Good shout. Fennel seed and pork is a winner. I’ve often mashed it into sausage which I then scatter over pizza (along with chillis, pancetta, bell peppers and thyme/balsamic caramelised red onions). I spent a quarter of my life labouring under the misapprehension that cheese was horrible, so since my conversion I’ve become quite infatuated (and quite experimental) with pizza…
Or, fennel seeds mixed with coriander seeds, salt and pepper, bashed in a mortar and pestle and rubbed into scored pork-belly skin before roasting.
Oops. Drink has been taken. Correction: I spent the first three quarters of my life hating cheese. The most recent quarter has been more than adequately cheesy.
I’ve done the monté au beurre thing with some sauces, but I wouldn’t have thought of it with something already awash with bacon and sausage! Still, in for a penny, in for a pound…
Last night was jambalaya, with andouille sausage and chicken. I made a loaf of almost-no-knead bread to go with it, 1st I’ve made in a while. It came out perfectly, and I need to add it back into rotation.
Tonight is also a hodgepodge, but rather than the 1-pot kind, just a random mix. I’m rolling some of the remaining chicken into the household version of bacon-wrapped stuffed chicken (with cheese and jalapenos) and have a small pot of heirloom beans* simmering. Some bacon and more andouille will eventually join them.
There’s also beef jerky in the oven at the moment (at 175 F) but that’s an entirely separate matter from dinner.
shoutout to Rancho Gordo. If ya like beans they are THE best source for interesting varieties and all of their products are freshly dried. Amazing flavors and colors: https://www.ranchogordo.com
Specifically, “alubia blanca” beans. Cuz you all wanted to know.
The bread was based on Cook’s Illustrated version of a recipe originally published in the NY Times, by Mark Bitman, who IIRC created the original no-knead bread. It uses a super-wet dough + time (up to 18 hrs) instead of kneading, to create the gluten necessary for the bread’s structure.
Compromise by kneading it 10 or 15 times after the long-ass rest period. My version uses a small amount of lager beer and a bit of vinegar to replace part of the water - this mimics the sourdough flavor.
Depends on how much gravy you’ve made. I usually make it a tablespoon or so, but I don’t measure. Silks up the gravy texture, and like Yorkshire Pudding said, if you’re already using bacon, sausage and half&half or other moo juice, a bit of butter isn’t going to save your arteries.
I don’t recall it being Bittman’s bread, but rather some local NYC baker. Looking it up, the article was by Mark Bittman, but the recipe was from Jim Lahey of Sullivan Street Bakery.
Left overs from the Chili Cook-Off at work. I made a pork chili. The supermarket didn’t have a pork shoulder but the manager said the “pork country ribs” were just a bone-in shoulder that had been sliced (the boneless “pork country ribs” were sliced pork loin).
salted then browned the “ribs”
Sauteed an onion and some garlic
2 jars of roasted tomatillo salsa
a tbsp of cumin and 2 tsp oregano
2 cups chicken stock
Put it partially covered in a 325 degree oven for 4 hours
take out the meat and shred it/remove fat and bones
add 2 cans white beans
serve with cilantro, lime, avocado
Also, it got me to thinking that I could do a pulled pork with the “ribs” and get a much greater surface area to spice and expose to smoke.
We still have a lot of Chinese food left. And there’s leftover salmon loaf and Béchamel sauce. And there’s a little taco meat and refried beans. Yeah, and there’s still a ton of ham.
I thought I might reheat the salmon loaf, but on second thought I think I’ll make nikumaki again.
Tonight is split green mung bean dal, along with Indian cabbage (braised with onion, garlic, ginger, tomato, mustard and cumin seeds and turmeric). With a little bulghur for the Ukulele Lady and a piece of naan for myself.
A local church is doing a fish fry tonight to raise money, so there goeth us. Had leftover bean soup and cornbread for lunch. Damn, that’s some good cornbread. Sweet, but don’t judge me.
