.  Bass.  At Safeway.  Wonders will never cease.  So began my multiple usages of stuffed sausage.

Given my weakness for sausage,  my first four different sausages didn't make a dent in my freezer so I decided to go for even more.  Top left is Charcuterie's Smoked Andouille recipe.  Below is Mrs. Wheelbarrow's Merguez Sausage.  On the right, both coiled and in links, is Charcuterie's Venison Sausage.  I feel like I'm on a sausage mission, trying more and more kinds of sausage-making, but maybe I'm just filling a junk food addition.  Be that as it may, as long as I had extra minutes in the day, a love of sausage loomed overhead.

At first I wasn't crazy about the Andouille, so I used and froze it without smoking it.  I figured I could smoke some of it, if I wanted, after defrosting....  I may be completely wrong but I had no choice because life is like that....  I didn't think it had enough pepper a first, but after freezing and then defrosting a few links, I changed my mind and really liked the flavor. Andouille Sausage is really good whether smoked or not, and it lends itself to many different dishes.  I used it in a risotto and it turned out very well.  I also made a cream sauce with peppers, onions, and zucchini and served it over egg noodles, as shown above.  Now I think that smoking it would really bring out the flavor even more.


Garlic sausage and peppers

So, every summer I look forward to the County Fair in late August (and yes, that is way too early).  I often enter some of my canned goods and have won a number of blue ribbons.  But what I really look forward to is the food booth from Coeur d'Alene because they serve coils and coils of homemade Italian sausage.  I can smell the sausage and pepper, onion, garlic, and oregano mix on the grill before I even see the booth.  The server cuts a long chunk of the coil, sticks it into an oversized sausage roll, covers it with the pepper mixture, puts it onto some serving paper, and hands it to you.  And, in a truly disgusting fashion, I also put yellow mustard on top - it must be some childhood thing.  Occasionally, throughout the year, I try to emulate the flavor, and although I didn't add the disgusting yellow mustard to the above sandwich, it came close to county fair memories.

I've used my sausages in a number of ways.  For dinner one night my husband and I had rigatoni with chicken sausage and peppers in cream sauce again.  I love how the cream absorbs the flavors of the peppers and sausage as well as the changing herbs that I add.  To me, it's comfort food.  I also made a risotto with my chicken sausage removed from the casings and I added some cut up broccoli.  That was delicious!  The hint of tomato from the sausage blended well with the broccoli, onions, and garlic.  My own chicken stock just added more flavor.

I haven't had the venison sausage yet.  I'm thinking I'll like it more in winter....  However, once those root vegetables come up in the fall, I may be tempted to serve them with venison sausage.  Hmm, what kind of beer would go well with venison sausage?  Maybe on a gusty, windy fall day, red wine would match the sausage better.  So many choices!  And tomorrow, a new Charcutepalooza challenge!  I'm ready!